How to win attention with Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels went from “cool new feature” to the heartbeat of the app in just a few years. Shortform video is now how people explore, learn, and decide what to try next. While Google still runs the show for high-intent search, attention is drifting.

Young users often start with social media when they want to discover where to eat, what to buy, or how to solve a quick problem. Nearly 40% of Gen Z users go to TikTok or Instagram for search-like queries, such as finding lunch spots, rather than using Google Search or Maps. Google is now in third place as the preferred search engine for 18 to 24-year-olds.

That shift matters for anyone investing in pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. We’ve optimized for the query for two decades. Now we also have to win the scroll.

This post breaks down what’s working on Instagram Reels in 2025. Learn how the algorithm thinks, what creative holds attention, how to read the data, and where monetization fits. More importantly, learn how to fold Reels into a performance plan that still respects search.

The Rise of Instagram Reels: Current Trends

Short-form video trends aren’t a fad as they’re the new default. Mark Zuckerberg stated that AI-powered reels contributed to a significant increase in the time spent on Instagram. Nearly 25% of social media users are actually spending more time on the platform.

Here’s what actually works: The best-performing accounts treat Reels as a daily ritual, not a quarterly “content drop.”
Lo-fi beats glossy more often than you’d expect. Front-camera honesty works because it feels like a friend, not a brand. Stories are migrating into Reels too. It’s not just tutorials and trends. Product demos, UGC mashups, quick FAQs, and even micro case studies are thriving in under 45 seconds. Have a glimpse of Amazon’s Instagram reels collection below:

For real-world proof, Meta’s Success Stories library is filled with brands scaling with Reels ads and organic Reels across various verticals. It’s a sound swipe file for formats and hooks that travel well across industries.

Reels is also becoming a place for brand voice. Motion makes values tangible. You can show your process, your people, and the moment your product solves something in real life. That deeper connection is hard to fake in static placements.

How To Win Attention on Instagram Reels in 2025

Instagram Reels may be just one piece of the platform, but it’s the one driving the most action. These bite-sized clips, up to 90 seconds long, are designed for sharing, reacting, and connecting through video.

Since its launch in 2010 (and Meta’s acquisition in 2012), Instagram has evolved far beyond its initial focus on photo filters. It’s now a powerhouse for video engagement, ranking as the third most popular social media platform with about two billion active users worldwide.

As a brand, how do you win attention on Instagram reels this year and beyond? Here’s how:

1. Understand the algorithm

If you’ve ever felt like you’re chasing a moving target, you’re not wrong. But there are steady signals you can build around. Bottomline? Understand how the algorithm works and how you can keep up.

Instagram has been more transparent about its ranking over the last couple of years. It emphasizes signals such as watch time, replays, shares, comments, and saves, as detailed in Instagram’s ranking explainer. The platform also keeps saying it wants to reward original content and genuine interactions, not reposts and engagement bait.

Nicolas Breedlove, CEO at PlaygroundEquipment.com, suggests staying up-to-date with the algorithm changes. His brand also occupies digital space on Instagram, using Reels to engage with prospects and clients.

Breedlove says, “The brands winning on Reels are those that treat algorithm updates as opportunities rather than obstacles. Understanding what drives engagement, such as watch time, shares, and saves, allows you to craft content that naturally performs well.”

In 2025, expect more AI-driven recommendations that blend what you love with adjacent interests you didn’t know you had. The platform will likely continue to promote “satisfied viewing” through high completion rates, replays, and saves, which signal that “this was worth my time.”

So what do you actually do?

Design for the rewatch.
Write concepts that reward a second look: fast lists, quick transitions, on-screen text viewers pause to read.
Land your hook in 0–2 seconds.
Factor in faces, motion, big type, and curiosity gaps.
Start treating saves like a real metric.

2. Craft high-impact content

Great Reels feel inevitable. They fit your audience so well, it’s as if you read their minds. To get there, you have to put the audience first and your brand second…for a minute, anyway.

What actually connects? Here are high-impact pieces of content:

Utility with personality works like quick tips, “do this, not that,” checklists, and product teardowns shot like friend-to-friend advice.
Proof in motion crushes claims every time: before/after sequences, side-by-side demos, and UGC duets that show outcomes.
Even simple visuals like showcasing differently colored custom hoodies to highlight choice, quality, or personalization can turn a casual scroll into curiosity and clicks.
And micro-stories, such as a 30–60 second arc with a setup, a tension point, and a satisfying resolve, keep people watching.

The technical stuff matters, too. Here’s what to do:

Go 9:16, full-screen, with clear on-screen text for sound-off viewers.
Use captions and bold titles (think “subtitle meets headline.”).
Keep the camera moving with cuts every 1–2 seconds, punch in on details, and use jump cuts to maintain momentum.

And yes, trends help, but don’t force it. If a trending audio or visual format fits your message, grab it. If not, stick to the original audio and a clean narrative. The algorithm’s getting better at finding the right viewers for you when your signals are strong, trendy, or not.

3. Utilize advanced analytics

Guessing is expensive. Data is cheaper. You need integrated data to shape your marketing strategies for measuring and analyzing performance. The analytics tool is key!

Stanislav Khilobochenko, VP of Customer Services at Clario, recommends leveraging advanced analytics. Their company has its fair share of experience using Instagram reels to keep its audience informed about cybersecurity. Their marketers however, use AI-powered tools to track and measure their brand performance on Instagram reels.

Khilobochenko explains, “The most successful Reels creators use analytics as their compass. By tracking completion rates, engagement patterns, and audience retention data, you can identify exactly what resonates.”

How do you leverage advanced analytics to measure your Instagram reels performance? Third-party tools, such as Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Later, and Dash Hudson, can assist with content labeling, creative scoring, and benchmarking across various formats. But here’s how:

Start with Instagram Insights: watch retention curves, average watch time, taps to profile, follows from Reels, and saves. Completion rate tells you more about quality than anything else.
In Ads Manager (for Reels placements), add breakdowns for hook rate (3-second views), ThruPlay or 100% completions, cost per engaged view, and holdout tests for incrementality.

Here’s a rhythm that works:

Tag each Reel by theme, hook type, length, editing style, and CTA.
Compare completion and save rates by tag.
Double down on what clusters at the top.

Don’t be afraid to kill your darlings: If a beautiful series underperforms three weeks in a row, refine the premise or retire it.

4. Build community and loyalty

Views are cheap. Community is the moat. The goal here is to turn Instagram followers into loyal customers.

Building community on Reels starts with showing up consistently and genuinely. When you respond to comments, create content based on follower feedback, and even share behind-the-scenes moments, you make connections that go beyond the algorithm.

How do you build an online community of loyal supporters on Instagram reels?

Try replying with a Reel by turning great questions into new content and tagging the commenter.
Use “Add Yours” prompts, polls in Stories that lead to Reels, and Collab posts with creators or customers.
Share the messy stuff, like packaging days, design decisions, bloopers, and the people behind the brand.
Consider Broadcast Channels for announcements and deeper context that doesn’t fit inside a 45-second clip.

5. Integrate into your digital strategy

Reels shouldn’t float in orbit. They should power everything else.

Emily Ruby, owner of Abogada De Lesiones, sees this mistake all the time. That’s why she suggests integrating social media with their digital marketing strategy. She mentions not to ignore platforms for short videos, such as TikTok ads versus Instagram Reels.

Ruby shares, “Reels should amplify your broader digital presence, not exist in isolation. When Reels content aligns with your email campaigns, blog content, and other social channels, you create a powerful multiplier effect.”

For a holistic digital marketing strategy, start simple:

Turn your top three Reels each month into short blog posts, email tips, and YouTube Shorts.
Add UTM parameters to link-in-bio destinations and measure traffic and conversions through Reel.
Use Reels to tease longer assets, such as guides, webinars, and product launches.
Pin the best-performing Reel to your profile for a week.

For PPC teams, treat Reels like any other high-reach placement as part of your holistic paid marketing. Map it to the funnel, match creative with landing pages, and run incrementality tests. When Reels warms the audience, Search and Shopping often convert more efficiently.

Final Note: Taking Action on Instagram Reels Today

Here’s what matters: Hook hard, earn the rewatch, and build for saves. First, read your retention curves and let the data steer your creative approach. Then, monetize only after you’ve nailed value and trust. Lastly, use Reels to power your broader ecosystem: email, site, search, and beyond.

If you’ve been “meaning to get serious about Reels,” now’s the time. Start with three formats your audience already loves and publish twice a week for six weeks. Likewise, judge success by completion and saves before you obsess over reach.

And if you’re a paid media pro, bring Reels into your plan with clear roles, clean UTMs, and creative designs for vertical video. Beyond Google isn’t about abandoning intent…Ultimately, it’s about earning attention, so intent shows up faster when it’s time to make a purchase.

Let’s make this the year your vertical video does more than get views.