Instagram Has Increased the Length of Its Reels to 60 Seconds

Instagram recently announced that the Reels length limit for all users will be increased from 30 seconds to 60 seconds in an entirely expected upgrade. After increasing Reels from 15 to 30 seconds last September, Instagram has been experimenting with lengthier Reels for some time. Given that TikTok now allows users to upload lengthier videos (up to 3 minutes) and YouTube Shorts may be up to 60 seconds long, it was only a matter of time until Instagram followed suit.

Isn't that what Instagram is all about these days?

It's especially intriguing in the case of Instagram because the platform already allows for longer video uploads in other areas. You can publish longer films in 15-second snippets to Stories and hour-long movies to IGTV. Regular feed videos can be up to 60 seconds long (when uploading from the web). As a result, the expansion of Reels clips begins to bleed into IG's other features, perhaps making it a less distinct option inside the overall Instagram experience.

Or perhaps not. It'll just let more users make a lengthier video or repurpose content that they're already submitting to TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Instagram is likely to welcome more cross-posting as a result of aligning with these other, comparable possibilities, which will give it more content for Reels but will also likely result in a more repetitious experience across applications.

(Note: If you're thinking of cross-posting your short video clips, make sure they don't have any watermarks, as this will reduce your reach on Instagram.)

However, it appears that all of these possibilities are becoming increasingly similar. Why does each choice have its video upload process? Why not simply allow people to upload their video snippets, edit them as desired, and then combine them?

That would give Instagram more content to show in Reels, potentially making it a more interesting alternative while also driving more views across the platform as a whole, rather than putting different video kinds in different buckets.

Maybe that's where Instagram is going; it's presently experimenting with a new, TikTok-like Explore display structure that does mash all of the material into a single format. This might assist increase app discoverability and supply more video inventory for Instagram's algorithms, all while streamlining the user experience rather than siloing it.

You now have longer Reels to ponder before the next level.