Key Takeaways
Instagram's new Trial Reels feature lets creators receive early feedback on experimental content.
It's easy to share a trial reel. It's a simple toggle option before posting a reel.
Instagram says it listened to creator feedback for trial reels, and it is rolling out to eligible creators today and to more globally in the coming weeks.
Instagram is rolling out a new feature called Trial Reels to help creators expand their audience without alienating their current followers.
Trial reels allow Instagram creators to share a reel with people who don't follow their account first. The idea behind this is to allow creators to experiment with new ideas and get early feedback on a reel before rolling it out to their broader audience that already follows them.
"If you’ve ever wanted to experiment with new ideas without worrying about how your followers might react, trial reels are the tool you’ve been looking for. Trial reels help take the guesswork out of how your content will perform," Instagram said in a blog post. "We often hear from creators that they feel nervous about posting too much or trying out content that’s outside of their niche on Instagram, for fear of it not resonating with their followers."
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How to create a trial reel
It's a simple toggle before you go to post your reel
Trial reels on Instagram
Posting a trial reel is extremely simple. When you go to post a reel on Instagram, you'll see a toggle for the option before you post it. About 24 hours after a trial reel is posted, the creator will receive engagement metrics and can decide whether to share it with their followers. There is also a setting that lets Instagram automatically share the trial reel broadly if it's performing well. A creator can choose to share a trial reel any time with their followers.
It is still possible for a creator's followers to see a trial reel, for example, if it's shared through a direct message or story. Only when a creator shares a trial reel with their followers will it pop up on their profile's grid. If you start seeing more reels in your feed from users you don't follow, trial reels could be the reason why.
Instagram started testing this feature earlier this year and says that it "incorporated creator feedback" into the version it is rolling out widely today. If you don't see trial reels available yet, fear not. According to Instagram, it will be available globally to eligible creators "in the coming weeks."
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