Instagram Trial Reels: Everything You Need to Know
Instagram promised us lots of new tools for creators and brands in 2025, and they haven’t disappointed so far. Hot on the heels of Edits, the app for editing your reels, is the announcement of “Trial reels”, a new weapon in the ongoing battle of creativity vs effectiveness.
What are Instagram Trial Reels?
We know that when the time comes to share a risky Reel, we are often assailed by doubts, wondering if it will connect with our audience. That’s why Instagram has introduced trial reels.
Trial reels on Instagram are a feature that helps you measure the impact of your content before posting it to your followers.
With this tool, you can share your reels on a limited basis with people who don’t follow you to evaluate their performance. This allows you to see how they react and get a clearer idea of how your core audience might receive it. You can use this information to adjust and refine your reels to maximize their impact before launching them to your followers.
How to Get Trial Reels on Instagram: How Do They Work?
The process is very simple and similar to sharing any reels. Just follow these steps:
- Open Instagram and tap the + icon in the bottom menu.
- Select the ‘Reel’ option.
- Choose a video from your phone or tap the camera icon to record a fresh reel.
- Edit the video if necessary and tap ‘Next’.
- Tap the ‘Test’ button to activate the trial feature and send it out to non-followers.
- Analyze the performance. After 24 hours, you’ll have access to interaction metrics (views, likes, comments, and shares) to give you an idea of how it performed. Instagram also provides statistics on the different tests, so you can see which one works best.
- If the trial reel has performed well, share it with your followers; if not, tweak it and try again. There is also an option for Instagram to share it automatically if it performs well in the trial (based on views).
Source: Instagram
Do users know they are viewing a trial reel? Not at all, only you will know. When you use this feature, the content is visible like any other reel, but it is saved in your drafts so you can review and analyze it before sharing it on your profile.
Strategies to Get The Most Out of Trial Reels
Want to get the most out of this feature? Here are some practical strategies to maximize the impact of trial reels:
- Explore new ideas: Don’t be afraid to try out templates, trending sounds, or those ideas you’ve been saving for later. This is the chance you’ve been waiting for. So be bold and test and measure the results of your edgiest content ideas before sharing them with your audience.
- Try different lengths: If you’re not sure what the ideal length for your reels is, experiment with short and longer content. The metrics will tell you what your audience likes.
- Improve your message: Include a hook at the beginning of the reel, add subtitles and CTAs to see if it piques the user’s interest.
- Try different posting times: Post at different times of the day and use engagement metrics to see when you get the best results. Remember, you can find the best times to post on Instagram based on your followers’ activity with Metricool.
Advantages of Using Trial Reels
Wondering how this feature can benefit your content strategy? Here are the main benefits of using test Reels.
- Test with zero risk: Imagine you could test edgy fashion ideas in a place where nobody knows you before showing your friends. Experiment with different content ideas, formats, or styles without negatively affecting your profile. It’s the perfect opportunity to try out new ideas and see firsthand how users react.
- Data-driven decisions: Analyze what content resonates with your audience and make the right decisions with the data in hand. This way, you know what content works best before sharing it with your followers.
- Use feedback to improve your content: Test Reels allow you to make the necessary adjustments to get it right.
- Minimize errors: Another advantage is that it helps you identify errors before launching the Reel to your audience.
Analyze your Reels with Metricool
Testing your Reels is only the first step. If you want to closely monitor the evolution of your content strategy, Metricool is your best ally.
When you connect your Instagram account to our tool, you get access to detailed metrics for all your posts, not just Reels. Measure reach, interaction, impressions, engagement, etc. These indicators help you understand how your content evolves over time and whether you are achieving your goals.
Are you ready to try Instagram Reels? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
