How To Make Your Reels Go Viral

Since the arrival of TikTok, almost all social media platforms have incorporated a dedicated short video posting section. For Youtube, it is “YT Shorts,” and for Facebook and Instagram, it’s “Reels.” Whatever you call it, the content type is so popular that almost every platform allows you to monetize it. 

But for that, you need to hit a specific number of views. The numbers may seem huge, but you can quickly achieve them by following a few simple tips and tricks. 

If you are starting from scratch, you can even buy reels views PayPal and give your handle that much-needed boost. 

But if you don’t have the money to invest, follow the tips mentioned here and get enough organic views to make your videos go viral.  

How Many Views Do You Need To Call A Reel Viral?

To call your reel viral, you need at least 1 million views on it. That is also if you are using an original sound. If you are using an audio track already in trend, the number must be 5 to 10 times more than the original one. 

If your reel surpasses these numbers, Instagram or Facebook algorithms will identify it as viral and boost it further, giving you even more reach. 

But note that none of the platforms has any specific number metric, which can significantly vary depending on your account’s size. A few thousand views may be considered successful if it is a small account. On the other hand, if you already have a massive following, then even a million views might not seem like a success.  

Whatever the case, there is never a cap to how many more views you can get, and you can always get more views and increase the chances of your reels getting viral if you follow these simple yet effective tips. 

15 Tips To Make Viral Reels That Will Help You Monetize 

To get paid through reels, you need to reach a certain number for different metrics such as followers, views, number of videos, and likes. 

For example, on Instagram, you need at least 5 videos, 10,000 followers, and 600,000 minutes of watch time over the past 60 days to be eligible for monetization. 

But don’t worry, no matter how low your numbers may be, these 15 tips will be your recipe for making viral reels. 

1. Find A Niche 

Making reels without fixing your niche is like shooting arrows in the dark. You might make a viral video by chance, but the probability of it happening or repeating will be less. 

So first, find a niche for your reels. Some of the most popular niches include:

• Health And Fitness
• Beauty
• Finance
• Motivational content 
• Storytelling
• Traveling 
• Fashion
• Lifestyle 
• Technology 

2. Use Hooks That Instigate Curiosity/ Controversy

The first 5 seconds of your videos are very crucial. If you don’t make them interesting enough, they will likely skip your videos. So it is a must that you make it exciting or thought provoking. 

You can start by stating facts, asking a question, or saying you will debunk a myth. These work great, especially if you make reels on an informational niche like finance, travel, technology, mythology, health and fitness, makeup, etc. 

3. Maintain The Right Video Length 

The ideal Instagram reel length is 15 to 30 seconds. Anything more or less than that has a lower chance of getting an organic push by the algorithms. 

However, if you are using a lot of transitions and can keep the audience engaged till the end, you can even stretch it to 90 seconds, which is the highest length available for these formats. 

On that note, ensure you also adhere to the resolution parameters, which are 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels. 

4. Include Features/ Tools Available On The App Before Posting 

It is a secret not known to many that the more you use the platform tools, the more the platform will boost your content. Be it stories or reels, wherever you can utilize features given by the platform, use them. 

Some tools take video clips and put them in a set template or make video collages with photos. Using them along with stickers and interactive filters encourages the platform to boost your reels more since it will also promote their features. 

5. Add Running Text In Your Reels

Most people like to binge-watch reels on the go, and if they aren’t using headphones, they like to keep them on mute. So adding running text or floating captions is a great way to hold engagement. 

Besides, they are also great for reaching audiences with a hearing impairment who often can’t enjoy regular caption-less content. Or you can also use it for translation purposes, where the audio will be in one language, and the caption will be in another. 

6. Place The Text Where It Is Easy To Focus

While using flotation captions or speech-to-text features, ensure you are placing them in a place that is easy to focus on. For reels, it is usually the sections a little below or above the center in a way that it is not cutting the video. 

Also, use fonts and colors that are soothing to the eyes and look harmonious with the video. If you cannot find a color like that, use a highlighting color underneath. 

7. Add A CTA

A reel can not become viral solely based on the number of views. If you want Instagram to boost your reel, you need to have a good blend of all kinds of engagements, such as views, likes, comments, shares, or saves. 

So try to add a small Call To Action in your reels to increase the number of these metrics and encourage your audience to take steps. 

8. Use Trending Tracks And Filters 

Using a trending track on your videos increases your probability of getting a viral reel. You can easily spot the trending tracks if you are active enough on the platforms. But to get the most out of them, you must use them as soon as possible. 

To find such tracks, you can look for places like Instagram Story Music, explore pages, reels, hashtag pages, etc. Or you can also use a third-party website that keeps a tab on such things. 

9. Always Add Hashtags

Adding relevant hashtags to your reels is a must. To get better reach, add relevant hashtags relevant to your niche. To find the most searched hashtags, you can run a search on your own or take the help of various Instagram hashtag analytical tools. 

The maximum number of hashtags allowed on a single post is 30. However, try using only 3 to 5 of the most relevant ones, as using more might appear as spamming, which can impact your reach negatively.  

10. Make Custom Reel Covers

Similar to YouTube, now you can also set custom reel covers. They work like a charm to get more views if someone scrolls through your Insta grid. The more click-baity your cover is, the more views you can bag. 

So ensure your cover designs are relevant to your reel yet very much interesting. But remember to stick to the platform’s guidelines, or else your cover and reel might be taken down. 

11. Optimize Your Posting Timings

Posting periodically at the same time instills an expectation amongst your viewers and increases your audience engagement. But you cannot just pick any time and start posting then. For best results, analyze your Insta audience and find the best time for posting. 

If you are using a business account, go to the insights section on your profile and check what days and hours your audience is the most active. Schedule your posts according to that, and voila! Your chances of getting more views and engagement will double or triple. 

12. Give A Teaser Of The Reels In Your Stories

Utilize your IG stories to create curiosity in your audience. You can post a still shot from your soon-to-be-posted reels or share your already-posted reel on your story with a cover-up and ask your audience to go and check that out.  

This way, even if your reels didn’t appear on their home page, they will be aware of your latest reels and will go and watch them. 

You can also use other social media platforms to drive views to your post. For example, you can repost your reel video on your Facebook story and redirect your audience to your main reel. 

13. Provoke Interactions

Brands mostly use this trick to get better reach, but you can do it too. Arranging contests to increase a post’s engagement is quite an old trick used across many platforms. If you have the resources to invest, you can do that too. 

But if you don’t have anything to invest in yet, don’t worry; you can still achieve that. All you need to do is ask your audience questions or for their opinion, or ask them to comment in return for something that you have and can add value to their lives. 

For example, if you post finance-related content, you can give away 5 rules to manage their finances. It won’t cost you money but will add value to your audience. 

14. Collab With Influencers Bigger Than You 

If you have the option of collaborating with content creators who have similar yet bigger followings than you, do it. 

Collaboration content naturally gets more views and engagements than regular content as it attracts the audience of both parties. But make sure both of you have a like-minded audience; otherwise, it might backfire. 

15. Post Consistently 

Consistency is key. You cannot post reels occasionally and expect them to blow up. Creating a viral reel is a journey where you first slowly build your audience, understand what they want to see, and then cater to their needs. 

Without posting consistently, you won’t be able to go through that journey and constantly get viral reels. 

All Set To Go Viral?

By implementing all the tips we mentioned, you will be all set to make your reels go viral. However, ensure that your videos are quality content. If you are making reels for business purposes, check out our other tutorial to learn how to advertise on TikTok, Insta, FB, and such platforms.