Episode 005: Instagram Reels, Are They Really Important?

Instagram Reels | TikTok | Shortform Video

If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media over the last 2 years, you’ve probably noticed that short form video has taken center stage. Google describes shortform video as any video content under 10 minutes, but Insta and TikTok have their own agenda. Their videos have a 60 second limit, although most hit around the 30 second mark. Creating a trendy, catchy, hooky, educational, inspirational 30 second video can be pretty hard!

I’m in a mastermind program right now with a group of photographer women who are in the throes of developing and launching our own courses. Creating a course from scratch is a lot of work, but having a group of people who are going through the same thing has been such a blessing. We bounce ideas off each other, give a second set of eyes on content when asked, and just support each other through the entire process.

 

That’s how I met Corrin. Corrin is the queen of showing up as her authentic self on reels which is why I knew I needed to have her on the show.

 

Corrin is a destination wedding and branding photographer based in Virginia! She’s been photographing incredible, joyful couples for over 5 years, and after saying she’d never be an educator, she’s recently added on a new title of Reels coach and educator for small business owners- specifically wedding professionals.

 

She has been using Reels in her business since December 2020 and has grown her community on Instagram from 3600 to now over 38,000. All that to say, she has also utilized the power of reels to grow her newsletter list and bring in new clients from all over the world!

 

Be sure to follow her over on instagram at @corrinjasinski to see some of her reels for yourself. Just to give you an idea, Corrin’s strategy is to have videos of her actually speaking in her reels giving tangible advice, and not just relying on funny lip syncs for views.

 

Thank you so much for joining me for this episode, Corrin! I’ve had this episode about reels in my drafts for a couple of weeks, and after our zoom call with the mastermind group it hit me that I could have you on the show. I think you have so much to offer photographers and I can’t wait to hear what kinds of things people are going to learn from you!

 

Question 1 How did you get over the fear of showing up on reels?

By trying literally every style of Reel out there- and by every style, I mean literally everything! Dancing, lip syncs, behind the scenes, amazon hauls… I had to figure out the app alongside what I felt comfortable doing, and then in the process of that, I began to see what my audience also wanted from me!

 

Question 2 What are 3 things you would tell someone who wants to get started showing up as themselves?

I think everyone who wants to add Reels to their Instagram strategy needs to start by asking themselves this question: what do you want to achieve by adding Reels? What are your goals?

 

Is it to lead your ideal client to your newsletter list? Is it to promote a product or service? Is it to share yourself and/or your business in a new way to better educate your ideal client? Instill trust and add value to your ideal client?

 

You have to start at the core- why Reels? And if your answer is because everyone else is doing it or to gain a following- I’d recommend not posting quite yet, sit on the idea of Reels a little longer because that “why” will lead you to burn out so quickly!

 

That would be my first tip! Next, I’d say to try every style of Reels to figure out what feels like you- whether that be trends, lip syncs, taking to the camera, dancing and pointing, voiceovers. Try it all! Do you need to post them? No. Do I recommend that you do? Yes.

 

The more you post, the more you will figure out what feels like you/your business alongside what your audience wants from you!

 

And my last tip is to try really hard not to look at people within your own niche. Look to people who are vastly different from what you do and who you serve. You will never be able to be yourself by following in the footsteps of someone else. Find inspiration by sounds that catch your eye, find inspiration from creators that are original, and do their own thing! And if that seems too hard at first, go back to step two and try everything. Keep it simple, but being original will always be your best bet to showing up as yourself!

 

Free Weekly Reels Education

If reels are something that’s brand new to you, or you want to level up your game, Corrin has weekly emails that go out to her subscriber list with everything from how to come up with content to saving time and streamlining your creative process and so much more! Use the link in the show notes to sign up for yourself and take your reels to the next level.

 

Question 3 Talk to me about trends and their importance

Ooooof. I don’t know if your listeners are ready for my thoughts on trends, but here they are… if trends help you to show up through Reels while staying on brand, that’s great, and continue to do them, but I personally don’t believe trends are meant to be the end all be all of your Reels journeys. Trends are a great entry point and are able to add traction to your Instagram, but they are really hard to keep up with and very difficult to hop on first.

 

It’s really easy to see trends and think virality. I think that is a huge reason why we see mostly trends on Reels! And yes, there is a possibility that your Reel can go viral with a trend, but if your Instagram isn’t set to have a Reel go viral- you won’t reap the benefits of that trending Reel.

 

Another thing to take note of is your brand, first and foremost. Who is your ideal client? What are your goals? And then does this trend align with that? If your gut says no, then don’t do it.

 

Overall, I think everyone needs to show up how they want to show up on their Instagram. Trends or no trends. Add value, joy to your Reels and if you impact at least one person, that Reel did its job!

 

 

Question 4 How do you come up with content ideas for your reels?

I love this question and I do this in a few ways! Whether that be by polling my audience on Instagram, taking inspiration from the weddings I worked, the FAQ section on my website, or researching headlines on large websites- I’m looking to add value to my target audiences lives.

 

Put yourselves in your target audiences shoes. What are their pain points? Start jotting them down and then finding ways to create Reels with that information.

Reels can be overwhelming. Whether you’ve posted hundreds of Reels or none, it can feel intimidating at times! But I want to encourage everyone to push past that feeling of fear. That feeling that you have to show up a certain way because you don’t. Start where you feel comfortable and go from there!

 

My saying is if this reel brought joy or value to at least one person, it did it’s job and it was worth posting. You got this!

I am currently working on a Reels 101 Course specifically for wedding professionals! This course goes over everything a small business would need to create their very first reel, but what makes this course super special is that I am including full tutorials and examples specific to the wedding industry. I’m really excited to get this course out there to everyone and this course will be released in May!

Just to recap… In order to get over the fear of making reels, you have to just show up! Try out all different types of reels and find the one that fits your brand the best.

 

Tip 1 for starting to show up as your authentic self on reels is to think about the end result of your reel. What do you want it to accomplish? This takes me back to my teaching days and PIE or author’s purpose. Are you trying to persuade, inform, or entertain? Crazy how things you learned in school circle back, right?! The second tip is to try every style and find what feels like you. While tip 3 may sound counterproductive, stay away from the people in your own niche. Corrin says it will be hard to find yourself when you’re following in the footsteps of someone else.  You can find inspiration everywhere you look!

 

When it comes to trends, Corrin says they aren’t meant to be the be all, end all. They can be hard to always hop on and get in front of.

 

I also think it’s worth mentioning that you shouldn’t pay attention to your view count. Sure, we see all these influencers who have gone viral (and Corrin’s view counts are through the roof) but you shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone. Whether your reel has 400, 4,000, or 40,000 – you are awesome. Just think about if you were walking around Target, and you got 400 people to watch your video. That’s an insane number! Don’t get caught up in what seems like a popularity contest – because it’s not. There’s an algorithm that determines how much and when your reel is viewed, so don’t let it get you down.

 

When looking for inspiration for reels, find out the pain points of your target audience and aim to solve their problems

 

Don’t forget to sign up for Corrin’s weekly newsletter where she shares all things shortform video to help you become the master of your own feed! You can find the link at the bottom of the official show notes.

Don’t forget, Corrin is working on a Reels 101 Course specifically for wedding professionals! It will go over everything a small business would need to create their very first reel, but what makes it super special is that she includes full tutorials and examples that are specific to the wedding industry. Her course will be launching in May so be sure you’re on the list to get first dibs!

– Links mentioned in this episode –

Corrin’s Weekly Reels Education Newsletter

Get on the list to hear when Corrin launches her course

– Other Links –

Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)

Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)

Quickbooks referral link (50% off your first 3 months)

Be the first to hear when my beach course launches! 

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Keep in mind that I will only ever share about companies that I truly believe in.