Reels for brands: how to make short videos that don't look like ads

Reels is Instagram's highest-reach format because it's delivered to people who don't follow you. For a business, that means: it's the front door. You don't need to dance. You need a hook.

The 4-part script

1. Hook (0–2s) — the sentence or image that stops the scroll. "You pay for new tires when you don't need to." Text on screen, always.
2. Context (2–8s) — why it matters. One sentence.
3. Delivery (8–18s) — the information, the process, the before/after. This is where the brand shows it knows.
4. Next step (18–22s) — "send a message", "save this", "check the link". Only one.

Formats that work for businesses

• Process: how it's made, start to finish, sped up.
• Q&A: the customer's question, answered by the person who does the work.
• Before and after: the most persuasive of all, if it's real.
• Common mistake: "3 things you're doing wrong when…".
• Behind the scenes with voice: someone from the team explaining while working.

How to shoot

Phone vertical, natural light, clean sound (or captions on everything). Tight framing on what matters. Cuts every 2–3 seconds keep attention. Auto-captions, reviewed — 80% watch without sound.

What to measure

Retention (how many watched to the end), non-follower reach, saves and — what matters — messages that arrived because of the video. Likes are the least useful number.