Reels

Reels are Instagram's short-form video format, consisting of vertical (9:16) clips that can be layered with music, effects, and on-screen text. They appear both in the feed and in a dedicated Reels tab, and the maximum clip length has varied over time.

Because Reels can be surfaced to non-followers through interest-based recommendations, marketers often use them to expand reach and build brand awareness rather than only to engage an existing audience. Given the short runtime and full-screen vertical layout, the opening few seconds are usually treated as critical for holding attention.

Reels resemble short-form formats on other platforms, such as Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok, so a single vertical video is frequently repurposed and published across several channels at once.