July 13, 2021
Sick and tired of just dancing and pointing like a fool to grow on IG?
What if we told you there is another way?
It’s true. Now while there are always reasons for most of the trends on reels (including those with pointing and dancing) we also get that those aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. It can feel frustrating when you’re not the least bit wanting to join those bandwagons but feel that you don’t really have another option in order to grow. So then you give up.
Does that all sound familiar? Perfect, then today’s episode is just for you.
Today we’re talking about REELS. But not just any Reels, Reels you can make that don’t involve dancing or pointing.
We start by going back to the basics, what the purpose of Reels is, and the strategy you need to keep in mind when creating them. Then, we dive into over 21 practical reel ideas you can start to use TODAY.
You’ll walk away with a BOATLOAD of ideas just waiting for you to create. Plus we hope a lot of these ideas inspire you to brainstorm even more ideas from them.
Let’s talk about Instagram Reels. Before we get into it, we recommend going back and listening to Episode 106: Instagram Reels 101 if you haven’t already. That episode covers a HUGE overview of what Instagram Reels are, how to use them, why you should be using them, and LOTS more.
If you’re listening to this episode, chances are you KNOW Reels are hoppin’. They’re an incredible way to get your account seen by so many different people, expanding your follower count on Instagram.
We’re gonna guess a HUGE stumbling block holding you back from creating reels is the fact that you highly dislike dancing and you think pointing to text on a screen is plain stupid. We feel that.
This might shock you coming from us (cause we DO in fact like dancing, we’ve been dancing on social media for 6+ years. Long before TikTok or Reels made it cool and we have created reels in the past where we point haha), but if you don’t like those things, YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THEM.
I KNOW. You really don’t.
You CAN in fact create viral, incredible reels that grow your audience WITHOUT dancing or pointing if that’s not your jam.
So what are your other options?? How can you do well with reels without dancing or pointing??
Let’s take a step back. We need to go back to the basics, what is the strategy behind reels?
Connection. Period. You’re looking to invite people to a place where they feel like they belong, they feel valued, served, inspired. People LONG for connection. It’s in our DNA, how we are wired as humans. We are built for connection.
In all of your marketing, your goal is for people to feel connected. Reels are no different. You have to keep that ultimate goal in mind when creating any online content.
Now with the goal of connection, there are a few other “subcategories” that you can pull from.
You can try to:
There are quite a few others and we could dive deeper into these for HOURS, but for today, these are the top 3 that you can easily pull from.
These are the reels a lot of people scroll for. The ones that make them chuckle, gasp, rewatch. You can use these to show your personality or vibe, make people want to click over to your page, etc.
A few ideas to get you started with creating entertaining reels:
1. Share a funny or inspirational story. Whether it’s a joke or a prank or something that will make people laugh, or it’s something that will make them feel something (ex: the inspirational story of how you overcame an obstacle or sharing a snippet of your marriage, etc!). There are always trending sounds that you can pull from when it comes to entertaining reels too, so pay attention to what trends are popping off and jump on the bandwagon early!
2. If you’re more introverted and/or visually creative, create a vibey reel about your work or product, your workspace (or even your dream workspace) or your home, etc. Find a vibey song, make short clips or even fast-moving photos, and invite people in to be swooned by the aesthetics!
3. Transformations (people LIVE for these). Show a before and after of creating your product or service. Share your house before and after you clean it, your hair before and after a haircut. People love seeing transformations, so share them both in your business and personal life!
These are the reels people typically don’t realize they need when scrolling. This is also one of the most powerful ways to share why people need you or your product or service.
A few ideas to get you started with creating education reels:
1. “3 things you’re doing wrong with ___” or “3 mistakes to avoid with ___”. Insert whatever area of business you’re in. For example, as a fitness coach – talk about workouts. As a photographer – talk to your photography clients about how to prep for a session, plan their wedding, etc.
2. You can educate on a personal/life subject as well. For example, if you’re a mom, talk about your biggest tips for traveling with kids. If you’re great at cooking, talk about your biggest tips for meal planning to save time and money! Ask yourself: what do I know about something related to your life that you do on a regular basis that someone else could find useful?? It does not have to be related to your business.
3. Any sort of “how-to” tips tend to do extremely well if executed well – business or personal/life.
These are reels that make people go “OMG SAME. BEEN THERE.” They’re about human moments, things that most people or a person in a specific age group or segment of life can 100% relate to.
Example: creative entrepreneurs, moms, photographers, students, people with siblings, people who love the show “The Office,” almost any group of people. You’re strategically hitting a specific segment of people that will automatically be like “oh yep I’ve been there” when they see your reel.
When looking for relatable reel ideas, start scrolling your Reels feed listening for audio clips or songs that could be applied to a specific niche of people that you identify with. You’re looking for a sound clip or music clip where the words or lyrics could describe a situation that is relatable.
A few ideas to get you started with creating relatable reels:
1. Take an audio clip of a phrase or lyrics that say something and put it to a relatable life scenario.
2. Showcasing daily relatable mess-ups that you can film and record.
3. Talking about cult fan followings within society (like tv show love triangles) OR culturally relatable things everyone has opinions on.
We just gave you a DUMP TRUCK of Reel ideas you can try starting TODAY. And NO dancing or pointing is necessary. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Get creative. Step outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes Reels will pop off and sometimes they won’t. If they don’t pop off, don’t take that as defeat. You’re not a failure AT ALL! Try it again in a new way. Try something different. Just have fun with it. It’s fun to try new things and see what people resonate with most!
When you have a solid strategy in place to approach Reels from, it makes creating content on the app SO much easier. You’re coming from a place of knowing what you’re trying to do and what you’re wanting to make people feel vs. just drowning in trying to be relevant or like everyone else.
Know your audience. Know who you’re trying to attract. Know the type of content you want to create in order to attract those types of people, and then apply that to Reels. Look for trends or think of your own ideas that apply to your specific niche.
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WASSUP FRIENDS. We’re Evie + Lindsey, co-founders of this wild partayyy called The Heart University. Our goal is to empower entrepreneurs to kick freaking BUTT in their businesses, dive down into the heart of their why and how, and serve you with all possible tools you’ll need to up-level your business game and CRUSH those goals of yours.
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