You’ve recorded your reel, and it looks fantastic! But when you post it on Instagram, something’s off—your reel doesn’t look so great in those tiny little squares on your profile grid. So, what do you do? Today, I’m going to walk you through how you can design beautiful reel covers quickly and easily right inside Canva, so your grid looks polished and cohesive.

Ready? Let’s Dive In.

Step 1: Start with the Right File Size

The first thing you’ll want to do is choose the correct file size in Canva. Go ahead and select the “Instagram Reel” template, or if you don’t see it, click the big purple “Create a Design” button and type in “Reel.” Now you’re all set to start designing!

Step 2: Perfectly Align Your Cover Design

Here’s a little trick to make sure your cover looks great on your profile grid. Head to the Elements tab and grab a square shape. Hold the shift key while you drag the square to fill out the space evenly on the canvas. Then, center it by moving the square until you see the horizontal and vertical lines appear.

Next, go to File > Settings > Show Rulers and Guides. Drag guides down to the top and bottom of your square to mark where your reel cover should be positioned, then lock the guides. Now you can delete the square, and you’re ready to design within that perfectly centered area!

Step 3: Design Your Reel Cover

Here’s where you can get creative! Whether you’re adding text, images, or graphics, keep your design within the guide area so it shows up beautifully on your profile grid. I like to double-check how everything looks by overlaying squares to mimic how it will be cropped on the grid. This trick lets you see how your design will appear in the feed, ensuring it looks good no matter where people view it.

Pro Tip: Save Time with a Template Bank
I swear by having a template bank! Anytime I need to create a new reel cover, I head to my bank of pre-made designs. They’re already sized correctly, and the fonts, colors, and aesthetic are all done. All I have to do is pop in a new photo or update the text, and boom—done in minutes.

Step 4: Preview How Your Grid Will Look

Once you’ve created your reel covers, it’s time to make sure they’ll look cohesive on your grid. I use a handy tool I created called a Grid Organizer. I upload my reel covers, play around with their order, and see how the overall grid looks. This is where you can make adjustments, ensuring no two covers are too similar next to each other. You want a good mix of photos, brand colors, and topics to keep your grid looking dynamic and engaging.

Step 5: Schedule and Organize Your Posts

Now that you’ve organized your grid, you can either schedule your posts or keep a note of the order in which you want to post in real-time. This way, your grid stays looking fabulous, and you’ve got your content flow totally under control.

Bonus: Grab Your Free Reel Cover Starter Kit!

To make your life even easier, I’ve created a free Reel Cover Starter Kit just for you. It includes:

• A work area with guides already set up.
• My personal grid organizer tool to help you plan your grid.
• 10 free reel cover templates designed by me, so you can quickly swap out fonts, colors, and images to create stunning covers for your reels!

Sign up HERE to get your kit!