# Social Media Video Extensions Instagram Reels Can Now Be Up to 30 Seconds Long By Ell Smith | Published 2020-09-23 | Social Media Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-reels References: [adweek](https://www.adweek.com/digital/instagram-extends-maximum-length-of-reels-to-30-seconds/) & [about.instagram](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/introducing-instagram-reels-announcement) [Instagram](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-close-friends) Reels first hit the social media site at the beginning of the month, and due to its success, the time limit on Reels will now be extended by 15 seconds, allowing creators to upload [30-second videos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/thirty-three-seconds). In addition to this update, the social media platform has also announced that the timer at the beginning of the video will be extended to 10 seconds, giving creators more time to prepare before the self timer begins recording. In an official statement, Instagram Reels product director Tessa Lyons-Laing said “We continue to improve Reels based on people’s feedback, and these updates make it easier to create and edit. While it’s still early, we’re seeing a lot of entertaining, creative content.” Image Credit: Instagram ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.9/10 - Popularity: 28% | Activity: 51% | Freshness: 9% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialmedia) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Extended Video Length:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Brands can now create longer and more engaging videos on Instagram Reels, allowing for more storytelling and immersive content. - **Extended Self Timer:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creators can now have more time to prepare their scenes and create higher quality videos on Instagram Reels. - **User Feedback-driven Updates:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Social media platforms can leverage user feedback to continuously improve their video features and enhance user experience. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Social Media:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Social media platforms can leverage extended video lengths and self timers to attract more creators and increase user engagement. - **Digital Content Creation:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Digital content creation tools and software companies can develop new features and integrations to support longer videos and enhanced video editing capabilities. - **Marketing and Advertising:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Marketers and advertisers can utilize extended video lengths and user feedback-driven updates on Instagram Reels to create more compelling and targeted campaigns. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Private Social Media Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-close-friends.md) - [Social Video Editing Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/meta-5.md) - [Social Media Entertainment Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-reels-fire-tv-app.md) - [Social Media Round-Up Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/igplayback.md) - [Social Media-Connected Links](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-5.md) - [Social Posting Musical Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/photo-carousels.md) - [Horizontal Video Applications](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/horizontal-full-screen-mode.md) - [Easy-to-Use Content Editing Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-edits.md) - [Multi-Link Social Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagram-6.md)