Instagram is always rolling out new features to help creators experiment and refine their content strategy. The latest addition? Trial Reels—an innovative way to test new ideas and get early feedback before committing to a full-scale release. If you’re looking to fine-tune your Reels game and boost engagement, here’s everything you need to know about how Trial Reels work and how to make the most of them.

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What Are Trial Reels?

Trial Reels allow creators with a professional account to share Reels with Instagram users who don’t follow them, without posting them to their main profile or Feed. This feature lets you gauge how well your content resonates with new audiences and make data-driven decisions before sharing it with your followers.

Once a Trial Reel is shared, it will not appear on your profile, in your Feed, or in the Instagram Reels tab—unless you choose to publish it later. This means you can test out different creative approaches, hooks, and formats without affecting your overall feed aesthetic or engagement metrics.

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How to Share a Trial Reel on Instagram

Sharing a Trial Reel is simple:

1. Create your Reel as you normally would.
2. Before publishing, toggle on the Trial option on the share screen.
3. Tap ‘Share’ to post the Trial Reel for testing.

Within 24 hours of posting, you’ll start seeing insights that indicate how your Trial Reel is performing. This data includes engagement metrics like views, likes, comments, and shares, helping you determine whether your content is worth sharing more widely.

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Can Followers See Your Trial Reels?

For the most part, no. Trial Reels are designed to reach non-followers first. However, some of your followers may still come across them through shared DMs or Pages featuring similar audio, location, or filters.

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How to Share a Trial Reel with Everyone

If your Trial Reel is performing well, you can push it to your profile and followers at any time. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Reels Viewer and tap ‘View trial insights.’
2. Tap ‘Share to Everyone’ to publish it on your main grid and Reels tab.

The sooner you make this decision, the more likely your followers will see it in their Feeds, increasing the overall reach and engagement.

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How to Automatically Share Trial Reels with Everyone

If you don’t want to manually monitor performance, Instagram gives you the option to automatically share successful Trial Reels. Here’s how:

1. When creating a Reel, tap ‘How it works’ under the Trials toggle.
2. Toggle on ‘Share to Everyone Automatically.’
3. Tap ‘Got it’ to save your settings.

Instagram will then automatically push the Reel to your followers if it performs well (i.e., gets a high number of views) within the first 72 hours. This setting will apply to all future Trial Reels unless you choose to turn it off.

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Why Use Trial Reels?

• Test New Ideas – Trial Reels let you experiment with different content styles, formats, and storytelling techniques without committing to a full release.
• Optimise Performance – Get early feedback to refine your strategy and post only high-performing content to your audience.
• Expand Your Reach – Since Trial Reels are shown to non-followers first, you have a better chance of attracting new viewers and growing your audience.
• Improve Engagement – With data-driven insights, you can make informed decisions about what to post and maximise engagement

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How Artists Can Use Trial Reels to Grow Their Audience

For independent artists, Trial Reels offer a powerful way to attract new listeners and build a fanbase. Here’s how they can help:

• Test Different Types of Content – Whether it’s behind-the-scenes footage, live performance clips, or snippets of a new song, artists can see what resonates best before officially sharing.
• Reach Potential Fans – Because Trial Reels are pushed to non-followers first, artists have a better chance of getting their content in front of music lovers who may not have discovered them otherwise.
• Fine-Tune Marketing Strategies – Artists can test out different promo angles, visuals, or song previews and analyse which version generates the most engagement before committing to a larger campaign.
• Build Hype for New Releases – Teasing a song or music video through a Trial Reel allows artists to gauge interest and determine the best time to officially release content to their main audience.

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Final Thoughts

Trial Reels are a game-changer for Instagram creators, offering a low-risk way to test content before sharing it with the world. By taking advantage of this feature, you can refine your content strategy, boost engagement, and grow your audience with confidence.

Ready to start experimenting? Head to Instagram, create your first Trial Reel, and see what resonates best!

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