Five Proven Ways to Increase Your Reels Watch Time

The first two to three seconds - that’s all the watch time most Reels get. Of course we all want a lot more than that. Longer watch time can increase how much your content is pushed out and suggested to non-followers, greatly increasing your post reach. Though it isn’t just about Instagram performance alone: The longer amount of time a consumer is watching your video, the longer they’re interacting with your brand. And that’s of course good for branding!

I’ve tested watch time on countless Reels and I’ve had some that have been watched not just once all the way through, not just twice all the way through, but three times all the way through by multiple viewers.

Mix Up Your Strategy on Different Reels

What works best for increasing watch time amongst current followers versus non-followers is not always the same thing, so sometimes you might need to put your focus on one or the other to really boost engagement and watch time. With one of my full-time social media management clients for example, I notice Reels with people in them, as well as those which are highly-produced, tend to score a longer watch time (and more viewers overall) amongst non-followers. While current viewers on the other hand, tend to prefer informational Reels or ones with inspirational content like a selfcare Reel. Of course this may vary for you, and an array of content types is best, so give each one a chance in the spotlight.

The potential outcomes for both are different but equally important. Greater engagement from non-followers, for instance, increases your chances for new growth. While greater engagement amongst current followers increases the connection, nurturing and touch points for an increased chance of sales.

Use A Strong Visual Hook

A crucial way to get increased watch time on your Reels is to capture your viewer's attention in the first place! This can be accomplished with text overlay or a strong visual hook in the video itself. For text overlay, not having the same text on the screen for more than a few seconds can help. Moving text like typing can also enhance this hook tactic.

Though no visual hook is more effective than a physical one in which you are moving as soon as the video begins. This often involves an otherwise mundane task and can be as simple as you sitting down, setting your camera up, or even pouring a cup of coffee. I will say however, if you're blessed with incredibly good looks, sitting still and engaging the camera right off the bat can be just as attention-grabbing and even better, it can be mesmerizing.

Take Advantage of Instagram Insights

Instagram Insights really break down your audience's behavior per post, so don't let that go to waste! In terms of watch time, you can see follower vs non-follower watch time, you can see the percentage of followers who watched for a longer period of time, and you can even see at which point in each Reel that they begin to lose interest. This information is huge in helping you adjust your Reels strategy each time you film and edit. I love that Reels insights also shows a graph comparing each Reel to your average Reel's performance. And again, they break that info down between both followers and non-followers.

Keep Your Clips Short

If it's hard to hold a viewer's attention for more than 2-3 seconds, it only stands to reason that shorter clips will give you a better chance. Now, this tactic is not always appreciated or understood by some of my clients. I get it, you've spent years developing your product. A one-second clip seems unworthy of your precious baby. But that's just it - it's YOUR baby, not that of your viewer. They don't care about it the way you do, and they never will.

You're fighting for their attention, so you have to have a strong strategy, period.

Keep in mind I said clip and not full video. Besides, you can't even post a Reel shorter than three total seconds. I mean posting a carefully-edited video comprised of multiple one-second video clips. Of course this only works with certain video formats, like a non-speaking video that is highly visual. Having short clips primarily works well with video elements like product closeups, ingredient highlights, product demos, quick reactions, ASMR and swatching the product. It's highly effective.

If you take one tip from this article, it had better be this one if you really want to increase your Reels watch time!

Have a Long Informative Caption

Not only can this help with your Instagram SEO, it naturally increases watch time. Try pairing it with a short and otherwise simple video that will replay multiple times while the viewer is reading the caption. That being said, it had better be some highly valuable or highly entertaining information, otherwise only a small portion of viewers will actually take the time to read it in the first place.

I'd say I hope these tips help you, but after having implemented them for both myself and my clients, I know without a doubt that they will! Try implementing some with your next Reel.