How Long Should a Reel Be on Instagram?

Are you looking to spruce up your Instagram feed and make your brand look more stylish? Well, using a reel could be the answer you’re looking for.

Vagabondish is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read our disclosure.

Reels are becoming more and more prevalent across other social media platforms as well. Not just Instagram, you’ve got plenty of options and opportunities to perfect this type of post. But how long should a reel be on Instagram, though? 

We’ve got all the info you need, so read on to know how long your reel should be.

The Ideal Length

Generally, reels should be between 1530 seconds. But sometimes, longer reels may be needed to showcase an idea. With a maximum length of 30 seconds, it is important to keep the content concise yet effective to have the strongest impact.

Focus on presenting the most relevant information in an entertaining way. Also, it’s recommended to leave some analytical insights at the end. This will help you assess the effectiveness of the reel and decide whether changes should be made or not. 

Maximizing Storytelling Potential

Reels should not be longer than 1-2 minutes. Anything more may be off-putting to viewers and draw their attention away from the main point of the story.

The idea is to include all the necessary information in as short and focused an amount of time as possible. Reels should be kept:

  • Interesting
  • Passionate
  • Easily consumable

This will contribute to greater Instagram engagement from users, providing higher viewership. 

If you’d like to post longer reels, be creative and split the video into parts. And remember, once you have your reel filmed, you must convert it to MP4 format so it is compatible with the platform.

So, if you want to create amazing Instagram video reels using MP4 format, this site could be helpful.

Crafting a Short and Sweet Reel

Something too long will lose viewers’ attention and quickly become forgotten. Crafting a short and sweet reel is recommended to ensure that the viewers find what they are looking for.

Generally, the attention span of people on the internet is quite short, so a reel under one minute is ideal. This should allow for one or two main messages to be delivered without feeling too long in duration. 

Making the Most of a Longer Reel

Generally, a good length for an Instagram reel is between 30-90 seconds. This length allows users to deliver their content clearly and succinctly without losing viewers’ interest in the process.

Including clever visuals, sound effects, and exciting topics can help keep viewers engaged for the duration of the reel. Reels should also be edited appropriately to ensure a good flow of the video and maintain a consistent pace. 

Learn More About How Long Should a Reel Be

If you don’t know how long should a reel be, it must be under 30 seconds for the greatest reach. This allows your audience to take in the content quickly and still have time to comment and share.

To make the most of this exciting format, experiment with different lengths to find what works best for your audience. Try it now!

Did you find this article helpful? Visit more of our blogs!

Subscribe to Our 'Under the Radar' Newsletter
If you love travel, you're gonna love this!