Social media is a force to be reckoned with today, gathering around 3.8 billion individuals who can’t stop posting, liking, or commenting. But it’s not easy to retain internet users in this day and age. That’s why these platforms always need to think one step ahead. What kind of a fun, bubbly, and eye-catching feature can they release to attract new and maintain old users? For Instagram, the answer to this question was Instagram Boomerang.
What’s more, this GIF-like feature has certainly become the app’s identifiable trademark. More and more people are downloading Instagram today. Indeed, the image and video sharing app states that it has over one billion active users. Whatever Instagram is doing seems to be working.
You can join in on the fun as well! Namely, Instagram isn’t only for personal use anymore — it’s a fun platform to explore for your business as well. Brands can now share their content, showcase products or services, and inspire their followers. So, give your target audience what they want and create a business account on this app! Engage with followers by using the many features Instagram offers.
In one of our previous articles, we looked at Instagram Stories that are also valuable for business. But today, we set our sights on a feature that allows us to loop our videos online. Get ready to add another bullet point on your social media to-do list — Instagram Boomerang.
What Is Instagram Boomerang?
With Boomerang, you can say goodbye to boring social media videos. This app makes every activity, including jumping or high-fiving, fun and cool. It helps you capture a short video which then plays on a loop. Boomerang uses a burst of photos and stitches them together to bring a more engaging content to your feed.
Basically, this is a combination of a GIF and a stop motion video. All you need is your phone, a little bit of movement, and the Boomerang app for Android or iOS. If you have a business account on Instagram, Boomerang is a must if you want to grab your followers’ attention and encourage them to comment or like.
How to Use Instagram Boomerang
As a video app, Instagram Boomerang lets you tell visual stories in a slightly different way from a regular video or photo. You can select either portrait or landscape mode while in the app. Boomerang automatically saves all of your short videos and you can display them then on Instagram. Your subject is in constant motion which is eye-catching if you’re filming someone or something making interesting moves.
But, how do you use Boomerang? Let’s go over a step-by-step tutorial to help you start boomerang-ing as soon as possible.
A Short Tutorial
As you’ll see, Instagram Boomerang is no rocket science. It’s a simple app that anyone can master in a matter of a few moments. Here’s our quick and short tutorial to help y ou get started:
- Download the App: Instagram created a separate app for Boomerang. So, visit your app store and download it for a more user-friendly experience.
- Select Something Interesting to Capture: Once you open the app, you can start capturing a mini video. As you might know, there are three buttons on a Boomerang screen: the shutter, the flip-cam symbol, and the flash. The interface is super simple and doesn’t require any technical know-how. Don’t forget that your followers want an interesting content that is relevant to your brand. Therefore, you can go behind the scenes to create videos of your employees or fun activities they’re doing.
- Say “Action”: Once you have an interesting idea on your mind, you can start filming! As you’ll see, Instagram Boomerang captures images quickly! So, make sure to be as fast as possible. In less than three seconds, you’ll have a captivating video in front of you. Just remember that motion is important here. Ensure that you hold your phone steady.
- Preview Your Short Video: Boomerang immediately previews your video loop which you can upload directly to Facebook or Instagram. Once you import it on Instagram, you can apply filters and further customize your short video. On the other hand, you can also save the video to your camera roll and add it later.
As you can see, Instagram Boomerang is an easy-to-use app. The only “problem” you may face is finding something interesting to shoot.
However, thanks to one update, you don’t need an app to capture Boomerang videos for Stories.
Boomerang on Instagram Stories
Shortly after launching the Boomerang app, Instagram decided to release another update. Namely, it allowed users to access Boomerang straight from Instagram Stories.
All you need to do is open Stories while on your business account. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll have several options, including “Normal” and “Boomerang.” In Boomerang mode, there’s a white camera button with a looping infinity symbol on it. Just tap the button and start recording.
Furthermore, your Story will process everything in a few moments and then, voila! The Boomerang video is ready to be posted on your Story. Spice things up by adding stickers, location, and other options Instagram Stories offer.
New Instagram Boomerang Effects
You can’t make it in the business without offering innovative and new features, or analyzing your competition. After the success of TikTok’s video editing features, Instagram has updated Boomerang to add three new effects and one feature.
But what does this mean for you and your social media account? Well, it means you have new methods of engaging your followers. Let’s see what these new features do:
- SlowMo: Yes, you guessed it, this option will slow your clip down to half-speed. So, a 1-second video is turned into a 2-second clip.
- Echo: This effect adds a motion blur to your video.
- Duo: Duo speeds up the Instagram Boomerang video and adds a glitch effect.
- Trimming: Lets you trim your video and decide the beginning and end of your video loop.
Once you’ve done with your Boomerang and effects, you can publish the video to your Stories or save it to your camera roll for later.
Tips on Making the Perfect Instagram Boomerang
Now that we know what Instagram Boomerang is, you can start coming up with ideas for your first Boomerang! But before that, go through our tips that can help you make the perfect video for your Story or feed.
Keep Your Phone Steady
Movement and Instagram Boomerang go together like peanut butter and jelly. Whether you aim your camera at an object or people, motion is crucial for this app. Make sure to keep your phone steady otherwise your video won’t be as effective. You can even use a tripod to make things easier for you.
Make It Pop
You’ve captured an epic Boomerang video and you’re ready to share it with the world? Hold on for just a moment! We have an idea. Why don’t you make it pop and use options Instagram offers? You can add filters, trim the video, and even opt for a still frame for the clip. If you decide to add it to your Story, browse through endless stickers and fun designs.
Use a Secret Menu
Before shooting the video, tap the screen to open a secret menu. This menu allows you to change video resolution, determine how the Boomerang repeats (with or without a pause; playing forward and back, etc.), and even adjust both the frame count and frame rate of your mini video.
Inspiration for Videos
If you’re wondering how Instagram Boomerang can fit in with your brand, we’ve prepared several examples of how you can use it for your business:
- Behind-the-scenes content: Every marketer and publisher knows how important it is to show the human side to your company. With Boomerang, you rapidly rewind what you and your employees are doing.
- Product in action: This is useful if you want to give your existing and potential customers a glimpse into your product in a fun and unexpected way.
- Make an announcement: Inform your followers about a new partnership, event, or product launch using Instagram Boomerang.
These are just some of the ideas you can use for Instagram Boomerang. Of course, you can come up with your content that will appeal to your audience better. For now, our piece of advice is — download the Boomerang app and add fun content to your feed!
