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Amol Ghemud Published: August 19, 2020
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Instagram reels came out over a week span after the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps on 29 June 2020. It also included the most influential and popular amongst teenagers like TikTok, Helo, Vigo Video etc.
When it comes to buzz, the viral video app TikTok has been hard to beat in 2020’s social media presence. But now, Instagram has entered the competition!
India claims more than 120 million monthly active users on TikTok, making it the largest base outside China. The country captured a staggering 41.3% of all downloads in February this year, finds Sensor Tower. And the app’s head of operations in India forecasts 50% growth in 2020, information shared by Hootsuite.
India contributed to most of these installs at 20%, Meanwhile, America stands at 9.3%. This is from app analytics firm in its blogpost from 2nd June.
Instagram Reels has let the users create short videos set to music that are shared with their peers and followers. It is similar to TikTok. This is an amazing opportunity for Instagram. It can increase app engagement snd bring more users. It also allow people to spend more time on the app daily and establish itself as a video entertainment platform.
Instagram Reels allow users to record videos up to 15 seconds long. They can add trending songs, booming filters and effects layered along with it. Many creators are looking to make the most of Instagram Reels by increasing their followership. They have revamped their explore page to create a specific landing spot for Reels at the top of the screen. This, people can vertically scroll through that is similar to TikTok’s “For You Page” section. Although both apps may have similar features in terms of allowing to make short size videos, they both are freely available.
There are a few other features that Instagram Reels can’t compete with Tik Tok. Users won’t be able to “duet” with each other .This is a core TikTok feature that lets people interact with, build upon, and remix videos. Moreover, Instagram also won’t allow users to upload songs of their choice directly into the app’s system. Musicians looking to use the app as a place to make a song go viral would miss this feature.
Firstly, for Indian creators who were more active on TikTok, getting the same number of followers on Instagram Reels won’t be an easy task.
Even the top influencers like Riyaz Aly who had 42.3 million followers on TikTok had 8.4 million followers on Instagram.
The Tik Tok ban has caused a mind-blogging dent of estimated ₹120 crore for the top 100 influencers, according to findings of the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB).
Influencers with 1 million followers could easily make up to ₹35,000 per month and with twice the following up to ₹50,000. Some of the top influencers like Riyaz Aly were making ₹5-6 crore in annual earnings from TikTok and were expected to make ₹8-9 crore in 2020, according to IIHB.
Here is the covered article by The Economic Times, Instagram Product head, Vishal Shah, spoke to ET Now’s Nayantara Rai on the big release.
The coming months will give us the verdict of how Instagram Reels was a real success or what will happen if the Tik Tok ban is released in India!
Let us know your thoughts on the same in the comment section below.
1. What is Instagram Reels?
Instgram Reels is one of the newest features rolled out by the social media giant. As per the official Instagram blog, it is defined as “a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.
Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools.”
These 15-second videos, once posted, show up in a new dedicated Feed on the Explore page. There is also an icon within each handle where a user’s Reels can be viewed.
First launched in Brazil in late 2019, Instagram Reels is now available in over 50 other countries, including India, US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan on both iOS and Android.
2. How do you turn on reels on Instagram?
Instagram Reels is one of the newest features rolled out by the photo and video sharing platform. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to turn on Reels, from the Instagram help centre.
1 Tap in the top left of Feed or swipe right from anywhere in Feed. Scroll to Reels at the bottom of the screen.
2 Tap and hold to record a clip or tap it to start recording and tap it again to end the clip. You can also tap your camera roll in the bottom left to add a video from your camera roll.
3 Tap to watch, trim or delete the previous clip you recorded.
4 Tap to add stickers, drawings and text to your reel or download it to your device. Use the slider at the bottom to edit when you want text to appear.
5 Tap , then tap Cover to change your cover photo and write a caption. Tap Stories at the top if you want to share your reel to your story instead of to Explore.
6 Tap Share, then tap Done.
3. How do I make my Instagram bigger?
Instagram marketing is getting big these days, and the platform serves as a a great way to connect with your audience, promote your products and boost sales. Here are some ways you can make your Instagram presence bigger:
Find the best time to post: Every account has a best time to post – so find the time when your audience is likely to be most active and post then.
Experiment with videos: This boosts sharing and engagement.
Host contests: This helps you gain more eyeballs and followers and gives followers a chance to try your product
Post on stories: Stories are a great way to show the behind-the-scenes happenings of your brand, and thanks to the “swipe up” feature, you can redirect followers to your site.
4. How is TikTok different from Instagram?
TikTok is a video-only platform. This differs from Instagram, which gives brands and users the luxury of utilizing both photo and video content to share on their stories, feeds, and IGTV channels.
Instagram supports longer form videos as well, thanks to IGTV, while TikTok recognizes only short form videos. Instagram also has a streaming option with Instagram Live (upto 1 hour,) while TikTok doesn’t have this feature.
Instagram also has the bells and whistles that most other social media platforms have like chat and messaging. Based on what you are trying to achieve with your marketing campaign, you can choose either of the platforms to promote your brand.
For Curious Minds
Instagram Reels is a feature for creating 15-second, multi-clip videos with audio and creative effects, designed as a direct competitor to TikTok. Its launch timing was a strategic masterstroke, aiming to absorb a massive, ready-made audience immediately after the Indian government banned its primary rival. This wasn't just about launching a new tool; it was an aggressive market-capture play. By capitalizing on the sudden void, Instagram aimed to convert TikTok's 120 million monthly active Indian users into Reels creators and consumers, thereby boosting its own app engagement and time-spent metrics. The platform supported this by revamping its Explore page to feature Reels prominently, creating a discovery experience similar to TikTok's "For You Page." This move was less about invention and more about perfectly timed opportunism to solidify its dominance. The full analysis explores how this strategy impacted long-term user behavior.
Instagram Reels was engineered to provide a familiar yet integrated experience for former TikTok users, aiming to convert their creative habits into increased engagement on its own platform. The primary goal was to make Instagram the new default destination for short-form video entertainment in India. The strategy centered on lowering the barrier for creator migration and audience discovery. Key structural decisions included:
Familiar Creative Suite: Reels offered tools like a music library, AR effects, timer, and speed controls that mirrored TikTok's core functionality.
Prominent Discovery: A dedicated, vertically scrollable Reels feed was placed at the top of the Explore page, replicating the addictive discovery mechanism that made TikTok so popular.
Integrated Ecosystem: Unlike a standalone app, Reels was embedded within Instagram, allowing creators to cross-promote content to their existing followers via Stories and the main feed.
This approach sought to not only capture the 120 million user base but also to deepen their daily interaction with the entire Instagram app. To see a full breakdown of the user interface changes, review the complete article.
While both platforms center on short-form video, key feature differences create distinct creative environments. Instagram Reels provides a solid foundation with music, effects, and a 15-second format, but it initially lacked the community-centric tools that defined the TikTok experience. The most significant gap was the absence of collaborative features. When weighing the two, consider these points: TikTok excelled with interactive functions like "duet" and "stitch," which allowed users to build upon each other's content, fostering a more communal and viral environment. Conversely, Instagram Reels launched without a duet equivalent, limiting direct video interactions between users. Additionally, TikTok allowed users to upload their own audio, a critical component for musicians and making new sounds go viral, a feature Instagram did not offer. This made Reels a stronger tool for individual broadcasting within an existing network, while TikTok was superior for collaborative, trend-driven content creation. Explore the full post to learn how these differences affect content strategy.
The case of Riyaz Aly starkly illustrates the difficulty of audience portability between platforms, even for top-tier influencers. Despite having a colossal 42.3 million followers on TikTok, his Instagram account only held 8.4 million followers, revealing that a creator's audience is often platform-specific and not easily transferred. This highlights a critical lesson in platform dependency and the friction involved in migrating a community. Several factors contributed to this challenge: the platforms have different discovery algorithms, user demographics, and content consumption behaviors. Many users who followed Riyaz Aly for his TikTok content were not necessarily active Instagram users or did not transition over. This disparity underscores that building a following is not a one-time achievement but a continuous effort tailored to the unique ecosystem of each social network. The full article examines other influencers who faced similar drops in engagement and reach.
The estimated ₹120 crore loss reveals the mature and lucrative monetization ecosystem that TikTok had cultivated for its top 100 Indian influencers. This figure proves that short-form video was not just a pastime but a significant economic engine for creators, with some like Riyaz Aly earning ₹5-6 crore annually. The ban didn't just remove an app; it dismantled a creator economy overnight. This economic vacuum created an urgent need for an alternative, positioning Instagram Reels as a potential lifeline. For Instagram, the opportunity was twofold: capture TikTok's user base and absorb its displaced creator talent and the associated brand partnership revenue. The success of Reels was therefore not only measured in user growth but also in its ability to replicate the monetization pathways that made its predecessor so valuable to the creator community. The complete post details the specific income streams that were disrupted.
For a displaced TikTok creator, rebuilding on Instagram Reels required a strategic pivot rather than a direct copy-paste of their old content. A successful transition depended on adapting to a new algorithm and integrating with a broader platform ecosystem. The key was to leverage Instagram's existing features to funnel an audience toward Reels. An effective plan would involve:
Announce and Archive: Immediately use Instagram Stories and feed posts to inform your existing followers about your move to Reels and why, creating a clear call-to-action to view your new content.
Repurpose Top Performers: Identify your top 5-10 all-time best TikTok videos and re-create them natively in Reels to quickly establish your niche and style on the new platform.
Master the Ecosystem: Use Reels as a top-of-funnel discovery tool. Drive viewers from Reels to your Instagram Stories for engagement (polls, Q&As) and to your profile for brand partnership links.
Engage Aggressively: Spend time engaging with comments on your Reels and on other creators' content within your niche to accelerate your visibility in the new algorithm.
This multi-pronged approach helps rebuild not just a follower count but an engaged community. Learn more about advanced monetization tactics in the full article.
The potential return of TikTok to India would trigger intense competition and force platforms to innovate on creator monetization and user experience. Instagram Reels capitalized on a competitor's absence, but its market position is not guaranteed if the original leader re-enters the scene. A reversal would shift the battleground from user acquisition to user retention. We would likely see several key developments: an aggressive push by TikTok to win back its 120 million monthly active users with new features and creator funds, forcing Instagram to accelerate its own monetization tools for Reels. Creators would benefit from having more platform choices, potentially leading to better revenue-sharing models and less platform dependency. For users, it would mean a richer, more diverse content landscape as both giants compete for their attention. The full article delves into how brand advertising budgets might be reallocated in such a scenario.
The absence of a custom audio upload feature on Instagram Reels fundamentally alters the pathway to musical virality in India. On TikTok, emerging artists could directly upload their tracks, allowing for organic, user-generated promotion that could launch a career. This forced a shift from organic discovery to a more controlled, top-down system. Without this feature, musicians in India looking to leverage Reels must now rely on different strategies: securing partnerships to have their music officially added to Instagram’s licensed library, collaborating directly with major influencers to use their sound, or focusing on creating visually compelling trends that work with existing licensed audio. This gives more power to established labels and the platform itself in determining which songs gain visibility, potentially making it harder for independent artists to achieve the kind of breakout success seen on TikTok. Discover more about how content trends adapt to platform constraints in the complete analysis.
The primary problem for creators was a loss of discoverability, as their TikTok audience of 42.3 million in some cases did not translate to Instagram. TikTok's "For You Page" algorithm was exceptionally effective at pushing content to new audiences, whereas Instagram's main feed was historically limited to showing content to existing followers. The solution was to replicate TikTok's powerful discovery engine within Instagram. By creating a dedicated, vertically scrolling landing spot for Reels at the top of the Explore page, Instagram introduced a new mechanism for mass-scale content discovery. This feature was designed to surface videos from creators that users didn't already follow, directly addressing the visibility issue. It gave creators a chance to reach a massive, engaged audience beyond their follower count, mimicking the viral potential they had lost and providing a crucial tool for rebuilding their communities from the ground up. The full post explores the algorithmic differences in more detail.
Experienced influencers avoid the pitfall of a one-size-fits-all strategy by understanding that the two platforms serve different user expectations. While TikTok was a destination for pure, trend-driven entertainment, Instagram is a multifaceted ecosystem combining polished feed content, raw Stories, and entertaining Reels. Successful adaptation involves integration, not just replication. Stronger creators avoid mistakes by:
Connecting Reels to a Broader Narrative: They use Reels to capture attention but drive viewers to their Stories for personal interaction and to their feed for high-quality, aspirational content.
Adjusting Content Polish: They recognize that while TikTok thrived on raw, spontaneous videos, Instagram users often expect a slightly higher production value, even in short-form content.
Leveraging Existing Tools: They use Instagram-native features like polls, stickers, and Q&As in their Stories to build a deeper connection with the audience they gain from Reels.
This integrated approach turns Reels from a simple TikTok clone into a powerful component of a holistic personal brand strategy. See how this impacts brand partnerships by reading the complete article.
Instagram implemented a suite of features designed for familiarity and seamless discovery to attract India's 120 million displaced TikTok users. The strategy went beyond just copying the video format; it focused on replicating the user experience that made TikTok so addictive. The goal was to create a frictionless transition for both creators and consumers. Key features included a revamped Explore page with a prominent, auto-playing Reels section that mimics the "For You Page" and a dedicated audio browser to see other videos using the same sound, encouraging trend participation. For creators, tools like a multi-clip timer, hands-free recording, and a library of AR effects were directly integrated to make content production feel intuitive for anyone coming from TikTok. This careful UI design was crucial for capturing and retaining a user base accustomed to a very specific and effective interface. Uncover more about the product design decisions in the full article.
Integrating Reels directly into the main app reveals Instagram's strategy of building a "super app" where users can satisfy multiple content needs in one place. Instead of building a new audience from zero, this approach leverages Instagram's existing billion-user network as a launchpad for new features. The strategy is to deepen engagement with the current user base rather than acquiring a new one. By adding Reels, Instagram prevents its users from needing to leave the app for short-form video entertainment, thereby increasing session times and overall platform stickiness. This contrasts with TikTok's single-focus model. It's a defensive move to protect its user base and an offensive one to consolidate the social media landscape, making Instagram a one-stop-shop for photos, stories, shopping, and now, viral videos. This integration strategy is a core tenet of how parent company Meta competes in the market. The full article further discusses the pros and cons of integrated versus standalone apps.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
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