I have a feeling if you’re here, you are a business owner feeling the drain from spending a lot of your precious time creating Reels. Well if you are frustrated that you are posting and still hearing crickets…this blog post is your lifeline.
Now, if you're frustrated, know that you're not alone. Mastering Reels takes some practice, but I know you are capable – no matter your tech or social media experience. And the change you need might be more simple than you think.
☝️Mistake We See Online Business Owners Make
So I’d like to just cut to the chase here. And this might be a harsh truth. BUT, a main mistake we see, that a lot of well-meaning business owners make, is talking too much about yourself, which causes Reels to miss out on the views they deserve.
It sometimes feels like- to sell our products, our service, our time…. We have to talk about ourselves. And while yes, we should at times, your posts should speak about your ideal buyer to be found by them on Instagram.
There are times to be vulnerable and share things about yourself and your business to better connect with your audience! We aren’t saying to take ALL of that away.
But if your account intends to get sales, you want to call out your viewer. How they identify, What THEIR problems are, and THEIR desires. And how YOU can offer a solution to those problems and desires.
Simple Audit for Your Instagram Account
We have a quick check for you.
Look through your last 9 posts. Count how many times you use the words, “I, me, my, myself”. Take note if it’s showing up in your hooks, in your descriptions, and in your Reel scripts.
Then count how many times you mention your audience. If there is more “me” than “them”, shift the focus and address your audience's problems and desires.
Notice how all of our hooks are about our audience, and not about us!
“You” and “Your”
Consider the audience perspective – how do they describe what you do? What words do they use to explain their problem? What do they experience when they use or have what you sell?
Instagram's search tool is more and more powerful, and so your Reels need to use those keywords and be about those topics to be found by your customer. Our viewers needs to remember that expert terms or industry terms may not be used by your customer…so if you use terms that are too technical you could miss out on your people.
Another Big Reason Your Reels Aren’t Being Viewed
The other reasons your Reels might not be getting the views. Which could have something to do with presentation. Words matter and speaking to your audience's problems matters. But you also have to present your reel in a way that your audience gets to see what you’re talking about! And a surefire way of doing that is – including a HOOK.
A HOOK is the word at the very beginning of your video, so it’s the first thing people see when they’re scrolling. It determines whether they are stopping to actually watch your video, or if they’re going to keep scrolling. If you’ve been on our youtube channel before, or read any of our blogs, you have probably heard us talk about hooks before.
We're not trying to sound like a broken record! However, we are trying to make the point that Hooks, keywords, and messaging are so important in growing your business and reaching your ideal audience!
Hooks can use keywords, and they tell the audience exactly what the video is about. Or they allude to solving a problem or answering a question someone might be thinking about. If you need help with hooks, we have lots of training on it. We will link another video on the screen that goes even deeper into hooks.
Simple Update for a Giant Impact
It can be such a simple update to make a giant impact. For example, instead of saying “This is how I got clients from Instagram” – try, “You CAN get clients from Instagram just by…. ”. Or instead of a Hook that says, “We have this brand new clothing line!” you can reword that and still use the concept but say, “Are you tired of having NOTHING to wear?” See what I did there?
By switching the perspective, you invite your audience in.
The Reels that make your ideal client go, “OH my gosh, you totally GET me!” If you master this strategy your Reels will become saveable and shareable. If they watch a Reel and feel like they understand it to their core, they’ll engage. That’s where you find the major growth.
Are Reels Really Worth It?
Why should you care this much about Reels? Because we know your time is precious, and we want to see real results for your efforts.
Reels are still the most popular and well-placed kind of content on Instagram. And by changing the viewpoint of your hooks, scripts, and descriptions to center your audience as the main character – you’re making them feel seen and connected. With consistency, you will get more views, and more customers!
So if you found this insightful and if you want to keep improving your Reels and growing your online business, we have the perfect next step. It’s a free guide for business owners looking to increase sales, followers, and their reach on Instagram using Reels.
Click the link for your free guide! We can’t wait to see how this messaging shift can elevate your posts!
