It’s so great that a lot of you have gotten more engagement and built a larger audience with Reels over the past few weeks of using them on Instagram. Now the question is, what are you going to do next? Now that you have this new audience how do you convert that audience into sales? We need to convert this excitement into money, sales and new followers to continue to grow your business! Here’s my 5 ways for how to use Reels to sell and build an audience. 

Reels are fun, but you need to be mindful of the kind of content you are creating so you not only get views, you get sales. Let’s get started with how to use Reels to sell and build an audience. 

1- Stay on brand

When I did my Rock the Reels challenge a few weeks ago, it was awesome because it introduced the participants to a lot of new people. Because you don’t know which Reel is going to be someone’s introduction to you, you need to think about a few things. The first thing I want you to think about when creating a Reel is this, “Is this Reel on brand?”, “Does this Reel represent the brand I am trying to create?” 

There are some things that I could share on a Reel that would not be on brand for me. You won’t see me sharing fashion tips on Instagram Reels. I love looking nice and being put together, but fashion is not a part of the brand that I’m building. Before you post, think about what will and won’t fit in with your brand. This way, no matter who is watching your Reels, they will know who you are and how you can help them. 

Since this is an introduction, you are building the know, like, and trust factor. Some Reels are just for introduction and it’s ok that they are like that. You don’t need to sell on every Reel. That will get old and you will become a commercial. Nobody wants to get to know a commercial. Reels are expanding your reach and introducing you to new audiences, which is amazing. Now, this leads me to point number two.

 

2- Establish yourself as the expert

You need to establish yourself as the expert when it comes to the problems that you solve for your audience. This is where you really need to niche down. How can you use Reels to niche down and really serve your audience well? I did one Reel a while ago all about my professional kettle corn popper. (See it here) It has about 6900 views at this point in time, but the Reel next to it has over 17,000 views. The difference? The Reel with more views is titled, “How to quickly make gradient or rainbow text on your Instagram stories or Reels” and it’s a way I’m setting myself up as an expert for Reels. See it here. 

My popcorn Reel is a behind the scenes glimpse of my life. And the next one is an educational Reel where I am presenting myself as the expert and educating my audience. Both are fine and both are needed. 

If you are going to be presenting yourself as the expert, you need to start putting out content that really helps people. I like to break this down into categories:

1. You’re teaching a quick tip that someone can take right now and go do it. 
2. Share something that gives  your audience a taste of what you do for your business.

As you are creating your Instagram Reels, think about what you can share that will set you up as the expert in your field. This way, as your audience grows you will become the go-to person for solving their problems. 

3-Sell your products, content, and services. 

We are talking about how to use Reels to sell and build an audience, so of course I’m going to tell you to sell! Remember, you can use these as little commercials, as long as you don’t only do commercials.  For my Rock the Reels challenge the first week, one of my participants sold a few coaching sessions after she posted her first Reel. Isn’t that great? Why are we so weird about selling? We don’t need to be. It’s ok for you to share what you are selling. People are looking for what you’re offering and they need to know that you can sell it to them. 

I need you to show up and I need you to share it. I want you to show me your product. I want you to share it and sell it to me. It’s ok if those Reels don’t have as many views as your other, fun Reels. But that’s ok. There will be people who will be there to buy and there will be people there who are only there for your free stuff. In order for them to buy what you are selling, you need to show it to them and sell it to them! 

Show me how to use it. Show me how you use your product in your daily life, the different features, etc. Sell it to me!

 

4- Get people on your email list. 

If you already have a freebie, then create some reels that talk about your freebie and at the end, invite them to get on your email list so they can get your freebie. Because Instagram is putting Reels in more people’s feeds, they might not be following you yet. So if we can get them on your email list, then you can share more about you and your business with them easily. For more on why I believe in email marketing, check out this post, here. 

5- Show the transformation that your product offers your customers. 

How do you do this? Show the before and after, create a reel and share the problems that your product addresses and solves. For example: Are you feeling alone in your business? Are you looking for coaching but don’t want to spend a million dollars? Awesome, I have a coaching group just for you, Michelle’s Money Makers. Find out more here. Show the problems that are arising and what answers your product can bring to solve those problems. 

How to use Reels to sell and build an audience

Those are my 5 different ways to make money from Reels. I don’t want you to only create fun Reels. Or to only create sales ones. I want you to create Reels that help you reach a lot more people, give them an introduction to who you are, and then when they are there, you can teach them. Once you teach them, you can sell to them. One more thing, consistency brings a lot of calm and trust with your audience. When your audience knows they can count on you to show up in their email inbox every week, or that you’ll put out a podcast each week, they will grow to trust you. Then, when you ask for the sale, it’s easier to get a yes because they trust you. 

I am so excited for Reels, when you post your Reels tag me @iammichellegifford. And use the hashtag #rockthereels. I still share the Instagram Reels with this hashtag every day to my stories. If you need more information on using Reels, check out my 5 day Rock the Reels challenge here. I will send you an email every day for 5 days with information to help you learn how to Rock the Reels and grow your business.