By Christina Botte, EGC’s Director of Social Media and Jonathan Baker Instagram’s been on a hot streak—rolling out Reposts, Maps, Friends—and now? Linked Reels. Another feature designed to keep creators, advertisers, and audiences hooked. Linked Reels Provides Easier Connections As explained in TechCrunch, with Linked Reels, creators can connect multiple short-form videos into one seamless story. No more scattered posts or endless scrolling—everything’s grouped, organized, and bingeable. For brands, that means more opportunities to keep audiences engaged longer (and more often). Short-form Video Goes a Long Way A recent e-Marketer article (“Instagram introduces linked Reels to enable serialized storytelling and drive engagement”) noted that Reels accounted for one-fifth of ad impressions on Instagram. And, while the graph below shows Reels in third place, creators—and brands—are turning to the format of short-form video to capture the attention of their target audiences. Brands should also keep in mind also that short-form video is especially popular with members of Generation Z, whose purchase power increases daily. What impact will Instagram’s Linked Reels have? And while what follows may seem like going off-point, where does long-form video stand? A Few Words About Long-Form Video Despite the popularity of short-form video, long-form deserves equal time. The e-Marketer article points out how longer videos tend to build stronger and long-lasting relationships between viewers and creators—as well as consumers and brands. Viewing time for long-form videos posted to YouTube, for example, reportedly continues to increase. Now, if long-form video is also powerful, how does Instagram’s Linked Reels fit in? Closing the Gap Thanks to its capabilities to connect short-form videos in a serialized format, Linked Reels may close the gap between short- and long-form video storytelling. This means that creators who post to Instagram Reels can increase engagement levels among their audiences—who will likely watch well-organized short-form videos in order with the same enthusiasm and interest as viewers of long-form content. Audiences will keep returning to discover further content. This can in turn help brand promotion. How so? Branding opportunities from Linked Reels Thanks to Linked Reels, brands—and the creators they partner with—can develop long-term release strategies. These strategies have the potential to build anticipation among audiences. Through an almost episodic narrative style, Linked Reels will provide a strong and continuous venue where brands get noticed (and remembered) as opposed to being seen in random one-off impressions (where they may be forgotten). Christina Botte, Director of Social Media at EGC, offered these insights: “Linked Reels gives brands the chance to move beyond one-off impressions. It’s an opportunity to create content that keeps audiences coming back—and that’s where real engagement and brand loyalty live.” If Reels already worked for your brand, Linked Reels would take it further. Organized. Engaging. Repeatable. And most importantly—memorable. At EGC, we help brands do more than keep up with platform updates—we help them turn features like Linked Reels into performance-driven strategies. Ready to refresh your social presence? Let’s talk. Visit our Social Media Mastery page to learn more.
