Instagram Launches "Trial Reels" — It's a Game Changer, Said One Creator

If you’ve ever wanted to soft launch a Reel and get feedback before sharing more widely with your followers, Instagram’s new feature is about to make that easier.

Instagram just launched Trial Reels, described as “a new way for creators to try out content and see what performs best by giving them the option to share reels with people who don’t follow them. If a creator likes how their content is performing, they can share it to their followers ...”

“It’s a great way to take the pressure off that creators might sometimes feel to stick to their niche,” shared food creator Giuseppe (@sepps) Federici. “ I’ve had some videos get millions of views simply from the trial reel only, and I like that I have the option to release it to my audience at a later date, so if I do want to share it with them at some point, I can.”

The Meta-owned app has hinted at something like this in April. Now, it’s making Trial Reels globally available to all eligible creators in the coming weeks.

Owen Holt, a lifestyle and entertainment creator, has been testing the feature for a couple of months and says the feature has been a game changer for new follower growth and increased engagement:

“The follower growth has absolutely been incredible… I started Trial Reels at about 300,000 followers on Instagram. And in the last two months, I'm almost at 800,000 followers.”

“I started Trial Reels at about 300,000 followers on Instagram. And in the last two months, I'm almost at 800,000 followers” -Owen Holt

He’s published about 100 Reels using the new Trial feature and prioritizes watch time as a metric for success, “because that is how I understand my audience is watching till the very end... Views and comments come in second. I don't normally look at Likes too much.”

Reactions from the new audience can be mixed. “Sometimes the comments are just the exact target audience I was definitely looking for. Other times, I get mixed reactions like, ‘Who is this guy?’” he explained.

Holt has also noticed a pattern he thinks is intentional. “I've definitely seen people be like, ‘I've seen this guy now multiple times. I'm hitting follow.’ I'll take it. Keep pushing out my stuff to the same people and new people. I think that's great for me. It's a win-win.”

Trial Reels 101

When would you use Trial Reels: If you’re not sure how a video will be received, if you’re shifting niches and want a gut check on how your content might perform, or you want to try new storytelling formats and content ideas.

Who has access to Trial Reels: At this time, Trial Reels are available to those who have a professional account, said a Meta spokesperson.

How do Trial Reels work: Trial Reels will be shown to non-followers first. If you feel good about a Trial Reel and how it’s performing, you can then choose to share it with your followers or decide to set it up so that it’s shared automatically.

What is the automatic sharing option: If Instagram determines your Reel is performing well based on the views it receives within the first 72 hours, they’ll push it out to your followers as well.

There is no set number of views for automated sharing since this varies from creator to creator.

A Meta spokesperson told me they determine whether content is performing well through a number of factors, “such as the ratio of how many views it’s received and the number of followers that a creator has. We’ll continue to improve the auto-graduation experience based on the feedback we hear from creators. For creators who choose to graduate Trial Reels manually, we recommend they also look at likes and send per reach to help determine performance.”

Do Trial Reels affect monetization (like Reels bonuses or partnerships)? No, according to a Meta spokesperson. “Trial Reels should be eligible and count towards bonuses.” Nor will it have any impact on partnership posts and analytics.

How to share Trial Reels on Instagram

To share a Reel as a trial, you’ll take the usual steps to create a Reel. Before sharing, tap the toggle to turn on ‘Trial’. After sharing your Trial Reel, you can find it by visiting your profile where it will appear alongside any drafts you have.

Only you will be able to see that your Reel is a trial. It will not be shown to other people on your profile’s main grid or Reels tab unless you later decide to share it with everyone.

Approximately 24 hours after you share a Trial Reel, you can view key engagement metrics in the Reels viewer – including views, likes, comments and shares – to get a sense of how it's performing.

Instagram will also share insights, such as how the trial is performing compared to previous trials you’ve shared.

If your trial Reel is performing well, you can choose to ‘share with everyone’ or you can choose to have Instagram automatically share your trial with followers if the algorithm determines it’s performing well based on the views it receives within the first 72 hours.

You can change this setting at any time.

Once shared with everyone, the Reel will live on your profile grid and is eligible to be distributed to followers on all Instagram surfaces.

Thanks for reading, see you Friday!