When creating a strategy for Instagram marketing, you have plenty of options for posting your organic content. We have your standard posts, Stories, Reels, and IGTV. Today we are going to talk about the differences between Stories and Reels and which one is right for your business.
1. Stories
First, what are Instagram Stories? The Stories feature on Instagram is more akin to Snapchat if you want to make comparisons to other social media platforms. Stories aren’t exclusively videos; they can also be static images, text, or other animated content.
One thing to note about Stories is that they are for more interactive that Reels. Yes, you can like and comment on Reels, but Stories will allow you to create polls, use timers, embed posts, or get on-the-run feedback from your audience.
Also, out of the two, Stories are the most discoverable. While Reels are given their own tab in the IG app and featured in searches, Stories are right in the middle of the screen at the top when you open IG.
2. Reels
While Stories are IG’s answer to snapchat, Reels are IG’s answer to TikTok. Their fundamental purpose is to be entertaining and bingeable.
One area where Reels excels compared to Stories is their built-in editing functionality. You can slow down (or speed up) your clip, add filters, mix in audio, include a voiceover, patch on music, and more.
3. Stories or Reels?
So now that we know the differences between the two platforms, which one is right for you? Now comes the answer that everyone hates: it depends on your goals.
Well, that’s all for this blog.
You didn’t really think we’d leave it that vague, did you? Let’s look at some reasons why you might prefer Stories to Reels.
If you care more about immediate feedback from your pre-existing followers, then Stories is the right pick for you.
With the inclusion of Stickers, you can get all sorts of instant feedback from your followers. If you want their opinion on what kind of content they want to see going forward, you can utilize the Polls sticker and give them options to choose from.
If you want to have questions submitted to you for future pieces of content, you can use the Questions sticker, and now you have a batch of new content ideas lined up for the future. Stories are meant to generate interaction from your followers with these stickers, and that is where they truly shine.
If you’re looking to primarily create content with a focus on entertainment rather than interaction, then Reels might be for you.
Additionally, if you are looking to grown your user-base, then Reels might be better than Stories for you. Where Stories allows you to tap between content from users/pages you already follow, the Reels feed is much more similar to TikTok in that it shows content based on interests and trends rather than followed accounts.
This is why Reels lends itself to eye-catching content so much. You can afford to be more personal with Stories, but Reels needs to be more accessible to the masses in an effort to gain new followers.