How To Get More Instagram Views: Best Practices for Video

Any content creator will tell you that producing Instagram Reels is harder than posting a photo or two. There’s a craft to editing videos—you must know how to work transitions, pair your clips with music, and more. Plus, it takes a lot more time and effort than choosing high-quality photos and hitting “Post.” So, it’s upsetting when you work hard on your Reels and get fewer views. That’s why today, we’re making it our mission to teach you how to get more Instagram views on video content. Keep scrolling to see all our tips and tricks!

Why It’s Important To Learn How To Get More Instagram Views

According to Social Insider, Instagram Reels is becoming a more and more popular format on social media platforms. Their data shows that from 2023 to 2024, the usage of Reels increased by almost 58%. So, if you want to be successful on Instagram, you must be active on Reels and drive lots of views.

There are many benefits to getting as many IG views as possible on your video content. The most obvious is that you get recognition for the content you work so hard on. Getting more views means the potential to go viral. If that happens, you’ll put your brand on the map, boosting awareness for it. That’s a must for content creators and brands trying to make it big on social media channels like Instagram.

Plus, getting more views is pretty much synonymous with reaching more people on the platform. This boost in visibility can mean an increase in your follower count, too, allowing your social media fanbase to grow. This opens the door to brand deal opportunities and collabs since many brands prefer working with influencers with bigger fanbases.

Getting more views also increases the odds that people will engage more with your Reel. And the higher your engagement scores, the more the Reels algorithm pushes your content out to other people. That boosts views and reach not just for your videos but also for other individual posts you publish in the future.

What Does Reach Mean on Instagram?

If you’re not too familiar with Instagram video metrics, you may be wondering, “What does reach mean on Instagram?”

Reach refers to the number of users who have seen your video. It suggests how far your video goes and how effective it is at reaching your target audiences. So, it’s one of the most important metrics to look at when assessing how visible your social media presence is.

Reach counts the unique people who view your post, not the number of times it was viewed. For example, if 200 people saw your video and they all replayed it multiple times, your reach is still 200. Views show the total number of times it was watched regardless of unique viewership, which differs from this. If you have a professional account, you can see both reach and views for your Reels on Instagram Insights.

While these two metrics are different, they’re both super important for tracking your Reel’s performance. Reach tells you how many people you are able to reach. Meanwhile, the number of views gives you an idea of how engaging and “replay-able” your video content is.

How To Get More Views on Reels: 6 Best Practices To Get Free Instagram Views

The fast and easy way to get more views on video content is by promoting them using paid ads. But that’s not really sustainable, especially if you want people to watch your Reels consistently. You can’t go on forever paying for ads just to get views on your videos, right?

That’s why it’s better and smarter to use organic reach and engagement techniques to drive free Instagram views. Your marketing budget will thank you for it, too!

Luckily, there are many things you can do or incorporate into your content strategy to drive video viewership. Here are six ways to get more views on Reels.

1. Produce Funny, Relatable, Shareable Video Content

The most effective way to get more views on your Reels is by coming out with engaging videos people love. The more humorous, relatable, and entertaining your videos, the more likely people will watch them on a loop. They might even share these videos with their friends, increasing your views even more.

Experiment with what works well with your brand personality and your audience’s preferences. Play around with silly voiceovers, skits, parodies, pranks, and other hilarious content people will be excited to share with friends.

But videos don’t always have to be funny and ridiculous to get tons of views. You can also take the more emotional route and share poignant stories and personal experiences on Reels. Think of what message you can say through your videos that will resonate with your fans. Life advice, highlight Reels of your life, and sweet stories will tug at the heartstrings and hopefully reel in views.

Pro tip: keep an eye out for Instagram Reel trends or dance challenges that are taking the internet by storm. If you think it’s something your target audience would love to see from you, join in on the fun. Do your spin on the trend, and then post your video for everyone to see!

2. Create Compelling Captions That Can Increase Dwell Time

Another way to drive views for your Reels is by writing interesting, compelling captions for them. High-quality videos and excellent editing are the lifeline of any Reel, sure. But writing a caption is what makes them stay longer.

With a strong caption, you can increase a viewer’s dwell time on your video. For example, let’s say you upload a short video of you and your grandmother. Then, in the caption, you share a well-written, heartwarming, interesting story about her life. If your caption intrigues people, they may be compelled to linger on your Reel longer to read it. At the same time, the Reel will be playing on a loop. This skyrockets the number of views unique viewers contribute to your Reel.

Another trick is to leave a thought-provoking question related to your Reel in the caption. It might urge people to think about their answers and type them into the comments section. This also increases dwell time, which can boost views for your video.

3. Use Hashtags To Increase Your Chances of Appearing on the Explore Page

Expanding your Reels’ reach is an excellent strategy for getting more views. The more exposure your video gets, the more people get to discover and watch it. And one of the best ways to broaden your video’s reach is by adding hashtags to your post.

Hashtags can help the Instagram algorithm categorize your Reel according to niche or theme. From there, it pushes out your content onto people’s Explore pages if they’re interested in your topic. Tons of new people will discover your brand and watch your video—even if they don’t follow you yet.

Some people also love following hashtags so that the most engaging content using those tags shows up on their feeds. So, strategically choose a few popular tags to add to your Reel caption. Easy ones include #wanderlust for travel content, #styleinspo for fashion posts, #foodporn for delectable recipe videos, and many more.

That said, don’t flood your caption with popular hashtags only. These tags are used by millions of people, so better-performing posts might drown out your Instagram Reel.

So, be strategic about it and add a few less popular but still significant hashtags along with the popular ones. Small to medium tags related to your niche with around 50k to 200k posts would be excellent for this. That way, you still have a chance of standing out while reaching a bigger audience, too.

4. Compile Clips of the Best User-Generated Content Featuring Your Brand

User-generated content (UGC) refers to posts featuring a brand that isn’t made by the brand itself but by its customers. It includes photos and videos of people wearing a brand’s products, unboxing videos, product demos, testimonials, and more.

UGC is super effective at promoting products on Instagram because it’s more authentic and native than ads and branded content. Instead of big businesses posting about how great their products are, real people are talking about it. This serves as social proof to others that a brand has high-quality products and services. Plus, it’s more exciting and compelling to watch than overly manicured and polished brand content.

So, try to harness the power and influence of UGC to drive more views for your page’s videos. If you have a business, compile the best UGC from your fans into one Reel. Then, tag all the users and creators featured in your compilation video to give them a chance to share it.

Videos like these are extra impactful because they tell stories of real people trying your products. They show people that your brand values authenticity, allowing it to stand out against other brands that post high-brow content. They also make people who post UGC about your brand feel like they’re part of a thriving, supportive community.

Don’t forget to ask permission from the customers who made UGC if you want to feature them in your Reel. Remember—you are borrowing their content to create a Reel that shows off your beautiful community and loyal customers.

5. Partner With an Influencer To Boost Interest in Your Videos

You can also use influencer marketing to give your Reels a boost in views. Collaborate with an influencer your target audience might resonate with. Then, feature them in your Reels to compel their fans to watch your videos.

Here are some ideas for influencer videos you can consider for your Reels:

• An influencer takeover Reel. In this video, your partner influencer “takes over” the brand account to film videos as if it were their own.
• An unboxing video where an influencer shows off your brand’s new line of products.
• A Q&A session where fans can ask the influencer anything, including questions about your brand.
• A “get ready with me” video that features your brand and the role it plays in the influencers’ daily lives.

6. Reply to Comments People Leave on Your Reel

As mentioned earlier, the more engagement you get on Reels, the more the algorithm boosts its visibility on the feed. So, take every opportunity to boost the interactions on your video post. Of course, you can’t control how many people like or share it. But you can increase the number of comments on it by replying to users who leave some on the video.

Respond to your followers when they share their thoughts and opinions through comments on your Reel. Engage them in conversation and have witty replies to funny comments. You can also simply thank them for their support. This encourages them to reply back, boosting your engagement scores and, consequently, your reach and video views.

Plus, conversing with your followers strengthens your relationship with them. It tells them that you value their feedback. This connection with them can also compel them to watch and comment on your Reels in the future.

How To Get More Comments on Instagram

Driving views isn’t the be-all and end-all goal of posting videos on Instagram. You also want people to engage with your Reels and start conversations about them. So, aside from making videos solely for the views, create high-quality content that drives engagement through comments, too.

Check out these tips for how to get more comments on Instagram videos:

• Make them laugh. Posting funny content is a surefire way to get at least a few reactions and LOLs in the comments.
• Pose a question for your followers in your caption. This prompts people to share their answers with you in the comments.
• Tease your followers with a cliffhanger, like a Reel telling a story that begs for a part two. This will surely get people commenting and asking you to upload the next Reel in the series!
• Speak up about an important topic. Instagram is a great social media platform for talking about your advocacies and current events close to your heart. Encourage conversation and healthy, respectful discourse in your comments by speaking up about these topics in your videos.

Who Stalked Me: Does Instagram Have Profile Views?

Aside from video views, another ideal way to see your social media presence’s strength is seeing profile visits. Sadly, Instagram currently doesn’t provide users with a list of people who have recently visited their page.

This is because Instagram respects people’s privacy and doesn’t want everyone’s online activity aired out for the public to scrutinize. In the same way, you can see the number of views you have on your Reels. However, you can’t see exactly who viewed them or how many times they did.

Perhaps the only feature that allows you to see who viewed your content is Instagram Stories. As long as your Stories haven’t expired yet, you can always swipe up on them to see your viewer list.

So, does Instagram have profile views? No, they don’t. But there are plenty of other ways to determine how effective your content is on the platform. Look at metrics like reach, engagement, watch time, and more to see how well your target audiences receive your Reels.

Gain More Traction on Your Videos by Growing Your Audience!

There are many techniques you can use to gain more views on Instagram, from using hashtags to partnering with influencers. Try out the tips we shared in this guide to see which ones your target audiences respond to the best. Once you know what strategies help increase your views, incorporate them into your Reels strategy to improve your online presence.

Now that you know how to get more Instagram views, it’s time to get cracking and produce your best Reels. Are you still not convinced our tips can drive more views? Enlist the help of our growth service to widen your reach.

At Path Social, we use AI to pinpoint the people most likely to enjoy your content. Then, we promote it to show up on their feeds. This allows you to reach users who will be excited to watch your videos every time. As a result, you’ll get more views and new followers who support your Reels. Grow your community with Path Social today!