The social media landscape moves fast, but there's one trend that has continued to gain traction and shows no signs of slowing down: the rise of reels. These short-form videos, which first debuted in August 2020, have quickly become a staple of online platforms, with content creators and businesses using them for reach, for engagement, and to simply say more than they can with images alone.
But not all reels are made equal, and Laura Hannoun knows this all too well. The French fashion and brunch-loving creator behind Les Paris de Laura has achieved more than 3.3 million views and 75,000 likes from her most popular reel, and counting. "I don't like to pretend to be this serious woman drinking my coffee, with the sunglasses and stuff," she says, eschewing the sophisticated French-girl stereotype. Instead, her feel-good grid is full of lighthearted content where she's nearly always smiling as she talks about everything from coffee to croissants.
Laura's social media success started with photography, but it's her reels that have garnered her biggest audiences. "It was very difficult for me to study video creation because I started with stills," she admits. "It took me a long time to learn about videos, but now I'm posting at least one or two a week. Reels are very important today, to reach new people when you want to, and to develop your account."
But as an acknowledged video novice, what can Laura teach us about creating reels with reach? Here are her key ingredients for successful reels and social videos.