Instagram's short form video on the rise

Instagram Australia has launched its Shift to Short Report - the definitive guide for brands to understand why consumers love short form video (SFV).  

Shift to Short inspects the user experience in the rapidly evolving SFV category. 

The report outlines what makes Reels across Meta’s platforms unique, with tips from users about how they want to see brands communicate with them via SFV.  

Research found that Australians love SFV, and watch it often, with more than 63% of Australians watching SFV weekly.  

The report draws on learnings and data from a global study by Factworks and local independent research agency, Hoop Group. 

The growing appetite for short form videos, notably Instagram’s Reels, is fed by its ability to cater for entertainment, connection and discovery for the community on the social media platform. 

In particular, the report outlines the power of Reels for advertisers and the discovery for brands as a result.  

Helen Black, head of connection planning for META ANZ, said discovery for brands is about reaching new people in the most relevant ways, and Reels are part of Meta’s larger ecosystem, which is all built around its AI. 

“More than 20% of content on your Facebook and Instagram feeds are recommended by AI, and that's from people, groups or accounts that you don't follow. That aids discovery,” said Black. 

“What we find is that people might start off watching a reel, then they click through to a profile, they’l lwatch some stories, and then they’ll click the link in a bio to an advertiser website to find out more. It 's really empowering that discovery for brands.” 

Reels can be hugely beneficial for advertisers. What makes them unique, says Black, is that they turn attention into action.  

“This helps connect businesses with customers; 3.8 billion people use Meta’s apps and services each month,” she said. 

Reels can bring  peoples real lives and their digital lives together, Black says. More connections leads to more engagement.  

According to the report, this fosters a deeper sense of community and trust, which ultimately helps advertisers connect with consumers.

It highlighted that 86% of Australian users followed a business after seeing Instagram Reels, and 60% Australian users messaged a business after watching Instagram Reels. 

Black said the tech giant has seen fantastic results with businesses.

"For instance, Carlton United Breweries used a Reels first content strategy to drive relevance with Gen Z audiences,” she said. 

“They also used a range of creators from different backgrounds and were able to connect with the younger generation in an authentic, inclusive way.  

“People in the report are saying that they would like some short form video, and, as a result, there was a 5.5 point higher incremental lift in affinity and a 58% higher incremental reach. There’s new people and more people really driving relevance with that younger demographic.” 

The Reels environment is an active one, says Black, where people are becoming more and more responsive.  

"When you add the Instagram Reels placement to a direct response campaign, it drives more incremental value, and significantly increases the likelihood of page visits, add to carts and purchases. 

“74% of Instagram users have purchased a product or service from having watched an Instagram Reel. It drives action, not just from the  fun, entertaining content, but from the ability to discover more about a brand, and drive that purchase behavior at the end of it.” 

Thomas Hutley, managing director at OMG Content, said there is a lot that people can learn from creators on the type of content they are developing for their communities. 

“In the ongoing battle for consumers attention and engagement, brands need to stand out more than ever, and remaining authentic and relatable is now a non-negotiable," he said. 

"I believe there is a huge opportunity for brands to be more purposeful in the content they are developing, taking on board some of the learnings that have driven the significant growth in Reels, driving stronger connection and ad effectiveness.”

Reels is the fastest-growing format across Meta’s family of apps, said Black. 

“Creators have been leading the way in the development of engaging short form video (SFV), driving this trend towards content that entertains, yet ephemeral in nature,” she said.