How to come up with ideas for Reels or TikToks 

There is no getting away from it, but short form video, such as reels or videos on TikTok are becoming increasingly popular.  In particular Instagram is changing how their platform works and moving away from being that place to share lovely photos (watch out for a new platform taking this space soon!) and prioritising video.  Not just any video though, but Reels.  

It feels like it has become more of a challenge to keep up with these changes; particularly if you don’t like showing your face or being on video.  I personally think Instagram may lose a lot of followers to other platforms who don’t want to post video – watch this space.  

However, if you are feeling brave and want to start using short form video, or Reels and Tik Toks as part of your social media strategy how on earth do you come up with content?   

Here are my top tips to give you some inspiration. 

1 – Get inspiration from others 

There is nothing harder than sitting at a screen trying to think up content or write down words.  We’ve all heard of Writer’s Block?  Well, it’s a bit the same when it comes to creating short form video content.  

It is going to be really difficult to sit down and come up with some great ideas with no inspiration.  So, before you delve in, spend a bit of time doing some research.  See what comes up in your feed, find people in similar industries and see what they are sharing.  Or search for your industry in the Instagram or TikTok search bar and see what videos appear.  Use this as inspiration, see what is working for other people and how they can create content.  Think about what resonates with you,. What you like and feel comfortable with and then that is going to feel most natural to you when you create your own.   

If you don’t like dancing and feel stupid, you don’t have to do that.  See how other people make content and do something that feels right for you.  

2 – What’s trending 

Looking to see what is trending is a great hack.  You can do this simply by scrolling through the videos and get a feel for what you are seeing a lot of.  Anything that appears several times is generally tending.   

On Instagram you can also see a small arrow at the bottom of the video, which will tell you if that piece of audio is trending too.  In TikTok you can find trending videos in the discover tab as well.   

There are apps you can download that can give you insights into trends and predicted trends as well, such as TrendTok or Chartmetric.   

Once you have found a trending audio you like, you can save it and come back to it later, or jump on board and get creating while its hot.  

3 – Be an expert 

At the end of the day you an are expert in your field – whether that is marketing, finance, law, travel.  So, in all your marketing (not just social media) you need to show people you are the expert in your field.  This goes for short form video (reels and TikToks) too.   

Think about giving people value, give advice or tips.  Show them hat they need to follow you to find out more about what you do and get valuable information.  Back this up with information in your caption and you’ve nailed it!   

You are talking about what you know, demonstrating your knowledge and being helpful all in one go – it’s a sure-fire way to improve engagement. 

One of the biggest take aways to remember is that not everything goes viral (even some of the biggest influencers material doesn’t always work or go viral).  You need to find what suits you, play with it, practice and keep on developing it.  People think social media is a quick win, but it takes time, energy and consistency to really make it work and see results.