How to Do a Reaction Video on Instagram

Creating a reaction video is one of the smartest ways to tap into popular trends, engage a bigger audience, and show off your personality on Instagram. Done right, they feel authentic and relatable, turning passive scrollers into active followers. This guide will walk you through exactly how to make, edit, and post a compelling reaction video, from the simple, built-in methods to the more advanced techniques that give you full creative control.

So, What Exactly Is a Reaction Video & Why Do They Work?

A reaction video is pretty much what it sounds like: a video of you reacting to another piece of content. On Instagram, this usually takes the form of a Reel where your video appears alongside or superimposed on the video you're reacting to. Think of it as sharing a moment with your audience - they get to see something for the "first time" right along with you.

The magic of these videos lies in raw human emotion. They work because:

• They build connection: Sharing a laugh, a moment of shock, or even an eye-roll over another video creates a genuine connection with your viewers. It makes you relatable.
• They capitalize on curiosity: A title like "I was NOT ready for that ending" instantly makes people want to see what you're reacting to and if they'll have the same reaction.
• They leverage existing trends: Reacting to a viral video lets you "borrow" its initial momentum, exposing your content to a much broader audience searching for or engaging with that trend.

Getting Ready to Record: The Pre-Production Essentials

Before you hit record, a little bit of preparation goes a long way. Setting yourself up for success a few minutes beforehand will make the entire creation process smoother and result in a much better-looking video.

Step 1: Find the Perfect Video to React To

The video you choose is the foundation of your reaction. Look for content that will evoke a strong, genuine emotion. Great candidates include:

• Jaw-dropping or "wow" moments: Impressive skills, reveals, or transformations.
• Hilarious or absurd clips: Memes, relatable skits, or funny fails.
• Controversial or "hot takes": Videos you strongly agree or disagree with, giving you plenty to say.
• Touching or emotional content: Stories that pull on the heartstrings.
• Industry-specific content: As a marketer, you might react to a terrible ad. As a personal trainer, you might react to someone's bad gym form.

A quick note on using other people's content: always, always give credit. The best practice is to tag the original creator in your caption and, if possible, on the video itself. While reaction videos often fall under 'Fair Use', crediting the creator isn't just good internet etiquette - it can also help your video get more visibility if the original creator engages with or shares it.

Step 2: Set Up Your Shot

You don't need a professional studio, but you do need to control your environment. Pay attention to three things:

• Lighting: Face a window for soft, natural light, or use a simple ring light. Good lighting is the single most important factor in making your video look high-quality. Avoid sitting with a bright window behind you, as you'll end up as a silhouette.
• Audio: Modern smartphone microphones are quite good, but they pick up everything. Record in a quiet room to avoid distracting background noise. If you can, use a simple lavalier or external mic for crisp, clear audio.
• Background: Keep your background clean and uncluttered. You don't want your messy bedroom to pull focus from your reaction. A clean wall, a bookshelf, or a simple backdrop works perfectly.

How to Make Your Reaction Video: Three Actionable Methods

There are a few ways to create your reaction video, ranging from incredibly simple to having total professional control. Choose the method that best fits your comfort level and the time you have available.

Method 1: The Easiest Way - Use Instagram's Remix Feature

Remix is Instagram's built-in tool for creating reaction and collaboration videos. It's perfect for jumping on trends quickly without ever leaving the app.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Find an Instagram Reel you want to react to.
2. Tap the three dots (...) at the bottom-right corner of the Reel.
3. From the menu that appears, tap "Remix".
4. Now you'll choose your layout. You can select "With original video" to have your video appear side-by-side or "After original video" to have your clip play after. For reactions, the side-by-side view is usually your best bet. (Note: Older versions of Instagram may show different layout options like a picture-in-picture green screen effect).
5. You're now on the recording screen. The original video will be on one side, and your camera's view will be on the other.
6. Hit the record button and capture your genuine reaction as the original video plays.
7. Once you're done, you can add text, filters, stickers, or even a voiceover in the standard Instagram Reels editor.

Pros: Fast, easy, and automatically links back to the original video, so crediting the creator is handled for you.

Cons: You have very little editing control over the final layout, size, and timing compared to using an external app.

Method 2: Down and Dirty - The Two-Phone Method

If for some reason a video isn't available to Remix, this is an old-school workaround that still works in a pinch. You literally use one device to play the video you're reacting to and a second device to record yourself watching it.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Set up the phone or tablet that will play the video. Position it just out of your camera's frame where you can easily see it.
2. Set up the device that will record you. Frame your shot so you're looking toward the first device.
3. Press play on the first device and simultaneously hit record on the second.
4. React naturally to the video.
5. When you're finished, you'll have to use an editing app to place the video you watched next to your reaction video. This method is clunky and often leads to syncing issues, which is why the next method is superior for higher-quality results.

Method 3: Maximum Control - Use a Third-Party Editing App

This method gives you complete creative freedom and produces the most professional-looking results. It involves screen-recording or downloading the original video, recording your reaction separately, and then combining them in an editing app like CapCut, VN Video Editor, or InShot.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Get the source video. The safest way is to screen-record the video with audio on your phone. This makes it easy to capture exactly the portion you want to react to. Make sure you note the original creator's username for crediting.
2. Record your reaction. Using your phone's primary camera (which is usually higher quality than the in-app camera), film yourself watching the video you just saved. Pro tip: Before you start your actual reaction, look at the camera and clap loudly once. This sharp sound creates a spike in the audio waveform, making it much easier to sync your video with the source video in the editor.
3. Open your video editing app (CapCut is a fantastic, free choice for this).
4. Create a new project. Start by importing your reaction video (the one of you). This will be your primary video track.
5. Add the source video as an overlay. Look for a feature called "Overlay" or "Picture in Picture (PiP)". Add the screen-recorded video you're reacting to.
6. Resize and position the overlay. Drag the overlay video to position it where you want it - usually in a corner or alongside your clip. You can resize it by pinching and zooming.
7. Sync the clips! This is the most important part. Scrub through your main timeline until you see the visual spike from your clap. Find the corresponding moment at the beginning of the Overlay video's audio track. Line them up. Now, when you play it back, your reactions should perfectly match what's happening in the video. Trim the opening "clap" section from both clips once they're synced.
8. Finalize your edits. Last, add captions (critically important for watch-time!), trim any dead air, and maybe add some background music turned down to a low volume. Export your finished video in high resolution.

This method takes more effort, but your ability to control every aspect - the size, timing, and placement of both videos - is unmatched.

Tips for Making Your Reaction Video Stand Out

Making the video is just the first step. You need to package it for success to get views and engagement.

Don't Script Your Reactions: The whole point is authenticity. It's okay to have some bullet points in mind, especially if you plan on talking, but allow your spontaneous emotions to shine through. Lean into it!

Emphasize Your Emotions: You're performing for an audience. Slightly exaggerate your disbelief, laughter, or shock to make it more entertaining to watch. Nodding along silently doesn't make for an interesting video.

Write a Powerful Hook: Your first two seconds are golden. Start your video with on-screen text like "You won't believe how this ends" or "My marketing brain just broke." This creates an immediate open loop that viewers will want to see closed.

Use Smart Captions and Hashtags: Your caption should add context and ask a question to encourage comments. Use a mix of relevant hashtags, including broad ones (#reactionvideo), niche ones related to the video's topic (#marketingfails, #bakingtips), and creator-specific tags.

Final Thoughts

Whether you use Instagram's simple Remix feature for a quick take or an external video editor for a polished final product, reaction videos are a powerful tool for any creator. They're a shortcut to building community by creating shared experiences and jumping on conversations already happening online.

As you start making more video content, you'll find that planning and scheduling are just as important as the creation itself. As social media managers and marketers ourselves, we built Postbase because we desperately needed a tool that was designed for today's video-first world. Our visual calendar makes it simple to plan your entire content schedule, while our reliable, video-native scheduler ensures your carefully edited Reels go live exactly when they're supposed to, every single time.