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Instagram Trial Reels
Enable trial reels setting to get free distribution to non-followers for creative testing
Why It Works
Instagram promotes trial reels to wider audience for free, similar to TikTok's algorithm, allowing creative testing without ad spend
Prerequisites
Instagram creator or professional accountQuality video content ready for testingUnderstanding of what metrics to track
How to Execute
1
Switch to creator/professional Instagram account
2
Enable trial reels in settings
3
Upload video content as reels
4
Monitor reach and engagement metrics
5
Scale best performing content to paid ads
When It Fails
When content doesn't align with Instagram's content guidelines or when trying to directly promote products instead of providing value
Real Example
“SaaS founder creates 10 different video ads for email extraction tool, uses trial reels to test which hooks and pain points resonate, then promotes winners with paid ads”