Recently I created a Reel based on 4 factors to see if I could get it to outperform any other reel I’ve done so far (still new to the Reels/TikTok Game myself – started creating that format of content back in September so if my late 30’s self can figure it out – you can too!) – and it worked! So n today’s episode I’m going to share that formula with you for you to create your own reels that can increase reach and engagement with your audience.

First – my perspective on REELS and social media in general. If you think I enjoy or crave or am super motivated to shake my tail feathers in public to 30,000+ potential people… HA you have me pegged wrong friends. Look I have insecurities just like you – I just don’t focus on ME in my marketing cause my marketing – is about you. I want to help you – and in order to do that – I gotta not make it about me. That may be where you are holding yourself back in marketing your business full out – because you’re more concerned about how you look, sound, act, behave and who might be judging you than  you are about how your potential client is feeling and thinking about herself.

Get over yourself. Stop making it about you – cause girlfriend – that woman who is feeling like junk – who is going through a messy breakup or divorce or who is feeling FUGLY – doesn’t care that your voice sounds weird on video or that you feel ridiculous dancing to the latest trending audio – she just needs to know you can help her – so get out of your own way and put all your focus and energy into actually helping her!

Alright – now that our little motivational pep talk is out of the way – let’s get into the 4 factors that make for viral level reels (could also work for TikTok if you’re creating content on that platform too).

1). Trending audio – When you’re on Instagram go to the Reels section where you watch other people’s reels – at the time of this recording – it is the middle button at the bottom of your feed. So there’s the home button, the search icon and then that movie style clapper board with the play symbol in it – that’s where you can find only reels. Once you’re in there – you will see scrolling text at the bottom of any reel. That is the NAME of the audio that is being played. You’ll see a music note or you’ll see a diagonal arrow pointing up. That diagonal arrow pointing up means that audio is trending – and you’re increasing your likelihood of that video performing well in the algorithm when you use a trending audio. Save that audio or if you’re ready to record – you can use that audio right then.

2). Plan what you’re going to record using that trending audio. When you click on that trending audio – it will pull up all of the posts using that audio – to which now you can put on your marketer hat and watch how other people are using that audio – take your inspo of how your followers might relate to a video – and plan out what you’ll record. So for example – the viral reel I made used a trending audio file called Check it out (play audio). And the inspiration I got from watching others use that was a little dancing and pointing at educational tips I would later add in once I recorded it. I had a post from a year ago that performed really well organically that was about the 7 steps to increasing your lash speed. So I used that to point 7 times throughout the video so I could add in those 7 steps as text. Most of your reels will be 15-30 seconds long – so this is a great way for you to keep your content very bite sized. So if you’re new to reels – try out the shorter audio so you can get used to how they work – they won’t take long to create and post and you’ll start to understand the benefit of using that form of content on your feed.

3). Have fun with it and then add in the on screen text. This can be the time consuming part where you’re adding text that coordinates with the audio or appears and disappears on the screen. Keep your text short and if possible on beat. A little pro tip – if your text comes and goes from the screen just a touch too fast to be read the first time around that’s actually a really good thing – why? Cause they have to watch it again to read the rest of it- thus increasing your views and increasing the reel’s reach. Make sure they can see there’s something of value in the text – but it’s a-ok and actually encouraged to have it be on the screen just a second or two shorter than the average person can read the full sentence. You can rewatch your reel before posting to test this on yourself to see if you can read through the text bubbles fully in time and just shorten them a touch to entice watching a second or third time.

4). Keep your captions short, relevant, and to the point and be sure to include a call to action. A call to action is to tell the viewer what you want them to do. Do you want them to save this reel? Share or tag a friend ? Do you want them to DM you to talk about how lashes can benefit their mornings? Do you want them to leave a comment with a question they have or a response to your reel? Most of you use the call to action of Call/Text/DM to book an appointment on every single post. I can tell you right now that’s a strategy of desperation. You want to build and nurture the relationship – not always go in for the kill. Out of every 5-7 posts – you can have one direct call to action to book an appointment – but more than that and you’re missing out on engagement and conversation with clients which will lead to far more sales when you can get a potential client talking to you!

So the 4 steps to a winning reels formula are:

1). Use only Trending audio 

2). Plan what you’re going to record using that trending audio that’s relevant to your target market/niche.***Bonus tip – look at what others using that sound have done to relate that audio to a service based business for inspo

3). Have fun with it and then add in the on screen text to tie the reel to be something of value to your audience

4). Keep your captions short, relevant, and to the point and be sure to include a call to action. 

Episode Highlights:

• Factors that will help you get more engagement on your reels
• The reason why reels are highly prioritized 
• How to become competitive in the marketplace
• How to use social media marketing tool to your advantage
• Top ten marketing tips for your business

If you’d like to learn more about social media marketing – hit me up on Instagram or TikTok @thelashpreneur and let’s chat about what is so overwhelming and challenging for you to get clients off of social media and into your business! I’ve got about 73,422 ideas I could give you on how to create valuable social media content for beauty businesses – so don’t be shy!