If you’ve ever hesitated before hitting “Post” on a Reel, wondering “Will this even work?” — Instagram just dropped a feature you’re going to love.
Introducing: Trial Reels.
A smart way to test your content with non-followers before sharing it with your entire audience.
What Are Trial Reels?
Trial Reels let you experiment with new content ideas — without worrying about how your followers will react. Whether you’re trying out a new niche, storytelling format, or trend, this tool helps you get real insights into how well your Reel might perform before going all in.
If you often struggle with what type of content to test, these Instagram Reel suggestions and tweaks can help refine your strategy.
How Do They Work?
When you post a Trial Reel, it’s only shown to people who don’t follow you — not your existing audience, not your friends, not even your nosy cousin.
This gives you an unbiased performance check, helping you answer:
- Will this content resonate with new audiences?
- Is this style worth turning into a series?
And if it does perform well, you can hit “Share with Everyone” to make it public to your followers, too.
Bonus Growth Hack?
Since Trial Reels don’t go out to followers, you can even recycle your old Reels and post them again as trials, getting more value from content you’ve already created.
Instagram doesn’t seem to mind, and neither do we. More reach with less work? Yes, please.
While you’re at it, consider clearing your search suggestions to refresh your algorithm and improve Reel discovery potential.
Who Can Use Trial Reels?
As of now, any creator with at least 1,000 followers and a public account can access this feature.
IG’s Head, Adam Mosseri, confirmed that the rollout is expanding, so if you meet the criteria, check your Reels composer screen. You should see a “Trial” toggle before sharing your video.
How to Post a Trial Reel
- Create your Reel like normal.
- On the final screen (before publishing), toggle on “Trial”.
- Post it.
- It’ll show up on your profile with your drafts, but only you can see that it’s a trial.
- Your followers won’t see it in their feed or Reels tab (unless you choose to make it public later).
Note: Some followers might still stumble across it if someone shares the Reel with them directly or if it shows up in places like shared audio, location tags, or effects pages.
How Will I Know If It’s Working?
Around 24 hours after posting, Instagram will show you performance stats like:
- Views
- Likes
- Comments
- Shares
You’ll also get insights comparing your Trial Reels to previous ones, so you can track what’s working best.
If your trial is doing great, you can:
- Manually share it with everyone, or
- Let Instagram auto-publish it to your followers if it hits certain engagement levels within 72 hours.
You can change that setting anytime — you’re always in control.
Why It Matters
Instagram knows creators are often scared to post outside their usual vibe, afraid it won’t “fit” their niche or might flop. Trial Reels remove that pressure, letting you experiment, improve, and grow without risking engagement drops.
Early results show Trial Reels are helping creators reach new audiences and spark fresh ideas — and now, it’s your turn to try.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re looking to test a risky idea, repurpose an old favorite, or grow beyond your bubble, Trial Reels could be your new secret weapon.
Try it out, see what sticks — and when you’re ready, go public with confidence.
Want more Instagram tips like this?
Keep following Instacrux — your go-to for creator growth hacks that work.
