Instagram has announced that creators will now be able to schedule Trial Reels, giving them more control over when their content reaches non-followers. The update builds on the Trial Reels feature the platform launched in December 2024, which allowed creators to share Reels exclusively with users who do not follow them to test new ideas and gather feedback outside their existing audience.
Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri explained the update in a video post. He said a user had asked back in November why Trial Reels could not be scheduled, and the team built it. Creators using Trial Reels share content only with people who do not follow them. If the Reel performs well, they have the option to upgrade it so it appears on their profile and reaches their followers. The scheduling addition means creators now have the ability to set the exact time their Trial Reels go live for non-followers.
The feature has already shown strong results since its original launch. Instagram reported in June 2025 that 40% of creators who used Trial Reels ended up posting more often as a result. The feature also drove an 80% increase in Reels reach among non-followers. These numbers suggest the ability to test content in a low-risk environment gives creators the confidence to experiment more frequently.
Scheduling adds a practical layer to this process. Creators targeting audiences in different time zones will now be able to align their Trial Reels with peak engagement windows in those regions. Instagram’s built-in insights already show creators when their audience is most active. Scheduling Trial Reels to match those windows gives creators a better shot at strong initial performance, which feeds directly into how the algorithm distributes the content further.
Some creators have also used Trial Reels as a growth strategy. By sharing content exclusively with non-followers, they expose their work to entirely new audiences without it appearing on their profile or in their followers’ feeds. This approach allows them to re-post older, high-performing content as Trial Reels to attract new viewers. Adding scheduling to this workflow makes it easier to run these experiments consistently without needing to be online at the optimal posting time.
The update is rolling out to all creators with access to Trial Reels. Instagram has not announced any changes to how Trial Reels are evaluated or upgraded to full posts.
