How to use Instagram Reels as a brand, media company or podcast


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I’ve been uploading 15-second soundbites from my podcast livestreams to Instagram Reels and people are watching them! It’s one way to use Instagram Reels and make your content go farther. Another is to participate in trends – like on TikTok.

I’ll share how I do that and then will share some other brand strategies that you can try as well on Instagram Reels.

How to use video podcast clips

I mentioned how I like to livestream my podcasts to social media to drive more reach. I still do that and love how some of these episodes are taking off there before I’ve ever even published the actual podcast episode.

[Tweet “Integrating live video can help us reach a wider audience.”]

My first attempt at trying to repurpose them on Instagram was through Instagram TV as I can upload the entire episode. That wasn’t a terrible workflow but the viewership on IGTV was pretty low. My return on effort wasn’t there.

I wanted to try Instagram Reels and see if that was worth it more. Here’s how it looked. Over 1,100 views of a 15-second clip – that’s not bad. It’s really just a quick soundbite from the show.

use Instagram Reels for podcasts


More related content:

How to easily resize horizontal video to fit vertically in Instagram Stories and Reels

Why is my Instagram Reels video not saving to my camera roll?

Audio not working – how to fix that! [Updated]


How to use your podcast on Instagram Reels

First, I livestream the podcast to social media.

Then I grabbed a 15-second clip and imported it into Canva to get it to work for the vertical Instagram Reels.

From there, I simply uploaded it to Reels with the same description that I used for the livestream.

Over 1,100 views are great for me on Instagram. Keep that in mind as you are looking at your metrics and are setting goals. What’s good for you, some brands that get a quarter million views on other content they wouldn’t get excited about.

[Tweet “Success measurements are relative to your brand’s situation. “]

For now, this is a strategy I will keep using. Another thing to consider is to have branding on the video so viewers can start to remember your show. Will they get out of Instagram and visit your website? Probably not as many are just scrolling through Reels, but it keeps getting the brand in front of people at the very least.

Follow trends

Trends – just like on TikTok – are very popular. Consider creating videos around those. Instagram even know encourages you to.

Other brand examples

There are many ways you can highlight your brand on Instagram Reels. Especially when you have something visual to show. And many brands have something.

  • Banks can have fun interactions in the office.
  • Hotels can show off the view.
  • Create a fun clip of somebody using your product.

Some examples that I’ve seen that took off with audiences:

You can also follow trends on Instagram Reels and see how to tie them into your brand. For example, there are always certain trends where people dance to specific music or lip sync to movie scenes. Not all examples will work, but it’s one way to integrate Instagram Reels.

use instagram reels examples - funny math teacherA good example to follow would be teacher Kim Callahan who uses Instagram to connect with students, often using spin offs of trends on TikTok and Instagram.


In a nutshell I would recommend to try Instagram Reels as part of your integrated COPE strategy. Right now, Instagram is trying to build the feature and it appears that new Reels get some good treatment and you can reach audiences somewhat easily for the time being.

 



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