Can you schedule reels on Instagram? In a word, yes!

Learning how to schedule Instagram reels can save you hours of time and frustration in your social media management each month. You're no longer scrambling to post content on the fly. Instead, you can sit back, relax, and watch the likes and comments roll in.

The day's content is already queued up and ready to play. You can devote an afternoon to creating the perfect reels, then tell Instagram when you want them to play. By scheduling videos in advance, you're not just saving time - you're optimizing your content strategy, staying engaged with your audience, and freeing up your creative energy for other channels.

It's easy to do, too! Let's look at how to schedule reels on Instagram and keep a steady stream of content without manually posting every day.

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Why Schedule Instagram Reels Ahead of Time?

Just like you schedule Instagram posts, you can also schedule Instagram reels. But why would you want to?

Scheduling any type of content can be game-changing for social media marketing. Here are some of our favorite reasons why.

Make the best use of your time

Creating and posting content every day is exhausting and time-consuming. It takes a great deal of organization and attention to remember to post content every day. By scheduling reels ahead of time, you can batch-create your content and post it automatically.

Touch it once and post for days!

Plan your content strategically

Ever sit down to create a reel and scratch your head thinking, Where do I start? It's hard to be strategic when you're staring down deadlines.

Batch-creating content lets you focus on the content itself rather than trying to get something out there. You can think more critically and strategically about the content you're creating, which ensures it's relevant, timely, and of high quality.

Avoid the last-minute scramble

Life can get hectic, especially for social media marketers. Scheduling reels lets you avoid the stress of having to create and post content at the last minute. Again, it all comes down to quality over quantity - it's helpful to have time to breathe and think before you post.

Cater to a global audience

Got followers in different time zones or countries? Schedule your content according to when your followers are most active. Your posts will go live when your audience is sure to see them, which can help you earn more engagements.

Set yourself up for success

Scheduling reels ahead of time puts you in the driver's seat of your social media marketing. You gain a bird's eye view of your scheduled content before it goes live, which can help you switch things up and keep your page fresh.

For example, you can better diversify your content with behind-the-scenes, tutorials, product demos, and other topics when you know what you're posting and when you're posting it.

Tip: Check out our complete guide to Instagram marketing to take your Instagram strategy next to the next level.

How to Schedule Instagram Reels for Later

You don't need any fancy tools or magic to schedule Instagram reels. Just log into Instagram and follow a few simple steps:

1. In the IG app, tap the + and choose Reel.
2. Choose your content, then tap the arrow (Android devices) or Next (iOS devices).
3. Tap Advanced Settings.
4. Choose Schedule.
5. Select a date and time to post the Reel.
6. Tap Done.
7. Tap the back button.
8. Choose Schedule to officially schedule the Reel.

If you'd like to manage your scheduled reels, you can click on Scheduled Content in the three-line menu in the Instagram app. This will allow you to view reels you've scheduled, reschedule posting dates, edit the content, or delete the post.

There are a few caveats, though.

For starters, you can only schedule Instagram reels via the IG mobile app. This feature is only available for professional accounts. You can schedule up to 25 posts per day and up to 75 days in advance.

IG will adhere to your audience settings at the time of publishing, not scheduling, so make sure your account's visibility is in order.

Is There an App to Schedule Instagram Reels?

Similar to using apps to create and manage your social content, there are apps and content marketing tools that let you schedule Instagram reels, too. Common examples include:

• Meltwater
• Creator Studio
• Later
• Planable
• Hootsuite
• Sendible
• Sprout Social
• Buffer

Using scheduling apps like these give you time-saving superpowers. It's like having a personal assistant who handles your posting cadence. You can spend a few hours one day creating all of your reels for the week or month, then let the app do the rest.

Naturally, one of the golden rules of social media success is consistency. Scheduling apps help you stay engaged and active with your audience. While you're on vacation, putting out other fires, or taking a mental health day, your content keeps rolling.

However, scheduling apps aren't always the best solution if you want to grow your following and boost engagement. For starters, some apps might not have access to Instagram's latest posting features. If IG rolls out new stickers or editing options, you might not be able to use them unless you're posting in real time via IG.

Also, keep in mind that algorithms love engagement. When a new reel goes live, you might need to pop in and engage immediately to give it an extra boost. You don't want your whole feed to feel planned. Social media thrives on spontaneity and authenticity, so make sure you balance scheduled content with in-the-moment reels.

How to Schedule IG Reels Using Meltwater

Meltwater's Social Media Management solution includes the option to schedule reels on Instagram, along with other types of content.

With Meltwater, users can manage multiple social media accounts from a single place. You can track the performance of each channel, including metrics for each post and each account on a rolling basis.

Here's how to use Meltwater to schedule reels and save hours each month:

1. Open Meltwater Engage.
2. Select Publish.
3. Click Create in the top-right corner.
4. Click Post.
5. Choose the Instagram account you want to publish to.
6. Click Edit in the Preview Post.
7. Choose the Post Type.
8. Select Reel.
9. Customize your reel by hovering over the video attachment and clicking Edit.
10. Add your links and the first comment (optional).
11. Choose a time to post the reel.

Once your reel is live, you can use Meltwater to track your reel's performance. Navigate to the Instagram Overview report in your social analytics to see total engagement and engagement breakdown. You can also identify your top reels in a given timeframe to keep building on what your audience likes.

Last but not least, while you're using Meltwater to schedule Reels, you can also use our social listening data to choose the best times to post. Meltwater data can tell you when your audience is most active and when you tend to drive the most engagement. You can use this data to anchor your posting cadence and get more eyes on your reels and other content.

How to Schedule Reels Using Creator Studio

Source: Social Media Today

Creator Studio is Instagram's native content creation and scheduling suite and is now part of the larger Meta Business Suite. You can use these built-in tools to schedule reels on Instagram.

1. Open Meta Business Suite.
2. Choose Instagram.
3. Click Create Reel.
4. Select the account you want to schedule the reel to.
5. Add your content, including the video reel, hashtags, and location.
6. Choose a cover image.
7. Schedule your reel according to your needs.

Bonus tip: You can follow this same process to schedule a Facebook reel!

In Meta Business Suite, you can edit your video before it goes live. Crop the clip, enhance the audio, and add captions. You can complete the entire content optimization process within Meta Business Suite if you like.

The process is pretty straightforward, and soon you'll have a whole content calendar filled with reels ready to show your audience.

Maximize Your Content Strategy with Meltwater

Learning to schedule Instagram reels can help you reclaim some of your time each day while still staying in touch with your audience. You can use Instagram's native tools for this, or you can turn to a comprehensive platform like Meltwater to unlock more social media value.

Meltwater combines social media scheduling capabilities with a centralized inbox, comprehensive data insights, content calendars, collaboration tools, and social listening to help you win bigger on every channel.

Learn the best posting times based on your audience's engagement, discover your top content so you can build on those successes, and stay ahead of your content calendar.

More importantly, Meltwater gives you access to audience data that helps you define your target market and learn more about them. Discover how they're talking about your brand or industry and become a natural part of their everyday conversations.

Learn more when you request a demo by filling out the form below.

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