7 Prompts For Selling on Instagram Reels
Are you wondering what all the fuss is about with instagram reels and video content more generally?
You’re not the only one. And for some it can feel like a real gear change from sharing images and carousels.
People often ask me, do I HAVE to do reels? And if you’re asking that, I hear ya!
The answer is No, of course not! BUT (and this is a big BUT) - it does help you make selling easier!
How does video content and instagram reels help you sell?
Well, it comes back to good old fashioned service. The higher the standard of care we can provide to our customers and audience, the better that is for you, for your audience, and for the industry as a whole.
And when your audience can SEE you, HEAR you and get to know you and your personality even better - you form an even stronger connection with your potential buyers.
The best way to provide service is to go and meet people where they are, not to wait for them to find you through an impersonal post.
Put simply, if we are more visible for the people we want to help, we invite more opportunities to connect with them, not just as business owners, but as human beings.
The content we put out on social media has a few very specific jobs:
It connects you to the people you want to help
It provides valuable information that can help them in some way (and makes them think - heck, they REALLLLY know their stuff!
It encourages a next step
Video can also help you
Build authority
Deepen connection
Promote conversation
It is SO much easier to make consistent sales online when your audience are used to actually SEEING you online!
OK, so you know WHY video content and instagram reels are going to help you sell - but what the heck do you say? …Is it time for you to start dancing and pointing at thin air to create content for social media?
The good news is that the same goes for video as all other types of content creation you only need to create what feels GOOD and RIGHT for you and your brand. If that means dancing and pointing on reels - DO IT! If that means finding a different way that feels more YOU, definitely do that!
7 content ideas for instagram reels
Challenge yourself to post a reel a day for 7-days. That’s a solid week of reels and a sure fire way to flex the muscle and fall in love with selling on social media using video.
1: Start before you’re ready
Are you waiting to feel READY to start selling in reels? Are you telling yourself you need a bigger audience / don’t know what you’re doing / not sure what to say?
Plot twist… NOBODY starts off confident, BUT it comes quickly with practice!
So whether you’re working on your sales confidence or finding your feet with showing up online…it’s all on the other side of JUST STARTING! So, take one small step and begin.
Here are a few fun prompts to get you started with reels.
INSPIRE your audience by sharing a fun fact about what you’ve achieved in the time you’ve been in business
MOTIVATE them to take action by giving them an easy to implement tip
REASSURE them by busting a common myth in your industry
Teamy vibes are always welcome vibes so share the journey with your audience and they will feel instantly more connected to you! Cheers to getting started!
2: Talk more about what you actually do!
Your client wants to know certain things from you in spades before they will even THINK about buying from you. Stick to content that fits into one of these 3 pillars, find your rhythm delivering these key messages over and over again and watch your audience go from silent observers to enthusiastic enquirers:
CONNECTION: to you and your brand. Where is the common ground between you and your audience? Buying decisions start with emotion, not logic, so focus on building connection first and foremost.
Connection boosting talking points:
Introduce yourself and talk about about WHY you do what you do
Describe what the experience of working with you or buying your products is like
Talk about common ground and shared experiences you have with your audience
CONFIDENCE: in your ability to help them, in your offering to deliver the desired outcome, but also in themselves to be able to achieve that outcome. How can you showcase what you know?
Confidence boosting talking points:
Share interesting facts, research and statistics from your area of expertise
Help your audience see you as a helpful resource by sharing useful info that can benefit them. Bust myths, share common mistakes, top tips etc.
CLARITY: how could your services and products help them specifically? This needs to be spelled out regularly so you aren’t leaving your audience to do the hard work figuring it out themselves. Not what the features are, what will be different or what will they have afterwards that they do not have now?
Clarity boosting talking points:
Spell out WHO your products are for and what they can expect from you
Define your specialist area of expertise
Talk about recent results from your work and good news stories
3: Create a reel that reely (see what I did there…) feels like you
Stop trying to sell someone else’s way! Lean in to your unique and brilliant personality instead.
If you’re high energy, deliver a high energy, inspiring and motivating reel. If you’re a calmer character, create a dreamy, gentle reel. If you’re all about colour - put on your loudest outfit for your reel. If you’re all about minimalism, create a reel that gives us a serene sense of simplicity. Give it a go using these prompts.
SERVICE BIZ: list out the principles of your work, all the things you help clients with or what goes into your average week!
PRODUCTS: talk your audience through the steps in your creation process, list different products in your range or things you love about being a maker!
4: Show your beautiful face!
It can sometimes feel overwhelming to get visible with all the different ways to show your face online. Reels, Stories, Lives…and that’s just on social media!
The pressure to feel, do and be “interesting” can be a LOT. When the self doubt sets in, I like to remind myself that:
Your audience doesn’t need (or want!) every detail of your life - so there is no need to overshare
Just because there are a lot of options to get visible, doesn’t mean you have to use them all!
You get to choose your place on the visibility scale, so think about what feels realistic for you, and do that
And let’s not forget! Human connection is such a joyful part of the small business journey! I LOVE buying from people who are willing to let me in and allow me to get to them, and I need to make sure I do the same for my clients.
Every time you show up you’re giving your audience a chance to get to know you - but that doesn’t mean forcing it or doing it all the time!
Here are my top tips for getting started with showing your face in your reels:
Start small by making a commitment to being more visible than you are right now
Anything is better than nothing: what's important is consistency, not frequency. If that means once a week you pop onto stories to share a tip for your audience, perfect!
Build up to talking on camera: share your workspace, your tools of the trade or your morning walk first!
Collaborate! Find an industry pal who you can chat to on a joint live, as it can feel much more natural to have a 2 way conversation than to talk to camera alone
Think about how you can create the atmosphere you want your clients to have: use music, imagery and colour to support your natural “vibe”
You’ll never feel “ready” but the more you do it the easier it gets so just go for it and have fun!
5: Sell without feeling salesy
FRIENDLY REMINDER… Selling doesn’t have to be salesy! You already know how icky it feels to be “sold to” right? It’s tacky, its old and it is so not a vibe.
Selling in reels is about so much more than transaction, begging and being pushy.
Way more effective is connecting with the right people, building relationships and sharing information. This leads to genuine connections and trust and sales being made when the time is right.
Instead of focussing on “getting the sale” in your reels, focus on taking action that will build people’s excitement for what you do.
Share what you know: be helpful! Share tips. Don’t expect anything in return.
Provide a brilliant experience you are truly proud of.
Make it easy to see who your products are for.
Show you have confidence in your ability to deliver results (and what those results are!)
Do it your way using your personality - be authentic and share the natural enthusiasm you have for what you do.
YOUR TURN! Did you notice how I started this section with a ‘myth buster’? Well, what myth in your industry could you bust in a reel today?
Start with top Tip / Newsflash / Did You Know: Share a piece of information that will help your audience.
6: Build trust with your audience
Here’s the thing - no one is going to buy from you until they TRUST you. So, here are some prompts for your reels to help you build that all important trust.
A few ways to build trust with your audience using reels:
Call out something that bothers you in your industry
What do you wish was different and how are you striving to make it better?
Highlight an aspect of what you do that feels really important to you
This can be anything!
Here are some examples:
Wedding photographers could talk about how important it is that whoever a couple chooses to photograph their wedding should be a great personality match and someone they feel they can trust
Online trainers / educators could open up the conversation about creating workshops and courses that are suitable for all types of learner
Coaches could talk about how seriously they take their responsibility to support their clients, and how to find the right fit
Here’s how to build the habit:
Create regular, on topic value in your grid
Use Stories to start conversations
Build out those chats in the DMs and signpost to the next step.
7: Give value
Want to know the biggest game changer for getting sales? Stop asking so much!
Yep, I know that’s against the grain, but asking for the sale is not a good use of your time.
TOP TIP: Focus on getting the ENTHUSIASM of your clients, not their money!
Not only is it way nicer to commit to showing up to talk to people about your specialist subject, it’s also a BREATH OF FRESH AIR for your audience when they don’t feel “sold to”!
When you make your focus:
being human and finding connection
taking action that will share value
sharing more clarifying content around what you do
Your audience is afforded the luxury of getting enthusiastic about that in their own time! And when they feel clear and happy about what you do and how you do it, they will buy it WAY more readily than because you begged them to.
Create a reel that gives value (I’m talking about educating, inspiring and entertaining your audience)! This could be:
Help your audience solve a problem or bug bear
Share a handy tip
Inspire tour audience that they really can reach their goal or make the changes they want to see by sharing a client sase study
Make an observation about your industry that they will recognise
Share a relatable story that happened to you (that they will also recognise)
Here’s my challenge to you!
Get going with your reels! Whether you’ve done a few already, or you’re a newbie - bookmark this post and challenge yourself to a week of reels. It’s a certain way to build your confidence with being visible online and start selling with video.
