Well, this is going to seem like I’m boasting but I think I’ve had a video on Instagram go viral (Not sure of the actual definition of viral - eg, how quickly it had to get all the views)
BUT…..it’s one of the only posts I’ve made that isn’t to do with my business!
Anyway…I’m really pleased about it but not sure if it has brought me in any new followers.
This post about an unknown creature (which I now know was a spider) has had over 1.5 million views! My Son, who likes to bring me back down to earth, pointed out that it has been shown 1.5 million times but doesn’t mean that people actually stopped to look at it, they could have scrolled on by or 1 person may have viewed it lots of times! (Arachnid warning if you view the following content!)
I’ve been doing a lot of not exactly full process videos but videos of me showing small parts of how I glaze or hand build something. They seem quite popular.
I think people like to see how things are made but I’m also not sure if it is appealing to maybe just other crafters.
The posts that I have seen generate almost immediate sales are ones where I am packaging orders - showing the items, how I package and then all the items in the box ready to ship.
Ooh, thanks Joy It seems obvious that it was a spider now but when I filmed it, I just couldn’t make it out! I thought it was some kind of pond creature!
Nowhere near as many hits as you get, I’m lucky to break into 4 figures. When I have done, it’s been How To suggestions, like how to stop your chains from fighting amongst themselves and knotting up and using dental floss to fine file!
Congratulations - that’s an amazing number!
Viral for me is getting over a 1000 views - though those viewers may not have stayed right to the end of the reel …
I find that the reels that get the most traction are those featuring me (haha) rather than just products. Oh, and ironically reels that don’t feature any products at all are always ‘popular’. However, these three hit the 1000+ views mark and (hooray!) were all business-related (filmed in my studio, an actual product, me making).
Yes, people seem to like random tips. It’s good to show people how to do even simple things.
When you have been doing your craft for years, it’s easy to forget that not everyone knows how it’s all done!
I want to make some more full process videos from start to finish - the problem is that I always forget to video some of the stages!
I have started showing myself a bit more recently but I’m always aware how messy my studio is in the background…lol!
It’s interesting that your videos that are doing very well are pretty short - was that deliberate? Do you think videos of less than 10 seconds are more likely to catch someone’s attention?
I’ve got a variety of very short clips and some longer videos but I usually like to keep them under 60 seconds.
I did an Instagram course earlier this year - the advice was to keep reels short (recommendation was around 7 seconds) - as if you keep the reel short, people watch to the end and potentially ‘watch’ ie. the reel repeats multiple times, whilst the caption is being read - which helps the IG algorithm to push your content out to others. At least that’s the theory!
I’ve been thinking about your advice on shorter reels and have been giving some a go recently.
This one is 12 seconds but was really popular as soon as I put it up. It has been viewed by just over 50% non followers too which is what I always hope for in the aim of attracting new customers. https://www.instagram.com/p/DNwEi3dULn0/?hl=en
It is always me doing something which gets the most interest and seems to be liked by the algorithm. My stuff is very unprofessional there is always something wrong with the lighting or I go a bit wrong etc. but that does not seem to matter.
My best viewing number was 11,500 for a shockingly poor bit of needle felting. Normally a good day for me is 500 + views with some reaching 1000+.
Not sure if it generates me any business but I quite enjoy putting stuff out there and while I do I will keep at it.
