Restaurants and Reels

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]You don’t need to be a professional videographer to make great content for your restaurant on Instagram Reels.  Here are some tips, tricks, and ideas for content to reel in your customers and leave them wanting more. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Content Ideas for Instagram Reels 

First up, you may be short on ideas for what you can even film and post to promote your restaurant.  Luckily, there are so many creative types of content you can share on Reels.  A few of our favorite ideas: 

BTS Video 

Your fans would love to get a peek behind the curtain at any of your behind the scenes processes. You can get clips of the making of one of your most popular dishes, a quick tour of your kitchen, a look at any of your unique supplies or equipment, and so much more!  Basically, give fans a chance to see anything they don’t normally get to see, and they’ll be excited.   

Employee Highlight 

Another great way to switch things up from your normal content would be to share about your employees.  While your food is the main focus, people also like to see the faces behind the food, and hear the human stories behind your restaurant.  You can start sharing a weekly employee highlight to offer up some different content and help to humanize your business. 

New Menu Item Highlights

People love new things.  Anything new and exciting is bound to capture the attention of your viewers more than things they’re already used to seeing.  Thus, whenever you have a new menu item release, seasonal special, or other change to share, Reels is a great place to share it!  Regularly sharing new or rotating items will keep people coming back to your page (and your restaurant) for more.  

Before and After of Food Prep 

Everyone knows the real star of the show at any restaurant is the food.  You can get creative to show off your most popular food items to draw people in.  Start with a before photo of the ingredients and end with the finished product to make a short and snappy video that ends with a delicious-looking meal to entice your viewers![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Tips and Tricks for Video Execution 

While content ideas are a great first step, they’re not the end of the story.  You also need to be able to execute those ideas.  Once again, professional videographer skills are not necessary to create appealing and interesting video content for your brand to share on Reels.  Here are some tricks that will make content creation and execution much easier. 

Film Vertically 

When you’re capturing video and photo content for Reels, you will want to be thinking about how your viewers will be watching it: on mobile.  So, make sure you are always filming vertically. This will make for the best full-screen viewing experience for people on their phones. 

Find Time To Film 

When you’re running a small business, time is precious.  Even if you’re on board with these video ideas, you may be wondering when you’ll find the time to make them happen.  Lunch and dinner shifts can get crazy busy for any restaurant.  We recommend setting aside 15-20 minutes before you open for the day to capture content.  That way, no one is overwhelmed with orders or rushing around to serve customers, and you should have multiple people available to lend a hand and help you capture the best content possible. 

Combine Short Clips Together 

When it comes to content for Reels specifically, instead of filming one long, continuous video, you’ll want to combine multiple short video clips to create your final product whenever possible. Short clips are the trend now on TikTok and Reels, and help to keep people’s attention for longer. So when you’re filming, don’t worry about the length of your video or getting everything in one shot.  It’s actually better if you don’t. 

Add Audio 

Unlike many other social media channels where users primarily watch videos with sound off, Reels is one of the few placements in which your audio really matters.  Users can select from popular song clips or sounds that others are using on the app, or can create their own sounds.  Whichever path you decide to take, using some kind of sound is important, and can add an extra layer to your videos through humor, emotion, or other emphasis. 

Captions Are Key 

Finally, another aspect of Reels videos that are not as common in places like Facebook and Instagram grid posts are captions.  Overlaying text on your videos can help to explain anything that needs explaining, add context to your videos, and help multiple video clips feel more cohesive.  Adding text is a great way to keep the video clips short and fun, but still be able to get whatever point you are trying to make across. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]So whether it was ideas or execution you needed help with, we hope you found it in this blog post.  From overall content concepts to the finer details of logistically making your videos happen, our tips above will help with every step of the Reels video creation process.  So now that you’ve learned all about it, go out there and get filming! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]