Instagram is introducing what it calls ‘trial reels’, a new way for creators to experiment with content on non-followers. Trial reels will let creators try out new ideas for reels without worrying about how their followers might react to the content.
“By sharing reels to non-followers, trial reels give you the freedom to explore new formats and help take the guesswork out of how your content will perform,” Meta announced in a news post.
To get started with trial reels, create a new reel on Instagram like you would normally do. Before sharing the reel, you will see a new “Trial” option; tap on the toggle in front of the new Trial option to turn on the experiment. When you share the reels, your followers will not see it on their feeds, but you can access the reel from the drafts section of your page. The only way for your followers to see the reel is if you later decide to share it with them or someone shares it with a follower via a DM or on a page that shows reels with the same audio, location or filter.
Engagement metrics such as views, likes, comments, and shares will be available 24 hours after sharing a trial reel. This insight will let you know how your experimental content performs and whether you want to share it with your followers. You can manually share the reels with your followers or automate the process so that Instagram automatically shares them with them if they perform well within the first 72 hours.
Trial reels are starting to roll out today and “will be globally available to all eligible creators in the coming weeks.”
Images: Meta/Instagram
