Motion Reel
Instagram trial reels, on your schedule.
For accounts Instagram has enabled for trial reels
Post reel-14.mp4 as a trial reel tomorrow at 6 pm. Share it with my followers if it does well.
- @northlight.studioTrial reel, shared if it does well
Here's the preview. Schedule it?
Yes
Scheduled for Wed 6:00 PM as a trial reel.
A trial reel is shown to people who don't follow you first. Motion Reel lets you schedule one ahead from your computer, then share it with your followers yourself or let Instagram do it if it does well.
Test a reel on people who don't follow you.
- Non-followers first
- The reel goes to people who don't follow you, so your followers don't see an experiment.
- Shared by you
- Keep it a trial until you decide to share it with your followers.
- Or shared by Instagram
- Let Instagram share it with your followers if it does well.
- On a schedule
- Pick a day and time up to a year ahead, in your own time zone.
- Numbers for each reel
- Views, reach, likes, comments, shares, saves and average watch time.
How it works.
Upload your reel
MP4 or MOV, up to 300 MB.
Turn on Trial reel
Choose whether you share it later or Instagram shares it if it does well.
Pick a time
It goes to non-followers then, and its numbers show up on its page.
Where it works.
- Instagram Reels
- Reels on accounts Instagram has enabled for trial reels.
TikTok- TikTok has no trial reels. You can send a draft and finish it in the app instead.
YouTube Shorts- YouTube has no trial Shorts. You can post a Short as private or unlisted instead.
Questions
What's a trial reel?+
A reel Instagram shows to people who don't follow you first, so you can see how it does. You can share it with your followers later, or let Instagram share it if it does well.
Can I schedule a trial reel from a computer?+
Yes. Turn on Trial reel when you set up the post in Motion Reel, pick a time, and it goes out then.
Who can post trial reels?+
Instagram decides which accounts can. The account has to be a professional account, and Instagram has to have enabled trial reels for it.
Can I test several hooks?+
Yes. Post each version as its own trial reel, then compare their views, reach and watch time once the numbers are in.
How soon are the numbers in?+
Instagram's numbers can arrive up to 48 hours late, so give a trial reel a couple of days before you judge it.
Do I need an AI agent?+
No. You can schedule trial reels from the dashboard. If you do use one, it can work with the same things.
Can my AI agent schedule trial reels?+
Yes. Connect Claude, Codex, Cursor or another MCP client to Motion Reel and ask. It shows you a preview, and nothing is scheduled until you say yes.
Often used with.
Updated November 8, 2026. Also in Markdown at /trial-reels.md.