I’ve been playing around with incorporating fun video and audio into Instagram Reels and Stories of late, and I figured I’d share a few that were really fun to put together.
In my role as Digital Marketing Director for Linda McKissack, I have taken on generating occasional graphics and marketing collateral for the KW Ohio Valley Region, of which Linda is a regional owner. It’s allowed me to explore video in a way I haven’t really done before, diving into a creative side that is playful and sometimes a bit humorous.
Instagram Reels & Stories
I love using Instagram Reels and Stories, both personally and professionally. They’re fun, quick, and easy to create.
Instagram Stories are very short, maxing out at 15 seconds, making it easy to share posts and reels from other Instagram accounts. For my Personal Instagram, I often use Stories to share images that don’t make it into my regular feed, or add music to images I do share.
Instagram Reels can be up to one minute long. Like Stories, they’re sized for your phone. Unlike Stories, they can appear in your regular Instagram Feed and can be featured on Facebook as well. That makes Reels extremely versatile and gives them a much greater reach than, say, a generic Instagram post.
Below I’m going to share a few I created for KW Ohio Valley Region events using Canva.
Award Ceremony Teaser
To promote the 2021 Awards Ceremony that took place in March 2022, I wanted to create something eye-catching that had a bit of a retro flare to it, but with a light modern twist. The video includes a runner outfit in late 70s, early 80s-style attire celebrating a win in his living room.
Click the screenshot below to watch the Award Ceremony Teaser Instagram Story video short on my YouTube Channel.
To be fully transparent and honest, this was based on a pre-existing template, which is a bonus of using a design platform like Canva. The polaroid-style overlay and the social outlines were pretty much part of it, though I did incorporate the audio and a few minor branded elements.
There are things I could have embellished, made clearer, or adjusted to stray further from the original template, but it had already thematically incorporated the vision I had for the piece. I like how this piece came together, and ideation through completion only took about 5 minutes!
This screen shot from the first season of Russian Doll seems fitting…
Career Visioning Teaser
Where my first video for the KW Ohio Valley Region teased their Awards Ceremony through Instagram Stories, which must be 15 seconds or less, I took a different approach with my second video. This time, I created an Instagram Reel.
Reels must be 60 seconds or less, so I had a little more time to play around with having a script, using lengthier video footage, and having more music.
Click the screenshot below to watch the Career Visioning Instagram Reel video short here on my YouTube Channel.
Like the first video, this one came together from ideation to completion quite quickly, but it required a bit more thought to pull together. Unlike that video, this one was not based on a template, but did include some stock video footage.
So What’s Next?
I’m currently working on a lengthier video project that’s been much more involved for a new website automation project external to the region. It’s a different business segment–one I manage much more heavily and am responsible for from a revenue generation standpoint.
When that comes to fruition, I’ll definitely share the completed project here. After all, there were times yesterday where the pieces were all coming together–clips aligning with the script, transitions aligning with the music–and it was giving me chills!
