As a small business owner trying to grow your brand on Facebook, creating high quality reels is crucial for reaching new audiences and driving engagement. With reels being a major focus for Meta, improving the quality of your video content can help maximize your marketing efforts on the platform.
Why are high quality reels important?
There are a few key reasons why improving reel quality should be a priority:
- Higher reach and discoverability – Well-produced reels with eye-catching visuals are more likely to be pushed out by Facebook’s algorithm.
- Increased engagement – Viewers are more likely to comment, like, share and save reels that look professional and polished.
- Brand building – High quality reels convey professionalism and help build brand credibility and trust.
- Competition – As more businesses create reels, high production value helps your content stand out.
How to improve reel video quality
Use proper camera equipment
Shooting video with a smartphone can work, but using a dedicated camera will improve image quality, stability, lighting and more. Here are some equipment options:
- DSLR camera – Allow manual exposure, focus and more control.
- Mirrorless camera – Lightweight and compact, yet powerful options.
- Action camera – For shooting stable, immersive footage on the go.
- Gimbal – Helps stabilize handheld shots and enables smooth camera movements.
- External microphone – Reduces ambient noise and improves audio quality.
- Tripod – Enables stable, fixed camera positioning for steady shots.
Plan your shots
Carefully planning your angles, camera movement, lighting and subject placement will elevate your video:
- Mix wide establishing shots along with closer coverage for visual interest.
- Use camera movements – try panning, tilting and tracking shots.
- Ensure proper lighting so footage is well-exposed.
- Frame subjects properly and intentionally within the composition.
- Consider how shots will cut together during editing to maintain continuity.
Use editing software
Investing in editing software enables you to turn raw footage into a polished, engaging video:
- Cut and arrange clips to best convey your story.
- Adjust color, brightness, contrast for visual flair.
- Add graphics, animations and text to help tell your story.
- Include a music track to set the right tone and energy.
- Trim unnecessary footage and clean up mistakes.
Popular options like Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple’s Final Cut Pro provide robust tools, while beginner-friendly options like InShot or VN work on mobile.
Include compelling visuals
Including interesting visual elements in your reels helps grab attention and keeps viewers watching. Some ideas:
- Showcase your product or service in an appealing way.
- Use eye-catching graphics, animations or text.
- Incorporate b-roll footage – things like nature shots or cityscapes.
- Feature people using relatable moments and interactions.
- Leverage props, costumes, and physical settings.
Improve your audio
Viewers will keep watching a video with mediocre visuals if the audio is good – but not the other way around. Steps to improve audio:
- Reduce background noise through microphone choices, location selection and editing.
- Use lavalier mics for crystal clear vocal pickup.
- Add engaging music using royalty-free tracks.
- Include compelling sound effects for fun and interest.
- Use equalization, compression and normalization during editing.
Optimize exporting and compression
The final encoding and compression process when exporting your video file has a big impact on quality:
- Choose MP4 or MOV format for best results on Facebook.
- Select a high bitrate between 8-12 Mbps at a minimum for 1920×1080 HD footage.
- Don’t reduce the frame rate – stick to 29.97 or 30 fps.
- Use 2-pass encoding for better quality than single pass.
- Pick a suitable resolution like 1080p or 720p. Higher is not always better.
Use accessories to elevate production value
Small accessories can make a surprising difference in production quality:
- External lens filters – ND, polarizers, etc give you more lens options.
- Microphone windscreen – Essential for reducing wind noise when recording outdoors.
- Reflectors and diffusers – Sculpt and shape lighting.
- Mini tripod – Enables unique angles by mounting to objects.
- Stabilizer gimbal – Allows smooth handheld and tracking video.
Optimizing your reel content
Beyond just visual and audio quality, optimizing your actual reel content and strategy boosts overall effectiveness:
Highlight your value proposition
Ensure your reels convey what makes your business, product or service special. Communicate your core differentiators and value to viewers.
Leverage trends and challenges
Tapping into popular trends like meme songs or dance challenges can help more people find and engage with your reels organically.
Show behind-the-scenes looks
Give viewers insider access to what goes on behind the scenes to make your product. This helps build a connection with your brand.
Partner with influencers
Collaborating with relevant influencers allows you to tap into their audience and up your production value.
Encourage user generated content
Get customers involved in making and sharing their own user generated reels featuring your brand.
Share reels natively from Facebook Creator Studio
Uploading reels directly in Creator Studio allows you to preview content on mobile and add overlays.
Remix other reels when relevant
Repurposing viral sounds and content with your own spin capitalizes on trends.
Ask a question or encourage comments
Prompting viewers to engage makes it more likely your reel gets shares and visibility.
Check reel insights and iterate
See which reels perform best, and double down on what works.
Conclusion
Creating quality reels takes effort, but is one of the best ways to reach new audiences and get your brand seen on Facebook. Invest in proper equipment, take time to plan compelling visuals, and optimize your content strategy. With consistently high-quality and engaging reels, you can build meaningful connections with target viewers and achieve your marketing goals.