17 Aug How to Make Your Reels More Interesting (Without Dancing, Pointing, or Losing Your Mind)
Real. Relatable. Repeatable.
Kia ora, lovely. Grab your coffee. Today we’re talking about the thing every busy founder MUST DO: reels.
You know you’re “supposed” to be making them. You’ve watched other people’s blow up while yours sit at 47 views. And somewhere along the way someone told you the secret was to dance, point at floating text, and jump on a trending sound you don’t even like. So you either forced yourself to do it and felt like a fraud, or you quietly gave up.
I’ve got good news. You don’t have to do any of that. Interesting reels aren’t about performing, they’re about giving your viewer a reason to stay. Let me show you how I do it, the same way I’d show you if we were sitting at my kitchen table on the farm.
First things first: interesting reels are NOT about trends
Let’s bust the myth right away. The founders whose reels actually work aren’t chasing every trending sound and transition. Trends come and go faster than the weather on the Coromandel, and building your whole strategy on them is exhausting.
An interesting reel is one that stops the scroll, holds attention, and leaves the viewer with something. That’s it. A trend can help you do that, but the trend is never the point. The point is always the same question I come back to for everything I make: what’s in it for them?
Nail that, and you don’t need to dance. You just need to be clear, useful, and a little bit brave.
Why boring reels happen (and it’s not your fault)
Here’s the thing about being a time-poor founder: you film something quickly between jobs, slap on a caption, and post it hoping for the best. And when it flops, you decide reels “just don’t work for you.”
But boring reels usually aren’t a you problem. They’re a structure problem. Most reels that flop share the same three issues: a weak first second, no clear point, and no reason to keep watching. Fix those and everything changes, and none of it requires you to be a natural performer.
Let me walk you through exactly how.
So how do I make reels more interesting?
Right, here’s the fun part. This is the exact approach I use, and teach inside The Edit Series.
1. Win the first second with a strong hook
The first second decides everything. If you don’t stop the scroll in that first beat, nothing else matters, because nobody’s watching to see it.
Your hook can be a bold line of text, a question that hits a pain point, or an unexpected visual. “Stop posting reels like this” beats “Hi guys, so today I wanted to chat about.” Say the interesting thing first. Earn the next three seconds, then the next.
2. Give it one clear point
The fastest way to lose someone is to cram five ideas into one reel. Pick one takeaway. One tip, one story, one myth you’re busting. When a viewer can finish your reel and tell a friend what it was about in one sentence, you’ve done your job.
One reel, one point. Save the other four ideas, that’s four more reels.
3. Use pattern interrupts to hold attention
This is where interesting reels are won. A pattern interrupt is anything that resets the viewer’s attention just before they’d scroll: a cut to a new angle, a zoom, on-screen text appearing, a change of location, b-roll. It keeps the eye moving so the brain stays put.
This is exactly why I film myself making the coffee, getting ready, sitting down at my desk. That b-roll becomes the visual variety that stops a talking-head reel from feeling flat. You don’t need fancy gear, just a few different shots.
4. Make the edit do the work
You don’t have to be interesting on camera if your edit is interesting. Tight cuts that trim every pause, captions so people can watch on mute, a bit of pace. Most reels are twice as long as they need to be. Cut the fat and the whole thing feels sharper, even if the footage was ordinary.
This is the entire heart of The Edit Series, by the way, showing you exactly how to do this in CapCut and Instagram Edits without it eating your whole afternoon.
5. End with a reason to act
Don’t just trail off. Tell them what to do next: save this, follow for more, try it and tell me how it goes. A clear ending turns a passive watch into a follow, a save, or a comment, and that’s what tells the algorithm your reel is worth showing to more people.
6. Make it repeatable
Here’s the bit I care about most, because I know your time is precious. An interesting reel is worthless if it takes you three hours you don’t have. So I build every one of these into a repeatable system, hook formulas you reuse, b-roll you batch once, an edit process you can run in your sleep.
Real. Relatable. Repeatable. That’s the whole point.
Why take reel advice from me? Because I’ve actually done it
Here’s the thing about me: I’m not a coach who read a trends article and made a graphic about it. I spent nine years founding and running KIK Clothing across New Zealand and Australia, filming, editing and posting every piece of it myself. I know what it’s like to need content that performs when you’ve got no time and a business to run.
I’m a mama of two on a farm in Kuaotunu. I do waka ama. I go crystal hunting. I’ve coached boxing and personal training. I shoot on my Sony and edit on the same free tools you’ve got on your phone right now. So when I tell you interesting reels don’t require a studio or a dance routine, I mean it, I’m making them from a farm in the Coromandel between school runs.
My north star is helping you be brave and show up with confidence. Every reel we make has to deliver clear value and answer the one question that matters most: what’s in it for them?
Ready to make reels that actually hold attention? I’m in your corner
If your reels feel like shouting into the void, let’s fix that.
I offer a personalised content audit for founders who are ready for clarity. You’ll walk away with a personalised 30-day plan, a written audit of exactly what’s working and what’s not, a 90-minute strategy call, and someone in your corner while you put it all into action. Because your socials should work for you, not stress you out.
I only take on a handful of audits each month, so every single one gets my full attention. When we work together, you’re not a number, you’re the whole focus.
Head to elevatewithjaz.com and book your audit. Let’s make reels you’re actually proud to post.
Real. Relatable. Repeatable. Jaz x
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