Find out all you need to know about Featured Reels, as it one of the most trending features available on social media right now.
As TikTok has grown in popularity, so has the number of content creators and influencers. After the consumption of short-form videos increased, Instagram launched Reels, which worked just like TikTok.
With Instagram Reels, users can create short videos with a time limit of up to 15 seconds. You can choose audio from thousands of pre-installed songs available in the platform library. The reels will appear in your followers’ feed and on Instagram’s Explore page, so your content reaches a larger group of people.
In this article, we’re going to look at these particular reels, compare it to Tiktok’s main reel, and why it’s essential when you’re creating content.
What is the Featured Label on Reels?
Recommended reels are the reels that appear on the Explore tab on Instagram. Discover popular videos and images from brands, influencers, celebrities, and other popular accounts based on platform trends, people you follow, posts you liked, accounts that you visit often and your interests.
According to Instagram, the Explore tab now shows top reels along with other posts based on Instagram trends and your interests. These reels are carefully selected by Instagram and can be created by anyone whose account is published.
When Instagram selects your reels, you will be notified, and your reels will now be available to more people than your followers.
Are Featured Reels Similar to Videos on TikTok’s FYP?
Instagram’s reels feature is offered to keep users and content creators away from TikTok. If you’ve used TikTok before, you’ll know that you’ll see short video clips on two tabs: Next and For You when you open the app.
The Followed page shows videos of the following people, while the For You (FYP) page shows popular videos based on your interests, likes, or preferences saved into the past. TikTok is known to use an algorithm that modifies the “For You” page to be personalized for each TikTok user.
The featured Instagram reels are a selection of public reels curated by Instagram to allow users to explore more content as they see fit. Featured Reels is, in many ways, inspired by the For You page that was the defining feature of TikTok.
The only difference is in the positioning of the features. While you will be greeted on the “For you” page when you start TikTok, you can only access the featured reels via the “Explore” tab on Instagram.
This means that you have to first open the Instagram app and then tap the Explore tab at the bottom to see all of the recommended reels that have been generated for you.
Why Should you Care About Featured Reels?
As featured reels give you the ability to be visible on the Explore tab on Instagram, you, as content creators, can gain more activity and, therefore, more followers in your account. When one of your reels appears on the Explore tab, you can reach a larger base and also have the option to reappear.
It is reported that over 50% of daily Instagram users actively use the Explore tab to discover content. This sets the Explore tab as a home-from-home for many Instagram users, making it more visible.
With Featured Reels, you compete with other content creators and appear alongside videos from brands, celebrities, and other popular Instagram accounts. Featured Reels allow your videos to become an instant hit, even if your video has been featured as a featured reel in a fraction of the Instagram user base.
Can I make Featured Reels if my account is set to ‘Private’?
No. For your Instagram reel to be visible to others on the Explore tab, your Instagram account must first be set to Public. If your account is set to “private,” you can only share your reels with your followers in your Instagram feed or stories. Also, users cannot share their reel with their thread or story, or use the original audio available on their reels.
Therefore, you will need to make your account private to appear on the Browse tab. When you do this, your reels can be viewed by a larger user base with the likelihood of new people discovering them.
Users can also share their reels in their accounts and use their original audio to create their videos. This increases the likelihood that your reel will appear and stay within the scope of the reels presented.