How to Create Viral Instagram Reels

We are in the age of digital video content, where you can go viral with as little as a 5-second video. But how do we get there? With so much competition, you have to stand out somehow, and I’m going to explain how to do that in this article.

Whether you’re an average Joe, a new Instagram creator, or a full-blown influencer, one thing you need to use is Instagram Reels.

Reels are basically the exact same as TikTok, but less dancing.

Instagram Reels focuses more on the person rather than things.

With this information, you can create your reels for the algorithm, get more views, more likes and more followers.

Let me explain how to create viral Instagram reels so that you can grow your Instagram account once and for all.

Viral Hack #1 – Pull the Viewer in Quickly

The more interesting your reel, the better.

We now have an attention span less than a goldfish.

We are in information age where we are constantly consuming information.

Most things are incredibly boring to us, and we are more likely to skip a video within the first couple of seconds, because well, we have an endless stream of entertainment at our fingertips.

We don’t want to be bored when we can skip to something better.

Therefore it’s highly important to capture your audience within the first couple of seconds.

You can do this by adding a text-to-speech caption, pulling the viewer in and letting them know what they will expect for watching your video.

Viral Hack #2 – Hit Emotional Triggers

Feelings include happy, excited, sad, hope, motivated, and more.

Emotional triggers is what sparks people to share your content.

It’s why people share things that inspire them, makes them happy, or even sad.

You need to spark an emotion to make them hit that share button without even thinking about it.

This isn’t hard to do as long as you know your audience well enough.

Don’t know your audience? Put yourself in their shoes, think about the problems they may face on a daily basis, what makes them happy, what makes them angry, etc.

Pro tip: Go to forums in your niche to see what questions they might have, then create content accordingly.

Viral Hack #3 – Keep Your Reel Under 15 Seconds

People can view the entirety of your video from the feed screen without ever having to click the video, as long as you keep it under 15 seconds long.

They can still like, comment and share the video without making them complete that extra step.

However, it doesn’t always have to be under 15 seconds, but you should definitely get that emotional response in the first 15 seconds in case they don’t end up watching the rest of the video.

Viral Hack #4 – Use the Reels Music Library or Saved Audios

For those that don’t know, Instagram rewards people for using all of their features, and especially those jumping on trends.

Using the music library shows that you’re using Instagram to edit your videos, rather than a third-party software.

Using saved audios also shows that you’re actively checking out other peoples reels and saving their audio.

And of course, they reward people that are actively engaging with their app.

Therefore you’ll get an automatic boost just for using a trending song or saved audio.

Viral Hack #5 – Take  Advantage of Trends

The easiest way to go viral is to jump on a trending sound, song, or topic.

It’s why those that go viral the most seem to be one of the first on the trend.

To spot a trend, simply scroll the reels tab for 10 – 15 minutes, and you’ll find a song or audio that pops up more than others.

This means it’s currently trending and you should create something asap, as you’ll receive more views and likes than if you waited later on.

Viral Hack #6 – Have a Twist or Surprise at the End

Again, something unexpected at the end of the video like a surprise is going to spark emotional triggers.

This keeps the video entertaining and stops it from being boring, increasing the chances that you’ll get a share when the video is finished.

Adding a twist is also a good way to get more shares.

To Recap:

Creating viral Instagram reels is easier than you think, the problem is that most people lack in the editing department.

You could have the most funny or entertaining video, but if your editing skills suck, it’s not going to go as viral as it could otherwise.

And example is having a 30-second video when the magic happens in the last 5 seconds. Most people will skip in the first 5 – 10 seconds.

That’s why it’s important to pull them in from the get-go and keep them engaged

• Using a text-to-speech to set up expectations
• Having a hook (beginning)
• Buildup (middle)
• Then a punch line (ending)

Using these guidelines – and everything else mentioned in this article – gives you a solid foundation to work off of.

Of course the more you practice creating reels, the better you will get.

Don’t expect your first 10 videos to become masterpieces..

But the more you create Instagram reels, the better you’ll get.

It’s Important to Note

Not all videos will go viral, and most of your videos will flop.

It’s a numbers game. The more videos you put out, the more chances of your videos going viral.

Something else to note is that the internet is incredibly unpredictable.

Some videos with no editing at all can go viral. It just depends on timing, trends, and market demand.

But to increase chances of virality, always put your best foot forward and stay consistent with your posting efforts.

Creating videos on a consistent basis increases your chances for one to get picked up by the algorithm and shown to more people.

And on that note, that concludes this article.

In Conclusion: Draw Inspiration from Others

Let me finish by saying that you should be consuming reels in order to learn what the best people are doing, not to mindlessly scroll for endless entertainment.

This does not mean flat-out stealing other peoples content ideas, but finding inspiration and adding your own twist.

This will help you learn what the algorithm likes and what makes people share the content to others.

Then you can apply it to your own videos.

Well I hope you learned a thing or two about creating viral Instagram reels in this article.

If you’re wondering why your IG account isn’t growing despite “doing everything right”, you might want to check out this article.

Do you have your own tips or have any questions you want answered? Let me know in the comments below.