Reel Trends For Your Business You *MUST* Try Before It’s Too Late

If you were hoping that Instagram reels were just gonna be a flash in the pan - I have some bad news for you.

Instagram reels are here to stay.

Not only that, but they are a *super* important part of your overall Instagram strategy.

I get it.

Learning to master a whole new type of content just sounds like one more thing to add to your never-ending to-do list as an online business owner. 😩 😩 😩

Let me lighten the load a bit and give you a list of my favorite reels trends, PLUS give you an exact rundown on how to make them.

The best part?

I’ve picked these trends with my fellow busy business owners in mind. 

I guarantee these are low-effort but high-performing reels trends that you can implement TODAY. 

And I literally mean TODAY, ‘cause these reel trends won’t last forever so GET ON IT. ✅

Without further ado, let’s dive into 5 of the best new reel trends of 2022 so far. 👇🏻👇🏻

Reels Trend #1: Twitter x Reels

I think we all remember how Twitter screenshots were a major fan fave on Instagram in 2020 and 2021.

And I don’t know about you, but I personally loved seeing how content creators were adding their own twist to this trend. Everyone was getting so creative with different backgrounds and branding!

Be honest - did you make a Twitter account for the sole purpose of reposting your tweets on your IG feed? 👀

No shame.

People were eating that UP! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

As Reels have become a more integral part of the Instagram experience, this Twitter screenshot trend has evolved into a reels trend.

A trend that I have affectionately named “Twitter x Reels”.

The Twitter screenshot graphic was SUCH a fabulous way to repurpose your content and the reels version of this trend is an extension of that.

And we L😍VE repurposing content in this house.

Especially when it’s proven to be high-performing. 📈

The easiest way to do this reels trend is to put your screenshotted tweet on top of a stock video background from Canva or Pexels. 

And there you have it! ✅

But if you’re anything like me, you can probably sus out stock video and photo content from a mile away.

And so can your followers!

That’s why I always recommend using your own unique video content. 

Remember, these ideas are meant to be low-pressure, so don’t panic about not having professional video content to make this reels trend happen.

This is when you want to take advantage of your B Roll video footage.

For example, if you’re a travel vlogger you could use a video of a gorgeous beach scene.

Or if you’re a hairdresser, you could show a time-lapse of an amazing hairstyle transformation.

Now those are two business owners that would have endless B roll footage. 

So what do we the rest of us use when we spend most of our time hunched over our laptops editing graphics and blog posts and checking a never-ending stream of slack messages in our pajamas? 😬 😬

Here are a few ideas:

• Film your morning coffee routine ☕

• Whether you have a fancy 10 step coffee process or you film a simple steaming cup of coffee this can be a nice background to a Twitter x reels video.

• Time-lapse of your workflow ⏰

• This one might require getting out of your PJs (or not), but go ahead and set up your phone on a time-lapse while you sit down for a 30-minute work sesh and you’ve got some great B roll footage.

• Record *aesthetic* moments for later 🌅

• The next time you find yourself in a totally gorgeous environment whether that’s outside in nature, at a peaceful coffee shop, or even when the afternoon light hits your desk in that special way take out your phone and film 15 seconds to save for later. Your future self will thank you!

 If you don’t have a Twitter account it’s time you make one so that you can jump on this trend. 

Twitter screenshots have been so powerful in the past couple of years on Instagram, so let’s start incorporating them into our video content starting NOW.

Here’s one of my fav examples of this reels trend from @GloGraphics 😍

Reels Trend #2: Seven Second Video

I’m willing to bet money on the fact that you’ve been tricked by this trend on TikTok already -  but now it’s making its way to reels.

This reels trend is the Seven Second Video.

Again, you could always use a 7-second stock video (but you know how I feel about stock videos).

With this trend, content creators are keeping it as simple as a 7-second video of their face doing absolutely nothing. 

*😐 ​​😐 😐*

If showing your face doing nothing for 7 seconds sounds like your worst nightmare maybe stick to a clip of your scenery.

But the point is - don’t think about it too much, ‘cause it’s gonna be covered by text anyway.

Yep! 

You’re gonna go against every video content guideline you’ve ever heard about minimizing the amount of text on the screen and completely cover your entire video with text.

To make this reels trend work, be sure your text takes longer than 7 seconds to read.

Cover your whole screen with the text by blowing up that font, pick some background music and watch this video takeoff. 

This reels trend skyrockets your views because the video loops before your followers can finish reading the text. So not only are your views going up, but the algorithm is seeing that your video is getting re-watched.

And if there’s one thing the algorithm loves, it’s video content that gets rewatched. 🤑🤑🤑

It can see that people are LOVING whatever is happening in that video and then pushes it out to more and more people.

Yes - this trend is a little hacky.

But it works! 

And it’s completely taking over TikTok right now, so don’t feel ashamed to give it a try. We’re all doing it! 🎉

Reels Trend #3: Mini-vlog

Next up on the reels trend list is the mini vlog. 📹 📹 📹

Since the very beginning of video content, back when YouTube was the only major player, vlogs have reigned supreme.

For whatever reason, people have always LOVED watching “day in the life” videos.

With the rise of short-form content like Tik Toks and Reels, mini vlogs have become all the rage. So get with the program and start following your vlogger dreams that I know you all have deep down. 😉

Give your audience a taste of a day in the life of a business owner (or a day in the life of a content creator!)

I promise you, it will make your audience feel closer to you. They’ll start to feel more invested in you as a person behind your brand. 🧡 

To make this trend work, all you need is a series of clips with some vibey music in the background. It can be as short as 15 seconds! 

Don’t worry about making it longer than that!

To take this reels trend to the next level you can use it as a teaser for your long-form content.

Posting a mini-vlog is the perfect way to Direct people towards your YouTube Channel or Podcast if they want more.

And remember: if you have a mini-vlog in your drafts and you are about to post it and you think:

“Ugh, who cares about a day in my life, no one is even gonna wanna see this!”

I CARE. 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 🙌🏻

I mean it when I say I genuinely LOVE mini-vlogs. They get my views every time.

So if you’re inspired to make a mini-vlog after reading this be sure to tag me so I can give your content some love! 😍

Reels Trend #4: The Talking Head

I’m gonna be honest, this is my fav reels trend - AND probably the most timeless one on the list.

This is the talking-head video.

In the long-form video world, we are always trying to up our video quality. Better cameras, better microphones, better lighting.

But the beauty of short-form videos is that content that appears completely spur of the moment can still perform super well.

⭐ In fact, it often performs better! ⭐

When it comes to TikToks and Reels, people respond well to videos where content creators just pull out their phones and start talking as if they are on facetime with their bestie. 

The possibilities are endless.

I’ve seen videos where people share their thoughts while they are on their morning run, while they do their makeup, or while they make their coffee.

It’s totally casual.

So release yourself from the pressure of showing up polished in your video content.

I get that this is HARD for anyone who comes from the Youtube world, but it’s time to let that pressure go.

Your unfiltered thoughts, while you go about your day, are more than enough for short-form videos. 🧡

And you certainly don’t need to put on a whole face of makeup to make this reels trend happen either. Check out this example of a fabulous talking head reel from @LEMONADEINSTEAD:

I mean….. SHE WAS LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF HER WORKOUT. 💪🏻 🤩

This is such a great example of how videos like this make your audience feel like you are talking directly to them. Which they will LOVE.

While this reels trend is super low effort, it will take a certain amount of confidence.

Start getting into the habit of taking your phone out and recording this kind of content.

These videos might sit in your drafts for a while before you get the hang of it, but once you do, your audience is going to love seeing the real you in your reels. 🎉🎉

Reels Trend #5: Photo Dump

The final reels trend on this list is the Photo Dump.

The best part?

I bet you already have everything you need for this trend in your camera roll. ✅

Photo dumps have been a huge trend in short-form video content for the past year, so there’s always a trendy sound to choose from.

The first thing you need to do is pick a longer video clip. And by long - I’m talking two to four *seconds* of video. 

Yeah - that’s long in the reels world.

This could be a video of you or a clip from somewhere in your camera roll.

Then - when the song picks up?

 *cue the 20 photo slideshow*

And you flash through 15 to 20 photos in quick succession showing the highlights of your camera-roll this week.

If you're thinking, “Amber, my camera roll is literally a bunch of screenshots of crazy texts from my besties and a couple hundred photos of my cat. 😬”

Why not do a rewind of the past month? Or hell maybe even the past year in the life of a business owner!

And then this week I challenge you to start taking more pictures of the everyday life of a business owner. Even if it’s just a few pictures a day.

Don’t worry about the pics being glamorous, and soon enough this reels trend will seem like a piece of cake! 🍰 

Listen, don’t stress yourself out about picking the photos for a photo dump. 

The whole point is that each photo is only shown for a split second!

Photo dumps are the way of the future, so the sooner you jump on this trend the better! ⏱️

If you wanna see these 5 reels trends in action I am always working on upping my reels game over at @_acreativeco.

So come find me over on the ‘gram and take a look at how I integrate trends into my own social media strategy. 📱📈📈📈

And don’t let anyone tell you that trends are a waste of time!

Trends are trendy for a reason! I firmly believe that us business owners can make trends work in our favor and help push out our content to reach a wider audience than ever before.

And if you’re curious about what other social media trends will be taking off this year, I would highly recommend checking out this blog post on the biggest 2022 social media trends I made a few weeks ago.

That way, you’ll be ahead of the social media curve all year long. ✅

As always, I am here for you. 🧡

If you have a question about any of these trends, or short-form video content in general, shoot me over a DM, and let’s chat!

WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO 🎥