Instagram launched Instagram Reels in the summer of 2020, a function that imitates TikTok and shares space with publications and stories within the application belonging to Facebook. Now, Instagram wants to monitor this new feature and will start showing ads between videos.
Advertising will appear in the Reels section and will be displayed when people navigate between video and video. Sponsored clips will last 30 seconds and can be distinguished through a small label that will appear next to the brand's name. Those interested will be able to access the advertiser's offer, store or website through a button that will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Users can comment, share, or “like” the ad, just like any other Reel. Fortunately, like story advertising, they will be able to scroll the video if they don't want to see the ad.
Reels ads began to be tested in countries such as Australia, Germany, Brazil or India. According to The Verge, as of today they will begin to be available worldwide . The Facebook app also shows ads in the post feed and between stories.
Instagram Reels, the function that imitates TikTok
Reels are vertical videos up to 30 seconds long . Internet users can create clips with different tools, effects, filters and sounds, and then publish them on their profile. It is a function that came to compete against TikTok, although it does not seem to convince users.
In an interview with The Verge, Adam Mosseri, director of Instagram, was honest and commented that this new role still has “a long way to go.” At the end of the year, the app released a major update to try and get closer to TikTok.
Users began using Instagram Reels to post the videos they recorded on TikTok. ByteDance, developer of TikTok, took advantage of the Instagram format and changed the location of its watermark, so that it would appear in Instagram videos. The company responded and confirmed that videos with a distinctive would have less chance of appearing in related searches.
