How to Schedule Instagram Videos with Metricool [Complete Guide]

Reels are Instagram’s magic wand when it comes to reach. One well-made Reel can reach thousands of new people outside your existing followers. And if you’re done posting them manually, this is how to schedule them in advance using a social media management platform. With Metricool, you can plan, schedule, and auto-publish Instagram Reels, Trial Reels, and feed videos – and as of May 2026, you can now add trending audio directly from the Metricool dashboard.

Things to Know Before You Start

• Account type: You need an Instagram Business or Creator account to schedule and auto-publish Instagram videos with Metricool. Personal accounts are not supported.
• Videos always publish as Reels: Instagram’s API only allows individual videos to be published as Reels, not as standard feed posts. All standalone videos scheduled through Metricool will go out as Reels. You can still include videos in carousels, as long as their aspect ratio is between 4:5 and 16:9.
• Videos in carousels: You can include videos in a carousel post alongside images. When creating a Post in Metricool, attach up to 10 images or videos in any combination. Keep each video under 60 seconds and make sure the aspect ratio is between 4:5 and 16:9. Carousels with videos over 60 seconds require manual publishing via notification.

How to Schedule Instagram Videos with Metricool

Instagram supports video across multiple formats, and Metricool lets you schedule all of them. Here’s how each one works.

How to Schedule Instagram Reels

Don’t have a Metricool account yet?

Already set up? Log in, select the profile you want to schedule content for, and head to the Planning tab.

Step 1: Create a new post

In the Planning tab, click “+ Create post” in the upper right corner, select Instagram, and choose Reel from the dropdown.

Step 2: Upload your video

Attach your Reel file. Accepted formats are MOV or MP4. For best results use a 9:16 aspect ratio to avoid cropping or blank spaces.

Step 3: Add your caption and settings

Write your caption (up to 2,200 characters), add hashtags (up to 30, though Instagram recommends 3–5 relevant ones), tag a location, mention accounts, add collaborators (up to 5), tag products, or add a video thumbnail.

Step 4: Add audio (optional; available as of May 2026)

In the “Instagram presets” section, click “Add audio” to browse and select a track:

• Use the search bar to find a specific song or sound
• Filter by type: “All”, “Music”, or “Original audio”
• Each track shows the title, artist, duration, and thumbnail
• Click the play button to preview before selecting
• Click “Save” to apply

Your Reel will publish with the selected audio already added, so you’ll save the extra steps after posting.

⚠️ Audio requires Facebook Login

This feature only works if your Instagram account is connected via Facebook. If you’re connected via Instagram Login only, you’ll see a tooltip in the audio selector instead.

Step 5: Set your date and time

Choose when you want your Reel to go live. Metricool will show you your best posting times based on past performance.

Step 6: Enable auto-publish and schedule

Make sure auto-publish is enabled, then click Schedule. Your Reel will publish automatically at the chosen time; caption, settings, and audio ready to go.

How to Schedule Trial Reels

Metricool also supports scheduling Trial Reels, Instagram’s test-before-publish format that lets you gauge how a Reel performs with non-followers before deciding whether to share it with your followers. The scheduling flow is the same as regular Reels, including audio support.

Since the launch of the new Instagram Audio API, you can add trending audio directly to your Trial Reels when scheduling in Metricool. Choose from a library of music and original sounds and preview a clip before selecting.

Note: Just like with regular Reels, the trending audio feature is only available when your Instagram account is connected via Facebook.

How to Include Videos in a Carousel Post

You can include videos alongside images in a carousel post on Instagram.

When creating a Post in Metricool, attach up to 10 images or videos in any combination. Keep each video under 60 seconds and make sure the aspect ratio is between 4:5 and 16:9.

Note: Carousels with videos over 60 seconds require manual publishing via notification.

How to Schedule Video Stories on Instagram

You can schedule video Stories from Metricool alongside photo Stories, which is useful for behind-the-scenes content, announcements, or any short-form video that doesn’t need to live permanently on your profile.

Auto-publish vs. manual publishing for Stories:

• Stories without interactive elements auto-publish at the scheduled time.
• Stories with links, mentions, or interactive stickers (polls, questions, quizzes, sliders, countdowns) require manual publishing via notification. You can’t add them through the API.

How to schedule a Story in Metricool:

1. In the Planning section, click “+Create post” and select Instagram
2. Choose Story from the dropdown
3. Upload your photo or video file
4. Configure your settings
5. Set your date and time
6. Make sure auto-publish is enabled (or disable it if you need to add interactive elements manually)
7. Click “Schedule”

Story specs:

For photo Stories:

• Format: JPEG
• File size: 8MB maximum
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended
• Color space: sRGB

For video Stories:

• Format: MOV or MP4
• File size: 100MB maximum
• Duration: 3 seconds minimum, 60 seconds maximum
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended
• Frame rate: 23–60 FPS

When You’ll Need to Publish Manually

Auto-publish handles most cases, but some content needs a human touch. Manual publishing via notification is required when:

• Your Story includes links, mentions, or interactive stickers
• Your Reel uses audio that isn’t available in Metricool’s library
• Your Reel or post needs interactive stickers added natively in Instagram
• Your post doesn’t meet the requirements for auto-publishing

It’s simpler than it sounds. When it’s time to post, Metricool sends you a push notification or email. Tap it and your media downloads to your gallery, your caption copies to your clipboard, and Instagram opens; ready for you to add the finishing touches and publish.

To get push notifications, download the Metricool app on iOS or Android and log in.

Reel Specs

Make sure your file meets these requirements before uploading:

• Format: MOV or MP4
• File size: Up to 500MB
• Duration: 3 seconds to 15 minutes
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended
• Frame rate: 23–60 FPS
• Video codec: H264, progressive scan
• Audio codec: AAC, 48kHz max
• Cover/thumbnail: Upload a custom image (recommended size 1080×1800px) or select a frame from the video

What Audio Is Available for Reels

Metricool’s audio library includes two types of content:

• Music tracks: Licensed songs from Meta’s Sound Collection, authorized for third-party publishing
• Original sounds: Audio uploaded by other creators to their own Reels

You can preview any track before adding it. Note that the selection available through Metricool may be smaller than what you see directly in the Instagram app; Metricool only shows audio that Instagram has authorized for use through external tools.

Current audio limitations:

• Web only: mobile app support is planned for a future update
• Reels only: not available for feed posts or Stories
• No audio trimming: audio always starts from second 0
• No filtering by country or music genre, but you can filter by type (Music or Original audio)

That’s everything you need to start scheduling your Instagram videos with Metricool. If you have any questions along the way, reach out, we’re happy to help.