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Stop Sleeping on New Features
Social platforms are basically giving away free reach to anyone willing to beta test their shiny new toys.
By now, we all know about Trial Reels… a feature that lets you test content with non-followers before deciding whether to post it to your main feed. If history tells us anything, the brands jumping that jump on this early are going to get an advantage.
The Platform's Dirty Little Secret
Social platforms need new features to succeed, but they can't force adoption. So they do the next best thing…. they bribe early adopters with algorithmic steroids.
When you use a new feature, the platform rewards you with increased distribution. They're essentially saying, "We'll show your content to more people if you help us prove this feature is worth building."
Think about it from Instagram's perspective. They just invested months of engineering resources into Trial Reels. They need it to work. They need data showing people engage with it. They need creators and brands to adopt it so they can justify the investment.
The Pattern Is Clear (If You're Paying Attention)
This isn't new.
It's a playbook they run every single time.
Instagram Stories (2016): Remember when Stories launched? Brands that posted Stories in those first few months saw them consistently show up at the front of the Stories bar. The algorithm was hungry for Story content. Now? You're competing with everyone, and your Stories are buried six accounts deep unless you've got serious engagement.
Instagram Reels (2020): When Reels dropped, Instagram was in full-on panic mode about TikTok. They needed Reels to work, immediately. So they flooded the Explore page with Reels content and gave creators who posted them absurd reach—even if the content was mediocre. Brands that jumped on Reels early built audiences they're still coasting on today.
Carousels: Same story. When Instagram started pushing carousels hard, accounts that used them saw significant lifts in engagement. Now they're just another format, fighting for attention like everything else.
The Trial Reels Opportunity
What's the play? Start testing Trial Reels now. Not next month. Now.
Post a Trial Reel, let it test with non-followers, see what performs. If it hits, publish it. If it flops… no harm to your main feed. You get better data and algorithmic favoritism just for participating.
Every platform has a vested interest in making new features successful. That creates a temporary window where the distribution costs effectively nothing. Reach that normally costs thousands in ad spend? Free. Visibility that would take months to build organically? Yours.
But that window closes. Fast.
Once a feature is established, the platform stops juicing it. The algorithmic tailwinds disappear. You're back to fighting for every impression like everyone else.
Move accordingly.
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