How to Schedule Instagram Reels: Three Methods and a Weekly Workflow

Scheduling Instagram Reels lets you film and edit when you have the energy, then publish when your audience is around. It also takes the pressure off posting by hand every day. The good news is that you have several ways to do it, from the Instagram app itself to desktop tools.

This guide covers each method step by step, the limits to know before you plan a batch, and a simple weekly workflow for keeping Reels on schedule.

Before you start: check your account type

Sprout Social lists three ways to schedule Reels: natively in the Instagram app, with social media scheduling tools, and with Meta Business Suite. It notes that scheduling posts and Reels is only available for Instagram Business or Creator accounts, not personal accounts, so check your account type first.

Method one: schedule in the Instagram app

Sprout Social says the Instagram app did not support native scheduling until the end of 2022, and that scheduling is only available through the native app, not through desktop login. Its steps are to tap the plus button and select Reel, film or upload your video, add text, stickers, music, effects, and a caption, then tap More options, toggle Schedule this reel on, pick a date and time, go back, and tap Schedule.

The exact menu name can vary. SocialBu notes that the scheduling option sits under Advanced settings on iPhone and under More options on Android, and lists two limits: you can schedule up to 75 days in advance and queue up to 25 posts per day per account.

Once scheduled, your content waits in one place. SocialBu says to head to your Profile, then Menu, then Scheduled content to review or delete anything before it goes live. Search Engine Journal adds that from there you can tap Reschedule to change the date and time, Share now to publish immediately, or Delete to remove it from the schedule.

What the app cannot schedule

SocialBu says native Instagram scheduling covers regular posts, carousels, and Reels, but not Instagram Stories, collab posts, sponsored or branded content, product tagged shopping posts, or fundraisers. For those, you need to publish manually or use another tool. Sprout Social also notes that native scheduling does not let you cross post to other accounts.

Method two: schedule from desktop with Meta Business Suite

SocialBu describes Meta Business Suite as Meta's free publishing tool for creating, scheduling, and managing Instagram and Facebook content from a desktop. Before you start, your Instagram account needs to be connected to a Facebook Page through the Accounts Center, because Business Suite runs on that connection.

Circleboom's walkthrough of Business Suite goes like this: click Create Reel, choose your Instagram account and optionally your Facebook account to post to both, upload the video from your computer, add a caption with keywords and hashtags, pick a thumbnail, add a collaborator if you work with one, edit audio, cropping, or subtitles, then click Schedule and set the day and hour.

Method three: use a third party scheduler

Third party schedulers make sense when Instagram is one of several networks you post to. Sprout Social says a scheduling tool lets you manage content across multiple platforms and gives you access to more in depth analytics to track the performance of your Reels.

Pick the right time

Scheduling is most useful when it lines up with your audience. Search Engine Journal suggests using scheduling to publish more consistently during prime engagement periods, by identifying when your audience is most active and routinely publishing during those hours. SocialBu points to Instagram Insights as the place to find your peak engagement times.

Prepare Reels before you schedule

A scheduled Reel should be finished before it enters the queue. Watch it once with the sound off to check that on screen text carries the message, confirm the first second gives people a reason to keep watching, and read the caption out loud for typos. Save your edited video and cover in one folder so you can find them quickly if you need to reschedule.

A weekly workflow for scheduled Reels

1. Check your Insights and pick the posting windows that fit your audience.
2. Film and edit a small batch of Reels in one session.
3. Write captions, choose covers, and note any audio or text you need to add.
4. Schedule each Reel for one of your chosen windows, leaving gaps for timely posts.
5. Review the scheduled queue midweek and adjust anything that no longer fits.
6. After each Reel goes live, reply to early comments and note what performed well.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is scheduling from a personal account and wondering why the option is missing. Another is filling every slot in advance, which leaves no room for trends or news. A third is forgetting about a scheduled Reel after a plan changes, so review your queue before each week starts. Finally, scheduled content still needs you after it posts, because early replies help start the conversation.

Where Bento fits

Bento includes an Instagram scheduler for images, carousels, and Reels. You add a caption and media, choose a Reel cover, review the Instagram preview, and publish now or schedule it through an eligible professional account once Meta grants the required permissions. Bento does not schedule Instagram Stories or Facebook Reels. Bento offers a free forever, open source, self hosted edition, and hosted Bento starts with a 3-day trial of the plan you pick, with a card, UPI or wallet required, and there is no charge if you cancel before the trial ends.