How to Publish Instagram Reels with the Social Planner

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Connect an Instagram Professional account, create a new post in Social Planner, choose Reels as the content type, upload up to 10 images or videos, and post or schedule.

The Social Planner publishes Reels to Instagram Professional accounts. Creator and personal accounts are not supported. By default, Reels post to both the Feed and the Reels tab; turn off the share-to-Feed toggle in the composer if you want Reels-tab only.

Before you start

Connect an Instagram Professional account. Personal and creator accounts can't publish Reels through the API.
Upload your images and videos to the Media Library first.
Decide whether you want the post on the Feed plus Reels tab (default) or Reels tab only (turn off the Feed share toggle).

How to publish a Reel

Go to Marketing > Social Planner > New Post.
Under Publish, select your Instagram account. Picking any non-Instagram account hides Reels as an option.
Select Reels as the content type.
Upload up to 10 images or videos.
Click Post Now, Schedule for Later, or save as a draft.

Scheduled posts appear under the Scheduled Posts tab.

Caption character limits

Instagram's API counts captions in URL-encoded characters. Some special characters and emojis count as more than one. A caption that fits the in-app limit can still fail in the native app if the URL-encoded length exceeds Meta's cap.

Supported content

Video size: up to 1 GB.
Thumbnail: up to 8 MB.
Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended.
Duration: 3 seconds minimum, 15 minutes maximum.
Format: MOV or MP4.
Max horizontal pixels: 1920.

Frequently asked questions

Can I publish Reels from a personal or creator account?

No. Reels publishing through the Social Planner requires an Instagram Professional account.

How many media items can a Reel include?

Up to 10 images or videos per Reel.

Where does the Reel appear once published?

By default, both the Feed and the Reels tab. Turn off the share-to-Feed toggle in the composer to keep it on the Reels tab only.

Can I schedule Reels?

Yes. After building the Reel, choose Schedule for Later and pick a time. The post lives under the Scheduled Posts tab until it goes live.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I publish Reels from a personal Instagram account?

No. Reels publishing requires an Instagram Professional account. Personal and creator accounts won't show Reels as an option in the composer.

How long can an Instagram Reel be?

Between 3 seconds and 15 minutes, in 9:16 aspect ratio, MOV or MP4 format.

Will my Reel appear in the Feed and the Reels tab?

By default yes. Toggle off the share-to-Feed option in the composer to publish to the Reels tab only.

How many photos or videos can I include in one Reel?

Up to 10 media items per Reel.