I spent the last month studying Reels and TikTok. Here are my thoughts on how @Instagram Reels can beat @TikTok.

https://stephaniejin.substack.com/p/reelsvstiktok 

A THREAD

1/ Reels’ biggest problem is content, not distribution or algorithms. Content creators don't use Reels because they don't know what to make (low meme-ability) and there's no chance to get famous (where's the Reels equivalent of Charli D'Amelio?)

2/ Users have to think hard about what content to create. This leads to more friction during the creative process.

Let’s compare this to the Youtube creation model:
the Youtube Creator to Viewer ratio may be 1 in 100, while TikTok’s is closer to 1 in 3.

3/ Ask yourself - among your friends who watch TV, how many people do you know who actually produce TV shows themselves?

The bar for creating IG-worthy content is really high. In contrast, TikTok’s creation funnel excels because of the meme-ability of its content.

4/ Meme-ability = the ability to iterate through easy recreation or reaction, where success depends on the number of iterations received

“The more iterations to a meme, the more momentum it gets” @TurnerNovak

5/ TikTok’s meme-ability is super high because there are so many touchpoints to each unit of content.

More pathways to content = higher chance of inspiration + nudges toward content creation.

(I provide examples of this in my article)

6/ Reels needs to increase its participatory nature by increasing the # of touchpoints and reducing friction in those pathways.

Some fixes include:

8/
a) Add individual pages for effects
b) Attach effect buttons on videos
c) Change AR filter video thumbnails
d) Rearrange Effects Gallery for Reels-specific filters
d) Offer tutorial guide for recreating trends
e) Promote Reels native audio via exclusive music/sound contracts

9/ Moving onto the next problem: low chance of virality.

No one is becoming famous because they’re using Reels.

Sure, some emerging creators who post Reels have gained a few thousand followers, but nothing compared to the millions on TikTok.

10/ Reels needs to find the next @charlidamelio, the next @whoisaddison, or the next @BabyAriel. It needs to create a “gold rush” scenario.

What’s a “gold rush” scenario, you ask?

11/ Let’s look at http://Musical.ly .
To acquire users, it manipulated attention on its platform and manually featured videos from certain creators, guaranteeing massive exposure on their accounts.

Higher traffic + visibility on new accounts -> instant celebrity status.

12/ A single successful case study (i.e. @BabyAriel going viral on http://Musical.ly  or @charlidamelio on TikTok) will trigger a gold rush and galvanize more users to create Reels.

The more success stories -> the more user accounts

13/ Of course, there is that social graph problem. It’s pretty cringe-y to watch your friends' TikToks…

So posting Reels might also be embarrassing too?

Sure. But not if everyone starts doing it.

14/ Just like when people first downloaded TikTok in early 2019, it was… “uncool.”

But in the middle of the PANDEMIC? When Charli and Addison crossed 50m+?? And all your friends starting learning the Renegade dance??

Totally socially acceptable.

15/ Instagram can justify this type of behavior by encouraging avg users to post relatable, everyday content, and rewarding early adopters with virality.

As success stories spread and social proof accumulates, posting Reels will be normalized. This sets a new standard for UGC.

16/ Onto my last point: creator tools

Reels’ creative tools are quite shit, tbh.

One example: When I want to try a new filter, I have to go through 4+ steps to test it out.

Also, why are the AR filters on Reels the same as Stories??

17/ There's so much friction in every step of the creative process. I’d rather make my videos in TikTok… and just upload those to Reels instead.

I don’t even care if the watermark is there.

18/ Yes I know Reels is rolling out new tools. But girl HURRY UP it’s the lack of urgency for me

The options available are still FAR behind TikTok’s. Maybe it’s time to consider acquiring a superior video-editing tool? @Facebook we know you’ve got that $55b cash reserve

19/ Many TikTokers actually prefer using 3rd party apps like @VideoleapApp @InShotApp and #Zoomerang because of features unavailable on TikTok.

An acquisition could fulfill an accelerant need to outcompete TikTok. Which is an existential threat to IG at almost 1B total users.

20/ Last suggestion:

Reels is already a time-poor tab.

We know Stories + Feed make up most IG activity. Since Reels isn’t the default tab, users expend more effort switching feeds.

Maybe run tests on super users and see if defaulting from in-feed to Reels is more effective?

If you read up to here, thank you so much for the support!

Here is the link to the full article with more details: https://stephaniejin.substack.com/p/reelsvstiktok