Reels now account for roughly a third to 40% of Meta impressions, and the platform actively rewards content built for the format. A little planning before you hit record makes the difference between footage we can use and footage that sits unused.
Shoot Vertical (9:16)
Vertical is the default for Reels and the format Meta's delivery system prefers.
Meta favors native vertical content. A horizontal clip squeezed into a vertical frame reads as repurposed and gets shown to fewer people.
Vertical generates 25 to 30% higher engagement on mobile, since most viewers never rotate their phone.
It fills the screen with no black bars, so nothing competes for attention.
Two things to watch: framing is tighter, so wide shots may lose something at the edges, and text or logos need to stay in the safe zone. Meta's buttons and captions cover roughly the top 14% and bottom 35% of the frame.
Specs for whoever is filming: 1080x1920 minimum, MP4 or MOV, H.264 codec.
When Horizontal (16:9) Makes Sense
Horizontal is the better choice for longer sit-down content: patient education explainers, a full office tour, a YouTube upload, or something playing on your waiting room screen.
On Reels, though, horizontal footage gets letterboxed or cropped, looks out of place next to native vertical content, and is treated as a lower quality signal. It may look fine on upload and still quietly underperform.
Rule of thumb: shoot vertical first for anything headed to Reels or Stories. If you also want a horizontal version, it's easier to shoot slightly wider than 9:16 and crop down than to force horizontal footage into a vertical frame later.
Keep It Short
Aim for 15 to 30 seconds, with 60 seconds as the outside limit.
Completion rate is one of the strongest signals Meta uses to decide whether to keep showing your video to new people. A three minute video people abandon at 20 seconds will reach fewer viewers than a 25 second video they finish. If you have a longer story to tell, two or three short Reels usually work better than one long one.
Best Practices
Hook viewers in the first 1 to 3 seconds. A question, a bold claim, or immediate motion.
Design for sound off, but caption everything. Most people scroll with sound off, though Reels sees higher audio-on viewership than Feed.
Native beats polished. Casual clips of your staff talking to camera consistently outperform slick commercial-style ads here.
Post consistently. Reels rewards a steady cadence more than one great video.
Content Ideas
Quick "did you know" oral health tips
Patient testimonials, with consent and compliance sign-off
Meet-the-team introductions
Before and after transformations, where your state board allows
Myth-busting, such as "Does whitening damage enamel?"
What to Send Us
Send vertical clips under 60 seconds whenever possible. If you have longer footage you're proud of, let us know. We can often pull the strongest 30 seconds from it, or talk through whether it belongs on your website or YouTube channel instead.
We hope this insight is helpful.