Difference Between Instagram Reel vs Story

Choosing between Instagram Reels and Stories can feel overwhelming, especially with the pressure to create engaging content. You might wonder: What’s the difference? Which one will help me connect with my audience?

This guide will break down each format's unique features and benefits, I nstagram reel ideas as well as providing clear insights to enhance your content strategy. Crayo AI’s clip creator tool can instantly transform your long videos into engaging short clips for Reels and Stories. This simple process saves you time and helps you create shareable content that resonates with your audience.

Benefits of Posting Instagram Reel

Lady Using Phone - Instagram Reel vs Story

Instagram Reels have taken the social media world by storm since their launch in 2020, and for good reason. These 15- to 90-second video clips allow users to share engaging content with their followers and beyond. Reels have proven to be one of the best ways to increase your reach on Instagram.

The platform’s algorithm favors Reels, meaning your content will likely be shown to users who don’t follow you. Plus, multiple opportunities exist for your Reels to be featured on the Explore page, further boosting your visibility. The bottom line? If you want to grow your audience on Instagram, start creating Reels.

Increased Brand Awareness: How Instagram Reels Can Help You Get Noticed

One of Instagram Reels' most significant benefits is its ability to increase brand awareness. Reels allow you to showcase your products, services, and brand personality creatively and entertainingly, which resonates with your audience. The more engaging and shareable your content is, the greater the chances of it going viral and exposing your brand to new audiences.

Boosted Audience Engagement: How Instagram Reels Create Two-Way Conversations

Instagram Reels are an excellent way to increase your audience engagement. The short video format encourages creativity and experimentation, allowing you to connect with your followers in new and exciting ways. Use Reels to launch a new product, share behind-the-scenes content, highlight customer testimonials, or create entertaining how-to guides.

The possibilities are endless. Plus, the algorithm favors Reels, so your followers and new audiences are more likely to see your content. The bottom line? Engaging and entertaining Reels can help spark two-way conversations with your audience and increase your brand’s reach and visibility.

Benefits of Posting Instagram Stories

Stronger Connections Through Stories

Instagram Stories foster deeper connections. They offer a more personal touch than regular posts, which helps build trust and rapport. People see Stories as more authentic, so sharing behind-the-scenes content or unfiltered moments can humanize your brand and make followers feel closer to you. This connection can influence purchasing decisions, as 44% of users say they engage with a brand more after seeing its Stories.

Boost Engagement With Interactive Features

Instagram Stories can help improve your engagement. The platform’s interactive elements, such as polls, quizzes, question stickers, and emoji sliders, encourage followers to engage with your content. This creates a two-way dialogue that can strengthen your relationship with your audience. Plus, higher engagement rates on Stories can improve your overall visibility on Instagram.

Use Stories To Communicate Your Brand’s Message

Stories offer a unique opportunity to communicate with your audience. Research shows that 70% of users watch Stories with the sound on, making it a great place to include voiceovers, music, or sound effects that enhance your message. In contrast, 91% of users watch Instagram Reels with the sound off. If you want to get creative with audio, Stories may be a better option.

Reach New Audiences With Story Discovery

Instagram Stories can help you reach new audiences. Your Stories appear in the dedicated Stories feed at the top of users’ Instagram apps, and they can also be discovered by swiping through the Explore page. This means that even people who don’t follow you can stumble upon your content and find your brand. To increase your chances of being seen by new users, use relevant hashtags and location tags in your Stories.

Make Your Stories Last With Highlights

Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, but Highlights allow you to extend their lifespan. By saving your best Stories to a Highlights reel on your profile, you create a permanent collection of content that new visitors can easily browse. This is a great way to showcase your products, share customer testimonials, or provide helpful information about your brand. Highlights also give you more control over the narrative you present on your profile.

Person Filming - Instagram Reel vs Story

1. Types of Content: What Can You Share on Reels and Stories?

Instagram Stories allow you to upload photos and videos or even repost your Instagram posts. To enhance engagement, you can also add interactive features like polls, stickers, question boxes, and countdowns. Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, they’re great for temporary content like announcements, feedback requests, and polls.

However, you can now preserve your Stories for future viewing by saving them as Highlights. Simply upload your Story and select the “Add to Highlights” option.

On the other hand, Instagram Reels are dedicated to short-form video content. These clips can be accessed through your profile’s “Reels” tab and are designed in a vertical format, so they’re best recorded on your phone or edited to fit the 1080x1920 dimension.

2. Length: How Long Can Your Content Be?

Instagram Stories can be up to 15 seconds long and typically last 24 hours before disappearing.

Users couldn't share longer videos on Stories in the past, but now there's a workaround. You can upload a longer video, and Instagram will automatically split it into multiple 15-second segments. Viewers can find your Stories by tapping on your profile picture.

Instagram Reels, however, are primarily focused on short-form videos that can last up to 90 seconds. When they were first introduced, the maximum length was 30 seconds to mimic TikTok. However, after Instagram retired its IG Live feature, it extended the duration of Reels to provide creators and brands with more flexibility.

3. Lifespan: Do Reels and Stories Disappear?

The lifespan of Instagram Stories and Reels differs. Both formats will remain on your profile if you choose. However, with Stories, you must manually save them as Highlights to keep them accessible. Reels are automatically stored in a dedicated section on your profile.

4. Discoverability: How to Get Your Content Seen

Instagram Stories can only be accessed through your profile. This limits their reach and makes them less ideal for tapping into new audiences.

In contrast, users can discover your Instagram Reels through hashtags, the audio library, and the Explore feed. This wider access is connected to the Instagram algorithm, which is why many brands, content creators, and social media marketers prefer using Reels to expand their reach.

5. Editing Tools: What Features Are Available?

Both Instagram Reels and Stories offer editing capabilities, but due to their video format, Reels provide a more comprehensive set of features.

With Stories, you can edit your photos and videos, add text, apply filters, and include stickers, GIFs, and music. However, the editing options for Reels are much more advanced.

Once you upload your video, you can choose layouts, add sound effects and stickers, and adjust your clip's speed. The Instagram app also includes native editing tools for Reels, allowing you to incorporate effects like transitions, zoom, and text into your video.

6. Audio: Music and Sound Options on Reels and Stories

Both Instagram Reels and Stories let you access the platform’s music library. You can add a music sticker and select your desired song for Stories. Click the “Use Audio” button with Reels to add trending audio files.

Reels provide more flexibility with audio options. You can mix different audio files, access trending songs from other Reels, and save them in your “Saved Audio” tab for later use. Additionally, you can add voiceovers to your Reels for narration or a personal touch.

7. Drafts: Can You Save Your Work for Later?

Instagram Stories are designed to be spontaneous and fleeting, so you can’t save a draft for future use. However, you can create content in another app and upload it later.

In contrast, Reels allow you to save drafts in your account’s “Reels” tab for later editing and posting. It’s worth noting that this feature has had bugs that led to lost drafts, so it’s best to save your Reels on your phone or editing software.

8. Captions: What Text Features Are Included?

You can’t add captions to Instagram Stories. However, you can include text within your Story for clarity or emphasis.

Reels allow captions (up to 2,200 characters) because they function like regular Instagram feed posts. You can include hashtags and account mentions for improved reach and discoverability.

9. App Placement: Where Will Your Content Appear?

Instagram Stories are intended to be personal, so the platform "actively" limits their visibility. They are only accessible in one location for 24 hours, with highlights being the only exception.

Stories are made available only to your followers, and visitors can view them if you have a public account. This is why marketers utilize Stories to build connections with their audience.

On the other hand, Reels can be found throughout the app. Whether on a user’s Instagram feed, the Explore page, or the dedicated Reels section, they have a more “permanent” presence and are currently prioritized by the platform.

10. Hashtags: Using Tags to Expand Reach

You can add hashtags to Stories and Reels, but the latter offers more benefits. Hashtags on Reels can improve engagement and reach by helping more users discover your content.

Stories have a 10-hashtag limit, while Reels allow for 30 hashtags.

11. Engagement: How to Build Connections with Your Audience

Comparing engagement rates for Reels and Stories is like comparing apples and oranges. Each feature serves different purposes, so their discovery and engagement levels vary.

Stories are great for connecting with your existing audience, and you can measure engagement through metrics like tap-back rates, tap-forward rates, and reply rates.

Tap-forward rates indicate the percentage of viewers who advance your Story, suggesting they actively consume your content. Tap-back rates show the percentage of users who re-engaged with a specific Story. Reply rates measure how many viewers responded to your Story after viewing it.

Engagement rates for Reels indicate how many non-followers also saw your content, which is why brands use Reels to go “viral.” The average engagement rate is 1.95%, but it can vary depending on your follower count.

9 Tips to Make Viral Instagram Reels

1. Leverage Crayo AI for Exceptional Quality

Crayo AI streamlines the creation of short videos, enabling you to produce numerous clips simultaneously. Its features include automatic captioning, effects, music, and more. With Crayo, go from concept to video in minutes.

2. Stay Current with Trends

Capitalize on Instagram Reels’ similarity to TikTok by using trending challenges and elements to boost your visibility. Explore the platform or Google Trends to find the latest.

3. Start Strong

Capture attention in the first few seconds of your Reels to keep viewers engaged. Use close-ups, text overlays, or subtitles to draw viewers in immediately.

4. Prioritize Consistency

Regular posting builds your audience and increases your Reels’ visibility. Start with one video per week and adjust based on your comfort level, always prioritizing quality.

5. Focus on a Niche

Targeting a specific interest helps ensure your content resonates with viewers. Popularity boosts engagement, which can increase your Reels’ ranking on Instagram.

6. Incorporate Popular Music

Using trending songs or sounds can enhance your Reels’ appeal. Sound effects can also add fun, as long as they don’t distract from your content.

7. Utilize Hashtags

Relevant hashtags increase your Reels’ discoverability. Use Instagram’s search function to find popular options related to your content.

8. Optimize Size and Format

Reels should be vertical and sized for mobile viewing. The ideal resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels, and lengths between 15 and 30 seconds are recommended.

9. Monitor Competitors

Analyzing your rivals’ strategies can reveal insights to improve your approach. Track their performance and tactics for broader marketing lessons.

Crayo AI: Your Shortcut to Effortless Shorts Creation

Explore Crayo's free clip creator tool to enhance your Reel creation process. It allows you to generate high-quality shorts effortlessly without needing an account.

Create Viral Shorts In Seconds With Crayo

Creating engaging short videos for platforms like TikTok and Instagram can be daunting. But with Crayo AI, the process is fast and easy. Crayo lets you generate unlimited shorts in minutes, with no video editing skills required. Just write a prompt, customize your video, and hit export. Crayo even auto-generates captions, effects, music, and more. Use Crayo to go viral, make money with the TikTok creator fund, and grow your social media presence. Try it free today.