Instagram released a new section on their app called Instagram reels back in 2020 which was a huge success.
But many users seem to be having issues with it ranging from getting no views at all to not seeing content they would usually like while scrolling through.
The main issue I have been seeing is that a lot of people seem to be getting little to no views after uploading to the platform and this can be down to several reasons
The only way you will get views on Instagram reels is when you make content engaging enough for readers to interact with. If your Instagram reel isn’t engaging then the Instagram algorithm won’t show it to a wider audience resulting in fewer views.
No need to worry, today I will be showing you the different ways you can create engaging enough Reels to start getting views on Instagram.
Remember it’s not a quick fix so this will take to before you start to see some traction. Don’t expect these methods to work instantly.
It will take a month or so of consistency to see good progress so let’s get into it.
Why My Reels Are Not Getting Views
It is completely normal to get no views the first few times around your post on Instagram reels.
At this point, you’re trying to find your feet and what time on the content your audience would like which I will be getting into later on.
The majority of users face this problem so don’t feel like you’re the odd one out.
The main reason you don’t get views on Instagram Reels is that you are a small account and smaller accounts aren’t shown to a wider audience, but rather their own.
This means that fewer people will end up seeing your content so it is best that you just get used to this for a while.
There are a few things you can do to offset to which I will be getting into and will massively improve your chances of being seen by a larger audience so hang in there.
For the most part, your Instagram Reels should be getting views if your content is good enough. However, there is an aspect of luck involved with this so it’s either a hit or miss.
If you’re getting no views on your Facebook Reels then you might want to consider building a larger audience on Facebook. Post more viral-worthy content and more people will start to follow you.
Reels was only introduced to Facebook a few months ago so it won’t be hard building a following on there. The more likes and followers, the more views.
Why Are My Reels Showing 0 or Zero Views
Getting less views isn’t an issue, However, getting zero views can be a problem and may indicate that something is wrong with your account, however in most cases, it isn’t that big of a problem.
If your Reels have gotten 0 views and they have been up for a while, this may indicate that Instagram hasn’t shown your Reel to anyone.
One reason why this may happen is that your account is very small. If your account has let’s say less than 100 followers, Instagram may not be inclined to show it to a wider audience.
However one of the main reasons you have zero views on your reels is because your account is private. When your account is private, this means that people who don’t follow you won’t be able to see your Reels.
If you have too few followers then this may result in you getting 0 views as no one can see your new video. To stop this from happening just make your account public by going into Settings and then Privacy. Here just toggle off where it says private account.
When your video is too short then this could be another reason why Instagram may have decided not to show it to anyone. 0 views indicate that the problem is more than just your content.
If none of these apply to you and you can see that you have zero, 0, or low views, I would just focus on creating better content and growing a following, eventually, this won’t be a problem.
Post Content that’s Trending on Instagram Reels
Posting trending content is a sure-fire way of gaining traction with your Instagram reels.
Users like content that they are familiar with so it increases the chances of your video being liked by others.
Posting content that has already been done before is way less risky than trying different styles of content as you already know it works.
It also means you take less time thinking of content ideas and more time making them so you’re able to produce content in batches increasing the likely hood of one of them being seen and getting more views.
Finding content that does well on Instagram Reels isn’t difficult at all.
Just have a scroll through Instagram Reels and you will see videos that are going viral and being seen by more people.
This indicates that these videos a more than likely trending so you can go ahead and mimic the type of content.
Don’t copy it exactly as people will be able to tell when you do this and call you out which isn’t good. Just put your spin on it to make it original.
Here’s a little trick I have noticed through personal experience, most of the trends you see on Instagram Reels come from Tiktok.
So I would start there and whatever is big on there will most likely get a lot of views on Instagram.
Use the Right Songs that Are Trending
Similarly to following trending content, using the right sound can help boost your views. One of the reasons you might not be getting enough views is because the sounds you use don’t suit your video.
I have noticed that when users pick a sound that suits and enhances their videos often do well on Instagram reels.
When I say enhance I mean the sound should make the video funnier in some sort of way.
Using trending sounds means that you don’t have to spend a lot of time looking for a specific sound for your video.
Users who hear a sound their familiar with often mean that they will be more engaged with that video as it reminds them of other videos they have watched using the same sound.
To find trending sounds you can go on Instagram Reels and have a scroll through and click on the sound icon in the bottom left
Once you’ve clicked it check if it has above 10k Reels. If it does, the sound is currently trending and you should use it.
Why Did My Reels Suddenly Stop Gettings Views
If your Reels suddenly stopped getting viewed there isn’t much to worry about, there is nothing wrong with your account.
If you have just posted a Reels and it was getting a lot of views and it suddenly stopped, there are several reasons as to why this may have happened.
One reason this could have happened is because of the algorithm. The algorithm works weirdly. When you start getting a lot of views quickly, at a certain point, Instagram will stop showing your videos to other people.
This is for it to verify the traffic you’re getting. If you’re getting bot traffic then Reels will want to prevent this from happening.
When someone gets too many views too quickly then this can indicate that they may be getting views from external sources.
You do not need to worry, as if you’re doing nothing out of Instagram’s community guidelines your account won’t get penalized and your Reel will start being showing again.
This process can take up to a few hours. Another reason why you may have stopped getting views is that Instagram decided that your video wasn’t worth being shown to a wider audience.
The video may start picking up in views at a later date but as for now, it’s unlikely that it will get any more views.
Use the Right Hashtags
Using the wrong hashtags can be detrimental to your Reels resulting in your Reels not being seen.
This is because using hashtags that aren’t related to your video will confuse the Instagram algorithm and show your video to an audience that isn’t interested.
This means that the less people are interested in your Reel, the less it will be shown to a wider audience.
I hope you can now see how important using the right hashtags are. Only use hashtags that are related to your video.
For example, if your video is about cars then you should use hashtags like #Racing, #Sportscar, #Cars. You get the idea.
If you have noticed certain hashtags have been trending then I would use those as they will certainly help in making your Reel go viral.
Make sure not to use too many hashtags though as this may hurt your chances of going viral. I would keep the maximum amount of hashtags you use at around 5 or 6, no more than that.
Post at Certain Times
The time you post your Instagram Reels matters. If you post at times when your audience isn’t active, you will notice that you get not as many views as you would if they were active.
The best times to post according to research are around 8 am, 11 am, and 6 pm EST.
These times are usually when people are most on their phones, You can experiment with this yourself depending on your audience.
Just post at different times and note down the time where you get the most views in the first hour or so. Soon enough you will know when your audience is most active.
If you don’t have an audience then this still works regardless. However, it’s best to stick to the times I have stated.
If you post when everyone is sleeping then more often than not, your Reels will not be seen. This all depends on which demographical location you’re trying to reach.
Be Consistent
I know this is probably not what you want to hear but it is probably the most important advice you’ll read on this topic.
Consistency is key when it comes to algorithms like Instagram Reels and Tiktok.
You’ll find that your first few videos may not do so well and this is perfectly normal. As you begin to post more and more, you” start to grow a tiny audience who will watch your Instagram Reels the instant you post them.
I will be getting more into this below. Post at least every day over a month or so gives you a higher chance of your videos being viewed.
The less you post the less your Reels will be seen, it’s common sense. So even if you are getting no views, just keep uploading, and sooner or later you’ll hit your first viral video.
I would personally be posting at least twice a day so my Reels can start to get viewed by more people.
Grow an Audience
Growing an audience on Instagram Reels is the building block to getting your videos seen.
If you don’t have some sort of following then I’m sorry to say it will take you a while to get a couple of thousand followers unless you’re consistent like I said.
To grow an audience, you will have to post very often. The less you post the longer it will take.
To make it easier, I want you to pick a niche you’re familiar with and it could be any niche.
I want you to now make Reels relating to that niche, whether it is fashion or bodybuilding, focusing on creating specific content.
Posting random bits of content is will get you a larger audience quicker resulting in more views, however, your audience won’t stick around for long once they’re seeing Reels they don’t like.
Remember the problem here was that you were getting zero views on your Instagram Reels. Building a loyal audience will help fix this issue.
Share Reels on Other Social Media
A good way for your IG Reels to get more views is if you share them on all of your other social media platforms. This could be your Instagram story, your Tiktok, Snapchat, and other platforms like Twitter.
When your Reels are getting less views than usual, social media traffic is a good way to boost these numbers. If less people know about your Reels, the less it’s going to get views.
If your share and put your Reels out there, they will most likely get more views from other people who engage with them, and when more people suddenly view your video, this will trick the algorithm into showing you more people.
Whenever you upload a new Reel you should at least share it on your Instagram story. You can do this by pressing the paper plane icon on the bottom of your Reel and Clicking Add to Story.
This will force your current followers to see whatever you shared in your story. This will give you a boost in traffic and over time, you won’t have to share it since the number of views you get would increase over time.
The best way to share posts is by adding them to your story. This includes your Snapchat story. Copy the link and paste it.
If you aren’t comfortable enough to share your Reels on social media then you could just share them to close friends or just make Reels you’re comfortable with a lot of people seeing.
Upload Better Quality Instagram Reels
Uploading better quality Reels is the key to getting more followers on Instagram. People usually stick around and watch a video if they see that the content they’re watching is clear.
HD videos have a better retention rate. No one wants to watch a video that is bad quality and it is not pleasant. So if you want to increase the number of views you get, improve your quality.
When people stick around and watch your video, the Instagram algorithm will decide that this video is worth watching. Once they decide this your Instagram will get a boost.
Keep in mind that if you change your settings to improve the quality, this will take up more storage on your Instagram app.
One setting that will make your videos clearer so you can get more views is to toggle on Data Saver in your Instagram settings.
To do this you should go into your settings and click on account. Once you’re here, you should tap on cellular data usage. From here turn on the data saver and allow high-resolution media using wifi or cellular data.
The most important thing is that you get people to watch your whole Reel. This is the most important thing to the algorithm. This shows that the whole video is interesting to watch.
This is why it’s important to make the whole video experience to be great for the viewer so they stay around and don’t leave.
Instagram Reels May Be Down
If IG is down then this could affect the number of times your videos are being seen. If you upload a Reel and the views are suddenly low, this may be an indicator that IG is down.
When Instagram is down then not many things work on the app. People aren’t able to use it and you will see error warnings like Couldn’t Refresh Feed.
This can take a few days for Instagram to resolve. You can see if IG is down by going on the down detector website.
Here if you see that there is a large spike in the graph, many users are having issues indicating that the while site is not working.
If I were you, I would delete my Reel and re-upload it when Instagram decides to resolve the problem which will be a few hours.
Conclusion
I hope you now know the reason you were getting no views on your Instagram videos and how to solve the issue.
You know have a set of things to do and work on. Before you start anything, make sure that your Instagram settings are correct just so we know that’s, not the issue.
For example, your aspect ratio should be correct for the device you’re using. Small details like that aren’t a big deal but they do help sometimes.
Remember this isn’t a quick fix and you will not begin to get views instantly. This process takes a couple of weeks to months so be patient at all times. You will have a low amount of views at the start but they should pick up.
