Scheduling your Instagram Reels & other posts for free can now be done directly and now 100% free from the visual app. You can now plan and publish your Reels, photos, and videos on the exact date & time you desire with Instagram’s native scheduling feature, and no more third-party apps are needed. Read on to know the step-by-step guide on how to schedule your posts & Reels directly from the mobile app.

Are you looking for a free way to schedule your Reels?

This is all you have been waiting for: the native scheduling feature by Instagram.

Instagram now lets its users plan Feed Posts & Reels on the date & time effortlessly.

How to schedule Instagram Reels for free

Yup, the setting is all FREE, you don’t need to subscribe to enjoy the in-app scheduling.

Now you can plan and publish your IG Reels & Posts whenever you like,

Without spending any money on third-party apps like Instagram schedulers.

Are you curious about how to do it?

Here, let me guide you in a step-by-step tutorial on how to schedule your Posts & Reels

Directly on Instagram for free.

Let’s go.

TL;DR: 5 Steps to schedule Instagram Posts & Reels without third-party apps:

  1. Create a new Post or Reel on Instagram
  2. Select the photo or video you want to post & schedule it on Instagram
  3. Tap the “Next” button on the IG photo or video
  4. Insert all your IG content details and choose “Advanced Settings” at the bottom
  5. Enable the “Schedule this post” toggle and start planning your IG Post & Reels

How to Schedule your Post & Reels Directly via Instagram and 100% Free?

Instagram in-app scheduling is one of the recent updates from Instagram in 2023.

To plan your Instagram content directly within the app, simply create your content, go to “Advanced Settings” and enable the “Schedule this post” toggle.

Before starting, make sure you already switch the account to a professional account first.

The scheduling setting by Instagram won’t work for private accounts.

Let’s get into the each step of the scheduling guide for Posts & Reels natively on Instagram. 

1. Create a new Post or Reel on Instagram

First things first of course you must open Instagram.

After that, find a “+” icon on the top right of the screen to create a new Post or Reel.

The Create button to make a new post, Reel, and more IG content
This is the button where all Instagram content creation starts~

Or you can try the shortcuts.

Slide the page to the right on the Story maker and pick the “Post” menu to publish new Feed content.

Or click on the “+” icon on the Reel page on the top right of the screen to make a new video.

2. Select the photo or video you want to post & schedule it on Instagram

Next, pick any photo or video you want to plan on Instagram.

Be it a new photo or an existing, already-prepared video on your phone gallery,

Pick and plan it.

The chosen photo in content making section to be scheduled on Instagram
The more recent the media is, the easier you’ll find it (on top).

3. Tap the “Next” button on the IG photo or video

After deciding on the picture or video, just click the “Next” button twice.

Both in the photo or video selection and in the editing section.

You can edit your content first if needed.

Adjust the brightness, contrast, and another basic editing, or use the filter template.

When done, click “Next”.

The “Next” button in the IG post editing before scheduling
Just click “Next” “Next” if you don’t need to edit anything.

4. Insert all your IG content details and choose “Advanced Settings” at the bottom

Now it’s time to complete your IG post with captions, hashtags, tags, location, etc.

Make sure everything is done and added properly.

You can still edit once the post is scheduled,

But it’s better to do it once rather than have an unfinished job, right?

You are here to save your time by scheduling your post, after all.

When done, scroll right to the bottom to find the “Advanced Settings” menu.

The advanced settings menu on the Instagram caption addition section
There is no shortcut to this, just scroll right to the bottom~

5. Enable the “Schedule this post” toggle and start planning your IG Post & Reels

This is the page.

Turn on the “Schedule this post” button, you will get a pop-up setting containing a date and time.

The time setting is very specific, you can go into the minutes.

Set the time to your liking, when done, click the blue button “Done” at the bottom.

The advanced settings menu on the Instagram caption addition section
Pro tip: Never set your time at 00:00 to avoid heavy competition 🙂

Don’t forget to analyze and determine the best time to post on Instagram.

Check your audience’s most active times

And set it as the right time to get the most engagement.

Now, your only job is to promote your Reels 🙂

What kind of Posts can you schedule directly on Instagram?

the new scheduling feature by Instagram is only applicable to Feed Posts, be it a single photo or carousel posts, and Reels.

Unfortunately, the setting is not available for Instagram Stories.

You need to wait a little bit more, Instagram might consider adding it to Stories too.

However, by providing this feature, Instagram has, once again,

Made it easier for creators or any user on the app to publish their content, especially for Reels.

Creators are now directed to focus on producing Reels as the company’s priority is helping them reach wider audiences.

But are schedulers for Instagram not needed anymore?

Let’s talk about it.

So, should I use an Instagram scheduler or the Free IG schedule feature in the mobile app?

Since Instagram is now providing a native scheduling setting on its app,

Third-party apps like Instagram schedulers seem like a no-use.

All the big players might already have several discussions to offer new interesting features.

For me, they will still thrive in the business. Why?

Because Instagram schedulers do not only offer content scheduling

But also equip the main service with helpful features like a content calendar, link in bio tool, hashtag generators, and more.

And to answer the question: which one should you use for scheduling? Instagram or third-party apps?

Depends on your need.

If you only need simple scheduling, using the in-app scheduling feature by Instagram is enough.

But if you need more features to support and boost your IG Reels & Posts performance,

Like the hashtag generators to get relevant hashtags, the Bio-Link tool, the Best time to post recommendations, etc,

I think it’s better for you to keep using schedulers.

Do you agree with me? Or do you have another consideration to use a scheduling tool for your IG Reels & Posts?

Tell me in the comments.

Note: Contact us here & contribute your thoughts if you think we miss something to talk about.

Answering Questions about In-App Instagram Scheduler

What is the maximum day can I schedule the posts & Reels on Instagram?

Instagram lets you plan your posts & Reels up to 75 days or 2.5 months in advance. Longer than that, you might need another tool to schedule your IG content. My advice: plan your content only up to 1 month ahead of time. The content you have scheduled might already be outdated at the time it’s posted if you schedule more than a month beforehand.

Does Instagram limit the number of posts or Reels I can schedule?

No, there is no limit to how many posts you can schedule on the Instagram app. Instagram only limits the scheduling duration, not the number of posts. This is a big deal since a third-party app usually limits the number of posts to plan for free versions.

Can I edit an Instagram Post or Reel that is already scheduled?

Yes, definitely, you can still edit once you scheduled a post. Even after the content is published, you can still edit it directly on the app. To change the scheduling setting or edit the content details, go to your scheduled content and do your adjustments.

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