Instagram Reels is the perfect place to post creative video content and engage with your audience on Instagram at the same time. If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to Reels or have a whole team to do it for you, there are a lot of ways you can still create them with existing content you already have. From behind-the-scenes clips to easy memes, here are some easy ideas you have to try…
Easy Instagram Reels Ideas for Independent Musicians
Share UGC (User-Generated Content)
User-generated content is genuine interactions from your fans, authentically created on their own by their own merit. What’s better than that? Plus, you can use this content in your own content strategy by creating Reels from them. Whenever you play a show, there are tons of people with their phones out recording the moment. Those people are most likely going to post those moments online to document the experience. While onstage, remind everyone to tag you in their posts! You can even tell them you’ll be reposting some of them to encourage them to do so.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is to always ask permission to do so and give credit where credit is due. Don’t just assume everyone is down to be shared without asking.
Clips From Shows/ Touring
On tour, you’re already taking so many videos of the experience why not use some for Reels? Whether it’s backstage sneak peaks, meeting fans, a look into how you prep or during the show itself, these are all great pieces of content to make Reels out of. Not to mention you can repurpose these into TikTok’s, grid posts on Instagram or even on all your other platforms for months to come.
Music Video Previews
While you’re working on that new music video, take behind-the-scenes clips during the process. Even better, you can tease final cuts of the video by posting them as a Reel before the launch date. You can do this by using captions like, “Coming Soon… 👀” with the launch date worked in. You can even link to Spotify for presaves, YouTube premieres, or wherever else they can find your music once it comes out.
Static Photos to a Trending Audio
If you don’t have a video to post, don’t worry! You can create a Reel with static images and add your music over top for an aesthetic recap from your last show, meet-up, or whatever you want to share.
If you don’t see your song available and want to get your music on Instagram, our partnership with Facebook (which covers Instagram and other services) makes it easy. If you’re a Symphonic client, we upload your content into Facebook’s systems in order to scan for anyone using that same content. Then, your music is available for use on Instagram and Lip Sync Live, Instagram Stories and the like.
Answer Questions
One of the best parts about social media as an artist is having a direct line to engage with your community online, and authenticity is a pivotal driver in keeping that community healthy and thriving. Reels is a great way to respond to commonly asked questions from your fans that goes a bit deeper than a comment under a post. With this, you can ask on your Story what questions your fans have and make a Reel responding to each of them. This is also a great time to work in some personal stories from your life or insights into what you’re working on right now. The more genuine the better.
Memes
Now, who doesn’t love a good meme? If you’ve got a funny bone, show it off with a Reel. This goes hand in hand with the idea above about sharing more about yourself. Humor is a great way to connect with others, and it makes pushing out content more fun, for you and the fans. The best way to do these is to keep track of things you find funny and take notes as you see them. Then, curate versions of those memes to your own experience. Easy peasy.
Collaborate with Other Artists
One of the best ways to create more content is to divide and conquer. If you have any features on your latest album, consider making a Reel with them. Whether it’s a funny skit together or an acoustic version of your track, you have tons of options for what you can create as a team. It also gives both of you the chance to tag each other and reach their audience as well as yours.
We did a version of this when we collaborated with artists going to #SXSW this year. With these, we asked them fun questions, got to know them better and created interview style Reels for our own audience. Of course, we tagged them as well for them to share on their own feed. We had a great time working with them and they loved creating something new for their fans!
Turn Existing IG Stories Into A Reel
Reels have been proven time and time again to improve reach and engagement. If you already post stories on Instagram, you can use those as Reels as well. If you don’t have a lot of time to create something brand new, this is a great option.
Create a Lyric Video or Graphic
If you’re a great lyricist, consider creating Reels that show off your favorite lyrics. Whether it’s a video with text playing over top or a static image with the lyrics written out and your music playing in the background, this is another super easy way to make a Reel that’s bound to be shared.
In Conclusion…
Just because you don’t have a lot of time doesn’t mean you can’t still create great content! If you’ve been on the hunt for easy Instagram Reels ideas, we hope this got the creative juices flowing.
Good luck!
