No, Instagram reel drafts are not public. Reels that are saved as drafts can only be viewed by you in your drafts folder. They will not be visible to anyone else on Instagram until you publish them.
What are Instagram reels?
Instagram reels are short, entertaining videos that users can create and share on the app. Reels can be up to 60 seconds long and allow users to record multiple clips and edit them together with audio, effects, timers, and more creative tools.
Reels have become hugely popular on Instagram since they were introduced in 2020 as a way for creators to make fun and engaging video content. They aim to compete with other short-form video apps like TikTok.
Creating and saving reel drafts
When you start creating a new reel in the Instagram app, you have the option to either publish it right away or save it as a draft to work on later. Saving as a draft is handy if you want to take more time editing your reel before sharing it publicly.
To save a reel as a draft, simply tap the arrow icon in the top right corner when you’ve finished recording your clips and editing. This will save the reel to your drafts folder rather than posting it on your profile.
You can come back and edit draft reels later by going to your profile, tapping the hamburger menu icon, and selecting “Drafts”. Here you’ll find all your unfinished reels that are waiting to be edited and posted.
Who can see your reel drafts?
Instagram reel drafts are private and are only visible to you. If you save a reel as a draft, no other Instagram users will be able to find or view that reel until you decide to publish it.
Draft reels do not appear on your profile grid or in any public spaces on Instagram. They are only accessible in your drafts folder, which is kept private.
This allows you to experiment with creating reels at your own pace without worrying about anyone seeing them before you are ready to share your final product.
When do draft reels become public?
A reel draft will only become public once you officially publish it by pressing the share button. This will post the reel onto your profile grid for all your followers and anyone else who comes across your profile to see.
Simply saving a reel into your drafts folder does not share it anywhere publicly. You have complete control over when a draft becomes visible.
Even if you accidentally publish a reel you weren’t happy with and delete it shortly after, it still would have been briefly public in that small window before you removed it.
Can someone who follows you see your drafts?
No, followers cannot see your reel drafts at any point. The only person able to access unfinished, unsaved reels is you.
It does not matter if someone follows you or is even tagged in a draft reel. Until the reel is officially posted, your followers have no way to view draft reels.
This allows creators to get feedback from those they trust before sharing more widely. But Instagram keeps reel drafts private otherwise.
Tips for managing reel drafts
Here are some tips to effectively use Instagram reel drafts:
- Review old drafts regularly and delete any you don’t plan on finishing. This keeps your draft space clean.
- Consider saving drafts to a private Instagram account to keep them even more secure.
- Add dates or numbers to draft names so you can track the latest version.
- Ask trusted friends for feedback on drafts before posting publicly.
- Use drafts to store reused content like branded intros or transitions.
Publishing your draft reels
Once you finally finish a reel and are ready to share it, publishing is easy. Just open the draft, tap the arrow icon and then “Post” to share it publicly to your followers.
Remember, publishing immediately makes the reel visible on both your profile grid and the wider Explore page for anyone to see.
Instagram will start showing your reel to relevant accounts, so publishing shares it beyond just your existing followers.
Analytics on published reels
After publishing a reel, you can check its analytics by tapping on it from your profile grid. This will show you useful stats like:
- Number of plays
- Likes and comments
- Any shares or saves
- Top geographic locations of viewers
Analyzing the performance of your reels helps you learn what content resonates best with your audience.
Deleting published reels
If you change your mind after publishing a reel and want to remove it, you can delete it:
- Go to your profile and tap the three dot menu on the reel.
- Select “Delete”.
- Confirm by tapping “Delete” again.
This will permanently remove the reel from your profile grid and public view. But any likes, comments or data on it before you deleted it will remain.
Conclusion
To recap, Instagram reel drafts remain private unseen by anyone else until you officially publish your finalized reel. This gives creators flexibility to carefully edit reels and control when they share them publicly.
Using drafts allows you to store works in progress and get feedback before posting reels to your wider audience. But Instagram keeps them secure in your drafts folder until you are ready for that public posting.