In a bid to make the platform more attractive to short-form content creators, Instagram has introduced a new ‘Trial Reels’ feature on its platform. This feature is exclusively available to professional accounts and creators with a big audience. Trial Reels allow creators to experiment with their content by sharing it with people who don’t follow them. Let’s take a look at how Trial Reels work and how creators can use this feature on Instagram.
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In This Article
What are Trial Reels?
As the name suggests, ‘Trial Reels’ allow creators to try new ideas without having to worry about audience reception. Trial reels are shared with people who do not follow the creator on Instagram. This gives them room to experiment with ideas, themes, and genres that are not aligned with the kind of content they post. Since the audience of such content excludes their followers, creators can get unbiased user feedback. If a Reel generates healthy interactions, creators can choose to share it with their followers.
The trial reels posted by a creator do not show up on their profile. Instagram filters them from the feeds of their followers as well. However, the content isn’t completely blocked from the followers. They can always come across it if someone else shares it with them. Creators can always view the trial reels in the drafts section of their profile.
Once a trial reel has been posted, Instagram takes 24 hours to pitch it to a new audience and gather key insights. The creator can then choose to share it with their followers. There is an option to automatically share a reel with your followers after 72 hours if it puts up good numbers in the trial phase.
Here’s how you can use Trial Reels on Instagram
Step 1: Launch the Instagram app on your phone.
Step 2: Swipe right to go to the Reel creation page.
Step 3: Switch to the Reels tab.
Step 4: Record a Reel and make the necessary edits.
Step 5: Hit the Next button.
Step 6: Add background music, stickers, subtitles or other add-ons to the Reel. Hit Next.
Step 7: On the sharing page, turn on the toggle switch next to Trial.
Step 8: If you want to share the Reel with your followers after 72 hours, tap on ‘How it works’ under the Trial section and select Share to everyone automatically. If Instagram determines that the Reel is doing is well, it will be shared with your followers.
Step 9: Hit Share.
Note: If you have disabled the automatic sharing feature, you can manually share a trial reel with everyone by tapping the ‘View trial insights’ button in the Reel viewer and selecting ‘Share to everyone’.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are Trial Reels?
Trial Reels is a new feature on Instagram that allows creators to test the performance of a Reel among a wider audience before publishing it for their followers.
Where can I see my Trial Reels?
You can view your Trial Reels in the ‘Drafts and trial reels’ section in the Reels tab on your profile. This section is not visible to anyone else but you.
How do I post a Trial Reel on Instagram?
To post a reel in trial mode, turn on the toggle switch next to ‘Trial’ on the sharing page.
Can my followers view my Trial Reels?
Your followers cannot view your trial reels on their feed or on your profile. However, they may see the trial content if someone else shares it with them.
How long until I can view the metrics on my Trial Reel?
You can view the insights and metrics related to a Trial Reel 24 hours after it has been posted.
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Final Thoughts
This is how you can use the new ‘Trial Reels’ feature on Instagram. If you can’t find this feature on your app, make sure it is updated to the version. What do you think of this feature? Let us know in the comments!
