How to Schedule Instagram Reels to Get More Views

You read the title right: Anyone can now schedule Instagram Reels to get better results from their Instagram marketing campaigns.

In this IG Reels tutorial, we’ll show you the steps to schedule and post your Instagram Reels with Vista Social. 

Unlike other platforms that only automate posting reminders, Vista Social directly publishes Reels to Instagram. 

Read on to learn more.

(Also read: IG Reels Tutorial: The Ultimate Guide [Tips, Steps, Tools])

What you’ll learn:

• What are Instagram Reels?
• How to Schedule Instagram Reels to Get More Views
• FAQs about how to schedule Instagram Reels
• Schedule Instagram Reels easily and quickly

What are Instagram Reels?

Instagram Reels are videos that can be up to 90 seconds long, saved to your profile feed, and discovered via the “Explore” page of the Instagram app. They can be used for brand storytelling, entertainment, lead generation, product promotions, and other content marketing initiatives.   

The Instagram Reels editor has loads of tools for creating unique and engaging IG video content. You can add stickers, use Augmented Reality (AR) effects, import original audio, stitch together multiple clips, and more. 

However, the Instagram app doesn’t have a feature for scheduling Reels. 

For that, you need a social media management platform that can schedule Instagram posts. 

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How to Schedule Instagram Reels to Get More Views

You need two things to schedule Reels: an Instagram business profile and a scheduler software with direct publishing support for Instagram Reels. 

Vista Social is among the first to have what you need. 

Unlike other glorified push notification software that only sends posting reminders, Vista Social can actually schedule and publish Instagram Reels. 

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Here’s how to schedule Reels on Instagram with Vista Social: 

1. Connect your Instagram account 

Link your Instagram profile with your Vista Social by selecting the ‘Quick Add’ menu and clicking ‘Add Social Profile.’

Choose the Vista Social entity you want to use from the drop-down menu. For agencies, entities can be used to organize and manage the accounts of different clients. 

Click ‘Continue’ to proceed.

Click ‘Instagram business profiles’ from the list of social networks. From there, select the Instagram business profile you want to publish your Instagram reels videos on and click ‘Connect 1 profile.’

Once confirmed, you should see your Instagram business profile under “Social Profiles” from the Vista Social dashboard. 

2. Set your automated publishing schedule for Instagram

Make publishing easier for future content by establishing a consistent posting schedule. 

Select ‘Settings’ from the main dashboard and click ‘Publishing Settings.’

Under “Publishing Queues,” select the entity and Instagram profile you want to use. This reveals Vista Social’s automated posting calendar for that profile. 

Click ‘Add a slot’ to add posting time slots to your schedule. To remove slots, click the trash icon next to them.

3. Fire up the Vista Social publishing tool

Click ‘Publish’ from the dashboard and select ‘Publish a single post.’

Select your Instagram business profile from the “Social Profiles” list on the left. It should appear on the “Preview” panel to the right.

Build your Instagram Reel post by writing a description and specifying Instagram hashtags to use. To select a video for your Reel, click the ‘Add video’ button (click the video recorder icon first). 

Tip: Only videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16 can be directly published to Instagram Reels using Vista Social. 

Vista Social lets you add videos from your computer, media library, via URL, and through the “Discover” feature. Choose the method you prefer to import the video for your Reel and wait for the uploaded video configuration window. 

The available settings here won’t affect the actual Reel. But they’ll help you organize and reuse video assets for future Vista Social posts. 

Click ‘Finish Upload’ to continue creating your Instagram Reel.

Back to the Publish tool, select ‘Reel’ from the “Publish as” drop-down menu. You’ll find this below the post preview. 

4. Pick a thumbnail or cover image

Your Instagram Reels video is almost ready to get published. 

Before you schedule it, pick an eye-catching thumbnail or cover image. Click ‘Pick thumbnail’ from the Publish page to do this.

On the Thumbnail Picker tool, you can keep the predefined thumbnail, choose a static frame from the same video, or upload a custom image. 

Creating a custom thumbnail lets you add elements like text, graphics, and photo overlays. Use a third-party app like Canva to make an attention-grabbing thumbnail. 

Click ‘Save’ to finish choosing a thumbnail for your Instagram Reel. 

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5. Schedule your Instagram Reel

If you’re happy with the posting schedule you prepared earlier, select ‘Add to queue’ and click ‘Next.’ 

On the next page, choose whether to publish your Reel in the next or last available time slot. Click ‘Schedule’ to finalize your post. 

To schedule your Instagram Reels video at a custom time, select ‘Schedule’ instead of ‘Add to queue’ from the Publish tool. This lets you define a custom schedule for your Instagram Reel, with the added bonus of being able to choose the optimal times for posting. 

Vista Social determines the best times to post by analyzing user engagement on previous posts. 

The engagement rate for each recommended posting time is indicated by a blue bar. Click on the optimal time you want to use for your Instagram Reel. 

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After scheduling your Instagram Reel, it should appear on your Vista Social content calendar. 

Feel free to make adjustments to the post’s description, thumbnail, and posting schedule while it’s queued. Simply click on the post to re-open the Publish tool where you can make these changes. 

FAQs about how to schedule Instagram Reels

Can you schedule Instagram Reels?

Yes, you can schedule Instagram Reels with third-party services like Vista Social. Schedule Reels using the platform’s built-in scheduler along with the direct publishing to Reels feature.

Are Reels better than posts? 

Instagram Reels are better for certain types of short-form video content, like quick tutorials, funny clips, and videos with trending effects. Instagram posts, however, are essential for building an authoritative presence and generating traffic to your website. 

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How do you time a Reel on Instagram?

Optimal times to post an Instagram Reel: 

• Monday: 6-10 AM, 10 PM
• Tuesday: 2-4 AM, 9 AM
• Wednesday: 7-8 AM, 11 PM
• Thursday: 9 AM, 7 PM
• Friday: 5 AM, 1-3 PM
• Saturday: 11 AM, 7-8 PM
• Sunday: 7-8 AM, 4 PM 

Schedule Instagram Reels easily and quickly

Scheduling Instagram Reels is easy and convenient with Vista Social. 

With its intuitive post scheduler and direct publishing feature for Instagram Reels, Vista Social shaves HOURS off your social marketing efforts. See how it works yourself by creating a free trial.