Instagram Reels Marketing: Key Strategies & Inspiration

Originally launched in August 2020, Instagram Reels was Meta’s answer to TikTok. Ever since, the video platform-within-a-platform has grown explosively. In 2024, Reels accounted for 37% of the time spent on Instagram. Then that number jumped to 46% in 2025. As the app’s audience goes, so go the marketers — more than half of Instagram’s ads in 2025 were Reels.

Five Reel Reasons Your Ads Should Be Here

While it’s important for all marketers to have a presence on Reels, it’s absolutely critical for travel brands. Let’s break it down:

1. Bookings…Brought: 61% of travelers have made hotel reservations after seeing the property on Instagram.
2. Sneak Peek Over Slick: 73% of consumers prefer watching raw, unfiltered video content of your destination or property to get a true feel for it.
3. Reel Reach: Your organic content can hit an unprecedented audience, with 55% of views coming from non-followers.
4. Intent Signaling: Reels yield 2.5x more saves than static images, and more saves typically translate to more visitors or guests.
5. Exponential Engagement: It’s as if Reels were custom-made for travel content, earning engagement rates of 4.2-7.1% (versus 1.5-3.0% in other industries) and a completion rate of 74% (for <15s) versus 62% for longer videos.

Reels Marketing Strategies

At Dana, all marketing plans are developed on an account-by-account basis (no cookie cutters here!). For the purpose of this blog, we’re sharing three key approaches to help paint a picture:

• First Person Perspective: Rather than seeing a model posed in a setting, travelers like to envision actually experiencing it for themselves.

How this could look for a resort: Shoot from the point of view of a guest entering a luxuriously appointed suite and stepping out onto the private balcony for panoramas straight out of their wanderlusting dreams.

How this could look for a destination: Think about your greatest visitor draws — anything from popular festivals and craveable food scenes to iconic attractions and bucket list landmarks — and make videos placing the viewer directly into these experiences.

• Insider View: Travelers are curious about what happens behind the scenes to make their getaway so special, so give them a peek.

How this could look for a resort: Show your chef preparing a popular dish or one of your spa therapists explaining the wellness benefits of essential oils used in a particular treatment.

How this could look for a destination: Have an in-the-know representative share a tour of their favorite, lesser-known attractions.

• User-Generated Content (UGC): Promoting UGC is a drum we continually beat because these efforts can earn up to 15% more bookings.

How this could look for a resort: Have a new experience you want to showcase? Encourage guests to make and post Reels with a vanity hashtag.

How this could look for a destination: Your stakeholders — including accommodations, attractions, restaurants and more — rely on you to help promote their businesses to travelers. Reach out to strike up a collaboration.

Instagram Reels Influencer Marketing

Choosing the right influencer(s) to represent your brand is a complex process. Among the many factors to assess are fit, effectiveness and image. We absolutely recommend having an experienced social media agency (like Dana!) vet any and all influencers used in your marketing efforts. That said, below are some best practices we can share:

1. Focus on Nano Influencers (1k-10k followers): These personalities offer the greatest advantages for your brand. The vibe they project is authentic, like a real person of the people. This presence earns them higher engagement rates (usually 4-7%) at a lower cost (typically 10% of micro-influencers).
2. Curate Content: Ensure the Reels these influencers are creating match the stage of the traveler’s journey (discovery, consideration, booking, etc.) you want to capture.
3. Cultivate Ambassadors: Where a one-off Reel will feel like an ad, an ongoing series or regular takeovers convey true brand advocacy to your audience.
4. Consider Performance-Driven Contracts: When you tie a creator’s payment to key performance indicators (such as saves, shares or even book-now clicks), you get every drop of influence you’re paying for. 

Dana’s social team develops award-winning campaigns for our clients (just ask to see the gleaming hardware on our trophy shelf!) Want to learn more about what we can do for your travel brand? Contact Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com today.