How to Grow Your Instagram Account with Reels in 2023

We know you probably aren’t running and managing your Instagram account just for kicks. It’s a pretty fair bet that you have a goal in mind for your Instagram account. And that goal likely depends on furthering your reach on the platform, getting more engagement, more eyes on your content, etc, etc. Basically, you need to grow your Instagram account in order to accomplish your goals. 

If you feel like your numbers have hit a plateau on the platform and you’re not seeing consistent growth, then it’s time to start creating more Reels. Studies have shown that Reels actually generate 67% more engagement than standard Instagram videos. If you’re ready to maximize your growth on Instagram, then we’ve got some tips for you! Let’s talk about growing your Instagram account with Reels.

How to Grow Your Instagram Account with Reels in 2023

Create valuable content for your target audience

This is where the primary difference lies between using Instagram casually for pleasure and using Instagram intentionally to build your brand. If you’re using Instagram solely for fun with no larger goal in mind, then you can pretty much post whatever you want. But if you want to use Instagram to scale your brand, then you need to post content that’s valuable for your specific target audience.

Of course, in order to do that, it’s vital to know who your target audience is and what kind of content they want to see. Once you know that, the challenge is to deliver it to them in a way that’s on-brand and accessible.

Whatever content is going to catch your viewers’ attention and give them information that they want/need, that’s what you want to create… in Instagram Reel-form, of course. As a general rule of thumb, things like tip/how-to Reels are a great way to demonstrate value to your audience. No matter what industry you’re in, you have some kind of advice or expertise that will benefit your followers. So create Instagram Reels that share knowledge that’s specific to your niche!

Use trending sounds

One of the most defining elements of Instagram Reels is that, like TikTok, the content relies largely on the sound or song that’s played over the video content. And (again, just like TikTok) the best sounds to use on Instagram Reels change from month to month — and even week to week. But if you want to grow your Instagram account with Reels, then it’s absolutely necessary to take advantage of trending sounds.

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Stay on top of the trends by spending a little time each week scrolling through Instagram’s explore page to get a feel for which sounds are trending at the moment. Then you can brainstorm some ways that you can put your own spin on the trend. Or, if you want to save yourself time and energy, you can just check out our monthly reports on the best trending sounds to use for both TikTok and Instagram Reels — complete with examples and ideas on how to make them your own. 

Upload natively to Instagram

The only way to truly optimize your reach and grow your Instagram account with Reels is by ensuring that all of your Reels are natively created and edited on the Instagram platform… or, at least, look like they were 🤫

Why? Instagram has been transparent about the fact that they won’t let content get far on the platform if it has a watermark from another platform (namely, TikTok). Instagram wants to keep creators on their platform, so they’re not going to let videos that are obviously TikTok videos get purchased to the Explore page. And the Explore page is the best place to get discovered by people who don’t currently follow you.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t repurpose TikTok content for Instagram. You just have to get creative and find ways to download your TikTok video without the watermark. Then you’re free to upload that video as an Instagram Reel.

Embed your Reels on your website

If you want to grow your Instagram account and you have a website that’s already receiving a decent number of visitors, we’ve got an easy tactic for you to use. Simply display your Instagram Reels on your website.

For instance, if you’re in the ecommerce field and you create Instagram Reels showing off your products, try embedding those Instagram Reels on your website’s Products page. By doing so, you can potentially get your Reels in front of new eyes and you make it easy for site visitors to click straight through to your Instagram, possibly for the first time. 

Add subtitles and on-screen text

In order to really grow your Instagram account with Reels, you need to make sure that your content is both appealing to the algorithm and accessible to every potential viewer. And that’s why subtitles and on-screen text are so important. 

When it comes to the algorithm, we know that Instagram prioritizes content that checks certain boxes — and one of those boxes is on-screen text. You can add text on-screen directly through Instagram’s native editor. Try using text that references what your video is about (and includes your CTA).

As for accessibility… that’s where subtitles come in. Subtitles are a triple threat, since they have the power to make your video more accessible, more eye-catching, and more appealing to Instagram’s algorithm. Luckily, it’s easy to add subtitles with just a couple of clicks when you use Zubtitle’s state-of-the-art software. For more details on adding text/subtitles to your Instagram Reel (and a full walkthrough of both), check out this blog post. 

How are you growing your Instagram account with Reels in 2023? Tell us in the comments or on our Instagram! 

And don’t forget — if you want to add subtitles to your Instagram Reels with Zubtitle, you can sign up for a free account today and start creating!

If you want to learn more about increasing the reach and engagement on your Instagram Reels, check out this video: