What’s the Difference Between a Reel and Video Post on Facebook?

And more importantly, which one is going to get you seen by the most people?

This is the question one of my Handmade Sellers Club members asked during our weekly Q&A call.

First it's important to point out that Facebook has 2 different distribution channels: one for regular video posts and lives (the news feed) and another for Reels (their answer to TikTok).

When you upload a regular video post, it's only going to pop up in the news feed. Occasionally, Facebook might throw you a curveball and transform your short video into a Reel, but don’t count on it.

Now, here's the deal with Reels: They're short, vertical videos—90 seconds or less. Built for the phone-scrolling experience.

If you post a video as a post, it lives and dies in the news feed.

If you post a Reel, you get that sweet bonus distribution in the Reels section and it can still show up in news feeds. Double exposure.

Facebook's trying to be TikTok right now. They want people to start scrolling Reels just like they scroll on TikTok.

And they’re hungry—starving, even—for content.

There aren’t as many video creators on Facebook as there are on TikTok. That means if you upload a Reel, Facebook’s got more reason to push your content to a wider audience, beyond just your followers.

So if you post a Reel and it starts to take off, it could end up in front of 5,000, 10,000, or even more new faces.

It's not just your followers who are going see it—it’s people who’ve never heard of you before.

Bottom line? If you want to grow, use Reels. Get in front of new people. Expand your reach. Facebook’s practically begging you to do it.