Tired of second-guessing your Reels content? Instagram is rolling out a new feature for creators called Trial Reels. This allows you to test new content by posting Reels to non-followers first. Then, based on the response you receive, you can publish it for your followers. This allows creators to experiment with content without the fear of being unfollowed or receiving negative feedback.
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What are IG Trial Reels?
Instagram began testing Trial Reels in May 2024 and is finally rolling it out now. Meta’s press release mentions that creators often feel nervous about posting too much or trying content outside their niche on Instagram. Why? They fear the content will not resonate with their followers.
Therefore, when creators post Reels using the Trial Reels feature, the video will be shown to non-followers first. If you’re happy with a trial Reel and its performance, you can share it with your followers with one tap. You can also set it up to be automatically shared with your followers after the trial period if it performs well.
To use this feature, you must have a professional account. However, select creators without a professional account may have access to Trial Reels as part of ongoing testing, according to Instagram’s support page.
How to Post Trial Reels on Instagram
To post a trial Reel, follow the usual steps for posting a Reel:
- Create a reel. Follow the steps until it’s time to share.
- Before sharing the reel, tap the toggle to turn on Trial.
- Tap Share.
Viewing Your Trial Reel
You’ll be able to view your trial Reel alongside other drafts in the Reels tab of your profile page. Only you can see that it’s a trial Reel; it won’t appear on your followers’ feeds, the Reels tab, or in recommendations. They also can’t see it on your profile unless you later decide to share it with everyone.
About 24 hours after you post a trial Reel, Instagram will show you engagement stats like views, likes, comments, and shares. This will give you an idea of its performance. It will also share insights on how this trial is performing compared to previous trials you’ve shared.
Sharing Your Trial Reel with Your Followers
After the 24-hour trial period, if your Reel is doing well, you can share it with everyone in one click:
- Tap the Trial Reel · View Insights button at the bottom.
- Choose Share to everyone.
- Your followers can then see the video and increase its reach.
You Can Also Automate This Process
Instagram lets you automatically share the Reel to everyone if it performs well. Once enabled, this feature automatically determines if your Reel is performing well based on the views in the first 72 hours of posting and then makes it available to your followers.
Here’s how to turn on automatic sharing:
- Create a Reel. On the publish screen, tap How it works under the Trials toggle.
- Tap to toggle on Share to everyone automatically.
- Tap Got it to save changes.
Instagram’s new Trial Reels feature is a boon for creators, especially those just starting out. It helps them experiment without hesitation, post new videos without worrying about immediate feedback, and then decide whether to share them with everyone or not. This freedom to explore and refine content will not only benefit creators but also make Instagram a better platform overall.
