Reels Script

Reels are Instagram's discovery engine: most Reel reach comes from non-followers, decided by how viewers respond — not by follower count. But Reels are not TikToks with a different logo:

The hook window is ~3 seconds — they decide whether a Reel is pushed wider or throttled. Layer it: verbal + on-screen text + visual.
Watch-through and sends rule. Watch time is the top signal; sends-per-reach (DM shares) are weighted roughly 3–5× more than likes for reaching new people. Script for both.
Write the muted version first. Most Reels viewers watch on mute — if the on-screen text doesn't carry the story, the script fails before the audio matters.
Eligibility gates come before ranking: original, no TikTok/CapCut watermarks, has audio, under the length cap, clear niche. A watermarked reupload is throttled at the gate.
The Reel also lives on your grid — plan the cover frame; it can't be edited after publish.

(Full mechanics in

references/reels-mechanics.md

Step 0 — Read the foundation first

Load

brand-profile.md

and

voice.md

. Voice carries into the spoken script, on-screen text, and caption. Carry guardrails and compliance rules.

Step 1 — Lock the concept, goal, and length tier

One idea — a Reel does one thing.
Goal — reach, sends, saves, follows, or comments (shapes the close/CTA).
Length tier — ~15–35s is the reach sweet spot; up to ~90s for tutorials/storytelling that earns it; up to ~3 min stays recommendation-eligible. Let the idea pick the length; never pad. See
```
references/reels-mechanics.md
```
.

Step 2 — Decide the audio (and write sound-off anyway)

Original audio (your voice) for most founder/brand content; a trending audio where it genuinely fits — but Instagram's licensed library is native-only: the script names the audio direction, the human adds the track in-app (WoopSocial can't attach trending audio). Either way, the Reel must work on mute. Live trend research →

trend-jacking

. See

references/formats-and-audio.md

Step 3 — Write the 3-second hook

Use

hook-writer

. Fire on all three channels at once — verbal + bold on-screen text + a striking first frame — with no intro, no logo, no "hey guys." The on-screen text hook must work silently, and the hook must be true: a bait-and-switch creates a mid-video retention cliff the algorithm punishes. See

references/hooks-and-retention.md

Step 4 — Structure for watch-through and sends

Front-load value, open a loop early, change the visual every ~2–4 seconds, cut all dead air, and engineer a loop or rewatch trigger so the ending feeds the start. Then ask the sends question: who would DM this to whom, and why? Relatable, useful-reference, or conversation-starting beats travel; generic tips don't. See

references/hooks-and-retention.md

Step 5 — Write the production doc + cover brief

Output a shootable doc — a row per beat with shot · on-screen text · spoken · audio · timing — plus a one-line cover-frame brief (which frame, or a custom cover with bold text in the grid-safe center). Keep hook text, faces, and CTAs inside the safe zone — exact zones live in

instagram-reels-publishing

Step 6 — Instagram SEO + caption + hashtags

Instagram search is keyword-based now: put the target keyword in the first ~3 seconds spoken, the on-screen text, and the caption's first sentence — and the visual must match the caption. Keyword research + the search-first caption →

instagram-seo

; caption craft →

caption-writer

; 3–5 topic-label hashtags, not thirty.

Step 7 — Test with Trial Reels; produce film-first or with the Veo pack

For unproven hooks/formats, recommend a Trial Reel (shown to non-followers first — a free test that doesn't touch follower-facing stats). Default to native filming for faces and voices. For faceless niches, b-roll, or unfilmable shots, use the bundled Veo prompt pack (

references/veo-prompt-pack.md

; API layer in

tools/integrations/veo.md

) — and follow Meta's AI-labeling rules for generated media (disclosure on Instagram is native/manual, not automatic).

Step 8 — Hand off

Caption →
```
caption-writer
```
(keyworded via
```
instagram-seo
```
).
Publish (specs, safe zone, cover, settings) →
```
instagram-reels-publishing
```
.
Schedule →
```
scheduling-and-queue
```
(upload the video to WoopSocial Media, then schedule).

Quality bar — self-check

Does the hook land in ~3 seconds on all three channels, with no intro tax?
Does the script work on mute (on-screen text carries the story)?
Is it built for watch-through (fast, no dead air) with a loop/rewatch trigger?
Can I name who sends this to whom, and why?
Is the audio choice intentional — and flagged as native add-in-app if trending?
Does it clear the eligibility gates (original, watermark-free, niche-clear)?
Keywords in spoken + on-screen + caption; a cover-frame brief included?
Is the output a shootable production doc — on-voice, truthful hook, no fabricated stats?

Edge cases & pushback

"Just repost my TikToks" → the watermark + originality gates throttle reach; re-cut a clean native version →
```
cross-platform-repurposing
```
.
"Add the trending audio for me" → the script names the audio direction; the human adds IG's licensed audio in-app. Never claim WoopSocial attaches it.
"Make it a polished brand ad" → authentic, person-first content out-travels glossy spots; deliver a native version that still hits the goal.
"Guarantee this goes viral" → no guarantees; a strong hook + send-worthy idea stacks the odds, and a Trial Reel tests it risk-free.
Thin concept → shape the one idea; don't pad to fill a length tier.
Regulated/sensitive → carry guardrails; only verifiable claims; required disclaimers.

Related skills

```
short-form-video-script
```
— the master scripting craft this specializes for Instagram.
```
brand-profile
```
,
```
voice-builder
```
— voice + guardrails;
```
hook-writer
```
— the 3-second hook.
```
instagram-seo
```
— keywords + the search-first caption;
```
caption-writer
```
— caption craft.
```
trend-jacking
```
— live trend/audio research;
```
instagram-growth
```
— the growth strategy above this.

tiktok-script

— TikTok;

youtube-shorts

— Shorts;

cross-platform-repurposing

— adapt across.

```
instagram-reels-publishing
```
— specs/safe zone/cover/publish;
```
scheduling-and-queue
```
— schedule (via WoopSocial);
```
tools/integrations/veo.md
```
— the Veo API/connection layer.

References

```
references/reels-mechanics.md
```
— the Reels discovery engine, signals, gates, length tiers, Trial Reels, the grid.
```
references/hooks-and-retention.md
```
— the 3-second hook, sound-off design, watch-through tactics, the sends lever.
```
references/formats-and-audio.md
```
— Reels formats + original vs trending audio (and the native-only limit).
```
references/veo-prompt-pack.md
```
— AI-video pack for faceless/b-roll, with disclosure and film-first caveats.
```
references/examples.md
```
— worked production docs with cover briefs, sends design, and IG keywords.

reels-script

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content