Let’s be This is why I often advise aspiring Instagram creators and social media marketers to experiment<\/em>. Try new things. Take risks. Don\u2019t ignore those wild ideas.<\/p>\n And, while this might not feel like much of a hurdle on platforms like TikTok, it\u2019s a little easier said than done as an Instagrammer. The platform is a lot more focused on a curated, aesthetic feed than others. It\u2019s also a place where followers are hard-won. Taking risks and trying new things might result in some unfollows, which is scary.<\/p>\n How do you get around that? Well, Instagram has heard our collective anxiety and rolled out a pretty neat solution: Trial Reels.<\/p>\n After playing around with this new feature for a few weeks my verdict is that they are really powerful \u2014 and super underrated.<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019ll explain exactly how to use Instagram Trial Reels (I promise, it\u2019s so much easier than you think), why you should if you\u2019re looking to grow your following on Instagram<\/a>, and give you some ideas for your own tests.<\/p>\n Think of trial reels as your content testing ground. The feature offers you a way to post a reel with a select group of non-followers, to see how they react to it. The reel won\u2019t appear in your follower\u2019s feeds, or on your Instagram profile.<\/strong><\/p>\n Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been talking about the trial reel loads in his own content and with good reason. “A great way to experiment is to use trial reels, which allow you to post a reel just to accounts that do not follow you,\u201d he said in a video on reels tips<\/a>. \u201cAnd then you can decide if it does well if you want to upgrade it to your followers and to your profile.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He added in another video about posting frequency<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201c[Trial Reels] allow you to bypass the entire connected ranking system and just go straight to the unconnected recommendations, so you don’t risk bothering people who followed you with too much content.\u201d<\/p>\n Connected ranking system<\/strong> = the algorithm that serves your content to your followers.<\/p>\n Unconnected recommendations<\/strong> = the algorithms that serve your content to non-followers in the reels and explore feeds.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s kind of like having a focus group for your Instagram Reels<\/a> \u2014 you get real-world feedback from Instagram users who don’t follow you (yet).<\/p>\n The best part: Your current followers won’t see these experimental reels<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0unless you want them to. No more worrying about flooding their feeds or straying too far from what they expect from you.<\/p>\n Trail reels are super straightforward, particularly if you regularly share Instagram Reels. Here\u2019s how to create a trial reel:<\/p>\n Share and wait for the results<\/p>\n After 24 hours, you’ll get insights into how your trial reel is performing.<\/p>\n Since the reel won\u2019t be visible on your profile, you\u2019ll need to head over to your profile > reels tab, and then tap on the \u2018Drafts and trial reels<\/strong>\u2019 card.<\/p>\n From there, tap on the trial review and then \u2018View reel insights<\/strong>.\u2019 This will give you access to a dashboard that is very similar to the insights for regular reels. You\u2019ll have metrics on:<\/p>\n If it’s hitting all the right notes, you can share it with your followers from here, too.<\/p>\n You can also set up automatic sharing. If Instagram sees your trial reel performing well within the first 72 hours, it can automatically share it with your followers.<\/p>\n Two important things to keep in mind about Instagram Trial Reels:<\/p>\n \u26a1<\/p>\n Instagram Trial Reels offer you a way to test all sorts of things \u2014 hooks, music, editing style, subject matter, frequency, you name it.<\/p>\n And, since they\u2019re only shown to non-followers, they can be an important tool in helping you figure out what is actually going to grow your account.<\/strong><\/p>\n As I touched on above, I\u2019ve been playing around with Instagram Trial Reels for a few weeks, and the experimentation has helped me make some informed decisions about my content plan moving forward.<\/p>\n This is huge \u2014 I wouldn\u2019t advise just sharing every reel as a trial reel first without really understanding what you\u2019re testing<\/em>.<\/p>\n I made that mistake with my first trial reel \u2014\u00a0it was just a video that I had planned and edited in my usual style. I created the trial without really knowing what I wanted to experiment with.<\/p>\n The content performed as expected, with a similar amount of reach and engagement to my regular reels, and \u2014 surprise, surprise \u2014 I didn\u2019t learn anything. (With this in mind, I can see why some commenters on Adam Mosseri\u2019s posts about trial reels label them as \u201cpointless.\u201d)<\/p>\nreel<\/s> real: no matter how well-thought-out your Instagram strategy is, you can never predict exactly<\/em> how it\u2019s going to perform. Your followers (and potential followers) are human, after all, and there is so much nuance in the way folks behave online.<\/p>\nWhat are Instagram Trial Reels?<\/h2>\n
How do Instagram Trial Reels work?<\/h2>\n
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Why Instagram Trial Reels are worth trying<\/h2>\n
The benefits of trial reels:<\/h3>\n
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3 tips for using Instagram Trial Reels<\/h2>\n
1. Have a clear question you want an answer to<\/h3>\n