How to create Facebook Reels that attract an audience in 2025

It’s no secret that people love short videos — TikTok’s explosive rise to fame and the popularity of Instagram Reels prove that short clips are compelling and effective. But what about Facebook Reels?

Facebook’s version of short-form video showed up a little after the other apps, but don’t sleep on these Reels. Facebook Reels are a useful tool in every content creator’s marketing strategy especially because you can repurpose content you’ve already created.

In this blog post, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about Facebook Reels, including how to make and share your short video content.

What are Facebook Reels?

Facebook Reels are short-form videos (up to 90 seconds) enhanced with tools like music, audio clips, and effects. They’re often used by content creators, marketers, and influencers.

Facebook was a little late to the game when it comes to vertical video content. They first rolled out Reels in the US in September 2021 and globally in 2022. (Instagram Reels’ debut, for example, happened in 2020, and TikTok was first released in 2016)

But even though they came slightly after the other apps, Facebook Reels are now available in over 150 countries for content creators worldwide to enjoy.

Videos published to Facebook Reels are shown in a vertically scrolling feed and can be found in your feed, Groups, and menu.

Facebook Reels vs. Instagram Reels

Facebook and Instagram Reels are actually linked across the apps, which makes sense since they’re both owned by Meta. If you watch an Instagram Reel on Facebook and try to comment on it, you’ll be bounced from one app to the other.

The main difference between the two: Facebook Reels will appear on people’s feeds whether or not they follow you. This expands your reach beyond friends and family and allows you to connect with new people.

To learn more about the difference (especially if you’re already making Instagram Reels), watch our video all about Facebook Reels:

Where are Facebook Reels shown?

Facebook wants you to watch Reels, so they’ve made it easy for the videos to appear pretty much all over the platform. Here’s how to find Reels on Facebook.

Your news feed

As you scroll down your Facebook feed, you’ll see sections broken up just for Reels. You can tap on one to view it, then start scrolling down to see even more Reels.

Or, you can exit the Reel and scroll sideways to view more recommended videos.

Facebook Groups

If members of any Facebook Groups you might be in share Reels, you’ll see a “Reels” label at the top of your Group (like in the example above). You can tap it to view Reels related to your Group.

Your menu

You can also head over to your menu by tapping the bottom right corner of your app and scanning the options to find the “Reels” button.

Tap it to be taken to the Reels section that you can scroll through to interact with and find inspiration for your own Reels.

How long can Facebook Reels be?

According to Facebook, Reels can last up to 90 seconds in length. This is an increase from the previous 30-second maximum.

However, the length you should choose for your Reels depends on the content you’re sharing.

For the most part, short 10-30-second videos tend to be the most engaging. But longer videos work well if you’re telling a story.

Pro tip: It’s a good idea to experiment with video lengths to find out what works best for your specific business and your specific audience.

Facebook Reels size and specs

When creating your own Facebook Reels, use these sizing and specification guidelines:

• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Resolution: 1080p
• Frame rate: 24-60 FPS
• Duration: 3-90 seconds
• File size: 1 GB
• Video format: MP4

5 benefits to using Facebook Reels

There are a number of benefits to using Facebook Reels as a part of your Facebook strategy. Let’s walk through a few so you understand why incorporating Facebook video is so key.

1. Engage your audience: People love short-form video content. This is clear on every other platform that incorporates some type of short-form video feed (i.e., TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts). You can further engage your audience by creating and sharing Facebook Reels as well.
2. Promote your business: Use your Facebook Reels to promote your business and its products or services to new audiences so that your viewers understand of what your business has to offer.
3. Showcase your products in action: Use Reels to prove to your audience why they need your videos — by showcasing them in action and demonstrating how they resolve various pain points.
4. Increase sales: Use Reels to make sales. Tag your products in your Facebook Reels so viewers can easily make a purchase if they see something they’re interested in.
5. Gather feedback: Ask questions through your Reels videos, then read through the comments to see customer feedback. Be sure to implement the feedback that makes sense so your customers know you’re listening to them.

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Start free 30-day trial How does the Facebook Reels algorithm work?

Facebook publicly announced the algorithm’s focus is on helping users “discover new content and connect with the stories they care the most about.” Facebook also mentioned that they are “focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered.”

That means that Facebook Reels are designed to help users discover new things. That could be you as a brand or a creator, or something you want to show the world. Test out Reels content that serves a purpose like educating, uncovering new information, or telling your story.

Above all, make content that folks will find interesting or entertaining. User engagement is Facebook’s bread and butter, so it only makes sense that the algorithm would be geared toward rewarding engagement.

If you serve the algorithm, the algorithm will serve you.

How to create a Facebook Reel in 6 steps

Ready to create your own Facebook Reels? Follow along with these steps to get started.

Step 1: Open your Facebook app and log into your Facebook Page

First, open your Facebook app on your smartphone ( iOS or android). Make sure you’re logged into your Facebook Page so that you’re sharing the Reel with your business’s followers, rather than your personal followers.

To do this, tap the Menu button in the bottom right corner of your app, then tap on the arrow next to your personal Facebook account at the top of the page.

From there, select the correct Facebook Page from the dropdown.

If you manage only one other Facebook Page, you’ll be able to tap the Switch icon rather than a dropdown menu.

Once you’ve selected the corresponding Facebook Page, you’ll be taken to the home feed for that page.

Step 2: Tap the Create Reel button

At the top of your Page’s home feed, tap the Create Reel button.

You can also tap the plus sign at the top of your app and select Reel from the dropdown menu that appears.

Step 3: Choose or record your video

Your camera roll will open up so that you can either choose from a video clip you’ve already recorded or tap the Camera button to record in the app.

You can also select multiple images or videos to then splice together as you edit your video.

This area also includes a Templates section where you can browse pre-made options for creating an engaging Reel.

Step 4: Edit your Reel

Once you’ve recorded or chosen all of your video clips, you’ll want to edit it before you share with your audience.

Facebook Reels gives you a number of editing options, including:

• Add audio to grab attention
• Use text overlays to add captions or more context
• Browse the Clip hub to find more video clips to add videos to your Reel
• Add special ar effects
• Search through stickers to place relevant GIFs and images on your Reel
• Reorder your images or video clips
• Crop clips to fit them into your video

Once you’re finished with your edits, tap Next.

Step 5: Add your caption and other details

Now, it’s time to add any final details you need before sharing your Facebook Reel with your audience.

This includes details like:

• Your Reels caption and any hashtags you want to include
• Geotagging your location
• Collaborators
• Topics
• CTA buttons
• Polls
• If you want to share to the Instagram app as well

Step 6: Share your Reel

Once you’re happy with your Reel, tap the Share now button to send it out into the world. You can also schedule your content in advance so that it is published at a later date.

Be sure to interact with any comments left in order to boost engagement and consistently create new videos to appease the algorithm.

Top 3 tips for creating Facebook Reels that drive engagement

Want to increase your Facebook Reels engagement even more? Keep these tips in mind as you create and share your content.

1. Post at optimal times

Publish your Reels when your audience will actually be online to see them. While you can always refer to our data on the best times to post on social media (spoiler: for Facebook, it’s first thing in the morning on Saturdays), it’s better to find your own optimal timing.

You can look in your Facebook analytics to discover insights about your own audience, like the days and times they’re mostly online and schedule your Reels around that data.

Or, you can use a tool like Hootsuite that analyzes your audience and provides you with recommended times based on our results. When scheduling content in your Hootsuite dashboard, tap the See recommended times option to view when our tool says you should post your content.

Always post at the right time

Find out when your audience is online and optimize your posting schedule for maximum engagement. It’s so easy.

Start free 30-day trial 2. Repurpose your short-form videos

There are several social media platforms that host short-form videos: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and of course, Facebook. You don’t have to create different video content for every single platform.

Instead, streamline your content creation process by repurposing your short-form videos and cross-promoting them on all of the different platforms.

Just make sure you’re sharing the raw video footage on each platform, rather than saving your TikTok videos to republish on Facebook. The Facebook algorithm doesn’t like watermarks on their videos, so you want to avoid that.

3. Get creative

There are endless opportunities for getting creative with your Facebook Reels. Test out different types of videos, audio clips, trends, features, and more.

Here are a few ideas to use in your future videos:

• Test using audio clips from the app versus original audio
• Create smooth transitions by using the trim feature and the align tool
• Jump on trending topics that are relevant to your industry
• Include stickers that make your videos more entertaining
• Use only high-quality video content in your Reels
• Incorporate clips from the Clip hub that help you further engage your audience

Top 5 smart ways to use Facebook Reels (with examples!)

Let’s look at some real life examples to inspire your own Reel creation. These five Reels work perfectly for the businesses that published them.

1. Steve Madden

Shoe company Steve Madden used a trending audio clip about different shades of black in a wardrobe to show off various products. This was a creative way to promote multiple products within a single video, showing the range of their collection.

2. Bluehost

Web hosting company Bluehost recorded one of its team members sharing educational tips related to its industry.

You can tell that this is part of a series of similar videos and that Bluehost prides itself on being as helpful through its Reels as possible.

3. Chewy

This Chewy Reel shows how you can use humor and personality to engage your audience.

Not only does it show off some of the dog toys customers can buy through Chewy, it does so in a unique and fun way.

4. Teachable

This Teachable video teases an upcoming event and collaboration. It’s a simple video, recording someone speaking with subtitles alongside it, showcasing how easy creating effective Reels content can be.

5. Red Heart Yarns

Finally, we love how Red Heart Yarns uses Reels to create and share tutorials. This simple crocheted heart tutorial is perfect for its target audience.

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