Knowing which format to use on Instagram can be confusing. Especially as new features are added all the time.
What’s the difference between a Reel and a Story?
A question that comes up a lot, which inspired me to write this blog post for you.
Before I go into they differences, here are Instagram’s definitions for each of them:
Instagram Story:
A feature that lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story.
You can bring your story to life with text and drawing tools. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed.
Instagram Reel:
A feature that lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story.
You can bring your story to life with text and drawing tools. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed.
Now you know what they are, here are the main differences:
Audience
Stories are only shown to your existing followers, so can be missed if some followers aren’t online during the time they’re active.
Reels are shown to your existing audience and also to new people via the Reels feed. They’re a great way to build your audience and get in front of your ideal clients with the right content.
Visibility
Stories last for 24hrs (unless you add them to your highlights), which means they’re suited to more spur of the moment and behind the scenes kind of content to document your day to day activities.
Reels can be shared to your feed and have a separate tab so they can sometimes be discovered weeks after you originally post them.
Sharability
A story will only become shareable if you tag an account in it. When you do this the account will receive a notification to let them know they’ve been mentioned in your story and then get the option to share to their story if they wish to do so. This is a great way to get in front of audiences of accounts who have similar followers to those you’re trying to attract.
Reels are easy for people to share – whether they follow you or not.
Main benefits
Because stories are only seen by existing followers, they’re a great way to nurture your existing audience and build that all important know, like and trust. They help you build a deeper connection with your audience, which takes them one step closer to buying from you when you share what you have to offer.
These are the main differences. I hope you get a better idea of when to use one over another. As always, my advice would be to use a mix of both and see what works for you.
Anita x
P.S, If it all feels a bit too overwhelming, I would love to help. See how you can work with me here.
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