Instagram Shares More Info on the Distribution of Longer Reels Clips

Okay, I can see how on the surface this may perhaps look confusing.

Currently, on the Instagram Creators profile on IG, Instagram’s group posted this explainer clip:

“Hang on”, I hear you say, “didn’t you just report, like, two weeks ago that posting 90-second Reels is terrible for attain?”

Yes, yes I did, but these two points are really each in alignment.

Here’s why:

In the caption of this post, Instagram explains that:

“You can post a video more than 90 seconds on IG, just recall that any video more than 90 seconds will not be eligible to be suggested in Discover or Reels Tab.”

Which is precisely why, two weeks ago, at an Instagram creator occasion, Instagram’s group shared this slide which says that posting Reels more than 90 seconds lengthy can hurt distribution.

Instagram does not explicitly state the purpose for this in the occasion slide, but the above note from today’s post is why this hurts distribution, due to the fact longer Reels are not suggested in the app.

Which, logically, impacts attain. So yes, you can do it, and in some instances, as IG notes, it may perhaps even make sense to post longer clips. But they will not see the identical exposure possibilities in the app.

Why are Reels longer than 90 seconds not displayed on its suggestions surfaces?

Nicely, presumably due to the fact Instagram’s investigation has shown that customers only want brief clips in these listings, so adding longer content material impacts all round engagement.

That mentioned, Instagram has also been experimenting with longer Reels alternatives, like three minute and ten minute clips. These, seemingly, are not on the cards for a complete launch as however. But IG is not necessarily confining itself to brief Reels only, it is just not hunting to highlight them inside its suggestions.

So when it may perhaps look contradictory, the logic is that you can post longer clips, which may perhaps of worth in particular situations, but they will not have the identical attain prospective.  

So you almost certainly only want to in incredibly particular situations.