What Are Trial Reels on Instagram?
As an active Reels creator on Instagram, I often find myself wondering if the content I’ve crafted will resonate with my audience.
Like many creators, I’ve wished for a way to test my ideas and gather feedback before sharing them widely. Thankfully, Instagram has introduced a feature that does exactly that: Trial Reels.
What Are Trial Reels?
Trial Reels is a feature on Instagram that lets creators share their Reels with accounts that don’t follow them. This allows creators to test new ideas and gather early feedback to see if their content resonates.
Once a trial reel is shared, it’s not visible to your followers in their Feed or your profile’s Reels tab—unless you decide to share it with everyone later.
This feature is available to creators with professional accounts, though some creators without professional accounts may also have access as part of ongoing testing by Instagram.
How to Share Trial Reels on Instagram
Using Trial Reels is simple and intuitive. Here’s how to share one:
1. Create Your Reel: Start by creating a Reel as you normally would.
2. Enable Trial Mode: Before sharing the Reel, tap the toggle to turn on the Trial feature.
3. Share the Trial Reel: Tap “Share” to publish the Reel as a trial.
Once shared as a trial, your Reel won’t appear in your profile’s Reels tab or main grid. Followers won’t see it in their Feed or Instagram’s Reels tab unless you decide to share it with everyone.
You’ll begin receiving insights on the trial reel within 24 hours, including metrics like views, likes, comments, and shares. This feedback helps you understand how your content is performing and whether it’s ready for broader distribution.
How to Share Trial Reels with Everyone Automatically
If you’re happy with the performance of your trial reel, you can easily share it with all your followers. Here’s how:
- Tap the View Trial Setting button in the Reels viewer.
- If satisfied, tap Share to Everyone.
Once shared, the reel will appear on your profile’s main grid and Reels tab, making it visible to followers in their Feed and Instagram’s Reels tab.
Why Use Trial Reels?
Trial Reels provide creators with a valuable opportunity to:
➡️ Test innovative ideas without the pressure of sharing them with their existing audience.
➡️ Gain early feedback and insights to refine their content.
➡️ Boost confidence in sharing Reels that are more likely to succeed.
However, despite the potential benefits, I noticed that Trial Reels didn’t significantly improve my engagement metrics.
While the feature is helpful for testing ideas, I realized that the timing of when I share my Reels plays a much bigger role in driving engagement.
A Better Way to Boost Engagement: Schedule Your Reels at the Best Times
To truly maximize engagement, I found that sharing Reels at the best times to post is crucial.
That’s where Circleboom Publish comes in. Circleboom Publish not only allows you to schedule your Reels but also provides insights into the best times to post based on audience activity.
Here’s how to use Circleboom Publish to schedule your Instagram Reels:
Step#1: Log into Circleboom Publish.
If you don’t have an account yet, create one right now!
Step#2: On the dashboard, navigate to the left and click on Instagram Specific & Reels Post”.
Step#3: You should choose the “Reels” option after choosing your connected Instagram account.
As you can see, you can create, post, and schedule Instagram Grid, Puzzle, Carousel and Panorama posts on Circleboom.
Step#4: Now, you should upload your video.
Then, you can add your captions and hashtags, edit your thumbnail, and the first comment for your Reels. In addition, you can choose a YouTube and Facebook account to share your videos on these platforms.
Step#5: When it is done, you can publish it immediately or schedule it later.
Alternatively, you can set time intervals and automate your Instagram Reels.
By using Circleboom Publish, you can ensure that your Reels reach your audience when they’re most active, leading to better engagement and visibility.
Final Thoughts
While Instagram’s Trial Reels feature is a great tool for experimenting with new ideas, it’s not the ultimate solution for increasing engagement.
Scheduling your Reels at the best times to post with tools like Circleboom Publish has proven to be far more effective in boosting my content’s performance.
Give it a try, and watch your engagement soar!