It is no secret to marketing professionals that reels are a great way to access and engage with your audience.

Though, admittedly, creating them can be quite time-consuming. From searching for a current trend, to matching that trend with your business goals, and translating it in a way that will resonate with your audience, editing a short 10-30 second reel can take a chunk out of your day.

Not all of us are influencers, or feel comfortable being on screen. What other options do you have? Oftentimes, creating content can feel like a daunting, menial task. Many of us avoid recording due to bad hair days, low confidence, or thinking that your audience doesn’t want to see or hear from you, unless you meet certain “social media” criteria.

If you struggle with putting yourself on screen, we have some good news for you. There is still a way to engage with your audience by using reels, that don’t require spending hours retaking the same trendy movements, only to find it doesn’t match the audio. So, what would those reels look like?

The Still Photo 

Much like the headline states, the simplest and quickest way to push content out via a reel, would be using a still photo and posting it as a reel.

First, choose an instrumental trending song, (make sure to choose one that matches the message of your content), then, set the length of the sound you want to use. Preferably between 3-7 seconds.

Here, what will matter most, is being able to get your audience to read your caption. The photo and message in the reel do not need to be long, but it does need to be attention-grabbing. Partner your still with an appealing CTA.

The Photo Album

Maybe one still photo isn’t exactly enough to get your point across. Luckily, it is also trendy to use several photos, or a “photo album” to showcase what you want your reel to be about.

Maybe it’s the process of how you create your product. Maybe it’s a before and after shot of when you started versus where you are now.

Much like the “still photo”, you’ll want to partner this style of reel with a trending sound. This style of reel is a little more flexible and often partners well with lyrics. Check to see what your competitors are doing and see what you can jump in on!

The caption can be short and sweet, that depends entirely on the message and story you want to tell with this particular reel.

“Face Free” and Generic Reel 

A quick point of view video can do wonders. Pouring coffee to start your day? Great for being relatable. Walking up to your business and showcasing the front? Phenomenal for letting your audience know what your business looks like from the outside! Want to tour your office? Another great option is to show everyone how approachable you are.

Luckily, these types of reels also pair well with any trending sound (as long as it’s matching the vibe), and your caption can again either be long to explain your message, or a short and sweet “well-wishes”.

The possibilities of the faceless reels are quite flexible and can be effective.

Reels aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Learning how to capitalize on trends to keep up with the way our audiences consume, will help keep your content relevant and approachable, while balancing your other marketing and content creation tasks.

Let us know if you use our suggestions!