Instagram video creators have a new way to test their content. The app has introduced a “trial videos” feature that allows creators to post videos that don’t appear in their followers’ feeds, but instead are recommended to those who aren’t their followers.
With so many Instagram creators complaining that Meta doesn’t show their content to their followers, this may seem like a strange feature. But in a blog post, the company said that the trial videos were created in response to feedback from creators who were “nervous” about posting videos that might not be very popular. Meta stated that the new feature is designed to make it easier for creators to experiment with different genres and “easily get an intuitive check on how your content might work.”
Creators will now be able to select a “trial” switch before publishing a video. These videos will not be displayed in the author’s grid and will be recommended to non-follower accounts (Meta notes that it is impossible to guarantee that a follower will not come across a particular video elsewhere in the app, such as in their DMs).
After 24 hours, creators will be able to return to the video and see its performance metrics, including the total number of views, shares, likes, and comments. Although Meta notes that this type of “trial” content may take longer to gain traction than other posts because it won’t be shown to the account’s followers, it can still be useful for authors who want to publish in a format with less pressure on the audience.
