30+ Reel Ideas for Your Instagram Feed

Garima Kaushik
7 min readNov 7, 2023

Instagram reels are so engaging that one can keep scrolling all day.

If you are a business or creator struggling to find inspiration for next month’s reel ideas, worry not!

I have curated 30+ viral reel ideas your Instagram page needs.

Some of these are industry-specific, the rest of them are general and can be used by ANYONE!

Here’s what they are:

Fashion reel

People love fashion and if you are an influencer or even a business owner dealing with fashion, make reels that flaunt your unique fashion sense.

Example:

#Hashtags related to fashion reel:

#Fashion #GRWM #OOTD #dailylook #fashionista #lifestyle

Make-up reel
Dressing up and looking glam never goes out of style! If you are a Makeup artist, hair artist or a passionate creator, make-up reels can be a great way to bring more like-minded followers.

Example:

#Hashtags for Makeup Reel

#Makeup #makeupartist #makeuptutorial #makeuptransformation #makeuplover #MUA #beautyvlogger

Routine/mini vlog reel

More than 40 percent of female internet users aged between 16 and 24 years watched vlogs. The returning visitors make vlogs a lucrative option for any creator to include in social media plan.

A mini vlog shares highlights of your travel, routine, workplace etc.

Consider it like a teaser or sneak peek into your larger life.

Example:

#Hashtags for Minivlog
#MiniVlog #dailyvlog #routine #morningroutine #dayinthelife #aesthaticvlog #pinterestaesthatic

Music reel

As long as people keep loving music, the music reels are going to be a great way to grab some eyeballs.

They’re engaging and super-fun to watch till the end.

Just choose trending music on instagram and create a million-views worthy reel.

Example:

If you are a budding singer or band and your music goes trending on Instagram, the numbers reflect in your Spotify and billboard numbers too.

It can be a total game-changer.

#Hashtags for Music Reels:

#musicartist #musiccover #musicmaker #musiclife #singersofinstagram

Workout reel

Fitness and wellness is a multi-billion dollar industry.

If you have a knack for the fitness regime, diet plans, training and drills; showcase it in workout reels.

It can be used as a minivlog, what I do in my gym, fitness journey, or before vs. after.

The options are endless.

Example:

Collaboration with other fitness influencers can be very beneficial to growing your fanbase.

#Hashtags for Workout Reels:

#Workoutime #workouttime #workoutroutine #fitnesslife

Funny reel

If you have the talent to tickle the funny bone and you can make people laugh, Instagram reels can get you crazy fandom.

There are plenty of examples to support my statement: Satish Ray, Saloni Gaur, Rajesh Yadav, Bhuvan Bam, Aashish Chanchalani and many more.

Funny reels can be a good way to promote your YouTube skit or stand-up comedy show.

Example:

#Hashtags for Funny Reels:

#funnymeme #funnyreel #funnyclips

Branding reel

Once you reach a certain level of following on Instagram, you can promote other brand products. This is how influencers earn!

If you ever see a paid partnership label on any reel, that’s because the creator has been roped into a brand commercial which turns out to be a reel.

Example

Talent reel

You can sing, dance, perform, paint, create art on Instagram, there’s vast audience waiting for your creativity.

In my opinion, Time-lapse reels and ASMR/Satisfying reels do the best in this niche.

As an artist, you might get your next gig on Instagram.

Example:

Tips reel

Sharing actionable tips with your tribe on Instagram is a perfect recipe for a viral reel.

Whether you are a business, artist, traveller, educator, learner or fitness junkie, it is one reel that works for all.

Everyone has something actionable that can solve problems for many.

Text reel

Don’t say anything, just put text. If you are camera shy, this is the best way for you.

Text is anyways important for any other type of reel. If your viewer is not wearing headphones, text reels still have equal value for that person.

Example:

It only takes speech to text option, or a little bit of effort to type out the text, but the pain is totally worth the rewards.

Split Screen reel

Split your content in 3 parts of screen. This is one of the aesthetically pleasing reels that always do well on instagram.

You can keep 2 videos, 1 image
Or 1 video, 2 images in this format.

Just simple editing skills, and Voila! You are getting more views.

Behind the scenes reel:

Behind the scenes are always fun to watch. Be it a movie, vlog, tutorial or product creation.

Whenever you are making something great, show the chaos and work go behind the stage. People will sure-shot watch a candid behind the scenes over any manufactured content.

Example:

Suspense reel:

Suspense and anticipation is the secret sauce for social media engagement.

Quiz, challenges, twist and turns, dangerous rides, and suspenseful story line add edge-of-seat drama for the viewers.

Example

Recipe reel

Most of us love watching cooking shows and dream of how to make that finger-licking food. However, cooking is not the cup of tea for many. So, if you have some amazing recipes, Instagram should be on top of your list.

You can share your favorite recipe, aesthetic food pictures or preparation for food as reels.

Testimonials:

An employee review, client testimonial, or customer recommendation can be a great endorsement for you.

Instagram reels recommending your product/services not only bring more traffic and sales to you but also caters as a great way to boost ORM.

Before and after Reel:

As they say, change is the only constant. If you have gone through any visible transformation, you can reel it.

Some good examples are:

Weight-loss or gain reels

Childhood vs Young

10 years challenge

Furniture fitting reels

Construction reels

Upcycling materials

Haircut reel

Video or Image Editing — before vs after.

You can create anything out of Before vs. After reel. Just put your thinking cap on and keep reeling.

Storytelling Reel

No story lives unless someone wants to listen. And, fortunately, everyone has a story to tell.

Tell your personal story, brand story, career journey, and someone else’s story and make a hooking reel out of it.

Motivational reel

If Sandeep Maheshwari had a penny every time, someone quoted him, he would be a billionaire.

Motivation comes naturally to those who seek it. In this world full of pathos, you can be someone’s ray of positivity.

Share your quotes and learning in reel format. There’s a huge audience for that.

For a company, they can share their CEO’s favorite quotes or work philosophy,

For a motivational speaker, he can share his speaking events and best bits out of the show.

Even as an influencer, you can put quotes on your reel.

Engagement reel

The Instagram algorithm works in your favor when people engage with you. So, ask open-ended questions, and let people interact with each other in the comments.

Share a product and ask your customers about their unique way to use it.

Run a contest and ask people to tag other like-minded people. Just don’t be sus and greedy.

These reel ideas blow beyond imagination if used in the right way.

Repurpose existing videos in your phone gallery

If you want to create reels without shooting content, you can revisit your phone gallery and find something interesting enough to save you the trouble.

An old video with a friend, any exotic location you visited can be a great way to keep your audience engaged with a sneak peek into your personal life.

Aesthetic video of product/Workspace

This is a great reel idea for a business. Hire a profession videographer or shoot with your own phone camera, create an eye-pleasing video of your workspace or product.

It brings a ton of engagement to your business. Because, hey! who doesn’t like a beautifully shot reel?

22. News update

23. Travel video (Holiday, Car shots, sightseeing)

24. Review reel

25. Recommendation (product, movie, tutorial)

26. Interesting facts

27. Transformation Reel

28. Share other’s content with credit

29. Creation or manufacturing of product
30. Packaging of product

31. How-to/FAQ about product or service

32. Unboxing Reel
33. This or That
34. List of useful tools

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Garima Kaushik

Smart. Strong. Silly. Straight up. Sometimes I forget myself in a book 📓.