In this Article:
Using Later, you can plan and schedule your Instagram Reels ahead of time to stay organized and keep your audience engaged!
This article covers how to schedule and publish Instagram Reels (single-video posts). For other Instagram post types, see the following articles:
- Schedule & Publish Instagram Single-Photo Posts
- Schedule & Publish Instagram Multi-Photo (Carousel) Posts
- Schedule & Publish Instagram Stories
Important:
- Instagram Reels Scheduling is available on all Later plans, including Free
- Each Reel is equal to 1 Later post
- Auto Publish for Reels is available for Instagram business and creator profiles only
- Auto Publish must be enabled in order to use it
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Reels scheduled for Auto Publish can be up to 3 minutes if scheduled through Later for desktop or iOS and 90 seconds through Android
- To schedule a longer Reel through Android, use notification publishing
- You can tag users or invite up to 3 collaborators when scheduling Reels through app.later.com on desktop
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Due to API limitations, auto published Reels can only use original audio at this time
- If you want to use trending audio/music/sounds, the best method is to schedule your Reel for notification publishing and add the audio during the posting process in Instagram
- Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters
Ready to start scheduling Instagram Reels? Here’s how.
Schedule a Reel to Instagram
Desktop
- From app.later.com on desktop, select your Instagram profile from the top of the Calendar
- From the Side Library, drag your video to the Calendar to open the Post Builder
- Next to Post Type, ensure Reels is selected
- Add a caption and hashtags for your post, or use a Saved Caption
- Adjust the scheduled date and time for publishing
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Optional Edits:
- Select Edit Video to crop or trim your video
- Select Change Media to replace your video
- Select Select Cover to select a frame from the video or upload a custom image for the cover
- Add a Link in Bio link
- Select Tag People to add user tags
- Select Invite Collaborator to invite up to 3 collaborators to this post
- They'll appear as tagged users until the invitation is accepted
- For Auto Publish posts, add a First Comment or Location
Note: Due to API restrictions, Auto Publish for Reels is available for Instagram business and creator profiles only. How to switch
- For Auto Publish posts, toggle whether you’d like your Reel to appear in your Instagram profile grid under Settings > Share to Feed
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Click Schedule Post
- Alternatively, click the down arrow next to the Schedule Post button > Save as Draft to save your post as a draft and come back to it later
If you selected Auto Publish when scheduling, your Reel will go live automatically at its selected time! Nothing further needed from you.
If you selected notification publishing, we'll send a notification to your mobile device at your Reel’s scheduled time. You’ll need to open this notification to publish. Learn more
iOS
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From the Schedule tab of Later’s iOS app, click the create-post button in the bottom right:
Tip: You can also start a post by long-pressing any open time slot in the Calendar view - Select the Instagram profile you want to schedule to from the top of the Post Builder
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Under your selected profile, ensure Reels is selected
- If you have Auto Publish enabled, it will be selected by default
- To switch to notification publishing, tap Change next to Auto Publish > Push Notification Publish
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Add media by tapping +
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For notification publishing only:
- You can add multiple photos or videos and stitch them together in the Instagram app
- The total length of videos must be 1 minute or less
- You can add an audio from Instagram when you go to publish your post in the app
- For Auto Publish Reels, only one video can be selected
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For notification publishing only:
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Add your caption and hashtags
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You can add a Saved Caption by clicking the Saved Captions icon:
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You can add a Saved Caption by clicking the Saved Captions icon:
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Optional edits:
- Tap a photo to crop it (not available for video)
- Tap x to remove media
- Tap, hold, and drag media to rearrange your post (notification publishing only—for Auto Publish, only one video can be selected)
- Tap Select Cover Photo to select a frame from the video, or tap Add From Media Library from the next screen to upload a custom image for the cover
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For Auto Publish Reels only, under More Options:
- Select your Cover Photo
- Toggle whether to share your Reel to your Instagram Feed
- Add a Location
- Add a First Comment
- Tap Change next to where it says No Time Selected
- Select a date and time for publishing, or tap Now under Select a Time to publish now
- Tap Save
- Tap Schedule Post
- Alternatively, tap Save as Draft to save your post as a draft and come back to it later
Android
- From the Schedule tab of Later’s Android app, click the create-post button in the bottom right
Tip: You can also start a post by long-pressing any open time slot in the Calendar view - Select the Instagram profile you want to schedule to from the top of the Post Builder
-
Under your selected profile, ensure Reels is selected
- If you have Auto Publish enabled, it will be selected by default
- To switch to notification publishing, tap Change next to Auto Publish > Push Notification
-
Add media by tapping +
-
For notification publishing only:
- You can add multiple photos or videos and stitch them together in the Instagram app
- The total length of videos must be 1 minute or less
- You can add an audio from Instagram when you go to publish your post in the app
- For Auto Publish Reels, only one video can be selected
-
For notification publishing only:
-
Add your caption and hashtags
-
You can add a Saved Caption by clicking the Saved Captions icon:
-
You can add a Saved Caption by clicking the Saved Captions icon:
-
Optional edits:
- Tap a photo to crop it (not available for video)
- Tap x to remove media
- Tap, hold, and drag media to rearrange your post (notification publishing only—for Auto Publish, only one video can be selected)
-
For Auto Publish Reels only, under More Options:
- Select your Cover Photo
- Toggle whether to share your Reel to your Instagram Feed
- Add a Location
- Add a First Comment
- Tap Change and select a date and time for publishing
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Tap Schedule Post
- Alternatively, tap Save as Draft to save your post as a draft and come back to it later
Publish Instagram Reels Using Notification Publishing
If you schedule your Instagram Reel using Auto Publish, there is no further action required—your post will be published automatically at its scheduled time.
If you schedule it for notification publishing, you’ll need to open the notification sent to your device at your post’s scheduled time and complete the publishing process, as follows:
iOS
- Open the notification on your iOS device
- Tap Open in Instagram
Important: Please be sure you are logged in to the correct Instagram account
- In Instagram, tap the create post icon, then tap Reel
- Tap the photo in the bottom left to open your Camera Roll
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If your Reel contains one media item:
- Tap your media item, then tap Add
- Tap the Select Multiple icon in the top right corner
- Select all your media items, then tap Next
- Add audio, or tap Skip
- Tap your media item, then tap Add
- Tap Next
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Optional: Edit your Reel using Instagram’s tools
Note: Your Reel must be 1 minute or less - Tap Next
- Paste your copied caption and hashtags
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Optional Edits:
- Edit cover
- Toggle whether to share this Reel to your Feed
- Tag people
- Add location
- Tap Share!
Android
- Open the notification on your Android device
- Tap Open in Instagram
Important: Please be sure you are logged in to the correct Instagram account
- In Instagram, tap the create post icon, then tap Reel
- Tap the photo in the bottom left to open your Camera Roll
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If your Reel contains one media item:
- Tap your media item, then tap Add
- Tap Select Multiple in the top right corner
- Select all your media items, then tap Next
- Add audio, or tap Skip
- Tap your media item, then tap Add
- Tap Preview
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Optional: Edit your Reel using Instagram’s tools
Note: Your Reel must be 1 minute or less - Tap Next
- Paste your copied caption and hashtags
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Optional Edits:
- Edit cover
- Toggle whether to share this Reel to your Feed
- Tag people
- Add location
- Tap Share