If you’re on Instagram, you must have heard about a feature called Trial Reels!
I’ll tell you what it is!
Basically, Instagram launched this feature in late 2024 to push your content to non-followers.
When you publish a video as an Instagram Trial Reel, it is not posted on your feed but is only visible to an audience that doesn’t follow you.
This was created to enhance reach and give your content more visibility, because now, you can post different types of content for your followers and non-followers and see what works for you.
Isn’t it great?
Well, not entirely because you cannot schedule them even with a scheduler, and there are some things that you need to learn about this feature; otherwise, you might start to think it doesn’t work!
Short Summary
- Instagram Trial Reels let you test content with non-followers without posting it to your main feed.
- They help creators experiment with ideas, reach new audiences, and refine what works before sharing polished content on the feed.
- The purpose isn’t bulk posting but understanding your audience and using strong CTAs to guide viewers to your profile.
- The Dos include being authentic, explaining who you are, and staying consistent with your posting schedule.
- Don’ts include pushing Trial Reels to your main feed and expecting overnight results; growth requires testing and patience.
While I, myself, am still learning to work with this feature, I have seen some progress, which is why I’ll tell you if it’s worth it or not!
So let’s get started!
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What Is Instagram Trial Reels: Thoughts Behind It
Has it ever happened to you that you created a reel, liked it, but didn’t feel confident sharing it on your feed?
This happens all the time to me!
Your feed is your identity, your brand, and everything that goes there needs to be perfect. But perfect is not the only thing you need to post.
That’s why Trial Reels were created!
They allow you to test your content with non-followers first, and if it works, you can try to create a similar type of content for your feed.
How It Works
- You create Reel and scroll down to see this button.
Trial Reel Button on Instagram - You post it as a Trial Reel, and Instagram pushes it to non-followers.
- You can check your metrics after 24 hours to see how it performed.
Here’s a video of Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, explaining how engagement works with Trial Reels!
View this post on Instagram
Featured Article: How to Hide Following List on Instagram?
Why You Should Use Trial Reels?
You will be seeing countless creators claiming that they got overnight success with Trial Reels and will recommend posting in bulk.
It will make you think, ‘should I post 2 reels a day?’ But that is not why you should use Trial Reels.
Remember, the goal is to find your audience with this feature; posting relatable content is more important than posting multiple times a day.
The real reason why you should use the Instagram Trial Reels feature is to test your content and tell your non-followers why they should follow you.
Don’t understand how? Let me tell you!
Your Trial Reels are directly landing on your potential audience’s profiles, and you can communicate with them and tell them what you do on this account.
These can work brilliantly as your CTAs, ask them to visit your profile, check out your content, and it will automatically increase your views on your normal content.
Think of it like a way of reaching out to your customers, say anything that might interest them to check out your profile, or even better, follow you!
Featured Article: How to Become Instagram Famous?
Can I Schedule Trial Reels?
Trust me when I say this, automation makes life so much easier.
It is difficult to handle a job, life, and content creation all while being consistent. You miss one post and boom, your engagement is gone!
Yes, that’s how cruel Instagram’s algorithm is!
That is why scheduling tools like Social Champ are here!
It allows you to plan your content in bulk and schedule it for the best time to post on Instagram, making sure that your content goes live even if you’re out of the country!
However, unfortunately, Instagram Trial Reels cannot be scheduled yet!
Here’s another video by Adam Mosseri explaining why you cannot schedule Trial Reels!
View this post on Instagram
Since it has only been a year since this feature was introduced, Instagram is yet to make updates to this, and hopefully, they will soon allow third-party tools to let you schedule Trial Reels.
As of now, you need to manually post Trial Reels when you want them to go live.
But for your normal content, you can use Social Champ to schedule your Reels months in advance and even check their metrics from a single dashboard.
Post While You Sleep, Grow While You Rest!
Let Social Champ fire off your Reels at peak hours so you never miss the algorithm’s sweet spot again.
Dos and Don’ts of Instagram Trial Reels
Every feature has its dos and don’ts, and while a lot of people give suggestions based on what Instagram says you should do, here are some dos and don’ts that I have personally experimented with!
Dos of Instagram Trial Reels
Here’s what I recommend:
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Keep Your Trial Reels Real
When it comes to your feed, you can take your time to really plan every single content, but with Trial Reels, it is better to be your raw and authentic self.
Tell your audience who you are, what you do, and what you talk about on your account.
Give them reasons to follow you, and while doing that, test new content ideas and if they work, incorporate them with your content strategy.
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Be Consistent
By this, I don’t mean you should start thinking, ‘should I post 2 reels a day?’ again.
Keep a consistent schedule, whether it is one post a day or 4 posts a week. Let the algorithm see your pattern and keep that schedule so your content gets more visibility.
No matter what these new-age influencers tell you about posting high-quality content only, the reality is that this type of content requires a lot of time, and the algorithm prefers consistency.
I’m not suggesting that you post anything that comes to your mind, regardless of the quality. I mean to say that you find a balance between good quality content and consistency.
You don’t need to sacrifice one for the other!
Don’ts of Instagram Trial Reels
Here’s what you should avoid like the plague:
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Don’t Push It to Your Main Feed
I know Instagram tells you to push your Trial Reel to the main feed even if it only got 150 views, but don’t do it!
The “your Trial Reels are kicking off” notification is not reliable, so don’t fall for it.
Trial Reels work best when they are left as Trial Reels. Even if your Reel has 10k+ views, don’t publish it on the main feed; let it perform where it is.
If it is working, create a similar type of content for your main feed so it can reach your followers, but for God’s sake, leave your Trial Reels as Trial Reels!
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Don’t Expect Overnight Success
You will see a lot of influencers telling you that they went from 2000 to 20k followers with a single Trial Reel, but don’t fall for it.
What they don’t tell you is that they might be working on it for months. Trial Reels don’t just magically give you more followers; there is a long process of trial and error.
You need to find the right type of content that will motivate your potential audience to follow you.
Some of your Trial Reels will get only 100-300 views, and that’s normal.
It will gradually get better when you keep experimenting with content ideas, and the Instagram algorithm sees you trying.
So don’t get demotivated with these videos and keep doing your best.
Final Thoughts
Instagram Trial Reels is a way to get more reach and visibility, but it doesn’t work with the wrong strategy.
You need to have a good strategy and realistic expectations for this feature to work for you; otherwise, it might seem like a waste of time.
When you post Trial Reels, remember that this will be shown to your new audience, people who don’t know you, so put your best self into it!
Make them want to follow you, and I know it won’t happen initially, but as your content keeps coming their way, and if it is good, they will eventually follow you!
So keep that trial-and-error mindset intact and be patient with your Trial Reels, because sooner or later, they will work for you, just like they worked for me!
