Instagram Reels

Check your Reel before posting

Updated October 23, 2026 · 4 min read

The first hours of a Reel decide how widely Instagram shows it. Once it is live, the only fix is to delete and repost. This page is a checklist you can run in two minutes, followed by how Viral IQ scores a Reel and tells you what to change.

The checklist

1. Cover frame. The first frame is also what people see in your grid and in some feeds. It should make sense on its own.
2. Hook. Show the result or say the promise first, then explain. Do not open with an intro.
3. On-screen text. Keep it short and inside the safe area, away from the caption at the bottom and the buttons on the right.
4. Audio. Listen once with headphones and once on the phone speaker. Your voice should sit clearly above the music.
5. Length. Cut anything that does not move the story forward. If a part makes you want to skip it, viewers will skip the whole Reel.
6. A reason to send it. Instagram has said that sends, people sharing a Reel in a direct message, matter a lot for reaching people who do not follow you. Give viewers something worth sending to one specific friend.

Get an AI read on the Reel

1. In Viral IQ, set Instagram Reels as your main platform so the feedback is written for Reels.
2. Upload the Reel from your camera roll.
3. Look at the viral score, the hook score and where the predicted retention drops.
4. Read the notes on the hook, pacing, text, audio and visuals, and use the suggested title and hashtags if they fit.

Questions