Instagram Reel Length: How Long Can Reels Be?

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Learn how long an IG Reel can be and how long you should make yours

Co-authored by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: November 28, 2023

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• Maximum Reel Length
|
• Best Reel Length for You
|
• Expert Interview
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• Expert Q&A

|Show more |Show less

If you want to grow your Instagram followers and boost your engagement, you have to try Instagram Reels! At least Reels don't disappear, as Stories do, so they are the best kind of catchy, short advertisement you can make. This wikiHow article discusses how long Instagram Reels can be and the optimal length of Reels for your goals.

Things You Should Know

• The maximum length of IG Reels is 90 seconds, but your goals should reflect your Reel length.
• For example, if you're aiming to get attention from consumers, a short 2-10 second video is best.
• However, if you're trying to build connections with your audience, a 60-90 second Reel would work to tell a story.

Steps

Section 1 of 2:

Maximum Reel Length

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1. 
   Reels can be up to 90 seconds long. Most users can create Reels that are up to 90 seconds long! However, there are longer Reels since many older videos shorter than 15 minutes were converted to a Reel. You cannot make Reels longer than 90 seconds now.

   • If you upload a video (longer than 90 seconds but shorter than 15 min), it'll be shared to Reels. You won't have the same editing tools as Reels do, but you can upload longer videos.
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Section 2 of 2:

Best Reel Length for You

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1. 
   The best length for you depends on your goals. Are you trying to catch potential consumers' eyes or want to tell a story? These Reels have very different purposes and aren't all the same length. Look at your goals to figure out how long the Reel should be:

   • Get attention: 3-7 seconds. Keep the content simple and energetic. A Reel without those two components will most likely mean that your target audience is bored and swipes down for another Reel. Most Reels intended to grab attention are usually 3 seconds long, so you want to stick around that number.
   • Increase views: 3-10 seconds. But you can get away with longer videos using different tricks, like including an element of surprise at the end; that way, people want to watch your Reel multiple times to see if they can spot hints at the ending before it happens.
     • You can also use another trick, like putting text over a fast-paced video. This ensures that your audience will have to re-watch the video to know to pause it so they can read the text on the screen.
   • Get more comments or shares: 15-30 seconds. Remember, the first 3-5 seconds are the most important, where you need to hook your audience. You can do this multiple ways, but you can rely on clickbaity titles, ask an intriguing question, or say something wild and unexpected. Your main goal is to keep your audience's attention until the end of the video, where you have your call-to-action; Comment now!, share this with your friends!, leave an answer in the comments!, comment on your best trip/whatever the video is about!, share your worst experience!, etc.
   • Build a connection: 60-90 seconds. Stories are one of the most powerful forms of advertisement or short clips that we can get out there. If you tell a story in a Reel, you will likely build more authentic bonds with your audience. Sometimes, you can get away with uploading shorter videos if you can tell the entire story in less time. But don't go overboard and bore your audience with unnecessarily long Reels, either!

Expert Q&A

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• Question

  How can I make my video repeat in my Instagram story?

  

  Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones
  Social Media Marketing Expert

  Anyah Gilmore-Jones is a Social Media Marketing Expert based in Nashville, Tennessee. An innovative experiential and social media marketer, Anyah is skilled at creating engaging brand experiences and leverages her passion for connecting people and ideas to drive organic growth for purpose-driven brands. As the founder of GROW by Gilmore, a social media strategy company, Anyah develops data-driven social media strategies focused on authentic community building. She has over 4 years of experience spearheading viral campaigns and producing content for brands like HBCU Buzz, Black & Scholared, SHEIN, and Project Art Collective. She received her BA from Howard University in Political Science and Government.

  

  Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

  Social Media Marketing Expert

  Expert Answer

  You have the option to upload it again or share it as a reel, then post it as an Instagram story. Doing this will make the content automatically loop in the story.

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