Instagram Reels for Business: How to Market With Reels

Reels are where most people discover a business on Instagram. Every new reel is shown to people who don't follow you yet, so one good video can reach far beyond your followers. And reels start conversations: a viewer who comments "price?" or "link?" is asking to talk to you.

In this guide you'll learn:

• how to answer Reel comments in DMs automatically with Chatfuel;
• what Instagram Reels are and how long they can be;
• how the Reels algorithm decides who sees your video;
• how to make a reel step by step;
• tips that help business reels reach new people and bring in customers.

What are Instagram Reels?

Reels are vertical, full-screen videos with their own tab on Instagram. They also show up in the main feed, in Explore, on your profile and in DMs when people share them. When you post a new video on Instagram, it's posted as a reel.

What you need to know about the format today:

• Length. You can record and upload reels of up to 20 minutes. Reels over 3 minutes aren't recommended to new audiences, so keep a reel made for reach at 3 minutes or less (Instagram Help Center).
• Editing. The built-in editor has templates, music, text, auto-generated captions, voiceover and effects. For more control, Instagram's free Edits app for iOS and Android adds a frame-accurate timeline, green screen and AI effects, and exports without a watermark.
• Trial reels. You can show a reel to non-followers first and share it with your followers only if it performs well (Instagram Help Center).
• Hashtags. Up to 5 per reel (Instagram Help Center).

How does the Instagram Reels algorithm work?

Instagram doesn't rank reels by follower count. Here is what it says about how reels get shown:

• New reels are tested with non-followers. Each new reel goes to a small group of people who don't follow you. If they watch and engage, it's shown to a wider group, then a wider one. Instagram says this distributes content "based on its engagement, not just the creator's follower count" (Instagram for Creators).
• Watch time, likes and sends. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, named these the three most important signals. He suggests tracking average watch time, likes per reach and sends per reach. Likes weigh a bit more with followers, sends with non-followers (Social Media Today).
• Original content wins. When a reposted copy and the original compete, Instagram recommends the original, and accounts that mostly repost other people's content stop being recommended. In the US, 75% of recommendations now come from original posts (Instagram for Creators).
• The viewer's interests. What a person watched, liked and shared before shapes what they see next, and viewers can adjust the topics they're shown with Your Algorithm.

So the old rule "the more followers you have, the more Instagram promotes you" no longer holds. A small account with a reel people watch to the end and send to friends can reach more people than a big account that posts reposts.

Are Instagram Reels good for marketing?

Yes. Instagram has 3 billion monthly active users, and video time spent on Instagram grew more than 30% in a year (Meta Q3 2025 earnings call). People reshare reels more than 4.5 billion times a day across Instagram and Facebook (Instagram for Creators).

For a business, that means three things:

• Reach beyond your followers. Every new reel is tested with people who don't know you yet.
• Sends bring new people. A reel shared in DMs reaches your followers' friends.
• Comments show intent. "How much?", "Link?", "Do you ship to…?" A comment is the moment someone asks to talk to you.

That last point is where many businesses lose customers. Comments pile up while the reel is trending, and by the time someone answers, the viewer has moved on.

How to turn Reel comments into DMs with Chatfuel

Chatfuel answers comments on your reels as soon as they arrive. Ask viewers to comment a word in your caption, for example "Comment GUIDE and we'll DM you our skincare guide". Chatfuel replies under the comment and sends a DM with what you promised. Then AI Agent keeps the conversation going: it answers questions from your AI Knowledge Base, collects contact details and books a visit.

Set up a Posts and Reels rule

1. Connect your Instagram professional account to Chatfuel.
2. Go to AI Agent → Automations, open Posts and Reels and click Add new rule. Give the rule a name.
3. In Posts and Reels, click Choose specific posts, open the Reels tab and pick your reel. One rule can cover up to 50 posts and reels.

4. Under Look for keywords, choose Comment that contains and add your keyword, for example GUIDE. You can also react to Any comment, a Comment that exactly matches or a Comment that doesn't contain a word.
5. In Public comment replies, choose Reply with exact comment text and write the reply people see under their comment, like "Sent it to your DMs 💌". Or choose Reply using AI to let AI Agent write a different reply each time.
6. In Reply in DMs, write the first DM with your link, code or guide, or let AI Agent write it.
7. Turn the rule on (new rules start off) and click Test automation to try it with a test comment.

After the first DM, Continue DM conversation keeps AI Agent in the chat. It answers from your AI Knowledge Base, recommends services from your catalog and can book appointments. Lead Qualification asks for the details you need and saves them to the contact card, and Switch to human agents hands the chat to your team when a question needs a person.

Every comment lands in Chats together with your public reply and the DM, so you see the whole conversation in one place and can step in at any moment.

A few Instagram rules to keep in mind:

• After a comment, a person gets one DM. The conversation continues once they reply.
• If someone doesn't follow you, the DM lands in their message requests. A public reply like "Sent it to your DMs" helps them find it.
• AI Agent can answer within 24 hours of the person's last message, and your team can reply from Chats for 7 days.

Learn more about Reels comment replies, comment automation for posts and Chatfuel for Instagram.

See also: Instagram Polls: How to Make Them and Get DMs

How to make an Instagram reel

1. Open the Reels camera. Tap + and choose Reel.
2. Record or upload. Record clips with the camera, using the timer for hands-free shots, or add videos and photos from your camera roll. You can also start from a template and drop your clips into its timing.
3. Add audio. Search Instagram's music library, use a sound from another reel or record a voiceover. A reel can have more than one audio track.
4. Add text and captions. Add text and set when it appears. The Captions sticker writes subtitles for you; check them for mistakes, because many people watch with the sound off.
5. Edit. Trim and reorder clips, change the speed, add transitions, effects and stickers. For longer or more complex edits, use the Edits app and post from it straight to Instagram.
6. Pick a cover. Choose a frame from the video or an image from your camera roll. The cover shows on your profile grid, so make it readable.
7. Write the caption and share. Keep the caption short, end it with one call to action and add up to 5 relevant hashtags. Before sharing, you can turn on Trial to show the reel to non-followers first, or schedule it for later.

Tips for using Instagram Reels for business

1. Hook viewers in the first seconds. Open with the result, the question or the problem, not with your logo. Instagram suggests watching how many people keep watching after the first 3 seconds.
2. Post original videos. Film your own content. Reposts of other people's videos lose reach to the original.
3. Make it work without sound. On-screen text and captions tell the story even when the sound is off.
4. Give viewers one next step. End with a clear action like "Comment GUIDE and we'll DM you the guide", and let Chatfuel answer every comment. Offer something useful in return: Instagram doesn't recommend content that only asks for likes or comments.
5. Answer comments fast. A reply while the reel is still being shown to new people keeps the conversation and the lead warm.
6. Use a few relevant hashtags. Up to 5 per reel, describing what the video is about.
7. Test ideas with trial reels. They're available to public accounts: professional accounts need at least 200 followers, personal accounts 1,000. Results arrive within 24 hours, and a trial doesn't affect how your regular reels are ranked.
8. Keep reels for reach under 3 minutes. Longer reels can still be posted, but they aren't recommended to new audiences.
9. Share reels to your Story. Followers who missed the reel in their feed see it there.
10. Post regularly and plan ahead. You can schedule reels up to 30 days ahead. Instagram notes that its top-growing creators post 10 or more reels a month (Instagram for Creators).
11. Check Insights. Views, watch time, average watch time and follows show which reels work (Instagram Help Center).

See also: Instagram auto reply to comments: Easy step-by-step

Summary

Instagram Reels reach people who don't follow you yet, and their comments show who is ready to buy. Make reels that hook viewers in the first seconds, keep them original and under 3 minutes when the goal is reach, and use up to 5 relevant hashtags. Then give viewers one next step: comment a keyword. With Chatfuel, every comment gets a public reply and a DM, and AI Agent answers questions, collects contact details and books visits while your team steps in when needed.

FAQs

Can I automatically reply to comments on my Instagram reels?

Yes. In Chatfuel, create a Posts and Reels rule under AI Agent → Automations, pick the reel and the keyword, and set a public reply and a DM. AI Agent then continues the conversation in DMs. Learn more about Reels comment replies.

How long can Instagram reels be?

Up to 20 minutes. Reels over 3 minutes aren't recommended to new audiences, so keep a reel made for reach at 3 minutes or less.

How many hashtags can you use on a reel?

Up to 5 per post or reel. Instagram lowered the limit from 30, so pick a few that describe the video.

How do I find trending audio for reels?

Watch the Reels tab and note the sounds that keep coming up. Tap the audio name on a reel to see other reels that use it, then tap Use audio to make your own or save the sound for later.

When is the best time to post reels?

Instagram's advice is to post when your audience is awake and most active. Professional accounts can see when their followers are online in Insights. Try a few time slots and compare views and watch time.

How often should a business post reels?

There's no required number. Instagram notes that its top-growing creators post 10 or more reels a month. Pick a pace you can keep up, then check Insights to see which reels bring views, follows and comments.

Can I edit a reel after posting it?

You can edit the caption, tagged people and location. To change the video itself or the text on it, delete the reel and post it again.