Slow the Scroll: Instagram Reel Tips for Travel Agents

One of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. As a busy momma trying to cross off my never-ending to-do list, the last thing I need to pour my time and energy into something that could have been avoided. And a Reel or post flopping on Instagram is no exception.

Spending hours perfecting the hook, editing text, re-writing the captions more times than I’d like to admit, just for it to reach 01.% of my followers. Whomp whomp.

It happens to all of us, but thankfully, there are a few things you can check before you post to increase your Reach and engagement!

The Main Thing That’s Killing Your Reach (And It’s Not What You’d Guess)

The top indicator that makes the Instagram algorithm happy is watch time aka keeping people watching and reading. The longer people watch or read your content, the more that post will get suggested to other accounts.

Which means, you have to keep your skip rate low!

Skip rate is exactly what it sounds like, are people sticking around to watch your Reel, or are they gone in two seconds? If people are bailing before your content even gets going, Instagram takes that as a signal to stop showing it to new people. Harsh? A little. But once you know that, you can actually do something about it.

There are some really simple tweaks that make a big difference. And we’re going to go through all of them.

✋🏽 Write a Pause-Worthy Hook That Actually Gets People to Stop

Your hook is the first thing someone reads or hears in your Reel. And you have about 3 seconds to make someone decide to keep watching instead of scrolling to the next thing. Three. Seconds. 😲

That’s why I put together the SEE Test! A quick way to see if your hook is pause-worthy.

S = Specific Person 

Who are you talking to? Name them. “Here’s why moms of toddlers should go to Cancun for their first family vacation.” vs “why you should go to Cancun for your family vacation.” Call your person out so they feel like you’re talking directly to them.

E = Event 

Reference a specific situation, problem, destination, or type of trip. “Cruise tips for traveling with children with Autism” or “trying to book Disney on a budget” is a hundred times more interesting than “thinking about a vacation.”

E = Emotion 

Make them feel something. Intrigued, relieved, validated, inspired, a little FOMO… any of those work. Generic doesn’t create emotion. Specific does.

Here’s what this looks like in practice:

❌ “5 reasons to book an all-inclusive resort”

✅ “5 reasons why an all-inclusive resort is actually perfect for families with young kids”

See the difference? The second one is for someone. And that someone is going to stop scrolling because it feels like you wrote it just for them.

One of the easiest ways to get better at writing hooks is to use the language of your dream clients! Go on a Word Hunt! (here’s what I mean)

🎶 Use Trending Audio 

Using trending audio on your Reels helps set the tone AND makes the algorithm happy. Reels with trending audio can show up under that audio’s feed, which means non-followers can find you just by browsing a sound they love.

You can tell if an audio is trending if it has an arrow pointing up, while there’s no hard rule, I’d suggest audios with under 50,000 uses. 

The great thing is that you can add trending audio to Reels, carousels and static posts.

Take a few minutes each week to scroll through your Reels tab and save trending sounds. Your future self will thank you.

🎬 Poor Video Quality = Instant Skip (Here’s the Quick Fix)

Your Reels don’t need to be professionally shot or heavily edited. But blurry, shaky, hard-to-read content? That sends people scrolling faster than anything.

A few quick quality checks before you post:

✅ Is the video clear and in focus? 

✅ Is there good lighting (natural light by a window is honestly perfect)? 

✅ Is the video moving too fast or cutting too abruptly? 

✅ Is the contrast good enough to actually see what’s happening?

📱 The Small Text Edits That Make a Big Difference for Watch Time

The on-screen text can make or break your Reel.

If your text is tiny, hard to read, or disappears before someone can finish reading it… they skip. And we do NOT want skips.

Here’s what to focus on:

Text size and contrast: Make sure your text is big enough to read on a phone screen without zooming in, and that the color contrasts well with the background. I suggest using black and white text and when neccasary add the background to the text so that it stands out more.

Timing your text: Don’t keep people waiting. Use an app like the Edits app to time your text so it stays on screen for exactly as long as it takes to read it. Then trim the clip or bring in the next text box right after. It keeps the pacing tight and people watch the whole thing.

Text placement: Ideally, center of the Reel is your best bet. Unless it’s blocking something important visually, centering your text makes it easy to read without your audience having to search for it.

See, no crazy editing just simple best practices but they definitely make a huge difference!

⭐️ Always Tell People What to Do Next

This one gets skipped SO often, and it’s such a missed opportunity.

Every single Reel or carousel you post should end with a next step. Not because you’re being pushy, but because you want to either move people off of Instagram and into your DMs, email list, etc OR you want them to leave a comment, save, share or tag.

If you don’t tell them what to do next, most people just keep scrolling.

💡 Bonus Tip: Throw Keywords Into Your Hook and Caption

You already know SEO matters on Google. But did you know Instagram has its own SEO?

When someone searches a term on Instagram, posts with those keywords in the hook, caption, and cover photo actually show up in the results. This means your Reels can get found by people who aren’t following you and aren’t even seeing your regular content. They’re just searching “all-inclusive resorts for families” and… there you are.

Sprinkle those keywords in naturally in your hooks, cover photos and captions!

✨ The Bigger Picture

Here’s what I want you to take away from all of this: getting more reach on Instagram as a travel agent doesn’t require you to overhaul everything or post every single day.

It means being more intentional about the content you’re already creating.

Better hooks. Readable text. Trending audio. A clear next step. That’s it. These aren’t viral hacks. They’re the kind of steady, thoughtful moves that build an audience of people who actually want to book trips with you.

Because attention has always mattered in marketing, but right now? It’s everything. And the agents who figure out how to earn it (not just chase it) are the ones who grow.

If you want to learn more about Instagram Reach, here’s another post for you!

Want to Keep Getting Tips Like These?

If you’re a travel agent who’s tired of guessing at what to post and ready to actually understand what works, I’d love to invite you into Content Concierge, my monthly membership built specifically for travel agents.

Inside, you get:

✅ Weekly content prompts for Instagram and your email list

✅ Training videos on how to build a content strategy that sounds like you

✅ On-Going content support and feedback

Because at the end of the day, you’re a travel agent, not a content creator. Let me help take the weight off!