Instagram Reels Templates: Talk to the Creator Before Picking the Format
Milan Freeman, influencer marketing consultant with brand-side experience at Curology and Fenty Skin, breaks down exactly how to choose the right Instagram deliverables for any creator partnership. Her core argument is that brands routinely skip the most important step: actually talking to the creator. Freeman points out that what a marketer observes from the outside can differ significantly from what a creator sees in their own analytics, and creators who have built an audience over years simply know that audience better.
She also draws a useful distinction between three deliverable types, IG Stories, static posts, and Reels, and notes that each has meaningful sub-layers. Some creators thrive with high-clickthrough Stories built around product recommendations, while others rarely post Stories at all. Even within Reels, some creators excel at direct-to-camera reviews while others perform best with silent product swatches or music-driven content.
Watch to see how Freeman recommends structuring that creator consultation before you ever finalize deliverables.
