When Facebook first launched Reels in 2020, there was some confusion around whether Reels profiles were public or private. The short answer is that Reels profiles on Facebook are public – anyone can view your Reels content, even if they are not your Facebook friend.
Are Reels profiles completely public?
Yes, Reels profiles and content are completely public on Facebook. When you create and share a Reel, you are posting it publicly to Facebook, similar to posting a public status update or photo. There are a few reasons for this:
- Facebook designed Reels to be a public social content format, like their other Stories products on Instagram and Facebook. They want Reels content to be discoverable and sharable amongst the wider Facebook community.
- Making Reels public helps creators reach a bigger audience and get their content seen more widely. A private Reels profile would severely limit potential viewership.
- Facebook uses public engagement metrics like reactions, shares, and comments on Reels to recommend content to more users. Keeping Reels public allows their algorithm to properly source and rank content.
So in summary, when you post a Reel on Facebook it is always public. There is no option to post Reels privately or have a private Reels profile at this time.
What can you do to manage privacy with Reels?
Even though Reels profiles are public, you do have some options to manage your privacy:
- Adjust your general Facebook privacy settings for things like who can look you up and see your friends list.
- Use Facebook’s audience selector when posting Reels to limit visibility, for example only sharing with friends instead of publicly.
- Delete or disable comments on your public Reels to control unwanted interactions.
- Block other users who may be bothering you across Reels or Facebook.
- Leverage Reels privacy-focused features like audio control, to decide who can reuse your audio clips.
While these controls don’t make your Reels private, they do allow you to limit aspects of how people interact with your public content.
Should you post private content on Reels?
In general, it’s not a good idea to post truly private, sensitive, or confidential information in Reels, since they are always public. Here are some tips on keeping your content and privacy safe:
- Avoid sharing personal details like addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, or IDs.
- Be thoughtful about locations and settings – consider blurring out identifiable details.
- Don’t film anything illegal, dangerous or compromising.
- Get permission before filming or posting content with other people.
- Remember anything inflammatory or controversial will be publicly accessible.
- Use a second “finsta” account if you want to post content just for close friends.
Following basic privacy and self-awareness principles for public social media can help you avoid oversharing or future problems on Reels.
How private is your main Facebook profile?
While your Reels profile is public, the privacy settings for your main Facebook profile are completely separate. Here are some key points on Facebook profile privacy:
- By default, anyone can view your public profile and posts.
- You can restrict profile viewing to just friends in your Facebook privacy settings.
- Limit old posts visibility, review tags you’re in, and edit visibility of past content.
- Adjust who can lookup your profile with name/number searches.
- Control who can send you friend requests or message you.
- Review your privacy on other Facebook services like marketplace, dating, and games.
- Beware privacy risks if you join public Facebook groups and events.
Checking and updating your main Facebook profile’s privacy settings is always a smart idea. Segment what you share publicly vs just with friends on the platform.
Should businesses have public Reels profiles?
Having a public Reels presence is recommended for most businesses and creators on Facebook. Here are some benefits:
- Maximizes reach and discovery of your content to new audiences.
- Enables organic growth by getting on the Recommended and Discover tabs.
- Allows easy sharing and embedding of your Reels by fans and followers.
- Provides public metrics crucial for understanding performance.
- Sets you up for future Reels monetization like ads and bonuses.
There are some cases where a private business Reels profile could make sense, like:
- You only want employees/members accessing proprietary info Reels.
- Your business handles sensitive data like legal firms or healthcare.
- You have confidential processes, pricing or products to protect.
But for most businesses, developing a strong public Reels presence will maximize your brand visibility and social media marketing.
Can you see who views your Reels?
No, there is currently no way to see exactly who is viewing your Reels on Facebook. This differs from Instagram, where creators can see metrics on their audience and followers. On Facebook, Reels analytics are more focused on aggregate performance data. You can see:
- Total plays
- Average watch time per Reel
- Total “Likes” and comments
- Shares
- Saves
- Top follower locations
Without identifying individual viewers, these metrics still provide valuable insight into how well your Reels are resonating and who they are reaching in terms of demographics and geography.
Why can’t you see Reels viewers?
There are a few reasons Facebook doesn’t show individual Reels viewers or followers currently:
- viewer privacy – Facebook wants to keep user data locked down.
- Simpler analytics – aggregate metrics are more useful for creators.
- Product differences – Facebook vs Instagram have diverged over time.
- Potential future monetization – viewer data could support ads or paid bonuses.
The ability to identify Reels viewers could come in the future as the product develops. But for now, Facebook is taking a privacy-focused, metrics-driven approach.
Should Reels be private for personal use?
While Reels were designed as a public social content format, you can also use them privately just for your own purposes. Here are some personal uses for private Reels:
- Capturing memories and milestones to look back on for yourself.
- Practicing your Reels skills – test out effects, edits, transitions.
- Expressing yourself creatively just for fun and self-exploration.
- Drafting Reels to review before deciding to post publicly or not.
- Documenting anything confidential meant just for your eyes.
The best way to keep personal Reels private is to save them to your camera roll or device storage rather than posting to Facebook. This gives you all the creative benefits without any public visibility.
Conclusion
Reels on Facebook are designed as a public social media content format. While your Reels profile and videos are always public, you do have controls like audience selectors and blocking to manage visibility and interactions.
For private use, simply saving Reels to your camera roll rather than posting is the best option. And you can still regulate privacy on your main Facebook profile using their security settings.
In most cases, having a public Reels presence will help individual creators and brands maximize their audience reach and engagement. But you can tailor factors like content topics and audience scope to find the right balance for your needs.