Do instagram reels go viral?

Instagram Reels are short, entertaining video clips that users can create and share on Instagram. Many people wonder if Reels can go viral like some viral videos do on other platforms. The short answer is yes, Instagram Reels absolutely have the potential to go viral.

What Does It Mean For An Instagram Reel To Go Viral?

For an Instagram Reel to “go viral” means it gains widespread popularity very quickly and gets viewed and shared by a massive number of accounts across Instagram.

A viral Reel will often reach well beyond the original poster’s own follower count and get viewed by many accounts who do not follow the poster. A truly viral Reel will get viewed and shared across Instagram to the point where it feels like everyone has seen it.

Some signs that an Instagram Reel has gone viral include:

Getting hundreds of thousands or millions of views
Getting shared across Instagram by many different accounts

Getting mentioned by Instagram meme pages and influencers
Sparking trends and challenges with other users creating response Reels

So in summary, an Instagram Reel goes viral when it blows up to achieve mainstream popularity and dispersion across the app.

What Types Of Reels Tend To Go Viral?

Certain types of Reels have a greater tendency to go viral compared to others. Some characteristics that viral Reels often share:

Humor/Comedy: Funny and comical Reels get shared more than other content.
Music: Using popular or catchy music helps Reels spread.

Relatability: Reels that many viewers relate to tend to go viral.
Creativity: Unique editing, effects, or concepts grab attention.
Trends: Reels riding bigger trends/challenges can gain traction.

Reels with hooks like humor, music, creativity, and tapping into trends seem to resonate most across the Instagram audience and have the highest viral potential.

Does Having Lots Of Followers Help A Reel Go Viral?

Having a larger follower count can help increase the chances of a Reel going viral, but it is not required. Plenty of examples exist of Reels from accounts with smaller followings blowing up.

However, larger accounts do have some advantages when it comes to virality including:

Bigger reach – Their followers immediately see it
Name recognition – Established “influencer” names draw clicks
Engaged audience – Loyal followers actively like/share

Algorithm favor – Instagram may promote content from bigger accounts

So while having lots of followers certainly helps, it is still very possible for a great Reel from a smaller account to take off virally if it resonates and gets shared by others.

Tips For Creating A Viral Reel

While going viral involves a lot of luck, you can increase your chances by strategically creating Reels that maximize virality potential.

Some tips include:

Capitalize on trends/challenges: Make Reels using viral audio, songs, effects, or concepts.
Hook viewers fast: Lead with your most engaging content in the first 5 seconds.

Optimize hashtags: Use a mix of popular and targeted niche hashtags.
Post at ideal times: Analyze when your audience is most active.
Monitor performance: Adjust your approach based on what resonates.

Promote outside Reels: Share your Reel across other channels.

While not a sure-fire formula, using trending and shareable ideas, grabbing attention fast, optimizing discoverability, and promoting your Reels across channels can all contribute to reaching that coveted viral status.

Mistakes That Limit A Reel’s Viral Potential

On the flip side, there are also some common mistakes that can hamper a Reel’s chances of going viral:

Poor video quality: Pixelated or shaky footage gets fewer clicks.
Overused audio: Very popular songs now get tuned out.
Lengthy intro: Hook viewers in the first few seconds before they swipe.

Weak captions: Captions should enhance, not just describe.
Following tired trends: Put a fresh spin on trends versus just copying.
Niche appeal: Reels on topics too narrow may lack mainstream viral potential.

Avoiding these pitfalls and other mistakes that negatively impact the watchability and shareability of your Reels can help boost your chances of emerging virally from the pack.

Viral Reel Case Studies

Looking at some real-world examples of Reels that achieved viral status can illustrate what techniques and factors drove their widespread popularity.

The Git Up Dance Challenge

In mid-2019, a song called “The Git Up” by Blanco Brown went viral on both Instagram and TikTok. The song sparked a nationwide dance challenge. Instagram was flooded with millions of Reels and TikToks featuring people dancing to the song.

What made it go viral: Catchy original song, fun easy dance moves, hashtag challenge

Flipped Lip Sync by nicklucian

In this Reel from December 2020, TikToker nicklucian used a flipped camera effect while lip syncing to audio of two girls’ voices, resulting in a confusing and hilarious gender swap illusion.

What made it go viral: Unique video effect, gender swap humor, post helped ignite flipped camera trend

Random Things by Reecewitherspoon

Actress Reese Witherspoon used viral audio of Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan from an interview they did together. Her Reel shows random household objects while the audio plays.

What made it go viral: Celeb account, pop culture audio, relatable everyday theme

As these examples show, Reels leveraging viral trends, audio, digital effects, humor, celebrities, and other compelling concepts can rapidly gain widespread popularity on Instagram.

Do Certain Filters or Effects Make A Reel More Likely To Go Viral?

Using popular AR filters and effects in your Reels can potentially increase virality since they often tie into trending memes or challenges. Effects that are going viral across Instagram and TikTok tend to get used in Reels more, driving further sharing.

Some examples of filters and effects that have helped boost viral Reels include:

Flipped camera: Creates gender swap or humorous disorientation illusion

Time warp: Speeds up or slows down action
Green screen: Allows custom backgrounds
Face filters: Morphs faces for humor

Meme stickers: Ties Reels to trending meme formats

Leveraging the hottest AR effects can give your Reels an advantage but the content itself still needs to resonate with audiences. Effects may help a Reel spread faster but won’t make a poor Reel go viral on their own.

Do Instagram Reels With More Comments Tend To Go More Viral?

Generally, Reels with more comments do tend to have a higher likelihood of going viral compared to Reels with fewer or no comments. More comments signal that a Reel is resonating and engaging viewers.

Reasons why more comments can lead to higher virality include:

Comments increase overall engagement on a Reel which boosts its visibility
Comment threads extend the watchtime that viewers spend on a Reel

Comments share social proof and peer endorsement that can validate a Reel
Comments give extra context that makes a Reel more shareable

Comments show that audiences are not just passively consuming a Reel but actively responding to it. Reels sparking many comments have proven their ability to engage viewers already, priming them for potential viral lift.

Do Longer Reels Have A Better Chance Of Going Viral?

Instagram Reels can be 15 to 60 seconds long. There are differing views on whether longer Reels in that range have an advantage for going viral.

Potential benefits of longer Reels include:

More time to hook the viewer

Increased watchtime helps the Instagram algorithm
Additional space for captions or effects
Allows more complete narrative arcs

However, the disadvantage of over-extending Reel length is that it risks losing viewer attention. The sweet spot tends to be around 30 seconds. This provides enough time to tell a compelling short story while minimizing dropoff.

In most cases, a concise, engaging 30-second Reel well-optimized for mobile screens outperforms a dragged out 60-second Reel. Focus on quality over quantity of seconds.

What Makes A Reel Worth Watching Until The End?

For a Reel to have viral potential, it must first be intriguing enough to capture an initial view and then worth watching all the way through to the end. Some key elements that keep viewers watching include:

Opening hooks: Ask a question, tease a reveal, feature cute animals, use emotive audio etc. to grab attention fast.
Pacing: Use edits, effects, and movement to maintain a lively engaging pace that fits the style/energy of the audio.
Suspense: Build anticipation and curiosity by teasing without giving everything away upfront.

Satisfying payoff: Have a strong ending that delivers on what was built up early on.
Clean execution: Tight editing, smooth camerawork, and high quality production avoid distracting from the content.

Viewers have short attention spans on mobile, so Reels must immediately capture interest and continue escalating engagement with smart pacing, suspense, and satisfying payoff throughout the runtime.

How Can Smaller Accounts Increase Their Chance Of Going Viral?

For accounts with smaller followings looking to catch that viral wave, some strategies that can help include:

Optimize hashtags: Use maximum allowed hashtags with a mix of popular and highly targeted niche tags.
Geotag locations: Enable location services on posts to maximize discoverability.

Engage with communities: Interact genuinely with accounts in your niche to build connections.
Collaborate: Team up with synergistic but larger accounts to tap into their audiences.
Promote across channels: Cross-post your best Reels to other social platforms.

Analyze data: Study Reel insights to refine your content and strategy.

The key is fine-tuning your approach to reach as many potential new viewers as possible both within and beyond your current core audience.

Final Takeaways

Going viral may seem elusive, but Instagram Reels absolutely can gain widespread popularity. While luck is always a factor, you can greatly improve your odds by:

Making highly engaging Reels using humor, music, effects, and other compelling hooks
Strategically optimizing your Reels for discovery
Tapping into trending memes, sounds, songs, effects and challenges

Promoting your best Reels across Instagram and other channels

While viral Reels may seem to appear out of the blue, creators often employ calculated strategies and formulas designed to maximize the chances of their Reels exploding across Instagram. With persistence and the right approach, your Reels can break through as well.