What to Know About Instagram Trial Reels

Instagram just rolled out Trial Reels, a new feature designed to give creators the freedom to test fresh ideas with an audience beyond your followers. Think of it as a safe space to experiment without the pressure of sharing directly with your core audience.

Here’s how it works: if you’ve been curious about trying out new content styles or stepping outside your niche, Trial Reels lets you share your experiments with non-followers first. If the Reel gains traction and you’re happy with its performance, you can choose to share it with your followers. You can also set it up so that high-performing Trial Reels automatically go live to your audience once the trial period ends.

After 24 hours, you’ll unlock detailed engagement insights, including views, likes, comments, and shares. You’ll also get performance comparisons to other Trial Reels, helping you fine-tune your content strategy like a pro.

And don’t worry—Trial Reels won’t appear on your profile grid or Reels tab unless you decided to publish them. That means you stay in full control of what makes the cut! Trial Reels are already rolling out globally and will be available to all eligible creators soon.

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