How do I make my Reels go viral?
If you’ve been on Instagram in the last couple of years you’ll know how difficult it has become to reach both your followers and new accounts. What was once the best place to meet new people who share your love of travel has become a minefield of scam accounts, clout-seekers, and cringy hooks that should have never left tik-tok. Most people want to know how to make viral reels to get their audience back and to continue to grow in the same way that we all got used to.
As Instagram has tried to compete with Tiktok, they put all their effort into making Reels “a thing”. But much like the word fetch, they just couldn’t make it happen. Not only do most people find Reels an abhorrent eyesore but everything has become “content” in a last-ditch effort to please the algorithm Gods. Instagram’s place as the app for photographers and normal people to share their life through photos became the third-best place to share 5 second videos.
What you will find here: How to make viral reels
So what can you do? It is hard to grow at all on Instagram anymore, yet alone without using Reels. I’m sharing my experience as someone who has experienced 1,000,000 views to 1,000 views on my Reels but still has less than 10,000 followers. You will probably have to accept that things are different now and it will not be as easy for you as it has been for others in the past to gain followers and build an audience. You’ll have to work really hard. And even then, you might never reach hundreds of thousands of followers.
Tag a big account
There are lots of accounts that love to share other people’s content, and although some of these curation accounts are considered the scum of Instagram the fact is that two audiences is better than one. Instead of picking a nonsense account that just steals people’s content, try picking one that you’d like to work with like an airline, hotel brand, or clothing brand. Pick brand accounts and official tourism boards that your followers or ideal audience would follow. Plus, these accounts will love that you’re making free content for them!
Make something shareable
One important thing to consider when thinking about how to make viral reels is how Instagram likes it when your content keeps people on their app, so if they can see that your content is getting shared that is a sign that you’ve got that addictive stuff they like. Make something either so funny that people would share it in their stories, or so cringe that your enemies will share it with their friends to have a good laugh.
“Ensure” that your content gets seen
Give your post a little bit of a head start. Have you ever noticed how all the big influencers have SO many comments? How come so many people have posted “Oh I love this!!” or “❤️❤️❤️” on their reel? They might not be in an engagement pod (they probably are), but in the influencer and content creator community it is an unwritten agreement you make with others to “support each other”. You comment on their post, they’ll comment on yours! Just make sure you respond asap, and reciprocate the “kindness”.
Pay someone
You could pay for bot likes and comments, or you could pay a VA (virtual assistant) on the other side of the world to schedule all your posts and like, comment, and share your content (yeah, people really do this – and it works!). If you’re looking to work with brands and wondering how to make viral reels hoping to get their attention, the harsh reality is that many brands will not consider you unless you have a big instagram following. This leads many to just buy followers just to get their portfolio looked at. It is the unfortunate reality of the world.
Make hateable content
People love to complain, so make controversial statements or even worse – spelling mistakes. Any attention is good attention, right? Once I said that Milan was “only OK” and it lead to huge engagement. Another example I can give is when I ranked the towns and villages of Tuscany that I visited. People love to tell you how wrong you are. You will be surprised at how easily triggered people on the internet can be!
Be “hot”
Pros: If all else fails, at least you’ll be attractive!
Cons: You’ll need to hire someone full-time to clean out your DMs.
Read the rest of the guide:
Sara Lou explains INSTAGRAM
How To Use Instagram Efficiently And Save Precious Time
Blogging vs Instagram: Which One is the Best?
How to Make Viral Reels… and Do You Really Want Your Reels to go Viral?
VERDICT
do you want your reel to go viral?
The thing is that going viral often means that those outside the community you wanted to reach will see your content. Oftentimes you will end up with lots of followers that you wouldn’t be seen dead around or Instagram continuing to show your content to the wrong audience. Once you go viral, it doesn’t mean that people will follow you, either. Going viral often means losing control of the situation. Personally, I think that if you want to build an audience that understands your vision and your voice, small steps will win the race and it is much better to have 1,000 people who vibe with you see your posts than 1,000,000 people who only have nasty things to say.
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re on Instagram, you can find me over here: @apicturesquelife or youtube: @apicturesquelife and I’d be happy to connect!
xoxo,
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