How to schedule Instagram Reels? Free and paid tools (2023)

Since the launch of Instagram Reels in 2020, they have gained massive popularity among digital marketers, content creators, and the public. Reels offers a new way to create and share fun, engaging short videos with filters, text options, music and more. In fact,instagram analysisReels have been shown to improve visibility and engagement.

Also, when an Instagram user spends an average of 30 minutes a day on Reels, you have to post at the right time. However, filming, editing and posting a video every day can be tricky, and this is where scheduling IG Reels can save you a lot of time.

So let's discuss how you can schedule Instagram Reels without too much hassle!

Why do you need to schedule IG Reels?

Saving time is the ultimate benefit of scheduling IG Reels, but there are more reasons why you should plan and schedule Reels.

More time to focus on content strategy

Planning and scheduling will help you spend more time not only editing and improving the video quality, but also working on yourcontent strategyto create smarter, more related videos. This, in turn, can help improve engagement, awareness andinstagram followers account.

Consistent look and quality of videos.

When it comes to social media, a cohesive look is important, leaving a memorable impression in the minds of your audience. Same goes for rolls too. When planning Moments, think about the branding, colors, filters, text overlays, or CTAs you want to use. When looking for consistency, don't make your Moments too similar - keep experimenting with different types of videos to keep them interesting for your audience!

video marketing strategy

Reels give you the freedom to get creative and improve your video marketing strategy. With the newly increased length of Reels, you can play with different types of videos such as tutorials, behind the scenes, testimonials, product marketing, challenges, everyday life snippets and much more.

Collaboration

When multiple teams or team members are involved, planning ahead can always help to get information at the right time for effective implementation. You can brainstorm with your team and discuss what and when you want to post ahead of time, without swamping your team with one-off work or overwhelming your audience with a flood of Reels.

How to schedule reels on Instagram

There are several free and paid tools available to help you plan and schedule IG Reels. Some social media management tools even offer an auto-post feature, so you can bulk schedule Reels in advance. So let's dive in!

Free Tools to Schedule Instagram Reels

1. Metadata creator studio

You can use Creator Studio to create, optimize, schedule and post Reels on Facebook and Instagram. Here's how to do it.

• Log in and go to Create Instagram Post tab.
• Depending on the length of your video, select IG Video or Instagram Feed.

• This may seem confusing to many, but as of the latest update, all non-Story videos will now be considered Reels on Instagram.
• The next step is to optimize the Reels; can crop or crop horizontal videos (9:16 aspect ratio is the recommended size for a Reel)

• Add a title to the reel.
• Program, publish or save as a scribbler.

Prices: Free (but you can use Creator Studio to schedule IG Reels only if your Instagram account is connected to a Facebook Business Page)

Pro Tip:If you are managing multiple social media accounts then you can use specialized social media tools like Sociality.io which not only works as an Instagram Reel scheduler but also manages content on other social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin and TikTok.

2. Metricocool

Mtericool allows users to plan and schedule social media content, analyze competitors and data, and manage paid online campaigns. Its calendar feature provides a scheduling board that allows users to schedule and post social media content, including Instagram Reels.

You can upload the reel to the scheduler, add a title, choose the cover and save the reel. Then Mtericool automatically publishes the Reel.

Classification:4.3/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:Offers free and paid plans starting at $12/month

3. shock absorber

Buffer is a social media management tool specially designed for small businesses. It offers multiple tools for planning and posting content, analyzing social media performance, improving audience engagement, and much more. In addition, it also provides features to quickly create a custom landing page with built-in templates.

Buffer allows you to automatically compose, schedule and post up to 10 reels in advance on the web app.

Classification:4.5/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:Offers free and paid plans starting at $5/month

Instagram Reels Scheduling Tools forsocial media teams

4. Socialidad.io

Sociality.io is a comprehensive social media management platform with five core functionalities includingPostto schedule social content, Compromisefor engagement and relationship building with the public,listento track brand mentions andbrand monitoring,Analysisto analyze organic and paid performance andCompetition Analysisto monitor and compare the performance of competitors.

Especially for Instagram, it allows you toschedule different content formatson Instagram, including Reels.

After loading the Reel, you can choose your thumbnail or cover photo and schedule the Reel for a date and time of your choosing. That is all! Sociality.io will automatically post your scheduled Reels with no issues.

Classification:4.6/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:Starting at $99/month with a 14-day free trial

5. Later

then it's asocial media management toolthat helps you plan, schedule, post, and analyze social content. also offers thelink to biotool for Instagram and TikTok profiles. It recently launched its Instagram Reels scheduling feature which allows you to schedule Instagram Reels in bulk and automatically publish them at specified date and time.

All you have to do is upload the roll to the media library, add a title, edit the cover art and schedule. You can also access Instagram Reels analytics to see how your video strategy is performing.

Classification:4.5/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:Starting at $18/month

6. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is also a social media management and marketing tool that lets you plan and publish content, interact with your audience, measure your social performance, and monitor trends and competitors.

It also allows you to schedule and post Instagram Reels. You can upload your saved reel from your device, add a title, enable or disable comments, preview the reel, and schedule it for your preferred date and time. In addition, it also provides recommended days and times to post the content.

Classification:4.4/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:Starting at $49/month

7. planable

Planable is a social media scheduling tool that allows you to plan, review or approve and schedule social media content across different platforms. The team can collaborate using the social media calendar, which is available in feed, grid, list, and calendar views.

This scheduler works well for content on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram, including Reels.

It allows you to upload the reel to the media library, choose the thumbnail or crop the video and add a title. You can schedule it at a selected date and time, and the reel will post automatically.

Classification:4.5/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:offers bothFFree and paid plans starting at $11/month

8. tailwind

Tailwind is an email and social media marketing platform equipped with tools for Pinterest and Instagram marketing. Not only can you plan and create social media posts and email campaigns, but you can also schedule social content and follow-up emails using a single calendar. It also offers unique features like SmartSchedule and HashtagFinder for Instagram.

With your Instagram scheduler, you can automatically schedule and post reels. Users can upload the roll and schedule it for a selected date and time.

Classification:4.2/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices: $from 2.99/month

9. Plano

Plann is a cross-platform auto-scheduler for Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn that gives you features to design, strategize and plan your social content calendar. It offers solutions for self-posting to Instagram, TikTok and Reels scheduling, image editing, content planning, analytics, strategy, and much more.

Plann allows you to upload your roll and cover image. You can schedule it for your preferred date and time, and Plann will automatically post the Reel.

Prices: $from $11/my

10. app preview

The Preview app is an Instagram-specific planner that lets you plan your posts, reels, and stories. You can easily upload your Real to the preview app, change the order of your videos by drag and drop, add a title, schedule and finally auto-post. You can also change the Roller thumbnail or cover image.

You can choose the "show in feed" option to have your Reel appear in your IG Feed.

Classification:4.5/5 (as per Capterra.com)

Prices:Offers free and paid plans starting at $6.67/month

Last words

Instagram Reels are one of the fastest growing forms of content on Instagram. That's why marketers and content creators should make the most of it to improve their engagement and visibility.digital marketing solutions, including free and paid Instagram Reel schedulers, have proven to be effective in taking the headache out of scheduling and automatically posting IG Reels, helping to save time and improve video content strategy. You can always use the power ofinstagram analysisto know if your Instagram Reels are working well!