I hate Instagram Reels: 5 tips to ditch Reels and still get found by your perfect customers
Stay on brand, not on trend
Just because something is in fashion or trending online doesn’t mean it’s good for your brand. For me, right now, that’s Instagram Reels.
My brand—and everything I create under it—follows calm, considerate, and ethical business practices. I prioritise quality over quantity, and I have a philosophy: never pollute the internet with unnecessary content.
Instagram reels take a ridiculous amount of time to create, and I have to ask myself: is this really a valuable use of my time? Does it give a good return on investment? Moreover, reels that involve lots of dancing, pointing, loud music, and flashing text hurt my brain and leave my nervous system frazzled. These kinds of reels don’t just misalign with me; they also don't reflect the deeper values of my brand or resonate with my ideal clients.
When we share content that’s out of alignment with our brand (or our personal values), instead of enhancing it, we dilute it. This confuses our audience about who we are and what we stand for.
But with Instagram now prioritising reels, what's the alternative?
Here’s what I’m doing instead:
01
The content (not the algorithm) informs the format
When I want to share something, I start by thinking about what the best format for that message is. Sometimes a reel is the right choice, but more often, a written post, carousel, YouTube video, or blog article is much better suited. I don't contort content to fit the reel format just because the platform is pushing it. The message leads, not the trend.
02
Time investment vs returns
I decided to experiment by creating reels that are calm and reflective of my brand’s tone. I shared mini tutorials, showcased examples of my past projects, and even highlighted aspects of my digital nomad lifestyle. I added soft music and spoke slowly to keep everything calming. The goal was to provide value and give potential clients a sense of my style, without creating overwhelm.
These kinds of intentional Reels take a good chunk of time to make (an hour or two) and while I enjoy creating them, I have to ask myself whether this is the most valuable use of my time. The results are showing that the kinds of reels I want to make – that align with my value systems, do not gain a lot of traction.
The time investment versus the return just doesn’t add up. I’ve come to the conclusion that I'd rather focus on strategies that will genuinely move the needle for my business, rather than chasing short-lived social media trends.
03
An alternative and more impactful option to get found by your ideal clients
While Reels can provide a quick hit of engagement, their lifespan is short and they often rely on fleeting trends. After completing this SEO course and seeing the value of optimising my website and blog articles for SEO, I've realised that the return on investment far exceeds Instagram Reels. SEO is a long-term strategy that continually works for you, helping your content get discovered long after it's been published. With SEO, my time investment goes into creating quality content that builds visibility over time—without being at the mercy of Instagram’s ever-changing algorithm. Plus, people searching for what I offer are far more likely to turn into clients, making SEO a more effective and sustainable way to grow my brand.
Our clients are also finding SEO to be a super effective way of attracting their ideal clients, too without social media. Here’s what one of our one-week website clients told us recently:
“I am very happy to share that I have had a new client booking each week, consistently for the past eight weeks. I just had a week off, and in that time, five new clients booked! This is all to do with the website project. I haven't been doing any ads or Instagram for a couple of months and every client that books has told me they found me on Google!” – Kate Lister, Somatic Therapist
04
Using social media platforms that have longevity
Unlike Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest function as search engines—meaning any content you post on these platforms can have a much longer lifespan. By investing more time into these platforms, I can create evergreen content that helps me stay discoverable in the long term. Instead of chasing trends, I’m focusing on creating valuable, searchable content. This approach not only aligns with my brand values of calm and considered creation, but also provides a sustainable way to grow my online presence without feeling pressured to constantly churn out new content.
05
Repurposing Reels
If you really want to create reels, you might want to consider repurposing this content on other platforms. Have you heard of YouTube Shorts? They’re similar to reels but come with the added bonus of leveraging YouTube’s search engine. Repurposing any reels you create and posting them to your YouTube channel means they have a longer shelf life. This way, they contribute to your discoverability on a platform that values long-term content, helping your work get found long after it’s been buried in your Instagram feed.
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