The Instagram “Taste Test”

The Instagram “Taste Test”

Inside Meta’s forthcoming feature that will let you test your brand’s Instagram Reels with people outside your fan base.

Table of Contents

• INSTAGRAM • Hide Reels From Your Brand’s Followers

• TOOLS • Why Your Marketing Plugs Will Stop Working

• LINKEDIN • Not Paying? Your Posts Will Shrink.

• VIDEO ADS • “Enhancements” on By Default: Google

• TIKTOK • Compulsive Streaks Being Added to App

• THE BIZ • Marketing Budgets Keep Shrinking

• TIKTOK • “We’re Not Making a U.S.-Only Version”

INSTAGRAM • Hide Reels From Your Brand’s Followers

Instagram is testing a feature called "trial reels" that lets brands and creators post Reels without them being visible to their followers.

Why would you want to do this?

Well, you could use it to test different types of content without the pressure of public scrutiny. When a Reel is posted using this feature, Instagram provides performance insights such as plays, likes, comments, and shares. Based on this data, you decide whether to make the Reel public or archive it.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s apparently evolved from a previous test called "Experiment mode," first spotted by reverse software engineers last month.

It’s not a complete block from your followers though.

While, yes, these Reels will be hidden from your profile, non-followers who see them can still share them with others, including your followers.

The trial is available globally to a handful of creators with professional accounts, regardless of follower count. Instagram has not confirmed when or if this feature will be widely released.