Meta Reels: Transforming Advertising with Key Data & Practices

How Reels Reaches Customers

The numbers speak clearly – 3.24 billion people use Meta technologies daily, with video making up more than 60% of time spent on Facebook and Instagram platforms. Reels specifically accounts for approximately half of all time spent on Instagram. Users also share reels more than 3.5 billion times daily, highlighting the viral potential of this format.

Business Impact of Reels

For the e-commerce sector, these statistics are key:

• 85% of people started following a business after watching reels
• 79% of people purchased a product or service after watching reels

Meta’s research further showed that adding Instagram Reels to existing campaigns significantly increased page visits (97%), adding products to cart (97%), and purchases (90%).

Campaigns using Reels ads achieved 14% higher average and 24% higher median brand lift compared to regular campaigns.

Three Basic Rules for Creating Effective Reels Ads

1. Use vertical video in a 9:16 ratio: Reels is a full-screen format, so it’s essential to adapt your ad accordingly. You can crop your video to the correct ratio directly in Meta Ads Manager.
2. Always add sound: Music, voiceover, or sound effects are key success factors. Meta offers a free Sound Collection where you’ll find sounds created specifically for Reels.
3. Respect the safe zone: Keep the bottom part (35%) of your ad free of key elements, text, and logos to prevent them from being covered by the Reels interface controls.

Proven Performance of Optimized Reels

Meta reports that 9:16 video ads with sound in the safe zone had, on average, 34.5% lower cost per result than image ads and 15% lower costs compared to videos that weren’t in a 9:16 ratio or didn’t contain sound. Campaigns with ads optimised for Reels achieve 101% (2x) higher delivery to Reels placement.

Collaboration with Content Creators

A survey showed that 55% of people agree that creators on Reels help them discover new brands, and 53% of people are more likely to purchase a product if it’s promoted by a creator on Reels. Meta recommends using the creator marketplace on Instagram to find and collaborate with creators.

These data suggest that Reels is not just a trend but an effective tool for e-commerce companies looking to increase their visibility and conversions. The most important lesson is to follow basic technical specifications and focus on creating content that is entertaining, relatable, and easily digestible.