Are you posting reels on Instagram and not getting the reach that you want? It can be super frustrating to be putting in all that work and effort and not getting the numbers you want (and deserve). This post will finally give you the answer as to why your reels aren’t getting enough reach and perhaps some mistakes you are making that are stunting your growth. And most importantly, we are going to cover how to increase your Instagram reel reach.
I know you are devoting a ton of time and effort to growing your Instagram account. And I want that time and effort to pay off, so make sure you stop making these mistakes and start implementing these Instagram reel tips right away. You’ll finally see some growth that you’ve been longing for!
Instagram Reel Mistake #1: Not creating niche-specific reels.
I’ve had people send me a message time and time again saying that their reel just went viral but to the wrong target audience. Now, they have all these people following them that really don’t want to see their content and for sure don’t want to buy their products.
It’s definitely exciting to have an Instagram reel go viral, BUT you want to make sure it goes viral to the people who will actually help grow your business. To do this, you want to make sure every single Instagram reel you create is niche-specific.
What does a niche-specific reel really mean? It basically means creating an Instagram reel that serves who your person is and the one problem you can solve for him/her. You want to check these two boxes every single time you create a reel.
And just so you know this strategy actually works, I doubled my following in just a few months once I niched down my content. I used to talk about many different ways to market your business, but then I only started talking about Instagram marketing and my account exploded.
Instagram Reel Mistake #2: Not adding value.
Once you know your niche, you need to show up and serve your audience. There is a misconception out there that if you are going to add value to your audience then you must be educating your audience in some way with every post. Yes, definitely create Instagram reels where you are educating your audience, but please do not less this be the ONLY type of content you create.
There are 4 E’s when it comes to how you can add value to your audience through your Instagram reels and content. They are:
- Educational
- Entertainment
- Engagement
- Empowerment
Look back at the last few Instagram reels you posted and see if they fit into any one of these 4 E categories. If you can’t place your reel into any of the categories then that’s a mistake you can fix right away. Always, always make sure your Instagram reels are adding value to your audience so they will not only watch you one time and every single time after that.
Instagram Reel Mistake #3: Not editing your videos enough.
When I say editing your videos, I do not mean adding filters or effects. I mean tightly editing it, so you are not wasting a single second to draw your audience in. If you are taking a huge breath right at the beginning of your video, you’ve already lost them.
So, record your video and be super precise when cutting out filler words, deep breaths, and pauses. This will ensure that your entire video is full of value and will capture the attention of your audience and help them stick around for the whole thing.
Instagram Reel Mistake #4: Too late to trends.
I love a good trending audio because it gives you the opportunity to expand your audience and grow your reach. However, pay attention to how long the trend has been going around. If you are scrolling through Instagram reels and you hear the same trending audio 5x in a row, then move on. You’ve more than likely missed the boat, so do not take the time to make a reel with that audio because it’s already been used and shared more than enough times to spark peoples’ interest.
There is a saturation point where trending audio has no longer become entertaining and is now considered annoying. We want to make sure that we stay in that entertainment zone. A super easy way to do that is by clicking on the trending audio on Instagram and seeing how many times it has been used. I recommend using trending audio if it has been used less than 50 thousand times. If it’s anything more than that, I let that one play out without me and move on to the next trending audio.
Instagram Reel Mistake #5: Only using selling content.
Only creating selling content on your Instagram reels is a HUGE mistake! People on Instagram are not wanting to watch commercials. They want to be entertained, educated, etc. So, make sure you are adding value to your reel content as we mentioned earlier in the post.
When I’m creating Instagram reels, I think about the three different phases my audience is in:
- Attraction
- Nurture
- Sell
Keeping these three phases in mind when creating content, and especially reels, will help you attract new people to your account and nurture them and build a relationship with them before you ever try to sell to them. (I usually save my selling content for my stories because that’s where my die-hards are and they want to actually learn about and purchase my products.)
Instagram Reels Mistake #6: You haven’t created enough content.
I have hundreds of people that I coach who come to me all the time and say, “Michelle, Instagram reels just don’t work for me.” And then I go to their Instagram accounts and see that they’ve only posted 3 Instagram reels in the last 2 weeks.
Listen, if you want to get really good at Instagram reels and figure out what your audience likes, you have to create more content. Plus, there are some great benefits that come from posting more often even at the very beginning of your journey. E.g. becoming a better content creator, an expert in your niche, and gaining data on what your audience likes and dislikes. All of this is super helpful to find out and the sooner the better!
Instagram Reels Mistake #7: Posting your content inconsistently.
If you are posting sporadically on your account that makes it hard for you to grow an audience and get traction on the app. It also makes it hard for Instagram to rely on you so it doesn’t push out your content. The more reliable you are with posting consistent content, the more Instagram will push out your content and help get it in front of the right people for you.
Instagram Reels Mistake #8: You aren’t looking at your Instagram analytics.
You are getting clues from your audience every time they engage or don’t engage with your posts. You probably have some Instagram reels that have performed way better than others you have done. This is what you need to be paying attention to. Find the Instagram reels that have more views and engagement and create more of that same content.
Instagram Reels Mistake #9: You are not doubling down on your successful content.
This goes right along with mistake #8, but make a plan and create more content like the content that has the most engagement. If you see a reel that has WAY more views and comments, that’s your audience telling you that they like that content and want to see more of it.
It’s super important to keep pivoting as you see what your audience wants from you and how you can best serve them. Adjusting as you go is key to growing quickly and seeing those increased numbers on your Instagram reels and following.
How to Increase Your Instagram Reel Reach
Alright, did you learn something from those 9 mistakes you might be making with your Instagram reels? I hope so. Stopping these mistakes and implementing the new tips and ideas I gave you is definitely how to increase your Instagram reel reach. And now that you have the tools, you can go out and make it happen! Give me a follow @iammichellegifford so you can keep getting tips like these and more that will help you grow a successful biz online.
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