Experiment: Does turning stories into videos really work?

Much like Gretchen was desperate to get “Fetch”up and running on Mean Girls, Instagram is obsessed with trying to bring Reels to life.

Instagram has rewarded Reels users with algorithm boosts, Reels prioritization across channels and explore page, and now the platform has launched what is essentially a recycling program allowing users to easily repurpose Instagram Stories highlights into Reels with just a few taps.

But as we’ve learned from all sorts of brilliant new social media features over the years (ahem, Twitter fleets): just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you should.

To be honest, we’re not sure if reposting old stories as reels will do us any good. But here at Hootsuite Experiments, we let the data decide.

So, I put my hard hat back on and descend into the mines of social media analytics to dig up some solid proof of whether or not to bend to the will of Instagram.

Does converting highlights of your stories into cutscenes really work? Let’s find out.

Hypothesis

Videos made from old stories don’t get as much attention and reach as brand new videos.

Of course, Instagram has made it incredibly easy to repurpose your old Instagram stories into new reels – it only takes a few taps to turn an old story into “new”content.

However, our theory is that brand new original drums will probably perform better and bring more engagement.

After all, Instagram’s goal is to create an entertaining and engaging content hub. (That’s what drives everything in the Instagram algorithm.) Rewarding users for reworking or rehashing old content doesn’t really fit with the platform’s grand vision.

But hey, we’re glad to be proven wrong! It makes us feel alive! So I’m going to find out first hand if repurposing your stories as videos is the best way to get engagement on Instagram.

Methodology

I decided to post a few “fresh”videos and a few repurposed stories and compare their reach and engagement.

To make my new videos, I pulled some videos and photos from my camera roll, overlaid a music video and some effects on them, and hit Publish. (New to drums? Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make your own!)

For my repurposed Stories, I followed the instructions outlined in this Hootsuite Labs video. This meant going through my archived stories and adding the ones I wanted to the new Highlight.

For this project, I created five different new Highlights. I opened each Highlight, clicked on the three dots in the bottom right corner, and clicked Convert to Reel.

Then the drum editor opened up where I could change the music or add any additional filters or stickers. I also had the option to delete scenes at this point.

I made my edits, added a quick caption to each one, and then sent my kids out into the world.

In total, I posted five new clips and five repurposed clips from the stories. Then I waited a few days to see how they would do it.

Results

TL;DR: My repurposed coils performed slightly worse than my original coils in terms of reach. But overall, videos with personal, authentic content had the biggest impact.

Remember, I posted five clips from Highlights and five original clips. Here’s how reach and engagement stand out for each style:

My most popular videos from this series of experiments were those that were authentic and personal: one was the best day of my life at the Mascot Festival, the other was my comedy performance and the opening of my recent renovation.

The videos with the worst success rate were the impersonal travel videos I put together. I guess I’m flattered to know that people care about me more than endangered elephants or beautiful beaches?

Overall, there didn’t seem to be much benefit from posting cutscenes from your story highlights. It was the content that mattered, not the method I used to create the Coil.

What do the results mean?

Am I humiliated that no one cares about my chilly Rhyl beach landscape? Certainly. But some important lessons and reflections have been learned from the pain of this experiment.

Authenticity is the ultimate breaking of the algorithm

While Instagram often rewards users for taking a chance on a new feature with algorithmic amplification, it ultimately boils down to this: Great content isn’t such a secret to success.

Content that your subscribers find engaging will generate more engagement than any algorithmic boost. So focus on creating compelling, useful posts, stories, and videos to get the most out of Instagram.

You can’t get information from highlights… but you can get information from cutscenes

While you can see the number of views and likes of an individual Instagram story, it’s currently not possible to see how many views your highlights have received.

This means there is one advantage to creating a highlight video: you can measure how much reach or engagement that particular combination of stories gets.

Highlights can be a useful compilation tool

Using your highlights to collect content over a long period of time can also be beneficial.

For example, last year I spent 22 long weeks working on redecorating my apartment and putting all my reno related posts in one Highlight. Instead of digging through camera roll to make a dramatic reel of the experience, I could easily convert all that cute drywall-encrusted content into one neat reel with a few taps. (Studies have shown that putting music on a construction injury can relieve pain.)

Okay, enough of me! It’s time to stop looking for shortcuts to Instagram success and start creating amazing videos that reflect your brand’s voice and delight your audience. Check out our tutorial on how to build winning reels and you’ll never be tempted to hack the system again.