Pause an Instagram Reel with a Tap
Instagram’s decision to roll out the easy-pause feature for Reels isn’t what most would consider a big strategic impact or something that would be big news for brands. It’s really just a user-friendly feature that allows users to pause a Reel at any point, making many users happy! But, this feature update will actually have multiple layers of impact for brands and creators.
What You Need to Know
This update seems fairly insignificant at the strategic level but it will likely have an impact for many brands and creators.
One of the big trends for many creators is to create short Reels with a longer caption where the video loops many times while you read the caption. While this trend is slowing, it’s still very common. Another trend (and one I’ve regularly recommended) is to use text boxes on screen in your Reels that expire just a little too quickly. The viewer can’t quite read all the information in the time the text is on screen and they are more likely to watch the Reel again to read all the text.
These tactics created Reels that got more views and higher retention because people who wanted the information would watch the videos multiple times to read the details. You couldn’t pause the Reel, though on longer Reels you could use the ticker tape along the bottom to go back in the video. But even that kept you watching and interacting - all positive aspects algorithmically.
This gave creators (and brands creating Reels) an algorithmic advantage in increasing retention, views, and engagement on their videos.
BUT… the ability to pause a Reel actually shifts that behavior. Now, users can stop the video (no matter how long it is) to read the text on screen or to read the caption. They may play and pause multiple times or they may pause once, read what they want, and scroll to the next Reel.
This means, where Reels may have gotten 2, 3 or more views per user, you might see those numbers drop. On a short looping Reel where you reached 800 people but had 4000 views, now you might reach 800 people and get 2200 views. Some people will still leave it looping while reading the caption. Many users will still watch once (or partially) and move on as they have in the past. But a lot of users will start pausing and only counting as a single view, not multiple. THIS is where the impact will be seen in your insights.
Now, what we don’t yet know is if a paused video counts as view time. Meaning if I watch 5 seconds of a video then pause it for 7 seconds before hitting play or scrolling, does that count as a 5-second view or a 12-second view? And does a pause count as a positive action (showing a positive interaction for the viewer) and giving algorithmic preference to that Reel?
How This Impacts Your Content
If you create tips and tutorials, this will impact you. If you create educational content, this will impact you. You should absolutely keep creating this content! It’s paramount to long term success on IG. Just know that people are more likely to pause and read content in text boxes now. This means two things: 1 - you can make your videos go even faster lol because the text can remain on the screen for even less time between switching text boxes, and 2 - your text boxes should be easy to read on pause so think good text outlines or colored text boxes that stand out against the background in the video.
In real estate, viewers can now pause Reels to look more closely at clips of the house listing. In manufacturing, viewers can pause the Reel to see the machinery and products. For a Reel in a moving car, users can pause a video on any frame to see what’s outside the car. If you have notes or addresses or details in a Reel, those can be read when the video is paused. And while all of things have always been “possible” using a screen recording or watching your videos on other platforms, it’s worth noting how easy it is now to do this on IG directly.
This shouldn’t catastrophically change how you create your Reels, but these are all aspects of the viewer experience and interaction you should keep in mind.
What This Means Going Forward
Again, while this seems like a minimal update, there are going to be impacts for your organization and brand. Here are some things to keep in mind and to prepare for internally:
Ultimately, you’re going to want to pay attention, and test things in the coming 4-8 weeks. Keep an eye on your insights and view counts. Keep an eye on actions (leaving comments, going to link in bio, sending DMs, etc.) on your Reels. Watch your video retention and skip rate numbers. Try some new varieties in your content - more text or less text, longer or shorter Reels, audio or not, etc. See if any new structure or formats might help your Reels perform better in the coming weeks with these shifts in user behavior.
Want to help your team think through this strategically?
That's exactly what I do as a speaker and trainer for organizations!
If you want help assessing where your content is for your organization, we can look at an audit and strategic recommendations. If you want to ensure your team knows how to format content for success, we can set up training or consulting virtually or in-person on this and more!
