Ep. 27: Reels ideas: Trending sounds, voiceovers, and tips for any personality

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Let’s talk Reels ideas. Last week’s episode featured ideas for using your brand personality to develop your voice with Reels, and also suggestions for how to get on and off the app without it taking up all your time.  This was taken from a Live I did earlier in the year, and we decided to take the second part of that live to share the Reels ideas Q&A we held afterwards and the suggestions I gave our participants.  

In todays episode we’re covering questions like how to use trending audio with voiceovers, product education, how to tailor Reels to your personality especially if you’re an encourager or more serious person, and more. You can use these Reels ideas for your personality, and by the way, we have a Reels Personality Quiz you can take that we’ll leave in the shownotes so you can find out which type you are AND get suggestions for tailor making those Reels to your personality!  And now, listen in!

Click below for show notes!

Ep. 27: Reels ideas: Trending sounds, voiceovers, and tips for any personality

Click to take the Reels Personality Quiz!
https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/611fc03c688e1f0017ed5f53

Creating Original Content

Suzanne asks, what’s a good idea for original content for me? Suzanne sells hair products specifically for women in midlife. They help thicken your hair and make it look better. Suzanne, as far as Reels ideas for you, I would like to see you do some behind the scenes of what you do with your hair of the different products that you use and how to use them on your hair. But I’d also like to see you in a different setting. Besides the normal ones that you continue to do.

So you guys should check out Suzanne’s Reels, but I’d like to see something different! Maybe you just give tips on how you get ready for your day and how you do the things you do for your hair like pre-tips before you even put the product on or how you sleep at night with them. I hope that helps. 

Long Form Video 

How long is long form video, Suzanne asks. I would say long form videos are anything beyond seven minutes, honestly. So here’s the thing. A lot of people like just quick viewing. Some Reels do well and they’re only 40 seconds long! 

We do live in a generation that likes things quick; they like quick tips, but we also live in a generation that likes YouTube. Try thinking about it this way. How long do you watch YouTube videos? Personally, I watch YouTube videos that are only seven minutes long or less. I won’t go beyond that unless I really have to fix something. So experiment with long and short.

Reels Ideas: Get a Plan

Short form is definitely in, especially Reels. You can do Reels up to 60 seconds. I think that’s too long for a Reel, I think you lose people’s attention. But you have to test your audience. What is your audience like? 

Start posting consistently. 

Seven minutes is a good limit to tell your video story. However, three minutes is long enough for video. Someone asks, I struggle with coming up with Reels ideas because my message seems more serious. I’m more of a teacher. What are some Reels ideas? The first idea I have for you, Suzanne, is have you taken my Reels personality quiz?

There are three types of people. One is the entertainer. That’s the obvious one. One is the educator and one is the encourager. Visit the personality quiz via the show notes!

After you complete the quiz, you’ll receive 40 Reels ideas. They’re listed right off the bat that will get your brain going. If I don’t see examples or suggestions from people it’s hard for me to think of ideas.

It really helps to have those kinds of Reels ideas. If you’re an encourager, you can encourage with Reels. One of the biggest tips that I could give you is if you would do a Reel of some pretty scenery outside and do a voiceover from a clip in your podcast. That will do two things. Number one, that will help establish you in the Reels algorithm. Number two, that will give more exposure for your podcast. If you’ll flip down in my Reels, you’ll see where I did that. 

Play with aesthetics

Another thing you can do is just scripture or another pretty scene or a flower or something like that.  Belinda said, “I fluctuate between an encourager and an educator.

Posting across types

Can I do posts for each Reels personality type? Absolutely. I do that. If you tap on my post from yesterday, it was just a post about a plant; I formed an analogy about a small plant growing within a large pot. Nothing fancy, but inspiring! That’s something to keep in mind for Reels ideas, you can still stagger those  static posts in there for sure. We’re just saying, try to use more video because it’s going to maximize your time that you spend on Instagram.

I have under 10,000 followers, but I can reach people because I am smaller. A lot of times people come to me because of my personality, because I am encouraging. 

That’s the thing about likening yourself to a little plant in a big pot with a big audience is you have to start somewhere. You just have to start somewhere. I started with very simple materials. I had been podcasting for over a year and a half now, and that is the top of my funnel.

That’s how I meet my clients eventually. That’s how I gained followers on Instagram. That’s how I attract coaching clients. And, that’s how I build my platform. 

Stuck? Try testing!

If you’re just starting out or you’ve been here stuck on the platform for a long time, it’s time to really focus in and not spread yourself so thin. So I just started studying it and I tested my stats.

I learned the new features and things like that. Because A, I enjoy it. And then B I love to pass it on to you guys! Somebody needs to be able to explain this stuff in simple terms that everyone can understand, right? 

Here’s my last tip for you. When you go to my profile, you can choose to be notified about my posts and my stories. So go select that, go toggle the button so you don’t miss out because I give lots of tips and stories that I don’t give anywhere else. Things are always changing on Instagram.

Did today’s episode spark new Reels ideas for you?  Sometimes you just need a little inspiration don’t you?  I know I do!  And often, it’s easy to come up with ideas for others but  not so easy for our own content because we’re so close to it.  

This is something we do inside my Mentorship, which is a close-knit community of Christian entrepreneurs, writers, and podcasters who support one another by giving suggestions and feedback.  It’s comprised of accountability and feedback, mostly actions you would take every week anyway on Instagram, but this way you don’t get stuck in your own head.  It’s targeted.  So if you have a good handle on Instagram tech, 500 or more followers, and aren’t in the beginning stages of figuring out the platform, you’re looking for a community to help you boost engagement, spread your message, and pour into you, AND you are willing to do the same and give back to others, we’ll be sharing more about how you can apply to join our Insider Mentorship.  If you can’t wait for that information, send me a message on Instagram and I’ll give you the inside scoop! 

Our members continually stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones, using Reels as a tool to reach their target audience. When you’re part of a supportive community, you feel more brave and equipped to step out and share your message! 

Don’t be afraid to share yourself on Reels! And don’t forget to take our Reels Personality Quiz so you can find out if you’re an encourager, entertainer, or an educator as well as receive those 40 Free Reels ideas.