Have you ever wondered if Buffer can schedule Instagram Reels? This question has lingered in the minds of many digital marketers, and today, we’re going to thoroughly dissect it along with other related aspects.
Instagram Reels has quickly become a favorite tool for marketers due to its high engagement rates and the fun, creative opportunities it offers. But one of the main challenges has always been finding a way to efficiently schedule Reels in advance.
Table of Contents About Can Buffer Schedule Reels?
How To Schedule Instagram Reels for Later [Tips and Tools]
Scheduling Instagram Reels can be a game-changer for your social media strategy. It allows you to plan your content in advance, ensuring consistent posting and freeing up your time. But how can you do it?
Currently, Instagram’s API does not support automatic publishing for Reels. This means that while you may be able to plan and prepare your Reels in advance using some social media management tools, you will still need to manually post them on Instagram.
That being said, you can use a tool like Buffer to prepare your Reels and set reminders for when they should be posted. Here’s how:
- Create your Instagram Reel. Prepare your video according to Instagram’s Reel requirements, including aspect ratio and duration.
- Upload your Reel to Buffer. You can’t add music at this stage due to API limitations.
- Set a reminder. Choose the date and time you want your Reel to go live and Buffer will remind you.
- Publish manually. When you receive the reminder, you’ll need to manually post your Reel to Instagram.
Is there an app to schedule Instagram Reels?
Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, there is no app that can automatically schedule and publish Instagram Reels due to API limitations. However, social media management platforms like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Facebook’s Creator Studio offer workarounds to help you plan your Reels and simplify the posting process.
Here are a few of the key features Buffer offers for Reels:
- Schedule Reels to post automatically at your chosen date/time.
- Get reminders to post Reels manually at your chosen date/time.
- Analyze performance with impressions and engagement data.
- Manage schedules and posting calendars for multiple accounts in one place.
Buffer also lets you schedule regular Instagram posts, Stories, and carousels along with Reels. Their collaboration features make it easy for teams to plan and schedule content together.
How to schedule IG Reels using Hootsuite
Much like Buffer, Hootsuite allows you to prepare your Instagram Reels in advance and set reminders for when they should be published. You can check our detailed guide on how to use Hootsuite for scheduling Instagram Reels.
Here are the basic steps to schedule Reels with Hootsuite:
- Upload your finished Reel video file to Hootsuite.
- Add any desired text, captions, or descriptions.
- Using the “Schedule Post” option, choose an Instagram account to post from.
- Select a date and time you want your Reel to be posted.
- Configure any additional scheduling options.
- Hit “Schedule” and your Reel will be queued to post at the scheduled time.
Hootsuite lets you upload Reels just like you would any other video or image. You can add captions, tag people, use hashtags, and more.
One thing to note is that Hootsuite does not currently support adding music to Reels. This is due to limitations with Instagram’s API.
Overall, Hootsuite provides a basic scheduling option for Reels. But Buffer offers a much more robust set of tools and analytics specifically for Reels.
How to schedule Reels using Creator Studio
Facebook’s Creator Studio also offers an option to schedule reminders for Instagram Reels. Creator Studio is Facebook’s free social media management platform for Instagram and Facebook.
It provides an option to schedule your Instagram Reels as well:
- Open Creator Studio and go to the “Content” section.
- Click “+ Create Content”.
- Select your Instagram account and choose “Reel”.
- Upload your finished Reel video or create one using their editing tools.
- Add a title, caption, tags, location, etc.
- Use the calendar picker to choose a date and time to schedule your Reel.
- Configure any other scheduling options and hit “Schedule” when ready.
Creator Studio has fairly basic scheduling functionality for Reels. But it is a free option for anyone looking to plan their Instagram content.
One limitation is that you can’t add music to Reels scheduled through Creator Studio. But it provides the core scheduling capabilities along with some editing tools.>)
Benefits of scheduling Instagram Reels
Scheduling your Instagram Reels can provide numerous benefits, besides saving you time. Because after all, a well-planned strategy can make a significant difference in your social media marketing efforts. Let’s delve into these benefits:
1. Save time by planning ahead
By planning and scheduling your Reels in advance, you can save yourself the stress and time of daily content creation. This frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your business.
2. Cultivate a consistent look and feel
Scheduling allows you to visualize your content as a whole, helping you maintain a consistent aesthetic and cohesive branding across your posts.
3. Encourage engagement
Regularly posting content encourages your audience to engage with your brand. And since Reels are currently the most engaging format on Instagram, scheduling them can help improve your overall engagement rate.
4. Tap into video
Video content is king on social media, and Instagram Reels are no exception. By scheduling Reels, you’re tapping into the power of video and its high engagement potential.
5. Improve team collaboration
Scheduling tools often come with collaborative features, making it easier for teams to work together on content creation and approval processes.
7 reasons to start scheduling Reels
If the above benefits haven’t convinced you to start scheduling your Instagram Reels, here are seven more reasons, backed by stats:
- Reels generate 22% more engagement than regular Instagram posts.
- 68% of marketers plan on increasing video activity on Instagram this year (Social Insider).
- Reels get more engagement than traditional Instagram videos (Buffer).
- Reels are the most discoverable content on Instagram right now.
- Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes videos over photos.
- Videos generated 5.63% more comments than regular posts (Convince&Convert).
- Videos get 2.1x as many likes as regular posts (Quintly).
Become a better social marketer.
Scheduling your Instagram Reels in advance is a smart way to save time while optimizing performance.
Tools like Buffer make Reels scheduling simple. Their platform is purpose-built to help plan and schedule all your Instagram content – including Reels.
Start putting your Reels on autopilot today. Plan, collaborate, and analyze in one seamless workflow. Then let Buffer handle optimizing the timing for you.
It’s an easy way to tap into the full power of Reels and become a better social marketer.
At fassihfayyaz.com, I believe in empowering social media marketers with the best tools and strategies. Check out our reviews and comparisons of top social media management tools like Hypefury, TweetHunter, Buffer, and Hootsuite to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Frequently asked questions about scheduling Instagram Reels
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about scheduling Instagram Reels.
1. Can you schedule Instagram Reels?
As of now, Instagram’s API doesn’t allow any third-party app to schedule and automatically post Reels. However, you can prepare and set reminders for them using tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.
2. Can Hootsuite schedule Instagram Reels?
Like Buffer, Hootsuite doesn’t directly schedule Instagram Reels due to Instagram’s API restrictions. However, it does allow you to prepare your Reels and set reminders for when they should be posted.
3. Can you schedule IGTV videos?
As of the time of writing, Instagram’s API allows scheduling and direct publishing of IGTV videos via third-party apps like Buffer and Hootsuite.
4. Can Creator Studio schedule Instagram Reels?
Creator Studio does not directly schedule Instagram Reels. However, it does provide an option to set reminders for when your Reels should be published.
5. When is the best time to post Instagram Reels?
The best times tend to be Tuesday-Friday either early morning or around 5-6 pm. However, you’ll want to test different times to see what works best for your audience. Check your Instagram analytics for insights on your followers’ activity patterns.
Conclusion
Instagram Reels have become an essential part of social media marketing strategies. While it’s currently not possible to directly schedule and automatically post Reels, social media management tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Facebook’s Creator Studio can be used to plan your Reels and set reminders for when they should go live. This can be a significant time saver and help you maintain a consistent posting schedule, which is key to boosting engagement and growing your Instagram presence.
