How to schedule Instagram Reels, step by step
Here is how to schedule Instagram Reels so they publish on time without anyone holding a phone: export the video to Instagram’s specs, put the sound in the file, write the caption, get it approved and let a scheduler publish it through Instagram’s API. Some things work differently when a tool publishes for you, and this guide says which.
What you need before you start
Instagram applies these rules to every tool that publishes through its API, so they hold whichever scheduler you choose.
- A professional account
- A Business or Creator account. Instagram’s API does not publish to personal accounts.
- The video
- Vertical video from 3 seconds to 15 minutes, up to 300 MB. Reels accept nearly any shape, and Instagram recommends 9:16.
- The caption
- Up to 2,200 characters, 30 hashtags and 20 @ mentions.
- The sound
- Already mixed into the video file. Step 2 explains why a scheduled Reel cannot pick a track for you.
Step 1: Export the video to Instagram’s specs
Export a vertical video between 3 seconds to 15 minutes and under 300 MB. Instagram recommends 9:16, and 1080 by 1920 pixels is the usual export size. Instagram refuses files outside its limits when a tool publishes for you, so check them now rather than at posting time.
Keep captions, faces and on-screen text away from the bottom and right edges, where Instagram lays its caption, buttons and audio label over the video.
Three ways to take your flat white this winter. Which one are you ordering? ☕ #bloomcoffee #wintermenu
Step 2: Put the sound in the video file
Instagram’s API only lets a tool attach a track from Instagram’s music library when the account is connected through Facebook login, and only to Reels. A tool connected with Instagram login publishes the sound that is already in your file.
So mix the voiceover, music you have the rights to and any sound effects into the export. If a Reel depends on a trending track from Instagram’s library, post that one from the Instagram app instead.
Step 3: Write the caption and first comment
The caption holds up to 2,200 characters, 30 hashtags and 20 @ mentions. Only the first two lines show under the Reel before it collapses, so lead with the hook and keep detail for later.
Some teams keep hashtags out of the caption and post them as the first comment. Decide that now, so every Reel in the series follows the same rule.
136 of 2,200
First comment
#brunswickflorist #melbourneflowers #ranunculus
Posted the moment the post goes live.
Step 4: Get it approved before it is scheduled
A Reel is hard to fix after it goes live: Instagram does not let you replace the video, and a tool connected with Instagram login cannot delete it for you. Have whoever owns the brand watch the final export with its caption before it goes on the calendar.
Agree who signs off and how. A message thread works for one Reel a week. For more, use a tool that records the approval against the exact version that was approved.
Spring trail range launch, Monday 9am
Only your team can see it.
Step 5: Pick the time and schedule it
Instagram’s insights for professional accounts show when your followers are most active. Schedule for those hours, in your audience’s timezone rather than your own.
Instagram counts every API post: an account can publish 100 through the API in a rolling 24 hours, shared across every tool connected to it. One Reel a day is far below that; a bulk upload from several tools can reach it.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Step 6: Check it went live, then reply
Open the Reel on Instagram after the scheduled time. Check the cover frame on your profile grid and the first line of the caption, which is where most people decide whether to watch.
Reply to the first comments. The conversation under a Reel is part of the post, and people notice when nobody answers.
What Posty does and does not do for Reels
What a Reel scheduled in Posty includes when Posty publishes it through Instagram’s API with its standard Instagram login connection.
- Publishes on time
- Yes. Posty publishes the Reel at the minute you chose, with no reminder or phone involved.
- Caption and hashtags
- Yes, within Instagram’s limits of 2,200 characters, 30 hashtags and 20 @ mentions.
- First comment
- Yes, on every paid plan. Posty posts it right after the Reel goes live.
- Approval first
- Yes, on Growth and Accelerate. A Reel waiting for approval cannot publish.
- Instagram library music
- No. The Reel publishes with the sound in your video file. Library music is not part of Posty’s standard Instagram connection.
- Deleting a live Reel
- No. Instagram’s API does not let tools delete posts on an Instagram login connection, so remove it in the Instagram app.
- Personal accounts
- No. Instagram only publishes API posts for Business and Creator accounts.
- Daily volume
- Instagram allows 100 API posts per rolling 24 hours, shared across every tool connected to the account. A carousel counts once.
Questions and answers
- Can you schedule Instagram Reels with music?
- Not with a track from Instagram’s music library through a standard Instagram login connection. Instagram’s API only lets a tool attach library music to a Reel when the account is connected through Facebook login. A scheduled Reel publishes with the sound in your video file, so mix in music you have the rights to, or post Reels that need a trending track from the Instagram app.
- Why can’t I schedule Reels on a personal Instagram account?
- Instagram’s API only publishes for professional accounts, Business or Creator, whichever tool you use. Switching is free in Instagram’s settings, and your posts and followers stay the same.
- Can I schedule a Reel without opening the Instagram app?
- Yes. A scheduler that publishes through Instagram’s API posts the Reel at the time you set, with no reminder to tap and no phone involved. Posty does this on every paid plan, from Starter at $29 a month.
- How long can a scheduled Instagram Reel be?
- Through the API, a Reel can run from 3 seconds to 15 minutes and be up to 300 MB. Posty checks both when you attach the video, before you schedule.
- Can I edit a Reel after scheduling it?
- In Posty, yes, until it publishes. Editing a scheduled post moves it back to draft, so it goes through approval again if the workspace requires it, and it keeps its planned time for when you schedule it again. Once a Reel is live, Instagram does not let you replace the video.
Schedule your next Reel with Posty
Connect your professional Instagram account, add the Reel and pick a time. Paid plans start with a 7 day trial that needs a card and bills the plan you chose automatically unless you cancel.