If you’re not using Instagram Trial Reels to grow your account, you’re missing out on massive reach and real follower growth.
Trial Reels are one of Instagram’s most creator-friendly updates because they let you publish Reels to non-followers first. This allows you to test content performance, understand what resonates, and expand your reach without worrying about how your current audience will react.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What Instagram Trial Reels are
- When and why they were introduced
- How to post Trial Reels step by step
- Why Trial Reels matter for creators and businesses
- How to use Trial Reels as a growth engine
What Are Instagram Trial Reels?
Instagram Trial Reels are Reels that you publish to a test audience, meaning Instagram distributes them only to people who do not follow you.
You create a Reel as usual, but instead of immediately showing it to your followers, Instagram first tests it with new audiences. If it performs well, you can then choose to share it with everyone or let Instagram automatically do so.
In short, Trial Reels let you test content with cold audiences before committing it to your main feed.
When and Why Were Instagram Trial Reels Introduced?
Instagram Trial Reels were officially introduced on December 10, 2024. Since the announcement, the feature has rolled out to creator and business accounts.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, announced the feature in a Reel explaining both its purpose and how it would work for professional accounts.
“Our hope is that this helps people feel more comfortable experimenting with new ideas without worrying how their followers might react.”
— Adam Mosseri
From Instagram’s perspective, trial reels exist to:
- Reduce the pressure around posting
- Encourage experimentation
- Help creators test new ideas
- Increase the amount of original content on the platform
But for creators and businesses, the real value goes much further.
Why Trial Reels Matter
Trial Reels are not just a creative feature. They are a growth tool because they function both as free ad space and as a built-in A/B testing environment. Here’s how they can support your Instagram growth strategy.
Experiment Without Fear
Trial Reels allow you to test:
- New content formats (storytelling, listicles, day-in-the-life, behind-the-scenes, etc.)
- New hooks
- New niches
- Different tones or personalities
Because your followers don’t see Trial Reels by default, failed experiments don’t negatively affect engagement or brand perception. You can test freely, gather insights, and learn faster.
Free Advertising to New Audiences
When you post a Trial Reel, Instagram distributes it only to non-followers. This means:
- You appear in front of people who don’t know you yet
- You get to introduce yourself and invite relevant followers into your content or brand
- You gain discovery without spending money
- Your content is evaluated on relevance and watch time, not familiarity
This works very similarly to paid advertising: cold audiences and discovery-focused distribution. The difference is that you’re not paying for impressions, clicks, or reach. And often, you’re reaching people who are genuinely aligned with your content and more likely to follow.
A Low-Risk Way to Promote Yourself or Your Brand
Because Trial Reels don’t show in your followers’ feeds, you can be more direct with your messaging.
You can:
- Clearly introduce who you are
- Explain what you do
- Test calls to action
- Promote your brand or services without worrying about over-posting
Messages like “If you like X, follow for more” or “This is what we help people with” often perform especially well with new audiences.
Growth Without Annoying Your Audience
Many creators avoid posting more frequently because they’re afraid of overwhelming their followers.
Trial Reels remove that problem entirely. You can post often, experiment aggressively, and collect performance data without affecting your main feed or your followers’ experience.
Things to Know About Trial Reels
Before posting, keep these points in mind:
- You need to have a public Professional Account (Creator or Business) with over 1000 followers to post Trial Reels
- Some followers may still see your Trial Reel in certain contexts. For example, if someone shares it with them via direct message, or if it appears on a page showing Reels with the same audio, location, or filter.
- Some creators can post up to five Trial Reels per day, while others may not see a visible limit.
- Exceeding limits may temporarily disable the feature.
The safest approach is consistent posting without sudden spikes in volume. Start posting Trial Reels, pay attention to any messages or warnings Instagram shows you, and follow those limits. If you don’t see limits, take advantage of that flexibility and post as many quality Trial Reels as you can.
Now let’s get to the nitty-gritty.
How to Post Trial Reels on Instagram
Posting a Trial Reel is almost identical to posting a regular Reel.
- Go to Instagram and start a new post
2. Upload your video, make any edits and tap on “Next”
3. Before publishing, toggle on the “Trial” option
4. In “trial settings”, choose whether you want Instagram to automatically share the Trial as a regular Reel if it performs well within the first 72 hours, or if you prefer to share it manually after the trial period
5. Finally, publish and:
- The Reel will appear on your profile next to your drafts
- Only you can see that it’s a Trial
- Followers won’t see it unless you choose to share it
But to truly benefit from Trial Reels, how you schedule, test, and analyze them matters. Manual posting and scattered workflows make experimentation inconsistent and difficult to scale.
We took the time to experiment with the tools that support Instagram Trial Reels scheduling and how they work to assess the best one for your needs.
Top Tools to Schedule Instagram Trial Reels in 2026
Publer: A full-suite social media management platform for creating, scheduling, collaborating on, and analyzing content across multiple platforms. It supports automatic Instagram Trial Reels scheduling with accurate previews, bulk scheduling, approvals, collaboration, analytics, and competitor insights—plus a complete workflow from idea to publishing.
Metricool: An analytics-focused social media management tool that supports scheduling Instagram Trial Reels and tracking performance on higher-tier plans. Strong reporting, though collaboration and flexibility may require upgrades as needs grow.
Vista Social: A social media management platform combining publishing with engagement and social listening. Supports direct Trial Reels scheduling and bulk uploads, though pricing and limits may suit larger teams more than individuals.
OneUp: A lightweight scheduling tool with support for Instagram Trial Reels and a simple publishing flow, though analytics and collaboration features remain limited compared to broader platforms.
Buffer: A scheduling tool built for simple planning and publishing. It does not auto-publish Instagram Trial Reels and relies on reminders for manual publishing.
How to Track Trial Reel Performance
Around 24 hours after posting, you can review analytics to see how the Trial Reel is performing. You can check:
- Views
- Likes
- Comments
- Shares
- Watch time
Instagram also compares each Trial Reel to your previous trials, helping you understand what’s improving over time and what types of content perform best with new audiences.
What Happens If a Trial Reel Performs Well?
If a Trial Reel performs well, you can:
- Manually share it with everyone
- Enable automatic sharing so Instagram pushes it to followers if it performs well within the first 72 hours
Once shared with everyone:
- The Reel appears on your profile grid
- It becomes eligible for distribution across all Instagram surfaces
- Followers can see it normally
How to Use Trial Reels to Empower Your Growth
We followed what top Instagram creators and experts have been sharing about Trial Reels and how they’re using them in practice. Everyone has their own take, but after reviewing patterns, experiments, and real-world results, here are the tactics that consistently help turn Trial Reels into real growth. Spoiler: it’s simpler than it sounds.
Post Trial Reels Daily
Posting more Trial Reels increases the number of tests you run. More tests mean more data, more reach, and more chances to discover what works.
Be mindful of any limits on your account regarding how many Trial Reels you can post per day. Also, avoid posting the exact same Trial Reel multiple times, as Instagram may recognize it as duplicate content.
Remembering to post every day, spacing content out properly, and staying within Instagram’s limits takes effort. This is why many creators use tools like Publer to schedule Trial Reels in advance and check their analytics in real time. That way content goes out consistently without relying on last-minute uploads.
Whichever method you choose, the goal is the same: steady testing over time, without sudden spikes that could trigger posting limits.
Repost Old Reels as Trial Reels (Carefully)
Many creators share that the Trial Reel algorithm differs from the standard Reel algorithm. Because of this, Instagram expert Brock Johnson suggests reposting old Reels as Trial Reels in his in-depth YouTube video as a way to grow without hurting engagement.
That said, other experts like Chali are seeing Instagram limit distribution when Trial Reels are too close to something they’ve posted before. Our advice is simple: test it.
Try repurposing old Reels as Trial Reels and see how they perform. If results are weak, make small adjustments to the old Reel and try again.
Test the Same Video in Multiple Ways
One of the easiest ways to multiply your content output is by editing your video before sharing.
Post the same video while changing:
- The hook
- On-screen text
- CTA
- Music
- Editing or pacing
This allows you to A/B test content organically while building a consistent posting rhythm.
Turn Old Instagram Stories or B-Roll Into Trial Reels
Story videos are often casual, spontaneous, and less polished, which makes them ideal testing material for Trial Reels.
B-roll works especially well too. Simple clips of your work, your day, or behind-the-scenes moments often perform better than expected. They feel natural, easy to watch, and relatable. It’s absolutely worth testing. Instagram growth expert Abigail Peugh highlights this approach as a key Trial Reels tactic: use B-roll of yourself doing something normal, stay authentic, and share content that feels real. When you show up naturally and speak from the heart, your audience is far more likely to connect.
Post Introduction Trial Reels
Regularly post Trial Reels that clearly explain who you are, what you share, or who your content is for, like this example from fashion and lifestyle creator Catarina Espanada.
Trial Reels are someone’s first interaction with your account, so clarity matters. Creators are posting Trial Reels that openly say things like:
“I know you’re not following me yet because this is a Trial Reel. But you should if you care about X, Y, and Z. Let’s connect.”
And yes, it works.
Share Reels Separately From Trial Reels
The urge to let Trial Reels automatically publish if they get strong reach is real. And so is the temptation to manually add a Trial Reel to your profile, hoping it might boost views, reach, or engagement.
Many experts recommend manually sharing a Trial Reel to your feed only if it performs exceptionally well, in other words, if it truly goes viral.
While the automatic sharing option can be useful if you want content to run on autopilot (Trial Reel → Reel), it’s often not the best approach for maximizing reach. In many cases, republishing the content later as a fresh Reel delivers better results than converting the Trial directly.
The reason is simple: when you convert a Trial Reel, Instagram treats it as if it were posted at the same time as the original Trial. It doesn’t appear to your audience as newly published content. As a result, it tends to receive fewer initial impressions, lower engagement, and less interaction.
If you’ve posted other content in the meantime, the converted Reel is also more likely to be buried on your profile instead of appearing as a recent post. Republishing it as a new Reel gives the content a clean slate and a stronger chance to perform well with your existing audience.
Stay Consistent
Many creators report needing 50, 100, or more Trial Reels before seeing consistent results. Trial Reels reward consistency, experimentation, and patience more than one-off viral moments.
This is where systems matter more than motivation.
Whether you’re posting manually or scheduling Trial Reels ahead of time, having a clear plan for when content goes out makes it much easier to stay consistent long enough to see results.
And hey, don’t get discouraged. If something doesn’t work out, try again. And again and again, until you find the key!
Final Thoughts
Instagram Trial Reels have changed how growth works on the platform.
They shift the focus away from follower expectations and toward a low-pressure environment to experiment, learn what resonates and grow.
In practice, Trial Reels help you:
- Test ideas without risking your main feed
- Reach new audiences without ad spend
- Understand which formats and hooks work
- Decide what content is worth scaling
They reward consistency over perfection. The creators seeing results aren’t chasing viral moments, they’re testing, learning, and adjusting over time.
Using a tool like Publer can make this easier by helping you plan Trial Reels ahead of time, stay consistent, and reuse winning content when it’s time to scale.
Instagram is giving you free discovery. The only real question is: Why not?