They Gave Us 20 Minutes. Now What?
A famous philosopher once said:
“How long can an Instagram Reel be? A question not of time, but of attention. For though the Reel may stretch twenty minutes, the soul scrolls on after seven seconds.”
Actually, we just made that up. But let’s play, because we’ve got something to say about Instagram reels and time and your business.
Earlier this year, Instagram said, “Go ahead, stretch those Reels to 3 minutes.” And now: they’ve gone full yoga instructor.
You can now post Reels up to 20 minutes long.
Yep. Twenty.
Roughly one episode of Bluey, if Bandit had a sales funnel. Now, before you dust off your indie film script, a quick heads up:
Reels over 3 minutes won’t get pushed to new audiences. In other words, they won’t trigger that algorithm mojo that most want from their social content.
So if you’re dreaming of going viral with your 19-minute monologue about organic dog biscuits… probably not gonna happen. Woof!
But.
If you already have a loyal bunch watching your content, this is your chance to stop chopping things into 870 pieces. You can slow down. Go deeper. Say the stuff that takes a little longer to land.
There’s real value in that.
Long-form content lets you tell a story without rushing. You can show how something works. You can share knowledge without squeezing it into a TikTok-sized nugget. You can be generous with your ideas. And that generosity builds trust.
It’s not about flooding the feed. It’s about giving your existing community something they can lean into. Something with weight.
So… what the heck do you put in a 20-minute Reel?
Not for everyone. But for the right biz, it could be gold. Here are a few real-world examples:
Client story with real numbers
A financial planner breaks down how one couple cleared $42K debt in 18 months. Show the before, the after, and the spreadsheets in between. People love a glow-up.
Behind-the-scenes process
A coffee roaster shows how they pick beans, roast ‘em, and name the blends. You get to see the care, the craft, the quirks. It’s messy. It’s human. It’s interesting.
Mini-class or “what they never tell you”
A physio runs a 20-minute desk-worker posture fix. No equipment. Just pain relief. You can feel your shoulders drop just watching.
Founder Q&A or AMA
A fashion brand founder answers fan questions—from how they started, to the worst decision they made in year two. The kind of stuff you don’t get in a press release.
Real testimonials, real journeys
A builder shows a full reno from demo day to handover. Budget talk. Timelines. Setbacks. Happy tears. It’s honest and it builds real trust.
Hot take on a trend or myth
A solar company explains why your power bill went up after the panels went on. People don’t want fluff. They want someone to explain the thing no one else is talking about.
Feel-good user-generated mashup
A dog trainer compiles client clips of pups who now sit, stay, and don’t terrorise the postie. It’s joyful. It proves the product. And it’s a subtle way of saying: “this could be you.”
But let’s be honest.
Twenty minutes is a lot of time. You could fold a load of washing. Walk the dog. Question all your life choices.
But if you’ve got something worth saying, the space is there now.
A mini-course. A proper product demo. A full story, not the highlights.
Long-form gives it room to breathe.
Just know the lay of the land. Reels over 3 minutes don’t get pushed to new audiences. That’s not a bad thing—it just means they’re for the folks who already care. Your existing followers. Your community. The people who keep showing up.
Short Reels still work hard. They grab attention. Travel far. Do well with the algorithm. They’re not going anywhere.
Use them to:
- Tease the long stuff. A quick bite, then “watch the full story here.”
- Spark curiosity. A hook, a question, a surprising moment.
- Catch new eyeballs. Keep it under 3. Let it fly.
Both formats have a job to do. Short Reels can bring people in. Long ones can nurture them to stay. Think of short Reels as the front door. Flashy. Fast. Fun. Long-form? That’s the comfy couch inside. The bit where people take off their shoes and settle in. Where trust lives.
Let them in with short, sharp, scroll-stopping content.
Then invite them to stay for the deep stuff.
Anyway, as always, if you have any questions, give us a shout!
P.S. If this article took you less than 2 minutes to read, congrats. You’ve still got 18 minutes to go make a Reel.
