How to Post Instagram Trial Reels

Test your Reels with non-followers first before sharing with your full audience

2 min readUpdated 3 months ago

What Are Trial Reels?

Trial Reels are an Instagram feature that lets you post a Reel that is only shown to non-followers first. This is a great way to test new content ideas without risking your existing audience seeing something that doesn't land well.

If the Reel performs well with non-followers, you can then choose to graduate it — making it visible to your full audience from the Instagram app.

Requirements

  • Your Instagram account must be a Business or Creator account
  • You need 1,000+ followers on Instagram (this is an Instagram API requirement)
  • Trial Reels only work with Reels — not feed posts or stories

How to Post a Trial Reel

  1. Go to Create New Post in the sidebar
  2. Upload a video file
  3. Select Instagram as your platform
  4. Click the 🎬 Reel format button (instead of Feed or Story)
  5. Check the Trial Reel checkbox that appears below the format selector
  6. Write your caption and add any hashtags
  7. In the publishing panel on the right, click Publish or toggle to Schedule and pick a time

What Happens After Posting

Once your Trial Reel is published:

  • It will only be shown to people who don't follow you
  • It will not appear on your profile grid for your followers
  • You can monitor its performance in the Instagram app

Graduating a Trial Reel

When you're ready to share the Reel with your full audience:

  1. Open the Instagram app on your phone
  2. Go to your Profile and find the Trial Reel
  3. Tap the three dots menu on the Reel
  4. Select Share with everyone (or similar graduation option)

The Reel will then become visible to all your followers and appear on your profile grid like a regular Reel.

Tips

  • Test new content styles: Use Trial Reels when you're trying something different — a new format, tone, or topic
  • Low risk: If the Reel doesn't perform well, it only reached non-followers, so your core audience never sees it
  • Schedule trial reels: You can schedule Trial Reels for later just like regular posts
  • Combine with custom covers: You can also add a custom cover image to your Trial Reel

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