Instagram Officially Brings to Public Reels’ Remix Options Like TikTok

A remix option for Reels has been recently spotted in testing. But now, the photo-sharing giant letting you buy Instagram followers has now officially publicized this new feature with the aim to allow creators to add their very own take to Reels clips. Such can be helpful in popularizing content trends. 

The new option is almost the same as the Duets option of the short-form video platform TikTok, a feature that witnessed significant popularity within the app. Considering this fact, it is a little surprising to see Instagram adding the same feature to Reels. Notably, the tool gives users the ability to effectively interact with other clips and create new versions of them by adding new angles to the original ones.

How to Enable Remixing

According to Instagram, Remix will work by default for all new users of Reels when they publish using a public account. Meanwhile, older Reels users can enable the function by tapping the three-dot menu and turning on the “Enable Remixing.” 

If a user wants to remix someone else’s reel, they need to ask that user to enable their app’s remixing option. You can turn off this option any time in the Settings of your account for all reels. On the other hand, you need to use the three-dot menu if you only want to disable an individual reel. 

Moreover, users will be able to control where or not they will allow remixes of their clips. However, it will be switched on automatically for all publicly posted reels. This means that users will have significantly more clips to engage with. 

When a user remixes your reel, you will get a notification within the Instagram app saying that a user remixed your reel. 

However, it is not yet clear whether this new option will boost engagement on Reels. Still, the photo-sharing platform says that the TikTok-like short-form video feature has witnessed good user response. Such is particularly true among users who live in India. The reason is that TikTok was banned in that country in 2020. For this reason, even if Reels is not that popular in other regions, it can still be a viable option for Instagram to still develop instead of just drifting off to TikTok. 

Instagram Copies TikTok Public Reels’ Remix Options

The aforementioned is a huge motivation for influencers to buy more Instagram followers right now. In fact, Business Insider noted recently that Instagram would also offer TikTok stars new contracts. The aim is to produce exclusive videos within the platforms instead. Through this effort, Reels will also potentially act as an interdependent channel to its monetization efforts and broader branding efforts. Apart from that, the photo-sharing giant is also exploring how it could monetize Reels and share the revenue stream that it receives. 

In terms of a brand marketing perspective, Remix could also be a thing worth considering for user-generated content. It can even start more relevant trends with the reel clips that users create. 

How to Start Using Instagram’s New Remix Feature

 As mentioned, Remix lets users shoot a video as a response to an existing Reel, a similar feature to the popular Duet feature of TikTok. Such is a new way of collaborating with other creators while growing their reach on Instagram Reels. 

Here are the steps on how you can use Reels’ Remix feature:

• Step 1: Navigate to the settings of your Instagram account and select “Privacy.” You will then see a list of options where you will choose “Reels.”
• Step 2: Toggle “Enable Remix” to turn it on or off. However, it is worth noting that depending on your device and the region you are in, Reels may not appear within this menu. If this happens, skip this part and proceed to the next set of instructions.

How to enable or disable the Remix feature for an individual reel:

• Step 1: choose your Reel and then tap the three-dot icon. After that, click on “Enable Remixing” or “Disable Remixing.” This will allow you to turn on or off remixing your reel. 

How You can Remix an Instagram Reel

Using the new Remix feature for Reels is pretty straightforward. To get started, the first thing you need to do is to choose the reel that you want to remix. You can choose either from your own reels or the ones from other creators. Just make sure that the owners of the clips you will use have enabled access for Remix. 

After selecting a reel, you will see an option called “Remix this Reel.” You will notice that a new video will show up on the right part of the screen. There, you can apply effects, change the speed, set the timer, align, and touch up. 

The next step is to edit your video. You can either add text, voiceover, draw or include stickers, and mix the audio. 

If you want to mix the audio, the first thing you need to do is to tap the mix sticker and then select edit. In this area, you will be able to choose either a new part of the original audio used to a new song. If you prefer to use a new song, tap “Change.”

Next, write a caption and choose the video settings that you prefer. Once you are ready to post, tap “Share.”

Will Reels Be Able to Compete with Tiktok?

There is no denying that Instagram is known for imitating its competitors. When Snapchat became popular, it created and launched Instagram Stories, a feature that works very similarly with it. So, when it created Reels while TikTok is increasing in popularity, it seems as if people were no longer surprised.

However, whether Reels will be able to compete with TikTok is a question yet to be answered. But the sure thing is that the photo-sharing platform will continue to develop the feature further. 

Date: April 22, 2021 / Categories: Interesting, / Author: Joy P