On the floor, Instagram Reels vs. Story is a debate that many social media users have a tough time understanding. Each are common methods to share video content material together with your followers and enhance engagement.
So, are you able to choose one or the opposite?
No!
Regardless of their similarities, Instagram Story and Reels are completely different of their attain.
They have interaction completely different audiences on the platform, and completely different shoppers in your gross sales funnel.
That’s why it’s important to grasp the variations between these two video codecs and learn how to use them successfully in your social media strategy.
Instagram Reels vs. Story: What’s the Distinction?
Right here’s a fast refresher on Instagram Reels Vs. Stort and the way every format differs.
Instagram Story
Instagram Tales are short-lived movies or slide exhibits hooked up to your Instagram show image.
They are often seen by your followers (or any person you probably have a public profile) just for 24 hours and are archived after that. The modifying options are usually minimal, and the size is capped at 15 seconds.
Tales are supposed to present a candid look into the day-to-day of your life or your model.
As a result of tales are viewable out of your show image, they’re extremely discoverable by your followers. New tales are displayed on the high of the Instagram homepage display as quickly as you open the app.
Reels have their very own discovery advantages, however viewers have to navigate to the Reels tab to view them.

Instagram Tales are additionally extremely interactive. You possibly can incorporate polls and timers, embed hyperlinks, and extra to interact followers and encourage motion.

Instagram Reels
Reels are quick movies created for the only function of leisure (suppose TikTok movies). They are often as much as 90 seconds lengthy (60 for many customers) and don’t disappear after 24 hours as tales do.
Reels are quick movies created for the only function of leisure (suppose TikTok movies). They are often as much as 90 seconds lengthy (60 for many customers) and don’t disappear after 24 hours as tales do.
In contrast to candid and real tales, Reels are supposed to be prepped and polished.

A collection of built-in modifying instruments within the line on the left for Reels
The most important distinction between Instagram Reels vs. Story is that reels are public.
Tales are discoverable solely by your followers or somebody who views your public profile.
Reels are viewable by all customers. When you produce a viral Reel, you could possibly rating huge engagement and plenty of new followers.
Breaking Down Instagram Reels vs. Story
Now that you realize the fundamentals of Instagram Story and Reels, let’s break down the important thing variations and inform you learn how to use them to your benefit.
1. Codecs Allowed
Story: Instagram Tales seem to viewers as video clips, however you aren’t restricted to video when creating your content material. You too can use a collage of pictures, a single static picture, or different posts out of your feed to make your story. As a result of story creation is flexible, you need to create and publish tales every day.
Reels: Reels is video-only. Instagram desires to compete with TikTok right here, in order that they received’t enable low-effort slide exhibits or pictures with textual content. As a result of Reels are extra production-intensive, you don’t must make them each day like Story. However attempt to produce a number of Reels every week.
2. Audio
Story: You possibly can add character and emotion to your Story by inserting background music from the music library. However that’s the one audio modifying you are able to do.
Reels: You too can add background tunes from the music library to your Reels. And you may add a voiceover to relate your content material (one other means Reels emulates TikTok).

Add unique audio and voiceover to reels
3. Drafts
Story: Tales are supposed to seize fleeting moments, so saving drafts shouldn’t be allowed within the app. Nevertheless, you may create your Story off the app and use SocialPilot’s social media scheduling tool to publish them routinely on the most cheap time.

Schedule your tales and automate publishing with SocialPilot to save lots of time and enhance engagement
Reels: Save your unfinished Reels as drafts immediately within the app and return to them each time you have got time. This makes it straightforward to collaborate on Reels and preview them earlier than publishing.
4. Hashtags
Story: You possibly can add as much as 10 hashtags to your Story, which ought to be sufficient, provided that they’re restricted to fifteen seconds. Be sure that your hashtags are laser-focused on the worth your content material is supposed to supply. Imprecise or deceptive hashtags will flip off your followers.
Reels: You possibly can add as much as 30 hashtags to your Reels, so don’t be afraid to go wild. Reels are publicly discoverable and searchable by way of hashtags, so utilizing the proper tags can each outline and develop your viewership. Hashtags are way more necessary for Reels than tales if you need extra followers, so use them correctly.
5. Placement
Story: Tales are shared solely together with your followers. They’re hooked up to your show picture, which seems on the high of customers’ screens. That is among the greatest actual property throughout all social media platforms, so even when your tales don’t get as a lot engagement, they could have a greater probability of partaking high-value followers.
Reels: Reels have their very own tab on the app. Customers navigate to the Reels web page after they need to scroll by means of some entertaining TikTok-style movies. The Reels tab shouldn’t be as discoverable because the Tales bar, however your reels content material is extra discoverable than your tales.
6. How Viewers Have interaction
Story: Tales make it straightforward for followers to interact together with your model—-but not with the group.
This is smart as a result of tales are non-public. Nevertheless, they make up for his or her lack of attain with depth of engagement.
Whenever you submit a narrative, you may ask a query, make a ballot, supply a reduction, hyperlink to your touchdown web page, and extra. This interactivity makes tales invaluable for CTAs and collecting data. Your followers also can have interaction by leaping into your DMs.

Interactive options make Instagram Story extremely partaking.
Reels: Reels are public, so is its engagement. Viewers have interaction by commenting, which may be good or unhealthy, relying on the standard of your Reel.
If you wish to enhance engagement additional, you may submit your Reel as a narrative, making it extra more likely to be seen by your followers. Reels do double responsibility right here and take the cake for engagement potential.
Methods to Skyrocket Engagement on Instagram: Story vs. Reels
Story and Reels are priceless instruments in your Instagram arsenal, however they serve completely different functions. Every format communicates greatest to a selected viewers.
Story is usually non-public content material meant to interact your loyal base of followers. Reels are public movies that entice non-followers (a.ok.a. potential new followers) with entertaining clips and catchy music.
Right here’s learn how to use every format to your biggest benefit.
Use Reels for
1. Boosting General Engagement
Relating to total engagement, Reels is the clear winner. Analysis exhibits that Instagram feed engagement has dropped by 44% since Reels was launched, with Reels choosing up the slack.
Reels are additionally a stronger search curiosity on Google in comparison with Story. Reels are discoverable by your entire Instagram group, and you may repurpose them as a Story.
2. Getting New Followers
Reels are discoverable by non-followers, making them a robust device for rising your Instagram base. A examine discovered that Reels end in 22% extra new followers than movies in your feed. So, in the event you’re nonetheless curating your Instagram feed like 2015, it’s time to shift your assets to producing Reels.
3. Going Viral
The common visibility of Reels, and the truth that you may submit them in all places (on the Reels tab, in your feed, as tales), offers them huge viral potential. Simply bear in mind to schedule your Reels to drop at the right time, or a viral hit might get misplaced within the shuffle.
Use Tales for
1. Sustaining Your Base
Retaining your present followers engaged is arguably extra important than searching for new ones, as present followers are additional down the gross sales funnel. When making a Story, goal your base with personalised precision to domesticate loyalty and construct a powerful connection. Put up typically, and encourage interplay with polls, timers, presents, and so on.
2. Selling Merchandise
Your followers are literally considering your model, so capitalize on that by selling your merchandise/providers in your Story.
Present how they profit customers with real-world demonstrations and outcomes. Watch out to not make your Story appear too sales-y. No person likes commercials.
3. Name to Motion
Have interaction your followers by telling them to take motion. Tales are interactive, so get them to click on by means of for a particular deal or problem them to repost and share. Be sure that to offer clear incentives for each CTA.
When you’ve realized to harness the facility of Story and Reels, you can be rewarded with a deluge of engagement.
Now you have got a brand new problem: following up together with your rising fanbase.
It may be practically unattainable to handle conversations on posts, DMs, feedback, shares, and extra, particularly as they pour in in any respect hours of the day and evening.
Fortunately, SocialPilot makes it straightforward to handle your interactions in a single place.
Instagram Inbox, you may handle all of your Instagram accounts and hold observe of priceless insights with detailed analytics experiences.
Summing Up
Between Instagram Reels vs. Story, you’ll find a ton of engagement to reap the benefits of. Every characteristic gives manufacturers with exact instruments to succeed in new and present followers.
When focusing on top-of-the-funnel prospects (non-followers on Instagram), use Reels to let your model’s character shine. For these decrease within the gross sales funnel (your followers), obtain a deeper connection and elicit motion with Tales.
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