Social Media Column

With the strategic foundations from Part 1 laid, it is now time for concrete implementation. The following ten tips will transform your strategic understanding into high-reach Reels that are not only seen but also remembered.

1. The perfect start: You have less than three seconds

As early as the 1980s, neuroscientist and psychologist Ernst Pöppel discovered that people have a ‘window of presence’ of three seconds. On social media, many users have even less patience. That is why your video needs a perfect start, otherwise viewers will swipe to the next one. You need a hook, something to keep viewers engaged.

Two of the most important elements for this are: ‘Visual pattern interruptions’ break expected viewing habits: a dog running backwards, a close-up of cat paws suddenly jumping into the frame, or a time-lapse sequence of changing food. The brain instinctively reacts to unexpected movements. Textual hooks create mental cliffhangers: ‘90 per cent of all dog owners must never find this out’ or ‘This trick saved our kitten’ or ‘Only experts know what this behaviour really means’. But be careful: after the hook, you must manage the turn to your core message—not to arbitrary viral content.

2. Dare to be imperfect

‘Flattering images are cheap to produce and boring to consume.’ In his outlook for 2026, Instagram head Adam Mosseri gets to the heart of an uncomfortable truth: the polished aesthetic is no longer a mark of quality—it is a cause for suspicion. Is this real or AI-generated? Mosseri observes a ‘raw aesthetic’ that is now spilling over from private to public content: blurry photos, shaky videos, unvarnished moments. What once seemed unprofessional is becoming proof of authenticity. The new benchmark is no longer ‘Can you create something?’, but ‘Can you create something that only you could create?’. For your Reels, this means: less technical polish, more substantive content. No polished promotional videos. Imperfection is the new seal of quality.

3. People follow people—and this is becoming more important than ever

People follow people whose faces they recognise, in whose daily lives they seemingly participate. This parasocial proximity is the real engine of ‘social’ media and the reason for the success of influencers—and it also works for brands. Show real faces, regularly and authentically. But be careful: never bet everything on one person. What happens if your social media face leaves the company? Instead, build a small team that takes turns in front of the camera. This makes you more independent and credible. Remember the statement from the head of Instagram: the growing stream of AI-generated content—so-called ‘AI slop’—makes real, human content appear more valuable than ever.

4. Brand Codes: Differentiation without logo inflation

This is where you implement the differentiation strategy from Part 1. Instead of following every trend, develop subtle recognition features: colour palettes, fonts, music signatures, or recurring visual elements.

5. One ‘Call to Action’ per video

These brand codes create recognition without being intrusive. The viewer should intuitively feel: ‘This is content from XY’—even without a permanent logo. But the best brand codes are recurring faces that send your messages. Every Reel needs a natural ‘Call to Action (CTA)’, but do not overdo it. ‘What do you think of this training method?’ works better than ‘Like, comment, share, and follow us!’. Concentrate on one desired action per video. Important: Your CTA must match your 3–5 core messages from Part 1. If your message is ‘We understand what cats really need’, ask: ‘How do you recognise that your cat is truly content?’.

6. Develop formats: Consistency beats creativity

Have you found a video that both conveys your core message and resonates with the target audience? Develop it into a recurring format. ‘Feeding Friday’, ‘Trick Tuesday’, or ‘The Puppy Hour’ not only structure your work but also consistently train the algorithm. This is strategic implementation: instead of starting from scratch every Monday, you use proven structures that already convey your brand identity. Analytics give you feedback on which formats are working.

7. Do not forget subtitles and captions

80 per cent of all videos are consumed without sound. Without subtitles, you lose four out of five viewers, so subtitles are mandatory. Use a clear, large font. Position the subtitles in the upper third of the screen so they are not obscured by other interface elements. You should not neglect the texts for Reels and TikToks (captions). Use targeted SEO texts. Google reads along and displays your videos for relevant search queries.

8. Trial Reels: Test before you share

With Trial Reels, Instagram has introduced a strategic tool: test Reels as A/B testing without an advertising budget. The function allows Reels to be shown exclusively to non-followers at first—the video appears neither in your profile nor in your community’s feed. When uploading, you activate the ‘Test Reel’ option, receive initial metrics after 24 hours, and decide within 72 hours: Does the video work? Then you share it with your followers. Does it perform poorly? Optimise and test again—without your community ever knowing.

9. Data is your compass

The most important key figure is the view rate—the ratio between your followers and the actual views. If you only reach 10 per cent of your followers organically (without an advertising budget), there is still a lot of room for improvement. Good content creators achieve view rates of 100 per cent and more. Check your skip rate (in Instagram Insights): How many viewers leave your videos in the first three seconds? The lower this number, the better.

10. Paid support: Amplify strategic hits

Have you found a video that works well organically AND conveys your core message? Support it with a paid budget. The best pieces of content should be extended with advertisements—this is how you maximise the reach of your most strategically valuable content. The beauty of it is: you only invest in proven winners that have already demonstrated that they both work algorithmically and strengthen your brand identity.

From Strategy to Implementation

The ten techniques presented are the practical application of the strategic understanding from our first part on Reels and TikToks. What does this mean for you as a decision-maker? The difference between average and outstanding Reels and TikToks lies not only in the creative implementation but in the consistent application of strategic performance principles. Train your team systematically in both areas—or bring in expertise that combines both: strategic thinking and perfect craftsmanship.