How to Batch Instagram Reels Content Efficiently

Want to publish more Instagram reels without recording every day? Looking for a workflow to create weeks’ worth of content at one time?

In this article, you’ll discover how to batch your Instagram reels.

Reels Are the Future of Instagram

Instagram is the best social sales tool for eCommerce and small business owners. It offers a full range of tools for creating content, tracking your performance, getting conversions, and building relationships with customers.

Instagram's unique algorithm is a secret but we know one thing for sure: it loves Reels. Instagram has promoted Reels heavily and made it the focus of almost all recent product updates. 

While other platforms like TikTok have a higher engagement rate, Instagram Reels has an unparalleled watch rate. Instagram users are more likely to watch your videos all the way through and even replay them.

That means Reels views are more valuable because they give you more time to connect with customers. What's more, the algorithm uses your watch time to decide whether a piece of content is successful. More views and replays mean more recommendations and better placements on the Explore tab.

Combine Instagram's unique sales power with the viral success of Reels and you have a highly effective organic marketing strategy.

Why Should You Batch-Create Instagram Reels?

Batching content for Instagram can help you in lots of different ways. 

• Save time. You can work faster by planning, filming, and editing videos in batches. 
• Scale up. The efficiency of batch-creating means that you can scale up your organic Instagram strategy without too much time or effort.
• Mental clarity. The pressure's off! When you create content ahead of time, you can relax and devote that brain power to other tasks.
• Creativity. Different parts of the video creation process take different skills, from brainstorming ideas to presenting on camera and making technical edits. You'll be more creative if you stay in each phase for longer, rather than hopping around among different tasks. 

How to Batch Instagram Reels

Here's the ideal routine for batch-creating Instagram content:

• Generate ideas.
• Plan and script.
• Film.
• Edit.
• Post or schedule. 

Once you're set up, you'll need to block off 1-2 hours each week for each task. For example, you could come up with ideas on Monday, write scripts on Tuesday, film on Wednesday, edit on Thursday, and post or schedule your content on Friday.

However, there's one more task to do before you get into your routine. You'll need to create a detailed content plan first. 

How to Create an Instagram Content Plan

The content plan is the foundation of everything you create on Instagram. It keeps you organized, on schedule, and creative. It's important for solo marketers who need all the support they can get and it's vital for marketing teams that need to coordinate.

Pick a productivity tool like Asana or Trello, and create a board that's dedicated to Instagram production. Next, create columns within the board that show the batch-creation process. 

1. Ideas. This is where you and your team collect and review content ideas.
2. To create. Check this column every time you sit down to film a batch of videos.
3. Recorded. This column is full of filmed ideas.
4. To Edit. Whether you edit your own clips or pass them to your team for editing, this is where videos go when they're almost ready for publishing.
5. To Schedule/Post. Once videos are edited, they end up in this column.
6. Posted. In this column, you store past content ideas so you can check references, repeat successful ideas, and avoid accidental duplicates. 

Every time you have a content idea, a card gets created in the Ideas column. Then, as the idea moves through your production process, that card moves along the columns. 

#1: Get Instagram Reels Ideas

Now it's time to brainstorm ideas! Get into your creative space and open up your mind. 

You should have a clear audience for every content idea because different audiences need different content.

• New viewers prefer short videos that speak to current trends. Clips of footage with overlaid text are great for introducing new audiences to your brand.
• Existing followers prefer long-form videos and personal stories. They already know about your brand. Now they want to build a relationship with you.

Set aside time each week for researching and ideating. If you're struck with inspiration at other times during the week, that's great! The best results will come when you intentionally put time into brainstorming, though.

It's always better to have too many ideas than too few. You can film around 8-10 videos in each batch. If there are any ideas left over, then you have a head start on next week's work!

Research With Social Listening

If you're struggling, start by researching TikTok and Instagram Reels.

• Look at the current trends, popular formats, and content topics from competitors in your niche. Think about how you can adapt each one to your unique industry, business, and tone of voice. 
• Try to pick trends that speak to you personally. When you're excited about a video, it shows in your performance. If you're bored, your audience will be, too. 

• Remember that most trends start on TikTok but Instagram always has its own take. Content for Instagram can look very different from content for TikTok!
• If you're inspired by an existing video, always summarize and link to it when you describe the idea in Asana or Trello. It's an important reference and you'll never find that exact video again through search. 

Research With AI

AI is a useful tool for Instagram content ideas, too.

Start with a tool like ChatGPT or Bing. You can prompt it with your role, audience, topic, and how your audience will benefit from your offer.

Alternatively, you can ask the AI generator to list some frequently asked questions or objections to purchase, and then suggest answers to them.

Finally, you can even use Google Search to learn more about your audience and the content they need. Type any question into Google, then scroll until you see the section labeled “People Also Ask.” It's free, instant keyword research, with 10-20 longtail keywords and questions that you can use for content ideas. 

#2: Plan and Script Instagram Reels

Each week, look through the cards in your Ideas column and pick the best ones. Now, before you film, you'll need to flesh those ideas out. 

There are three steps to developing a content idea:

1. Plan. Decide what the video should include.
2. Script. Write a script for yourself. This can be anything from a quick reminder of talking points to a fully scripted speech.
3. Adapt to your niche. Make any adjustments to tone, content, and style to suit your audience. 

For example, let's say you're making a classic talking-head video to sell an eCommerce product.

• At the planning stage, you decide which product to cover and how you're going to film it. 
• At the scripting stage, you write down a hook, the key points you want to make, and a call to action.
• Finally, you check this plan against your branding and tone of voice. 

Once an idea is fully fleshed out, you can move the card into the To Create column.

#3: Film Your Instagram Content

Welcome to the fun part: batch-filming your Instagram reels! All you have to do is get set up, run through your scripts, and move on.

Well,  it's a little more complicated than that. We'll get into the details of your camera setup, props, and performance. But remember this one key point: all you're doing right now is filming. No editing, no scheduling—just filming. 

Here's how to make sure that your Instagram content looks its best.

• Camera. If you film on a modern smartphone, your video quality will be fine. Check that your camera is set to a high video resolution—ideally 1080 pixels (p) and 60 frames per second (fps).
• Microphone. You'll need a shirt mic or mini-microphone, also called a lavalier mic that plugs into your smartphone. This improves the sound quality, and audiences love the way it looks. 
• Storage. Make sure that you have enough memory storage space on your device to hold an entire batch of videos! Always save video content to your phone instead of filming and saving it in Instagram, TikTok, or CapCut. Video files on your phone can be used more flexibly than video files created in the Instagram app. 
• Props. Props make your videos more visually appealing. Plus, if you switch out props between videos, then viewers will never guess that you filmed all the clips on the same day! You can even make your filming equipment part of your props, like this adorable mini vintage microphone.

• Lighting and setting. Film somewhere you won't be disturbed that has an attractive background and great lighting. Consider investing in a ring light to make your videos glow.
• Teleprompters. Whether you use a full script or just brief notes, a teleprompter can help to make your performance more coherent, relaxed, and natural. The video app CapCut has an incredible built-in teleprompter that you can customize to different speeds and font sizes.
• B-roll footage. Once you've filmed all of your videos for the week, spend a few minutes capturing B-roll footage of your office, products, and daily life. Over time, you'll build up an invaluable library of footage that helps you create content even faster.

As soon as each video is complete, save the clip to your phone. Drop a copy of the file into the relevant Asana or Trello card. If the file size is too large, upload it to the cloud and add a link to the card.

Finally, move the Asana or Trello card into the Recorded column. Videos that you want to post soon—unlike B-roll footage, which is simply banked for the future—can move into the To Edit column.

#4: Edit Instagram Reels

Just like brainstorming, scripting, and filming, you can do all of your video editing in a single weekly sprint. If you work with a team, they should be able to access the files through your productivity software. If you work solo, then you'll already have all of the video files saved to your phone. 

Here's a basic list of what to include in video editing:

• Check for sound quality. If necessary, you can re-record audio over the top.
• Add any background audio you want to use. 
• Edit the footage to remove any filler or dead time.
• Add B-roll footage to make the video more visually engaging.
• Add subtitles for accessibility. 
• Create a cover image for the reel on Instagram.
• Write a caption for the reel on Instagram.

When you're happy with the video and all of the supplementary material has been created, move the card to the To Schedule/Post column in Asana or Trello.

#5: Schedule and Post Instagram Reels

Many people like to schedule or post their reels as soon as they're edited. It's up to you whether you schedule posts at the same time as batch-editing them, or divide this into a separate task for another day. It all depends on your workload and working style.

The whole point of batch-creating content is that it empowers you to post regularly without having to create content every second of the day. Use the scheduling tools to spread out your posts and set up a regular rhythm. If you get this right, your followers will start to expect your posts at regular intervals, making them more hooked on your content than ever.

Other Notes From This Episode

• Connect with Michael Stelzner @Stelzner on Instagram and @Mike_Stelzner on Twitter.
• Watch this interview and other exclusive content from Social Media Examiner on YouTube.

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✋🏽 If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast, please head over to Apple Podcasts, leave a rating, write a review, and subscribe.

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