Let’s explore what trial reels are, how they’ve changed, and how you can use them to grow on Instagram in 2026.

Trial reels were introduced on Instagram in December 2024, and much has changed since then. In fact, it was only recently that Adam Mosseri announced new rules for trial reels, which will significantly change some creators’ strategies. So, given these latest updates, let’s talk about trial reels.

In this guide, I’m going to talk about what trial reels are, how they’ve changed in the last couple of months, and how you can continue to use them to grow on Instagram in 2026. Without further ado, let’s jump right in. 

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What are Trial Reels?

As I mentioned above, trial reels are a feature added to Instagram back in December 2024. They are a way for you to test content with people who aren’t following you.

Trial reels are not shown to anyone who currently follows you. This means you can test and play with new content types without fear of your current audience seeing them. Instagram wanted to give creators a way to trial new ideas and content types that they wouldn’t otherwise share.

Instagram said in their December 2024 update that, “If you’ve ever found yourself wanting to experiment with new ideas without the worry of how your followers might react, trial reels give you the freedom to take your creativity even further while helping to take the guesswork out of how your content could perform.”

Over the last year, creators have used trial reels for this purpose. But, marketers have also realized that they’re basically a free, unlimited way to reach as many new people as possible. So, the advice around trial reels quickly became to post as much as possible. Coaches and marketers were telling creators to take advantage of this free way to reach as many people who weren’t following them as possible.

As people started using trial reels more, Instagram began making changes to the feature.

Who can post trial reels?

At the time of this post, you need at least 1,000 followers to start posting trial reels. However, that’s currently the only requirement.

The Biggest Changes to Trial Reels in 2026

As with any new feature, there will be changes as platforms see how it is being used and receive feedback from creators.

Daily Posting Limits

The first change that Instagram made to trial reels was around how many you could post. When they first released this feature, you could post an unlimited number of trial reels every single day, but now they’ve put limits in place.

​For most creators, this limit is 5 trial reels per day. (I say ‘for most creators’ here because some creators apparently don’t have this limit.) To be safe, you can assume that you’re allowed to post 5 trial reels per day. It’s important to stick to this limit. If you go over the limit, you can be banned from posting any trial reels for 30 days.

​That was the first change that they made. The most recent change is actually much bigger.

No Duplicates

Alongside limiting the number of trial reels you can post a day, Instagram has also changed what you can post. They’re cracking down on posting duplicate content.

​In the past, people have used trial reels to test everything. Creators would post the same video several times, with different audio and different on-screen text. Something I saw a lot was creators using trial reels to post many 7-second videos with different hooks and long captions.

​Instagram has introduced this change to crack down on duplicate content uploaded, as part of an effort to reduce spam posting.

​How can they know if you’ve posted something already? Basically, they can use AI in their algorithm to see if the video you’re posting is something you’ve shared before. And if it detects repeat content, only the first video will get views. The potential for repeat videos to go viral will now be significantly limited.

​These are the two biggest changes to Instagram trial reels so far. I’ll update this post if new changes are made.

How to Grow on Instagram with Trial Reels

Even with these changes, there are so many valuable ways that you can start using trial reels to grow on Instagram in 2026. I always remind my students that using the features Instagram gives us and being an early adopter of them is an important strategy.​

So, let’s talk about trial reels and how they fit into your strategy to grow on Instagram in 2026.

Lean into new content types

This is advice I don’t see many coaches give about trial reels. In fact, I often see people sharing the strategy above: “Spam new people with as much content as possible, and see what sticks.” And while that definitely has worked on trial reels, I want you to start using them as they were created.

​There is a common thing I see with my students: when they get stuck… stuck in a certain type of content and nervous to put themselves out there to try anything else. This isn’t unique to my students; it is so common that Instagram created trial reels.

​So lean into this and try new content types in 2026. Make this your year of experimentation, because you have trial reels as a tool to help you here.

If you’ve always been too nervous to talk to the camera, trial reels are a way to build that muscle and gain confidence. If you always post about travel but also want to share meals you create at home based on your travels, use trial reels to test that content. And if you see another creator doing something you love, but you’re not sure your audience would like it, try it!

The options for new content ideas are truly endless. And when you have trial reels in your corner, you can gain confidence without having to worry about your current followers seeing your early attempts.

Upload Past Content as Trial Reels

Take all of the videos you’ve already shared as regular reels and repost them as trial reels. Dig into your archives and use the content that you’ve already created to try to reach new people. Remember, trial reels are an amazing way to help new followers find you. It makes sense to use the content your regular followers already love to find new followers.

​And sometimes, a video that didn’t perform well with your audience might just be a video that performs very well in trial reels. This is because people who aren’t yet following you will resonate with what you’re sharing.

​This differs from Instagram’s new rule on duplicate content because the trial reels feed and the regular reels feed use different algorithms. As of now, you can share a reel once in trial reels, after you’ve posted it in your normal feed, and your reach won’t be limited.

​Resharing your content as a trial reel is such a low-effort way to take advantage of this feature to grow on Instagram in 2026. I’m always a big fan of anything that helps creators in the most low-effort way possible.

​I know how overwhelming it can be to follow advice to post multiple times a day, so when you can make that slightly easier on yourself, do it!

Use Trial Reels to Test Hooks and CTA’s

As I mentioned earlier on, Instagram has encouraged us to move away from posting duplicates but I have seen my own students have success with this strategy, especially when it comes to testing hooks for their audience. So, I want to include this as a strategy to grow with Instagram trial reels. But my biggest advice is to use this strategy sparingly and make sure to stay well below the ‘5 Reels a Day’ limit. 

I want you to be international with the hook test when you’re testing duplicate content. Some ways that you can do this would include:

• Calling out your target audience. (i.e. If you’re a content creator…)
• Calling out a feeling your target audience has. (i.e. If you feel overwhelmed by all of the social media advice and you have decision fatigue, then…)
• Calling out the goal. (i.e. if you want to be a full time content creator…)

These are three different ways that you can use hook text on short videos to help you talk specifically to the people that you want to hit follow on your trial reels. However, I recommend testing just two (maybe three) of these at a time.

Analyze and Repost Flops

If a video does not perform well (either in feed or as a trial reel), I want you to analyze your account and see what has performed well. And then update that video and reshare it as a trial reel.

​You need to make significant changes to the video so it doesn’t get flagged as duplicate content, and because it flopped. This video didn’t perform well for whatever reason, so mix it up. This is an opportunity to add new audio, change the text hook, and replace the first 5-6 seconds of the video with a new visual hook. Or even change the video’s overall messaging.

​Don’t let your content go to waste. There is still so much you can get out of the videos that you already have. And trial reels are a great place for you to test new ideas, hooks, and conversations.

Steal my Strategy for Posting Multiple Times a Day

If you want to get close to hitting the 5-trial-reel-a-day limit, you can steal my strategy from when I was posting multiple times a day on TikTok. Follow this strategy:

• 1 Thought: Face-to-camera content where you’re talking and connecting with your audience.
• 1 Moment: A quick moment from your day paired with a thought and trending audio (usually 5–7 seconds). If you’re posting as a trial reel, you can even say in your thought, “This is a trial reel, so let me know what you think down in the comments.”
• 1 Process: Document something from start to finish. Morning vlog, coffee tutorial, etc.

This alone would give you three pieces of content to share each day for trial reels. Make sure you stay within your niche. But use these three pieces of content to speak to people who don’t follow you yet.

​For example, with a normal day in the life video, you might say, “Spend the Morning with Me.” With a trial reel, say something instead, like, “Spend my 5-9 with me as a busy mom with two jobs.” One speaks to people who already follow you and know who you are. The other speaks to people who don’t know you or follow you.

Don’t Share Trial Reels to Your Feed (After They’ve Been Posted)

Basically, there’s an option to take a trial reel and upgrade it to your feed after it’s been posted. I don’t recommend doing this (unless a reel is going seriously viral right away) because the reel will just get buried.

​When you upgrade a reel from a trial reel to a regular reel, it doesn’t act like a new post. So, a trial reel that you share on a Monday won’t perform well if you upgrade it to your feed later in that week. This is because you’ve probably posted on your account since Monday, and that trial reel will just get lost.

​Instead, if you have a trial reel that performs very well, and you’d like to share it on your main feed, reshare it as its own post at a later date.

Use DM Automations

I’ve talked about DM automations plenty of times before, so we won’t go into the details, but if you want to learn more in general, I recommend watching this video next.

So, how can you use DM automations with trial reels?

This can be a HUGE way to get someone who’s not following you to follow, engage, and become a warm lead for your creator business. Typically, when you set up a DM automation, you choose the post you would like them to comment on, set the keyword, and then publish, and Manychat handles the rest.

Well, there is a pro feature that helps you do this with trial reels. On the trigger, choose the option “next post or reel,” then continue setting up your automation as normal, hit publish, and then go and share your trial reel. It’s that easy. Manychat can even see if someone is following you, and if they’re not, they can send a message requesting that the person follow you before they get the good stuff.

DM automations automatically boost your engagement, so adding them to trial reels can be a powerful way to grow on social media in 2026. If you want to learn more about Manychat, you can do so here (and use code MODERNMILLIE for a 30-day free trial).

That’s your ultimate guide to using trial reels in 2026.

I’ll continue to update this post as new changes to trial reels come, but for now, hopefully, this will help you gain traction and followers on Instagram in 2026. Remember, using the features Instagram offers is one of the best ways to grow on the platform.

Do you have any questions about trial reels? Did you learn something new in this post? Let me know in the comments below. And if you’d like to grow on Instagram this year, I recommend reading this post next.

I’ll see you in the next one. Follow your joy!