It is no big secret that the world has become consumed by the short-form video sharing phenomenon known to all as TikTok.
With more than 650,000 new users joining the content sharing platform daily, equating to nearly eight users per second, it is no big shock that other leading social media platforms needed to act fast to keep their users active on their platforms.
As a result, YouTube released their Shorts section allowing content creators to generate portrait-styled videos that can be no longer than 60 seconds in length giving YouTubers the ability to directly target Smartphone users.
Similarly, Instagram allowed the creation of reels which also involves the creation of portrait-style videos which can be up to 60 seconds in length but with the additional option of been able to add effects, music, text and an array of filters allowing creators to further personalize their reels before posting.
That being said, it was only a matter of time before Facebook stepped in with a competing offer to these quick-consumption videos which brings us to Facebook Reels.
Facebook advertises reels as ‘fun and inspiring short videos consisting of music, audio, AR effects, text overlays and more’ which can be created within the Facebook app on your Smartphone and shared directly to your News Feed.
Let’s delve deeper into the latest in short-form video sharing content.
- What are the Facebook Reel Requirements?
Keeping to the current short-form video trend, Facebook reels offers similar creator options to its co-platform Instagram allowing those who are comfortable with creating reels on Instagram to do so on Facebook too.
To be considered for the reels feed, videos must be between 3 to 60 seconds in length and can be easily uploaded through the new Reels option on Facebook.
Here are the technical requirements:
- Minimum 1080p resolution
- Upload aspect ratio 9:16
- Only .mp4 file formats
- Length between 03 seconds and 60 seconds
- What Editing Features does Facebook Reels Offer?
Because Facebook Reels is based on its co-platform, Instagram, much of the same functionality that Instagram users have come to love and use will be included in the Facebook reels editing functionality.
For those features that are currently not available, bloggers and users alike are hopeful that these features will be introduced in due course.
Until then, this is what Facebook Reels has to offer:
- Timer: Record your Reel hands-free by making use of the timer feature
- Speed: Speed up or slow down your reels using the 0.3x, 0.5x, 1x or 2x, 3x and original speeds at your disposal
- Audio: Add your favourite music from the Facebook library or use audio from other created reels
- Effects: Apply any affects offered in the Facebook Effects library
- Green Screen: Use the green screen effect to apply a background from your own camera roll
In addition to the above features, Facebook Reels also offer the option to piece together multiple video clips from your camera ready to create a Facebook-ready Reel that is ready to be published.
- Where Can I Watch Facebook Reels?
At this point in time, Facebook Reels can only be viewed on the Mobile App with the potential to expand to a Desktop environment at a later stage.
Reels can be accessed on Facebook in the News Feed and do not just feature reels posted by people or pages that you follow, but include recommended reels from posts created on Instagram (more on this later).
Facebook Reels can also be accessed through your profile by visiting ‘Menu’ and then tapping on the ‘Reels’ section.
- How Do I Create Facebook Reels?
Facebook offers the option to create reels in a number of different areas making the new feature highly accessible to users and new creators. Facebook Reels can be created from the following areas:
- News Feed: Create a Facebook Reel from the News Feed by clicking on the ‘create’ button. This can be found while scrolling through posts on your feed.
- Camera Button: Tap on the camera button to film a short video that can be posted after recording.
- What’s on your mind: At the beginning of your Facebook homepage, you can locate the reel creation option under the ‘What’s on your mind’ section.
- Create A Post: Reels can also be created from your business or brand page under the ‘create a post’ section alongside the ‘Photo/Video’ and ‘Add to Story’ options.
After using one of the above options to enter the reel creation process, you can record your reel (remember to keep time constraints in mind) followed by adding any affects, filters, timers or audio to your reel.
Once you are done editing, click on ‘next’ and write a unique description for your reel, select your chosen audience and tap ‘share reel’ to publish the reel to your feed.
- Facebook and Instagram Linked Functionality
Since Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012, users have been able to link their Facebook and Instagram accounts to create a cross-platform sharing experience offering multiple sharing features including:
- Sharing Posts created on Instagram/Facebook to the Facebook/Instagram feed
- Sharing Stories created on Instagram/Facebook to the Facebook/Instagram stories
It only makes sense now that Facebook Reels has been released, that the same sharing spirit would be extended to this new feature. Instagram users now have the option to allow the reels they have created on Instagram to be shared to Facebook as well which will appear in the Facebook Reels section.
Along with this comes the Reels Remix feature.
When posting a reel to Instagram, the user is able to set the reel to ‘public’ offering other users the option to remix the posted reel. In short, this means that other users can take snippets or audio elements from your reel and use it in the creation of their own reel.
If this is not something you would like to do, be sure to select ‘private’ when posting your reel. Alternatively, you can also turn off the remix feature later if you no longer want to offer this option which will automatically remove any reels including a remix from your created reel.
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In keeping up with the current short-form video consumption trend, Facebook has stepped into the arena to take on short-video giant TikTok. With unique editing features including the green screen option, remixes and access to the Facebook music library, Facebook drives a hard competing alternative to Facebook loyalists.
With the potential to share reels between co-platforms, Instagram, there is much room for creativity in creating short-form video content for both Facebook and Instagram users.
Get in touch with the digital marketing team at Online Innovations to help develop a social media strategy that incorporates marketing options from the latest social media trends. Call us on 041 365 4919, email sales@onlineinnovations.com or visit www.onlineinnovations.com to find out more.