Meta Shares New Performance Tips for Reels Ahead of 2026

 

Meta has released a new set of insights designed to help brands optimise their Reels performance across Instagram and Facebook. The findings come from a study conducted with Toluna, which analysed a wide range of brand-originated creative to understand what drives both brand lift and direct response outcomes.

With Reels accounting for over 50% of time spent on Instagram and total video watch time increasing more than 30% year over year, Meta’s new recommendations reflect how user behaviour has shifted, and what advertisers need to do to stay competitive.

Below is a closer look at what has changed and how marketers can adjust their creative strategy.

Detailed Breakdown of Meta’s New Reels Recommendations

Meta’s update covers two major areas: brand building and direct-response performance. 

Each category includes platform-tested rules designed to increase the likelihood of a Reel landing in the top 20% for measurable outcomes such as brand interest, purchase intent, or engagement.

Brand-Building Recommendations: 5 Creative Principles

These insights highlight how brands can use Reels to strengthen awareness, recall, and affinity.

1. Show your message early

Creatives that display both the brand and primary message within the first five seconds are 1.7× more likely to drive high purchase intent.

2. Use dynamic branding

Showing the brand more than once — in multiple scenes or placements — increases the likelihood of ranking in the top performance tier by 1.8×.

3. Combine speech and music

Reels that use both spoken audio and music see 2× higher likelihood of driving brand interest.

4. Deliver the message in multiple formats

Combining audio and visual delivery (e.g., subtitles + voiceover) makes the creative 1.8× more likely to boost brand interest. Make sure to be aware of safe zones in reels on Meta.

5. Include relatable “slice of life” scenarios

Reels showing everyday people and familiar routines drive purchase intent 1.5× more than non-human or abstract content.

Together, these principles reinforce a simple pattern: clarity, human presence, and early branding result in stronger brand outcomes.

Direct Response Recommendations: 6 Creative Principles

Meta’s second set of findings focuses on performance for advertisers driving conversions, installs, or product interest.

1. Prioritise product visibility

Showing the product more than once increases the likelihood of landing in the top 20% by 2.7×.

2. Balance brand presence

Featuring the brand, but keeping it under 25% of total screen time, increases purchase intent by 4.8×.

3. Provide added context and USPs

Reels that outline product benefits or unique features are 5.3× more likely to rank as top performers.

4. Include a clear call to action

CTAs delivered through audio, on-screen text, or both drive 1.9× higher purchase intent.

5. Use both speech and music

Reels combining speech and music deliver a 2.1× uplift in purchase intent.

6. Integrate native UI elements

Using emojis or other platform-native graphics makes creatives 2.5× more likely to perform in the top tier.

Meta also added one bonus learning not included in their charts:

Bonus: Use a strong hook delivered through both sight and sound

Creatives with a combined visual + audio hook are 1.5× more likely to drive purchase intent.

House of Marketers’ Insight: What This Means for 2026

From our perspective at House of Marketers, the update reinforces a structural shift in social advertising: Reels are no longer optional. They are the primary battleground for attention, recall, and conversions.

Three big-picture implications stand out:

Creative variety now matters more than creative volume

Meta’s data shows that format diversity within a single ad, multiple scenes, dynamic branding, and multi-sensory delivery consistently outperforms static visuals. Brands will need systematic creative testing frameworks rather than a single “hero” asset.

Audio strategy has become a performance lever

The repeated emphasis on speech + music signals a major shift. Silent-first creative is no longer the default. Audio now contributes directly to brand lift and purchase intent.

Human-driven content continues to outperform polished ads

“Slice of life” scenes and everyday storytelling mirror what we see across TikTok and Instagram: authenticity outperforms studio precision. 

To understand how you can achieve this, check out our Shelby’s Legendary Shawarma case study and also Zohran Mamdani’s Creator-Led Social Media Campaign  

As Reels take up a growing share of user attention, the brands that pair fast-turnover UGC frameworks with strategic, data-led creative rules will gain a measurable edge in 2026.

These insights are worth bookmarking, and more importantly, building into your next testing roadmap.

Conclusion

Meta’s latest Reels update makes one thing clear: performance on Instagram and Facebook will increasingly belong to brands that understand how to pair human-centred storytelling with structured, data-led creative execution. The gap between average and top-performing content is widening, and the brands that adapt early will be the ones that stay competitive throughout 2026.

If you are ready to turn these insights into a measurable advantage, partner with House of Marketers, a global social media and influencer marketing agency. We help brands harness digital tools to design smarter full-funnel social media influencer campaigns that blend creativity with measurable performance.

Reach out to explore our services:

• Paid Social & Meta Campaigns
• Paid Media Strategy