For a small business, the short answer is that you need both, but each does a different job. Reels are how Instagram shows you to people who don't follow you yet. Photos and carousels work for the people who already know you: they give them what they need to actually come in.
What changed over the past year
In July 2022, Instagram announced two things that matter to anyone posting for a business. New videos shorter than 15 minutes are now shared as reels, and the video and Reels tabs on your profile are merging. And for public accounts, reels under 90 seconds may be recommended to people beyond your followers.
Then came a correction. In January 2023, the head of Instagram admitted publicly that the app had been overfocused on video in 2022 and said photos would always be an important part of Instagram. He also said that likes and comments on photos and on videos had become roughly equal.
What that means for you: video has an extra path to new people, but photos haven't gone away and aren't being punished.
What each format is good for
| Reels | Photo or carousel | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees it | also people who don't follow you (public account, under 90 seconds) | mostly followers |
| Good for | getting discovered by someone new | details: hours, menu, steps, before and after |
| Effort | shooting, trimming, on-screen text | one good photo and clear copy |
| Shelf life | consumed fast, in the feed | stays on your profile as information |
A good reel brings visitors to your profile. What they find there decides whether they follow you or send a message. Your profile is the shop window, and that window is made mostly of photos and carousels.
What to film when you have no time for production
You don't need a studio. You need a process people don't usually get to see:
- a restaurant: plating the dish of the day, from pan to table;
- a print shop: a T-shirt coming off the heat press, with the client's logo hidden or with their OK;
- a salon: before and after, shot from the same angle;
- a construction company: a working day in 20 seconds.
A few common-sense rules: hold the phone vertically, show the result in the first seconds, and use window light, not fluorescent tubes. Put text on screen so the clip makes sense with the sound off. And stay under 90 seconds, the limit Instagram gives for reels that can be recommended to new people.
What stays with photos and carousels
This is where you put what people look for once they're already on your profile:
- holiday hours or a temporary closure;
- the new menu, collection or service;
- a frequently asked question explained in 4–5 carousel slides;
- finished work, with clear photos and a short caption.
Carousels suit anything with steps or comparisons, because people swipe through at their own pace. A single photo works for an announcement. We wrote more about keeping posts from sounding like ads in our article on Instagram posts.
A pace you can actually keep
For a business where one person handles social media on top of everything else, we suggest a small rhythm: one reel a week and one or two static posts. Better to keep that up all year than to post ten times in the first month and then go quiet.
After a month, open your account insights and look at three things: how many new people you reached, how many saves your posts got, and how many messages came in. If reels bring new people but the messages don't follow, the problem is usually the profile, not the clip: missing hours, no address, or no clear link to your website.
If you want help with the plan or the first shoots, see what we do at our marketing studio.
Sources
- Introducing New Ways to Collaborate and Create With ReelsMeta, July 2022: new videos under 15 minutes are shared as reels, the tabs merge, and reels under 90 seconds from public accounts may be recommended.
- Instagram's head admits that the app "overfocused" on videos during 2022Tubefilter, January 2023: the admission that Instagram leaned too hard on video and that photos remain important.
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