Facebook referral traffic is tanking, but you know what’s doing really well?

Reels continue to be the key focus for both Facebook and Instagram, with Meta’s increasingly relevant AI-recommended Reels in-stream helping to get the growth of both apps back on track. Indeed, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently noted that Reels now account for 50% of all time spent on Instagram.

Essentially, if you’re serious about maximizing your engagement rates on either Facebook or IG, you need to be coming up with engaging, short-form video clips.

And if you are thinking of making that push, this will help.

Today, Instagram has unveiled three new Reels creation updates, which will make it easier to create standout Reels, without the need for more complex, third-party video editing tools.

Which, really, is more of the focus of short-form video anyway, with users responding better to more organic, in-the-moment clips, as opposed to polished promotions. Well, that and clips from old TV shows, but really, the more organic and native you can make your clips feel, the better they’ll likely perform.

First off, Instagram’s added new editing options direct in the Reels composer, giving you more ways to customize your creations.

So now you can chop and change your clips direct in the upload flow, which could make it easier to come up with unique angles (literally) for your posts.

Instagram’s also added new buttons to find relevant editing tools.

While it’s also added “Undo” and “Redo” buttons to make it easier to edit.

These are some handy updates, not game-changers, as such, but functional, practical UI changes that will better enable in-stream editing.

And while you may still want to create your short clips for your brand in a custom editor, it’s good to know that you do have the capacity to create reasonable-looking videos on the go, whenever you need, which could help you step into short-form video.

I mean, I’d be hesitant to go all-in, and dedicate too many resources to it, as eventually, Meta will lose interest and prioritize something else.

But right now, it’s worth experimenting with if you can.