6 Creative Ways to Use Instagram Reels to Promote a Small Business

  • 2 min read

The social media experience is becoming more and more visual in nature. With the growth of TikTok and the long-standing success of SnapChat, the short video post is becoming a “must have” for social media platforms. Instagram recently released a new feature called Instagram Reels. Users and businesses can create short, 15 or 30-second videos with entertaining effects and audio features. 

With this new release, Instagram is combating TikTok’s overwhelming popularity by allowing users to express more creative expression through video shorts. Already, Instagram Reels are taking the social media world by storm. This is a unique opportunity for businesses to capture attention from new audiences if they jump on this fun and creative platform. 

1. Share Your Reel to Your Feed for Higher Engagement

Instagram Reels offer businesses a chance to reach a wider audience. When you create a Reel, it will automatically show up in the Explore tab. Your Reel will rank higher in the Explore tab if you receive organic engagement. It is a great idea to share your Reel on your feed and in your Stories to gain traction to rank higher in Explore. If you really shine, Instagram may even choose your video as a featured Reel, giving you even more credibility. 

2. Create Informative Tutorial Videos to Engage Viewers

You only have 15 or 30 seconds to share your story. Using the surprisingly professional editing tools in Reels, you can splice together a quick tutorial video about your product or service. Capture the viewer’s attention from the first second. Start with a bright headline that explains what your Reel is about. Make the video educational with helpful tips and tricks. End with a quick call to action like: “Follow us for helpful hints and tips!” 

3. Use Instagram Reels to Give Your Audience a “Backstage Pass” Feel

Instagram Reels are meant to be casual and personal. You can connect the audience to your small business by giving the viewer a “backstage pass” into your world. Take a quick Reel of your day or how much fun your coworkers have in the office. Pull aside the curtain and reveal the inner workings of your company. Grab their attention with a title like: “This is where the magic happens” or “This is how we find our creative muse.” The trick to an effective backstage pass is showing the viewer that they are experiencing something really special and unique. 

4. Answer Common Questions or Comments in a Conversational Reel 

Showing your face in an Instagram Reel can humanize your business. People like hearing from people. One great idea for promoting your small business with an Instagram Reel is to do a quick FAQ session where you mention common questions that you get and provide a concise answer. This not only helps you personally connect with the viewer, but it also displays your willingness to address perceived issues and provide helpful answers. 

5. Feature a New Product and Demonstrate How It Works

Reels give you a chance to show your products in a fun and creative way. You can interact with a new product on camera to display how it works. Make it fun and entertaining. Instagram users are used to seeing paid ads pop up on their feed, but Reels offers an organic and unpaid interaction with an audience. Don’t focus on the “sale” of the product. Focus on your excitement and how cool you think the product is. Instagram Reels work best as a tool for brand awareness and user engagement, not for a sales conversion. Your call to action should center around further customer engagement and not encouraging a sale. 

6. Let Your Personality Shine with Humorous or Heartfelt Reels

The humanization of brands has become paramount in marketing efforts. Customers want to feel like a company is personable and human. Instagram Reels feel very friendly, and this platform offers you a chance to show the people behind your brand. Make funny videos. Make videos that create emotion and warmth. Connect to the heart of your customer. That’s the truest and best way to earn brand loyalty. 

Social media is still one of the top ways your small business can gain engagement. Instagram is always evolving based on industry trends. Take advantage of the new Instagram Reels functionality to connect with a wider audience on a deeper level.

Picture of Chaz Michaels

Chaz Michaels

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

Greif and Gleason’s 1980 research on how children learn politeness routines found that young children almost never say “please” or “thank you” spontaneously, they say it because a parent prompts them with “what do you say?” dozens of times a week, meaning the reflex adults later display without thinking twice was built through years of someone else’s prompting long before it became automatic.

Greif and Gleason’s 1980 research on how children learn politeness routines found that young children almost never say “please” or “thank you” spontaneously, they say it because a parent prompts them with “what do you say?” dozens of times a week, meaning the reflex adults later display without thinking twice was built through years of someone else’s prompting long before it became automatic.

Global English Editing
AI answer boxes are reportedly wiping out a majority of organic search traffic for some blog categories in 2026 — while others have barely lost a visitor, and the split comes down to one thing

AI answer boxes are reportedly wiping out a majority of organic search traffic for some blog categories in 2026 — while others have barely lost a visitor, and the split comes down to one thing

The Blog Herald
Many adult children remember watching a father work sixty-hour weeks for decades so the family could have what he never did, then watched him die in his sixties without ever prioritizing his own happiness, and now see that same pattern quietly repeating in their own lives, under a different name.

Many adult children remember watching a father work sixty-hour weeks for decades so the family could have what he never did, then watched him die in his sixties without ever prioritizing his own happiness, and now see that same pattern quietly repeating in their own lives, under a different name.

Global English Editing
Eye tracking research on how people actually read web pages found that most visitors scan in a rough F shaped pattern down the left side of the screen, which is why professional editors front load the real information instead of slowly building up to it

Eye tracking research on how people actually read web pages found that most visitors scan in a rough F shaped pattern down the left side of the screen, which is why professional editors front load the real information instead of slowly building up to it

The Blog Herald
Harvard researchers had 166 undergraduates rate their own pets on qualities like thoughtful, considerate and sympathetic, and the students who felt most chronically disconnected from other people scored their pets meaningfully higher on exactly those three traits, and no others.

Harvard researchers had 166 undergraduates rate their own pets on qualities like thoughtful, considerate and sympathetic, and the students who felt most chronically disconnected from other people scored their pets meaningfully higher on exactly those three traits, and no others.

Global English Editing
A large-scale field study using real-world healthcare data found no measurable evidence that medical professionals make worse decisions as their workday wears on, directly contradicting one of the most frequently repeated claims in modern popular psychology writing

A large-scale field study using real-world healthcare data found no measurable evidence that medical professionals make worse decisions as their workday wears on, directly contradicting one of the most frequently repeated claims in modern popular psychology writing

The Blog Herald
Load more

Subscribe to receive our latest articles!

Get updates on the latest posts and more from Small Business Bonfire straight to your inbox.