The Reel Deel: Jellysmack and Meta Help Creators Go Bigger on Facebook Reels

With short content formats like TikTok and YouTube Shorts dominating the social spotlight, Facebook has once again stepped up to the plate. On Monday, September 19, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, announced the rollout of their anticipated Facebook Reels API, introducing new ways for users to create and share Reels. This Reels news makes it as seamless as possible for creators to leverage the monetizable format, and Jellysmack is already helping creators take advantage of the opportunity.

As one of three alpha partners selected by Meta earlier this year, Jellysmack was able to secure dozens of creators a spot in the pilot program for Facebook Reels. Since that launch in May 2022, we’ve enabled over 225 creators to find success and reach millions of new fans on the platform. This partnership with Meta is yet another way Jellysmack helps creators Go Bigger and uncover new revenue opportunities across more social platforms with our tech-powered Creator Program.

Reeling in the Wins 🎞

To date, Jellysmack has helped our creator partners publish 17,000 Reels that have generated a whopping 6 billion total Reels plays. Over 900 of those Reels have each generated over 1 million plays. Moral of the story: Facebook users can’t get enough of the platform’s new short-form videos, and video creators need to take advantage.

What types of Reels are performing best? Couples content, along with hilarious pranks, reactions, and suspenseful challenges lead the content categories on Facebook. Popular Jellysmack creator partner couples Mariah and Bill and Isaac & Andrea are among the top performers, with 400 million Reels plays and 220 million Reels plays to date respectively. King of hair reactions, Brad Mondo, is also seeing jaw-dropping results with Facebook’s new short video format, with 260 million Reels plays to date. In addition, wildlife creator Brian Barczyk, known for his nail-biting cobra encounters, has earned an impressive 160 million Reels plays to date on the platform.

Make a Play ▶️

Many top creators are finding success with Facebook Reels, but it’s not by accident. Creating a 60-second video that captures the attention of millions takes time, strategy, and testing—and that’s what Jellysmack does best. So we asked our experts to share the secret sauce to creating and publishing a top-performing Reel, and here’s what they said:

• Follow content trends: Just like on TikTok, trends matter on Reels, so don’t be afraid to experiment with something new for the chance to go viral.
• Keep captions short and sweet: Aim for 38-42 characters in length for captions and hashtags.
• Post in the 9×16 ratio: Rather than a horizontal or even square ratio, make sure to optimize your video for mobile viewing by taking up the full 9×16 vertical screen. You can film vertically with your phone, or use technology to convert your YouTube videos. Jellysmack has built advanced tech that resizes YouTube videos into a 9×16 ratio while keeping all the action in frame. Just another perk for our creator partners.
• Use text to create suspense and intrigue: Tap into Facebook’s advanced Reels features by adding text throughout the video—but make sure it doesn’t pull away from action.
• Add trending music: Channel your inner film score composer. Even if your video already includes sound, add some background music from the Facebook music library to enhance the content.
• Don’t forget captions: Unlike TikTok, many Facebook users watch without sound, so make sure to add subtitles to help increase your Reels plays

Keep Watching 👀

With the launch of Meta’s Facebook Reels API, it’s now easier than ever for creators to expand into this new short-form territory. But that doesn’t mean it comes without challenges. While it introduces a whole new opportunity for creators to reach more fans and grow their brands, it also adds another content format to their already-demanding workload. 

But thankfully, with the Jellysmack Creator Program, creators can simply focus on creating  while we work behind the scenes to edit, optimize, and distribute their content onto Facebook Reels, among other platforms. In the coming months, keep your eyes on Reels as Jellysmack plans to bring more creators into the fold including major talent like MrBeast, Philip DeFranco, Patrick Starrr, Bailey Sarian, and Chris Ramsay. 

Short-form content is here to stay, and with Facebook being the largest social media platform in the world, we can’t wait to see what’s ahead on Reels.