How Long Can a Reel Be on Instagram? (Guide 2025)

An Instagram reels length is something a lot of creators talk about. And while you can keep your reels short, many choose to make them long. Perhaps you have a story to tell that you want to use to engage your audience, and it’s better to do it in one post than multiple ones.

But here’s the thing.

A lot of misinformation is swirling around in 2025 by old sources telling you that reels can only be 60 – 90 seconds long.

This is wrong.

How Long Can An Instagram Reel Be?

I think we can all agree that the original 90-second maximum reel length was too short. Other platforms allow users to post far longer content, so in response, Instagram announced that creators in the United States could post reels up to 3 minutes long on January 21, 2025.

Creators are happy with the change because it offers them greater freedom to create content that they want to share without making it as succinct.

But the change in reel length poses many questions:

It’s a lot to cover, but they’re all questions that the top Instagrammers are asking and worth exploring.

What’s the Best Instagram Reels Length?

Everyone is still crunching the numbers, testing and experimenting to pinpoint the perfect length for Instagram reels. Past data shows that longer isn’t always better because users have short attention spans.

You have three whole seconds to capture a person’s attention before they click off of a reel.

Maybe you’re posting a tutorial or how-to reel that must be longer. In this case, you’ll need to pay special attention to:

For new creators who haven’t mastered keeping people’s attention, it’s best to keep reels between 7 and 30 seconds long. Shorter lengths make it much easier to keep the viewer’s attention and perform well.

Plus, fewer resources are necessary to produce shorter reels.

Reels can be up to three minutes, but you may have noticed that a lot of people aren’t posting longer reels. Some don’t know about the reel length increase, but the real issue is that you can’t make reels longer than 90 seconds within the app.

You’ll need to record the reel off of the app, edit it and upload it for the 3-minute limit to apply. I’m sure that Instagram will allow users to make longer reels in the app at some point, but until then, you’ll need to use a third-party editor for three-minute reels.

But Can’t Reels Be 15 Minutes Long?

Yes. You can upload a 15-minute video and it will be converted to a reel, but you’ll lose out on a few important perks:

If you have an audience that prefers long reels like this, you should create them to build deeper connections with your followers.

Oddly, Instagram’s Help Center states that reels aren’t available to everyone. If you can’t record them for some reason, this may be the issue.

How to Create More Engaging Reels

Instagram reels length is just one piece of the puzzle when creating reels. The most important thing is to ensure that your content is engaging. 

Why?🤔

Because it doesn’t really matter whether your reel is 30 seconds long or three minutes – you’ll struggle to get views and grow your account if your content isn’t engaging.

But how do you make your reels more engaging?

Here are some tips.👇

1. Create a Plan

Reels aren’t really the place for spontaneous content. That’s what stories are for.

The best and most successful reels require careful planning.

When creating your plan, make sure you also outline key important things that will affect the quality of your content, like the lighting and location of the shooting.

2. Hook Viewers In With Visual and Story Elements

To boost your engagement, make sure that you’re capturing the attention of viewers within the first few seconds of your content.

Start with your reel’s cover image. It’s the first thing viewers will see when they come across your content, so make sure you are creating eye-catching, on-brand covers that are relevant to your topic.

Along with the visual elements of your reel, you should focus on storytelling with your content. What are you trying to tell your viewers? What type of emotion do you want your audience to feel when they see your reel?

No matter your niche or market, there’s sure to be a storytelling angle you can take when creating your reel.

Every story should have a beginning, middle, end and purpose. Nail down these details before you create your reel to make your reels more impactful.

3. Get Creative with Transitions

Fun and quirky transitions can keep viewers engaged, so make use of them when appropriate. They can help you move from one part of your story to the next or reveal something your viewers are dying to see.

Not sure which transitions to use or where to start? Here are some great ideas:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Zubtitle (@zubtitle)

Look to popular reels for more ideas and inspiration.

4. Use Text, Stickers and Effects

Like stories, Instagram gives you tons of tools to make your reels more engaging, including:

Interactive stickers can be especially useful for boosting engagement. You can add polls, quizzes, emoji sliders and more. 

5. Add Trending Audio

Visuals are powerful, but the right audio or music can take your reel to the next level.

Be thoughtful about your selection here. Your music should be relevant to your reel and capture your audience’s attention. Instagram makes it easy to view and add trending audio to your content, so take advantage of this feature to help your reels get discovered by other users.

Final Thoughts

The maximum Instagram reels length is now three minutes, but many creators still believe that shorter videos work best for this format. Experiment with different lengths to see what resonates with your audience, and use the tips in our guide to make your content more engaging.