Photographers: Why Your Instagram Reels Aren’t Getting Views (And How to Fix It!)

Blog by Jada Parrish | Article | 02/20/25

Spending a lot of time creating an Instagram reel only to have it flop feels awful. It can make you question your talent and wonder if your work is any good at all. But guess what? That’s not true! Getting fewer likes or engagement on a reel doesn’t mean your work isn’t good—it just means the reel didn’t do a good job capturing attention.

In this post, I’m going to break down Instagram reel hooks. I’ll explain what a hook is, how to create a strong one, and share some examples that have worked for me.

First, let me tell you a little backstory. David, and I used to have an Instagram account called @wearejdphoto. We spent almost a decade building it up to nearly 15,000 followers. Then one day, without warning, Instagram deleted our account. We tried everything—appeals, emails—but we never got it back.

One day, without warning, Instagram deleted our account. We tried everything—appeals, emails—but we never got it back.

So we started over from scratch. Our new account, @jadaanddavid, grew organically to over 50,000 followers in less than two years—without running a single ad. What changed? My mindset. I began to see Instagram as less of a place to show off my work and more of a space to build community around the things I love. I also dove deep into studying Instagram reels and developing creative hooks for every piece of content I posted.

Now, I’m sharing what I’ve learned to save you the frustration of feeling stuck when your content doesn’t hit.

I’ve put together 30 instagram reel hooks specifically for photographers that actually work—they’re free and they’ve helped me grow our account. Those 30 hooks will definitely help your instagram account grow by getting more enagagement.

But if you really want to learn to create a community on instagram and completely transform your mindset around social media a whole, you'll want to check out my eBook You Can’t Change the Algorithm, but You Can Change Your Mindset.

So, what is a hook?

An Instagram hook is the opening statement or visual element in your reel that grabs people’s attention in the first few seconds. In today’s content-saturated world, you need to capture attention fast. A good hook makes people stop scrolling and pay attention to what you’re saying or showing.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter how amazing the rest of your reel is—if the first few seconds don’t pull people in, they’re going to scroll right past it. So, let’s talk about how to create a strong hook and why it’s crucial.

Your content needs to do one of three things:

Inspire
Inform
Entertain

These are the main reasons people share content. If you want to grow your following, your content has to be shareable.

Inspire:

Show something that others aspire to do or achieve. Focus on your best attributes—something about you or what you do will inspire someone.

Inform:

Share useful tips or information that others can apply to their own lives. When people find value in what you post, they’ll save it and share it.

Entertain:

People love to laugh or be entertained. If you can make them smile, they’re more likely to share your content.

Strong Hooks in Action

Let’s break down some hook examples.

Hooks that Inform:

“I’m a photographer, but I don’t pose people—I direct them.”

This is much more intriguing than saying, “I like to direct people.”

“Unpopular opinion, but I’m not a big fan of paper backdrops.”
This grabs attention because it challenges the norm and makes people curious to find out why.

Hooks that Inspire:

“The setup vs. the shot”
“Wait for it…”
“How I turned this into that…”

These hooks work because they tease a transformation or payoff, making people want to stick around to see the end result.

Visual Hooks

In addition to a strong written hook, you also need a strong visual hook. Instagram is a visual platform, after all! Here are some effective visual hooks.

Motion:

Start with a snap and make something appear, throw something into the frame, or have a dramatic zoom. Motion catches attention.

Behind-the-Scenes:

For photographers, starting with a behind-the-scenes shot before showing the final result is always effective.

We did a shoot once where the hook was, “We built a TV that split in half for our shoot.” The visual was a dolly shot of the TV splitting in half, which immediately grabbed attention.

Add Text to Your Reels

Using text in your reels can be a great way to quickly convey your message. Start with bold, clear text that states your hook right away. It should be short enough for people to read in a second but informative enough to tell them why they should keep watching.

For example:

“Want to take more creative photos?”
“Unpopular opinion: film photos hit harder than digital.”

These types of hooks create curiosity or resonate with common struggles, making people want to see more.

Final Thoughts

If you can create content that inspires, informs, or entertains, while also using a killer hook to capture attention, you’ll see your Instagram following grow.

And if you need help with this, I’ve already put together 30 Instagram hooks for photographers that you can download for free - so save youself some time and start practicing with those to get the hang of it.

You can also snag my eBook You Can’t Change the Algorithm, but You Can Change Your Mindset if you want to dive deeper into creating shareable content.