Reels Script
Reels are Instagram's discovery engine: most Reel reach comes from non-followers, decided by how viewers respond — not by follower count. But Reels are not TikToks with a different logo:
- The hook window is ~3 seconds — they decide whether a Reel is pushed wider or throttled. Layer it: verbal + on-screen text + visual.
- Watch-through and sends rule. Watch time is the top signal; sends-per-reach (DM shares) are weighted roughly 3–5× more than likes for reaching new people. Script for both.
- Write the muted version first. Most Reels viewers watch on mute — if the on-screen text doesn't carry the story, the script fails before the audio matters.
- Eligibility gates come before ranking: original, no TikTok/CapCut watermarks, has audio, under the length cap, clear niche. A watermarked reupload is throttled at the gate.
- The Reel also lives on your grid — plan the cover frame; it can't be edited after publish.
(Full mechanics in references/reels-mechanics.md.)
Step 0 — Read the foundation first
Load brand-profile.md and voice.md. Voice carries into the spoken script, on-screen text, and
caption. Carry guardrails and compliance rules.
Step 1 — Lock the concept, goal, and length tier
- One idea — a Reel does one thing.
- Goal — reach, sends, saves, follows, or comments (shapes the close/CTA).
- Length tier — ~15–35s is the reach sweet spot; up to ~90s for tutorials/storytelling that
earns it; up to ~3 min stays recommendation-eligible. Let the idea pick the length; never pad.
See
references/reels-mechanics.md.
Step 2 — Decide the audio (and write sound-off anyway)
Original audio (your voice) for most founder/brand content; a trending audio where it
genuinely fits — but Instagram's licensed library is native-only: the script names the audio
direction, the human adds the track in-app (WoopSocial can't attach trending audio). Either way, the
Reel must work on mute. Live trend research → trend-jacking. See references/formats-and-audio.md.
Step 3 — Write the 3-second hook
Use hook-writer. Fire on all three channels at once — verbal + bold on-screen text + a striking
first frame — with no intro, no logo, no "hey guys." The on-screen text hook must work silently, and
the hook must be true: a bait-and-switch creates a mid-video retention cliff the algorithm punishes.
See references/hooks-and-retention.md.
Step 4 — Structure for watch-through and sends
Front-load value, open a loop early, change the visual every ~2–4 seconds, cut all dead air, and
engineer a loop or rewatch trigger so the ending feeds the start. Then ask the sends question:
who would DM this to whom, and why? Relatable, useful-reference, or conversation-starting beats
travel; generic tips don't. See references/hooks-and-retention.md.
Step 5 — Write the production doc + cover brief
Output a shootable doc — a row per beat with shot · on-screen text · spoken · audio · timing —
plus a one-line cover-frame brief (which frame, or a custom cover with bold text in the
grid-safe center). Keep hook text, faces, and CTAs inside the safe zone — exact zones live in
instagram-reels-publishing.
Step 6 — Instagram SEO + caption + hashtags
Instagram search is keyword-based now: put the target keyword in the first ~3 seconds spoken,
the on-screen text, and the caption's first sentence — and the visual must match the
caption. Keyword research + the search-first caption → instagram-seo; caption craft →
caption-writer; 3–5 topic-label hashtags, not thirty.
Step 7 — Test with Trial Reels; produce film-first or with the Veo pack
For unproven hooks/formats, recommend a Trial Reel (shown to non-followers first — a free test
that doesn't touch follower-facing stats). Default to native filming for faces and voices. For
faceless niches, b-roll, or unfilmable shots, use the bundled Veo prompt pack
(references/veo-prompt-pack.md; API layer in tools/integrations/veo.md) — and follow Meta's
AI-labeling rules for generated media (disclosure on Instagram is native/manual, not automatic).
Step 8 — Hand off
- Caption →
caption-writer(keyworded viainstagram-seo). - Publish (specs, safe zone, cover, settings) →
instagram-reels-publishing. - Schedule →
scheduling-and-queue(upload the video to WoopSocial Media, then schedule).
Quality bar — self-check
- Does the hook land in ~3 seconds on all three channels, with no intro tax?
- Does the script work on mute (on-screen text carries the story)?
- Is it built for watch-through (fast, no dead air) with a loop/rewatch trigger?
- Can I name who sends this to whom, and why?
- Is the audio choice intentional — and flagged as native add-in-app if trending?
- Does it clear the eligibility gates (original, watermark-free, niche-clear)?
- Keywords in spoken + on-screen + caption; a cover-frame brief included?
- Is the output a shootable production doc — on-voice, truthful hook, no fabricated stats?
Edge cases & pushback
- "Just repost my TikToks" → the watermark + originality gates throttle reach; re-cut a clean
native version →
cross-platform-repurposing. - "Add the trending audio for me" → the script names the audio direction; the human adds IG's licensed audio in-app. Never claim WoopSocial attaches it.
- "Make it a polished brand ad" → authentic, person-first content out-travels glossy spots; deliver a native version that still hits the goal.
- "Guarantee this goes viral" → no guarantees; a strong hook + send-worthy idea stacks the odds, and a Trial Reel tests it risk-free.
- Thin concept → shape the one idea; don't pad to fill a length tier.
- Regulated/sensitive → carry guardrails; only verifiable claims; required disclaimers.
Related skills
short-form-video-script— the master scripting craft this specializes for Instagram.brand-profile,voice-builder— voice + guardrails;hook-writer— the 3-second hook.instagram-seo— keywords + the search-first caption;caption-writer— caption craft.trend-jacking— live trend/audio research;instagram-growth— the growth strategy above this.tiktok-script— TikTok;youtube-shorts— Shorts;cross-platform-repurposing— adapt across.instagram-reels-publishing— specs/safe zone/cover/publish;scheduling-and-queue— schedule (via WoopSocial);tools/integrations/veo.md— the Veo API/connection layer.
References
references/reels-mechanics.md— the Reels discovery engine, signals, gates, length tiers, Trial Reels, the grid.references/hooks-and-retention.md— the 3-second hook, sound-off design, watch-through tactics, the sends lever.references/formats-and-audio.md— Reels formats + original vs trending audio (and the native-only limit).references/veo-prompt-pack.md— AI-video pack for faceless/b-roll, with disclosure and film-first caveats.references/examples.md— worked production docs with cover briefs, sends design, and IG keywords.
