# Turn a long video into an Instagram Reel with a strong hook

> In Tella, open your video and ask the Tella Agent to make an Instagram Reel, or run the tella-short skill. Say the length, section and hook you want. The agent picks the strongest 15 to 60 seconds and shows a plan with the hook. Once you approve, it builds a 1080×1920 copy with captions.

Page: https://www.tella.com/agent/instagram-reels-editing-prompts · Part of Tella Agent (https://www.tella.com/agent)

## What prompt should I give an AI to turn my video into an Instagram Reel with a strong hook?

In Tella, open your video and ask the [Tella Agent](https://www.tella.com/agent) to make an Instagram Reel, or run the tella-short skill. Say the length, section and hook you want. The agent picks the strongest 15 to 60 seconds and shows a plan with the hook. Once you approve, it builds a 1080×1920 copy with captions.

## Prompt to start from

```text
Make an Instagram Reel from this video. Pick the strongest 30 to 45 seconds and open on the most surprising line in the first two seconds. Show me the plan with the hook before you edit. Use single-word captions.
```

## More prompts

### Podcast or interview

```text
From this 50-minute podcast, find where my guest disagrees with a common belief about remote hiring. Make a Reel of up to 60 seconds that opens on that answer's strongest sentence. Cut filler words and long pauses.
```

### Fitness coach

```text
Turn the squat form section, about 12:00 to 16:30, into a 30-second Reel. Open with the mistake most beginners make, then the fix. Use a full camera layout and larger captions for reading on a phone.
```

## How to do it in Tella

1. Open your long video in the Tella editor and open the Tella Agent chat.
2. Ask for a Reel with length, section and hook, or type / for tella-short.
3. Review the plan and hook, then approve it or ask for changes.
4. Check the copy with the Instagram Reels social safe zone turned on.

## Good to know

- Needs a paid plan or the 7-day trial. Messages use your workspace's credits.
- The agent edits a trimmed copy. Your original video is never changed.
- To point the agent at a section, select words in the transcript and click Add to chat.
- You can change caption size, position and style yourself in [Subs → Edit style](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/style-subtitles).

## Questions people ask

### How do I make sure my Reel captions aren't covered by Instagram's buttons?

In the Tella editor, turn on Social safe zones under Setup or Layout → Adjust and pick Instagram Reels. The overlay shows where Instagram's buttons and usernames sit. It is never exported.

### Can I save my Reel editing steps so my team uses the same ones?

Yes. After the Tella Agent finishes a multi-step edit, click Save as skill. Drag it into the Workspace group, and anyone in your Tella workspace can run it by typing /.

### Can Claude or ChatGPT turn my Tella video into a vertical Reel?

Yes. An AI app connected to Tella's [MCP server](https://www.tella.com/mcp) can duplicate a video with a start and end time, then set the canvas to 1080×1920. The plan-first tella-short flow runs in the Tella Agent inside the editor.

## Related

- [Show captions one word at a time](https://www.tella.com/agent/one-word-at-a-time-captions.md): Captions that show only the spoken word.
- [Save an edit once, then run it on every video](https://www.tella.com/agent/video-editing-skills.md): Save an edit once and run it on every video.
- [Cut retakes and false starts from your video](https://www.tella.com/agent/remove-mistakes.md): Cut retakes and false starts, one approval at a time.
- [Make a Short, Reel or TikTok](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/edit-with-the-tella-agent#make-a-short-reel-or-tiktok)
- [Preview social safe zones](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/social-safe-zones)
- [Show one word at a time in captions](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/show-one-word-at-a-time-in-captions)
- [All of Tella's AI features](https://www.tella.com/ai.md)