Instagram introduces Trial Reels, a new way for creators to share content with non-followers

When you share a Trial Reel on Instagram, your followers won’t see it in Feed nor will it be visible in the Reels tab or main grid, unless you choose the ‘Share to everyone’ option. Instagram says that users will see insights on their Trial Reel within 24 hours after sharing to see how it is performing.

On a support page, Meta also noted that “some followers may still see your reel in other places” like if you share the reel with them in direct messages (DMs) or on pages that have the same audio, location or filter as your reels.

The company says Trial Reels may take longer to gain views as it will be “finding non-followers who will enjoy the content.” However, since they are not treated as part of Instagram’s ranking system, they won’t impact the performance of your normal reel content.

Here’s what the new option looks like. (Image Source: Instagram)

How to share Trial Reels on Instagram?

To share a trial reel on Instagram, create a reel and before you share the reel, turn on the toggle named “Trial” and proceed to tap on the Share button. If you think it performed well and want to share it with everyone, tap on the ‘View trial insights’ button in the reel viewer and choose the ‘Share to everyone’ option.

In case you want Instagram to automatically share your trial reels with followers, create a reel and on the publish screen, tap on “the How it works” option which appears under the Trials toggle.

Now, enable the toggle named “Share to everyone automatically” and proceed to click on “Got it” to save your preference. It should be noted that these settings will apply to all your trial reels unless you manually revert them.