Instagram expands Trial Reels to all public creators with 1k or more followers

Instagram is expanding access to the Trial Reels feature to more creators. In an update on Threads, Adam Mosseri, Instagram head, said the tool is now available to all public accounts with at least 1,000 followers.

Trial Reels is a testing tool that lets creators privately gauge how a Reel performs with non-followers before sharing it more widely. The feature was first launched late last year to a limited number of users. Now, more creators can use Trial Reels to test and refine video content before it impacts their visible feed or audience engagement metrics.

How Trial Reels work

Trial Reels are a behind-the-scenes testing feature. When a creator uploads a Reel, they can choose to tag it as a “Trial.” Once published, the content is shown only to a random selection of users who do not follow the creator. It won’t show up on the creator’s profile or in followers’ feeds unless they manually decide to publish it later.

This setup allows creators to measure organic interest from new users. It is useful for testing different hooks, formats, or visual styles. Instagram says creators can access performance metrics roughly 24 hours after publishing a Trial Reel. The data includes standard metrics like views, likes, comments, and shares, along with comparative analytics if they’ve used Trial Reels in the past.

Mosseri noted that Instagram is considering extending the feature to public accounts with fewer followers.

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