Creating an Instagram video that converts is not about fancy scripts and gadgets. Rather, it’s about having a clear message that speaks to your audience’s pain points and clearly defines “what’s next” for them.
In this article, we’ll outline practical steps for creating high-converting Instagram videos for your business, plus real examples from brands who’ve pulled this off.
Instagram Main Feed
1. Start with a Compelling Hook
The hook prompts the audience to stop scrolling through their Instagram feed and watch your video. It’s placed in the opening scene of the video, usually within the first few seconds, and can be anything — from a startling fact to an odd question or even a simple action.
What matters is that your hook checks two boxes: relevance and curiosity. Relevance means it aligns with your target audience’s pain points and interests. Curiosity means it whets their appetite for the rest of the content.
Take Erika Kullberg, for example. Her videos start with simple statements or questions drawn from everyday situations her target audience experiences. This familiar context compels them to watch the videos to the end, hoping to find practical solutions for their own situations.
2. Focus on a Single Message
Bombarding your audience with multiple pieces of information is like throwing spaghetti against the wall and hoping it sticks. You won’t have much success that way.
Your audience is already oversaturated with information, thanks to the content overload on social channels like Instagram. Focusing on one message per video makes it much easier for them to pay attention and remember your content.
The best way to achieve this is to write a video script first. This lets you structure and refine your content ideas to revolve around the same theme. It will guide you during the video recording process to stay on-topic and avoid unnecessary information.
3. Be Original
Originality is what makes your content stand out in a sea of Instagram creators. No two creators are the same, even if they’re in the same niche. So, find a “wow factor” that differentiates your content from the rest and include it in all your videos.
Your differentiator doesn’t have to be something complex. It can be content structure, lingo, aesthetics, and even placement of brand elements like your logo and colors — you have several options. For example, Erika structures her videos as a dialogue or three-way conversation.
4. Keep it Short and Simple
Instagram lets you share video content of up to 60 minutes long on your feed (for verified users). But very few people are interested in watching a video that length at a stretch on social media — no matter how interesting or engaging it is.
Per our research, it’s best for your video to be 60 seconds long. This forces you to distill your big idea into a simple message you can communicate in a few sentences using compelling visuals.
Alternatively, experiment with different video lengths to see what resonates best with your audience.
5. Make it Accessible
Accessibility is often overlooked but crucial when creating Instagram video content. Making your videos accessible helps you to reach a wider audience that can engage with your content and convert into customers down the road.
Here’s how to achieve this:
- Include captions or subtitles to make your content understandable to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. When describing visuals or actions in your video, provide clear and concise captions for context.
- Use transcripts for longer videos, allowing people to read the content if they can’t watch or listen.
Check out other Instagram accessibility features for improving your content while creating Instagram videos.
6. Have a Clear Call to Action
Let the audience know the exact next step you want them to take after watching your video — whether it’s to follow your page, visit your website, purchase a product, or engage in any other action. Spell it out clearly.
- Be specific: instead of a generic “Follow me,” try “Click the ‘Follow’ button for daily inspiration.”
- Create urgency: encourage immediate action with phrases like “Limited time offer” or “Act now.”
- Use action words like “Discover,” “Explore,” “Subscribe,” or “Buy” to prompt quick action.
- Add visual cues: add on-screen graphics, animations, or text overlays to reinforce your CTA visually.
- A/B test CTAs: experiment with different CTAs to determine what resonates best with your audience.
Examples of High-Converting Instagram Video Content
Now that you know how to create Instagram videos that convert, let’s take a look at some real life examples to inspire you.
1. Remote Year
This video opens up with a question that’s already on the audience’s mind. This is what captures their attention and prompts them to pay attention to it.
Then, it goes on to share practical answers to the question while bringing Remote Year’s services front and center. It ends by spelling out how Remote Year can help the audience achieve the answers shared earlier.
What we love: the video uses footage from real Remote Year participants to add authenticity and engage with the audience.
2. Make The Leap
This video starts with a precise hook that identifies the target audience, designers. Then it goes on to show, step by step, how the product provides tangible value for the audience.
Since the product is the background of the video, there’s no need to add extra visual elements like logo and brand colors. The video ends with a clear call to action.
What we love: the video is hyper-specific to its audience. It clearly demonstrated how The Leap helps designers instead of just describing how the tool works, for example.
3. Dang Lifestyle
This is a great example of user-generated content. Here, a Dang Lifestyle customer shares her experience with the product. The video also shows before and after to give the audience a real-time feel of how Dang Lifestyle can transform their skin.
What we love: the video uses social proof to engage the audience throughout and prompt action.
Distribute Your Video Across Channels for More Conversions
Share and repurpose your Instagram video content across channels to get it in front of more people and drive more conversions.
For example, you can embed your Instagram feed into your website to drive conversions from website visitors. The best part is you don’t need any special coding skills to pull this off — with Juicer Instagram aggregator, you’ll be up and running in a few minutes.
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