Here’s What I Learned About Trial Reels
Let’s talk about Trial Reels - the latest Instagram feature that everyone seems confused about, including me (at first). If you’ve ever wondered, "What the heck is a Trial Reel?" or "Should I even bother with this?" you’re not alone.
After testing them out on the Chris Loves Julia account, I have thoughts. And I’m here to share exactly what worked, what didn’t, and how you can use Trial Reels as an easy, low-lift way to grow your audience.
What Are Trial Reels, Anyway?
If you’ve been poking around Instagram and noticed something called "Trial Reels," you’re not imagining it. It’s a new(ish) feature Instagram’s testing out, and here’s the breakdown:
Trial Reels are separate from your regular feed.
They’re designed to help you reach new audiences, not your current followers.
Your existing audience won’t see what you post there (unless they stumble on it some other way).
It’s basically Instagram saying, "Hey, here’s a sandbox. Go play around. See who else might like what you’re doing."
And we decided, sure. Let’s play.
Why We Started Testing Trial Reels
At first, I was hesitant. We’re already posting Reels, Stories, and regular content. Do we really need another thing on our plate?
But I kept coming back to this: Trial Reels aren’t for your current audience. They’re for finding new people and it isn’t going to affect your organic engagement negatively. Think about that. You’re not risking anything. If it flops, your followers won’t even see it. If it works? You’ve got fresh eyes on your content. No harm, no foul.
So, we gave it a go.
How We Tested Trial Reels on Chris Loves Julia
We didn’t reinvent the wheel. Honestly, we kept it simple because simple is sustainable.
Here’s exactly what we did:
1. We Repurposed Existing Reels - We didn’t shoot new content. We took Reels that were already live on our account and uploaded them as Trial Reels. The heavy lifting was already done.
2. We Chose Reels That Performed Well Before - We went back through our Reels feed and picked the ones that had done well in the past. If something had already performed, chances are it would resonate with a new audience, too.
3. We Posted Consistently for a Week - One week. That’s it. We treated it like a test 13 Trial Reels in total.
4. We Didn’t Overthink the Timing - But we did notice the sweet spot for posting seemed to be 11AM. That’s when most of our Reels hit their best numbers.
The Results (Because I Know That’s Why You’re Here)
You want numbers? I’ve got numbers.
Our best-performing Trial Reel was : "Why our fridge and freezer are separate." It gained 3,319 followers on its own. Yes, from one post. And yes, it was a repurposed Reel we’d already shared before in 2023!
We did 13 Trial Reels in total.
On average, those Reels hit 15K-20K views.
Our biggest view count was 65K, but guess what? Not groundbreaking, but it’s still new people. And that’s kind of the point.
What I Learned (The Good, The Meh, and The Reality Check)
1. Don’t Focus on Engagement - Trial Reels aren’t about likes, comments, or even saves. They’re about audience growth. You’re fishing for new followers, not entertaining your existing community.
2. It’s Low-Risk, Low-Effort, and Kind of Fun - Since your regular followers don’t see them, there’s zero pressure. You can try different styles, tones, topics see what sticks. And we did all 13 Reels in about an hour total. One hour. For almost 3,800 new followers.
3. View Counts Don’t Equal Followers - Some Reels got big views but low followers. Some got modest views and tons of followers. It’s not about going viral. It’s about hitting the right people who want more of you.
4. Start With What’s Already Working - Don’t overthink it. Just look back at your top-performing Reels and start there. If they worked once, they can work again especially with a fresh audience.
My Take? Trial Reels Are Worth It
If you’re trying to grow your audience on Instagram without adding a bunch of extra work to your plate, Trial Reels are absolutely worth testing. We spent an hour, repurposed content we already had, and grew our following by nearly 4,000 people. And no, not everyone is talking about it yet. Which is why you should be ahead of the curve.
A Few Pro Tips If You’re Giving Trial Reels a Shot:
Don’t worry about the aesthetic. No one’s looking at your feed. This is a growth play.
Content with a person in it, always performed better than the ones without.
Be clear in your messaging. New followers don’t know you yet. Give them a reason to hit follow.
Use captions that make sense to a cold audience. Don’t assume they know the backstory.
We’ll keep testing. We’re adding Trial Reels to our regular rotation—not daily, not overwhelming, but consistent. If we can spend one hour a week and keep seeing results like this, why wouldn’t we?
If you’re curious about how Trial Reels fit into your growth strategy or how to keep that momentum going once you have new followers—join us inside Good Influence(r). We’re diving deeper into strategies like this and showing creators how to grow audiences on purpose, not just by accident.
You’ve got this.
Now go post your first Trial Reel and tell me how it goes.
