Instagram Reels has launched in Instagram! It's a head-on challenge to TikTok, and is also destined to takeover IGTV as Instagram's preferred method of video.

Instagram is calling them “a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.”

This is a great new potential for your social media strategy, as TikTok was primarily focused on goofy forms of entertainment meant for fun, while Instagram Reels can be worked through your current Instagram strategy.

For those of you that have been doing IGTV videos, Instagram Story videos, or even just Instagram video posts, you can use this new tier to continue that style of video making.

So if you want to do fun videos for enjoyment, you now have a platform in Instagram with a TikTok-style delivery to do that.

The advantage for us online business peeps and social media managers is that all of your current Instagram strategies have a new channel to work for delivery content! Yay!

The Verge said that Instagram is going big with entertainment.

How To Do Instagram Reels: A Tutorial

• Record a15-second videos using audio, effects, and new creative tools inside of Instagram.
• If you're using an external video editor to create videos, you can import them to be used in Instagram Reels.
• If you're creating an Instagram Reel from inside of IG, you can choose from the following tools to enhance your video: audio, AR effects, timer & countdown, align and speed.
• You can also record a series of clips to combine together.
• Share your Instagram Reels to your followers in your feed. If you have a business or creator account, you can make them available publicly, and they may even be featured on the Explore tab in a new dedicated Instagram Reels space.

Other new features that IG has rolled out this year include Instagram DM online, a feature that now lets you send direct messages through Instagram even on your computer or via the IG website.

Find out more about how to put together a great Instagram Hashtag Strategy in our definitive guide.