[00:00] Reels are still the fastest way to reach people on Instagram in 2026, but the only thing that changes faster than Canva is the Instagram algorithm. reel styles entirely inside Canva in just a few minutes.
[00:15] No awkward filming required unless you really want
[00:29] because it's shapes why I chose these particular styles of reels. Instagram now rewards original content more so reels built from scratch, like the ones that we're creating today, get pushed to a new audience
[00:44] far more readily than recycled clips and saves, and shares now carry way more weight than likes, which means the tip based, educational, and really relatable content is performing well right now.
[00:58] And conveniently, that's exactly what these three styles are built for. that I've covered before, and it still works incredibly well. It's just a softened stock video or B-roll that plays in the background,
[01:14] and your key points appear on screen one by one as text. The focus is on emotion and on good narrative content. Instagram reel template in Canva, and next we choose our background video.
[01:30] when you go to the videos tab and search, you can also filter by orientation. So choose vertical and you can also filter by color palette, which makes it easy to find the right video for you so much faster.
[01:43] I would pick something with gentle movement so flowing water, someone walking a blurry coffee shop background, or maybe a softly lit workspace. Whatever fits your particular niche or the story that you're telling and
[01:56] And of course, if you do have your own B-roll, Honestly, it doesn't even matter if it's any good, just a mobile video of you writing in a notebook or working at your computer will work
[02:10] Relatable is really the most important criteria. Now, once your video is in the base layer on your timeline, click on it. We want to soften this quite a bit so the text can clearly be seen over it.
[02:25] But you could of course flip that and go super light and airy with dark text. So for me, I'm going to drop the contrast almost all the way down and bring the brightness down a bit to.
[02:40] This just keeps color in the video and keeps the feel of it, but softens the harsh light and dark contrast that sometimes makes text a bit hard to read. Or another option you have is you could add a rectangle to the canvas,
[02:53] and then drag it in the timeline to cover the whole video length. Then just adjust the transparency so the video is still visible, but filtered behind that brand color that you fill the rectangle with.
[03:07] of customization over the look and feel, and it's easy to control the transparency. This is obviously your hook, so make it specific and strong and instantly relatable.
[03:21] so it fills roughly a third of the canvas and then go to animate. So for a heading, a fade or a typewriter animation is simple but works really well.
[03:34] Just after that heading in the timeline, just place your playhead there, hit T on your keyboard to add a text box and then paste your copy in.
[03:46] before you start editing really makes it so much quicker. a lot in my Canva OS course, because it's so key to a smooth process.
[04:00] Again, you could add an animation and make sure the timing is offset. is that this text only starts appearing after the previous one has receded.
[04:12] Give a short pause before the next point comes in. through all of your text sections or your points like this. Keeping animation simple and consistent throughout.
[04:25] works brilliantly for storytelling and thought pieces. So something like have you struggled with this? Share your tips in the comments or share this with someone who can relate.
[04:39] And maybe a simple animated arrow or an icon to pump the action for this kind of real, gentle music that just acts as a kind of background and maybe adds a bit of emotion to the story is really perfect.
[04:52] that there are always loads of really great trending audio tracks available that you could then use to help please the algorithm gods. And once we've added our music, we already to share.
[05:44] we're going to do is actually getting a huge amount of traction right now. And the reason is that it's clean, it's really clear, and it's designed to be saved, which is obviously brilliant for the algorithm.
[05:57] And ironically, by using really simple plain colored backgrounds and text, it makes it stand out in a feed that's full of B-roll. The idea is that you essentially build 4 or 5 strong typographic slides inside
[06:12] a Canva reel, each one with one tip or idea, and then we connect them one into the other as a cohesive video, a video carousel, if you will.
[06:25] And for this style, we're not using a video background, we're just going with a solid color or maybe a simple gradient. So add a blank background and change the color to one of your brand colors.
[06:39] Big bold text the kind of statement that makes someone stop Adjust the timing so that your text is on screen long enough to read.
[06:53] Or if you really want to play the social media game, you could make it just short they pose it. It's a sneaky little trick, but it does help to boost watch time.
[07:06] Now add a simple animation if you want to add a little bit of interest to that, then we're going to use the split tool to cut the base track.
[07:18] After that first text box, change the background of the base color to another of your brand colors and add your next tip or sentence, As we did before, keep each one short and simple.
[07:32] A quick way to do this is to just duplicate the text box and then just move it along the timeline and adjust what's in it. Add a slide number at the bottom, something
[07:48] It's a tiny detail, but it actually encourages people to keep watching a bit like it does on an Instagram carousel post.
[08:01] Now click on your first background section and then hit the transitions button that you use something like a stack or flow animation or transition.
[08:13] It's that consistency If you want to add a little interest, you could add a subtle watermark of your logo, or maybe a graphic element
[08:27] to highlight something in the content and tie in with your brand style, but the type should stay the focus in this format. Now, personally, I would try and adjust the transitions to
[08:42] it's in your timeline, and then use the Beat Sync tool to do this for you. But ultimately we want something that makes a strong statement
[08:56] literally with huge text and really simple motional animation.
[09:14] Yeah, yeah.
[09:30] Now before we look at a style that a lot of people predicted would be big this year and actually was already being used a lot last year. using Canva with confidence and less overwhelm,
[09:44] I've just finished a complete revamp of my Canva course called Canva OS. Everything has been fully rerecorded and updated with new video content, new demos, supporting materials, but it still focuses on helping
[09:58] you build a way of working inside Canva so that creating content feels calm and in control, rather than like you're starting from scratch every time. This updated version, which is lovingly referred to as Canva OS 3.0,
[10:12] is officially launched in April with some really great new bonuses too. So if you want to feel genuinely confident using Canva like a pro, or in the description below, and you can get on the waitlist now
[10:26] so that you're the first to know when our early bird pricing goes live. So Canva flagged the style in their 2026 design trends and they're calling it notes app Chic.
[10:39] The idea is deliberately handcrafted paper textures, slightly imperfect like you threw them together in your scrapbook or in your notes app.
[10:52] And the irony is that Canva has everything inside to do just this, so you don't even need to crack out the scissors or the glitter pen. Go to elements and search for paper texture, and then drop
[11:08] one of those onto your canvas and lower the transparency. Alternatively, you could search the video library with the same terms and use But just make sure again that you adjust the transparency so it's not distracting.
[11:27] For fonts, you want a really handmade vibe, Honestly, there are so many to choose from, you just want to make sure that it feels personal and slightly imperfect.
[11:41] But make sure that it's always easy to read Or you could just keep it simple with a classic sensor, a font, or a retro LED font.
[11:53] just adding your content like we did in the other examples. one after each other, and then once we've got the main content
[12:07] Now what really makes the style work is the decoration. So search the library for things like paper cutouts You'll find elements that look like torn or cut or crumpled pieces of paper.
[12:25] Use these as containers or frames or embellishments for your text It gives the whole real a really layered, collaged look. nothing distracts from the content itself, because that's where the value is.
[12:41] And this is where you can refine this style for your own brand. So you could go for a very soft, feminine scrapbook feel, or a very retro feel, or a very modern brutalist feel.
[12:53] For animations on this, don't use too many different The analog vibe means that less is really more, so something like
[13:07] the sketch or brush animation works really well for a handmade feel. because that's exactly what the vibe that it was built for. I would look for lo fi beats, maybe something acoustic or even tracks.
[13:24] The whole real should feel like a human made it, not a brand. And that's really the point, because in a feed that's now full of super slick content and lots of adverts, something approachable
[13:38] and real and a little handcrafted is what stops the scroll.
[14:14] you've built the first version of each, you can duplicate that file, swap in some new content, and you could batch five reels like this This is the kind of thing that we talk about a lot inside
[14:29] Canva OS, creating a workflow for content creation It becomes more of a system that's easy to replicate. please do make sure that you subscribe to the channel,
[14:43] because I would love to be able to keep creating content like this for you. And of course, don't forget to join the Canva OS 3.0 waitlist. And remember,
[14:56] no matter what the news feed seems to tell us. Have a good one.