How long should Instagram reels be- and does it actually matter?

Are Instagram Reels still worth it for your business?

Instagram reels have been around since 2020, and in the years since, they've gone from shiny new feature to a fairly standard part of how businesses show up on the platform- and sometimes feel the poster boy of the platform! The algorithmic boost that came with being an early adopter has levelled out making it a bit more of a free for all, the format has matured and is definitely more diverse, and most Instagram users are at least aware they probably should be using them. So the question has shifted from 'what are reels?' to something more useful- 'how do I actually make them work for my business?'

That's what this post is about.

Reels are still one of the best ways to reach a new audience on Instagram.

Even with the novelty worn off, posting reels remains one of the most effective ways to get your content in front of people who don't already follow you. Instagram still prioritises short-form video content in discovery- the reels feed having been developed to rival the scrolling on TikTok- meaning reels have a better chance of reaching beyond your existing audience than a static post does.

Carousels and posts are of course brilliant content, great for nurturing current followers, but for brand awareness especially, that matters. Someone who's never heard of you can stumble across a reel, get a genuine sense of who you are and what you do, and follow you- all in under sixty seconds. That's a pretty efficient introduction.

So if you have Instagram in your marketing mix and you're not using reels at all, that's worth taking another look.

What the Instagram algorithm actually rewards.

There's a lot of advice floating around about reels, and most of it centres on the same few points- shorter is better, fast transitions, hook them in the first three seconds. And of course, there's truth in all of that.

Instagram measures the value of a reel partly by how many viewers watch it through to the end, and whether they rewatch it- and currently watch time is the biggest signal to the platform that it’s great content they should prioritise.

A short-form video that someone watches twice signals to the platform that it's worth showing to more people. Reels that run to 60 seconds or beyond, where viewers drop off halfway through, tend to perform less well in terms of reach. A lot of creators find that somewhere around 30 seconds hits a sweet spot- long enough to say something useful, short enough to keep the viewer engaged throughout.

So yes, shorter reels with a clear point and a decent pace do tend to get more algorithmic traction… that part of the advice is sound.

The part most people don't talk about.

Here's where it gets more interesting, and where a lot of businesses might miss something.

Optimising purely for the algorithm- making reels so short and fast-paced that they have to be watched three times just to absorb the information- can actually work against you. You have seen those reels, often with a call to read the cation for the actual point… a viewer might engage with that reel because they're trying to read the text on it... but walk away slightly frustrated with the experience. Not a good look for brands, and frankly a rubbish experience for the watcher. They got the information eventually, but it wasn't enjoyable. And over time, I think that kind of friction affects engagement in ways the numbers don't always show immediately.

Your reel might perform well on reach… but if the experience of watching your content feels rushed or chaotic, that's the impression people are forming of your brand.

I might not be saying what others say, but the goal isn't just views. It's the right people getting a good enough experience of your content that they want to see more of it.

Finding the balance that works for your audience.

This is where knowing your audience properly makes a real difference.

A slower, more informative reel might not rack up the same reach as something snappier- but if it genuinely serves the people already following you, it's doing a different kind of job. It's building familiarity, demonstrating expertise, and giving your viewer something they can actually use. That has value, even when the numbers don't shout about it. Now of course, I’m not saying be long and verbose for the sake of it, if it can be as effective and shorter, go for it… but not at the expense of the audience.

The most effective approach is usually a mix. Some reels are designed to virtually travel- short-form, snappy, shareable, aimed at discovery. Others are made for the audience you already have- a bit more depth, a bit more context, less concerned with reach and more concerned with connection.

Neither type is more important than the other… they just do different things.

If you're creating reels yourself.

A few things that tend to make a practical difference:

Start with a clear point. Before you film anything, know what you want someone to take away from it. One idea per reel is almost always better than trying to cover too much ground in one video.

Captions matter more than most people realise. A significant number of Instagram users watch without sound, and captions also give the algorithm more to index. Don't skip them- and write them properly rather than relying entirely on auto-generated text. (Auto generated are amazing, you just need to edit them before posting.)

You don't need to be on camera if that doesn't feel right for your business... I would always advise my clients to give it a go, and get as comfortable as they can, but don’t underestimate behind the scenes footage, text-based reels, screen recordings, and process videos- they all work well within the format. Basically, the reel doesn't have to look like a polished production to be effective.

It’ll be no surprise to hear that consistency tends to outperform sporadic bursts of activity. A reel a week, reliably, will generally do more for your engagement and visibility over time than ten reels in one week followed by silence.

If you're outsourcing your reels.

The most important thing to get right is the brief. Reels that perform well and feel genuinely like your brand don't happen by accident- they come from whoever is making them having a real understanding of your voice, your audience, and what you're trying to communicate.

If you've outsourced content before and it hasn't felt quite right, that's often a brief problem rather than an execution problem. The clearer you can be about your tone, your audience, and the kind of impression you want to make, the better the output tends to be. And don’t forget, it works best with collaboration, interviews, sharing lots of footage and images, communicating your preferences as you, all go a long way to helping your marketing team get a great result.

Where reels fit in a wider content approach.

Instagram reels work best when they're part of a broader content mix rather than treated as a standalone activity. In terms of how content functions, reels tend to sit in the short-form category- accessible, good for momentum and discovery, but generally, not where you'd put your deepest thinking.

That means they work well alongside longer-form content- a blog post, a newsletter, a longer video- that gives people somewhere to go once a reel has caught their attention. The reel introduces the idea... and the longer content deepens the relationship.

If your only content is reels, you're doing a lot of the awareness work without giving people much to come back to.

The bottom line.

Using reels well on Instagram isn't about going viral or chasing every algorithm update. It's about understanding what the format does well- short-form discovery, a quick and engaging introduction to your brand- and using it intentionally as part of how you show up online.

The sweet spot is somewhere between optimising for reach and actually serving your viewer well. Get that balance right, and reels can be a genuinely useful part of your Instagram presence... without needing a production team or a viral moment to make them worthwhile.