By this point, you probably hear about video all the time! But where to start? From Tik Tok to Instagram Reels, it can be overwhelming. But it is such an important part of your content strategy! When it comes to TikTok and Reels for wedding pros, it’s important to know how these different platforms work and how they can work for you.

Why video?

People are literally aching for connection with other people, not just a talking head. At a time when people are seeking out connections, sharing stories with video helps humanize your brand. Brands are getting more value from lightweight, bite-sized content. So, repurpose existing assets to create new content. To draw your viewers in, take your text-based content and create social videos, or take a long-form video and create several shorter, social-friendly pieces of content. It’s all about repurposing your content!

As people typically find video content more engaging than a big chunk of text, it will help to keep your audience on your social media site for longer. 

In general, video is just becoming more popular across the board, which means you’re more likely to get noticed with video. YouTube is the second largest search engine. Over a billion users are searching the platform, including your potential customers. On Pinterest, there has been an 800% increase in video in 2020. But let’s focus on using TikTok and Reels for wedding pros. 

TikTok

TikTok is huge, and it can be great for wedding pros. Both Reels and TikTok let you start and stop recording videos at your own pace. However, the biggest difference is that you can upload 60 seconds of footage in a TikTok video as compared to only 15 or 30 seconds on Instagram reels.

Effects are where a lot of the TikTok magic happens. They make it easy to be creative and produce some really cool content. When you tap the Effects icon to the left of the red record button, a tray opens with a variety of effects to choose from. There are tons of options, so you can really personalize your video. 

There’s a 150-character limit for your TikTok caption, which includes any hashtags you add. The goal is to keep your caption very tight. Add keywords that tell TikTok exactly whom to put your video in front of.

When it comes to being found, TikTok is all about the hashtags. Hashtags will not only help you understand what is trending, but they can also increase growth, engagement, and exposure if you’re looking to become TikTok famous. If you want more views, use a couple of hashtags that coincide with your content and a couple that are trending. How do you know what’s trending? Click on the magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen. Up pops a screen where you can discover new hashtags and challenges.

Instagram Reels

Instagram is really pushing Reels right now, which makes them an awesome new way to gain followers. Users can record and edit together 15 to 30-second video clips set to music and share them to their Stories, Explore Feed, and the Reels tab on a user’s profile. On your news feed, you will only see Reels from people whom you follow. But in the discover section, you’ll be able to find popular Reels from trending accounts on Instagram.

When you are using a pre-recorded video for Reels, you need to take care of the size. Instagram Reel video size is 9:16. However, on feed, they appear in the ratio of 4:5. This means make sure any text or important images are not on the very top or bottom of the video since they will be cropped. Keep the focus content and text towards the middle. Unlike TikTok, you can upload a custom cover. This can allow for your Reel to “fit” in your grid better, instead of always just having it be a screenshot from the reel.

By using Reels consistently in your content strategy, you can build a more engaged community with relatable, educational, and entertaining content.

Instagram Reels vs. Stories 

You may be wondering what the difference between Stories and Reels is. Instagram Stories go away after 24 hours. While you can save them in a highlight, this makes it harder for a follower to find your information. There may be 50 highlights to go through, so chances are your newest content will not be seen as much.

When it comes to Stories, you cannot share them unless you’re tagged in them. Also, you can’t share Stories to your grid. So, being a creator or a brand, the reach of Stories is limited to your followers themselves as they cannot share your stories with others. 

This isn’t necessarily true with Reels. Just like an Instagram post, you can add up to 30 hashtags while uploading Reels. This increases the visibility of your Reels, and they can also appear in some of the hashtags feeds.

Reels grabs the attention of more people than just your followers or audience. Your Reel goes under your Reels tab, shows up in your main profile grid, in Feeds, and under the Explore button. 

Tips to make an engaging video

• Videos are always vertical
• Add text! Like IG stories, many people explore Instagram without sound. So make sure to add some text overlay for those who do not have the sound on.
• Add something entertaining and fun (i.e. delights people, grabs their attention, makes them laugh, or has a fun surprise or twist)
• The first 5 seconds are the most important! When creating a video, you have only seconds to stop someone from moving past your content. Data shows that you have about five seconds in a video to catch someone’s attention before they continue scrolling. I suggest immediately having your name, and a leading idea, question, sentence, or call-to-action at the very front of your video. Great starting phrases include:
  • Did you know___
  • How to ___
• Turn recent trends into video content

Post consistently! When it comes to TikTok, for the first few weeks you can dive in and post 2-3 times per day, then go back to 1-2 posts per day. On Instagram Reels – Post something once per day (story, grid, or reel) and 1 IG Reel per week. The algorithm really does work when you are consistent 

Don’t forget to reshare your content!  The content you share on TikTok can be downloaded without the watermark so you can re-share on Reel with music and a caption. When downloading a video from TikTok, try and remove the TikTok logo. You can use Musically Down to do this. Copy the link to the TikTok, and it will allow you to download it as an .MP4. This takes the TikTok logo off of the video.

No matter what kind of wedding pro you are, video is the way of the future. TikTok and Reels are so popular right now that it’s really worth taking the time to figure out how to make them work for you. TikTok and Reels for wedding pros is the same as for everyone else: be consistent and create content worth sharing.

Have you tried using TikTok or Reels at all? What’s working for you?