TAKE YOURSELF OUT OF THE NARRATIVE
Matt Newman, New York City-based hairstylist and content creator, who gained about 15,000 followers within three months from utilizing Reels, believes that a good educational Reel is about the viewer, not the influencer. “I find that videos where the end is, “Now check out how this style looks on me,” is never the ticket,” says Matt. “I don’t have perfect hair, so I’m using myself as my own hair model, which people will relate to because it’s all about doing your hair. I also try not to let the end result be, “look how perfect this looks on me right now.” It’s got to be much more universal than that because it’s not about how you’re going to look like me in the end.”
For example, in Matt’s video on using a flatiron for volume, which garnered 1 million views, he shared his tips step by step. His video showed the end result on himself, and he made it more about the viewer by first demonstrating a mistake most people tend to make.
THE FIRST 3 SECONDS MATTER
“No one favors one or the other when it comes to creating 15 versus 30-second Reels,” says Matt. “But if you want to get people halfway through your video, the first 3 seconds need to connect. That is crucial.” Christa agrees. “The most important element is to have an engaging hook,” she says. “That means the first 1 to 2 seconds have to be interesting: whether that’s visually or with whatever’s spoken or written on the screen. Put the climax first, and explain later!”
For example, in Matt’s video showing a Dry Shampoo hack, which now has over 2 million views, he revealed his tip within the first 3 seconds, a clip of him spraying a brush with dry shampoo.
A good example from Christa’s Reels includes one where she did a monochromatic pink makeup look and the first 3 seconds showed the final result before sharing the step-by-step of how to achieve the look.