Podcast Summary

Podcast: Grow Your Local Business
Host: Leslie Presnall
Episode: How To Get More Local Followers With Instagram Trial Reels
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, local marketing expert and life coach Leslie Presnall demystifies “trial reels”—a hot new Instagram feature—explaining how they can be strategically leveraged by local businesses to grow a truly local following, not just boost vanity metrics or attract random, global attention. Leslie shares insider knowledge on how trial reels work, why they're a game-changer for local discoverability, and offers actionable advice and creative hacks to maximize their impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Are Instagram Trial Reels? (00:20–03:00)

• Trial reels launched platform-wide mid-2025 (after a December 2024 beta) and “have been called the cheat code to Instagram” or “the best thing to ever happen to social media to help us grow our following.”
• Definition: A trial reel is a video post shown only to non-followers—your current followers won’t see it. This lets you test different content or hooks safely.
• Benefit: Enables experimentation; you can see what resonates with new audiences without affecting your existing brand perception.

2. Do Trial Reels Work For Local Businesses? (03:05–05:10)

• Short answer: Yes, “but it does take using them the right way.”
• For local businesses, reach and virality are only meaningful if they convert into local followers and clients, not random global engagement.
• Key: Trial reels can “increase local discoverability,” if they're tailored to your city and services.

3. How Instagram Determines Who Sees Your Trial Reels (05:15–07:40)

• Instagram considers 4 main factors:
  • Viewer location: “Instagram knows where somebody lives... and is trying to match your content with people who live in your area.”
  • Content indexing: “Everything you say in your content” (spoken words, captions, on-screen text, keywords) signals what your reel is about and where you operate.
  • Your existing follower base: The more local followers you have, the more local distribution you’ll get (“massively increases the chance that your content is distributed locally”).
  • Behavior signals: Instagram watches if people “engage with other local businesses in your area,” search for services you offer, or interact in similar ways.
• Bottom line: Localization is crucial for being shown to local non-followers.

4. Why Generic Content Fails to Build a Local Audience (07:41–09:10)

• Example: A hairstylist posting generic transformation videos, a doula sharing universal content, a photographer’s behind-the-scenes, or a physical therapist’s broad fitness tips.
• “Instagram will classify these...as general interest and show them to people everywhere, not local people.”
• Solution: Use location-based keywords, name your city, show recognizable landmarks, and clearly state who you serve locally.

5. Practical Hack: Addressing Non-Followers Directly (09:15–10:20)

• Leslie suggests a trending trick: Directly acknowledge you’re speaking to non-followers in your trial reel, and explicitly appeal to your local audience.
• Example script:
  • “Hey, XYZ city, I am an XYZ profession. This is a trial reel which means you don’t follow me yet. If you want help with XYZ, hit the follow button. I’m your girl!”
• This “call-out” creates a sense of exclusivity and urgency for local viewers.

6. Frameworks and Further Learning (10:25–11:35)

• If you still struggle to reach local people—or want consistent, framework-driven strategies—Leslie mentions her LocalPreneur Academy, which offers “a system that helps you grow your local audience by at least 100 new followers every month.”
• The focus: Content designed to signal local relevance, positioning you as the “go-to top choice so local people can find you, follow you, and most importantly buy from you.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the power of trial reels:

  • “People have now realized that it’s really just a free, easy way to get in front of new people, because it’s only new people who see it every time you post. Like, this is genius, right?” (Leslie, 01:40)

• On the critical need for local focus:

  • “It’s not just about going viral. It’s not about global reach… You still want to reach people in your city. And trial reels can do that for you—if you create content that matches what people are searching for, that includes local keywords.” (Leslie, 03:40)

• On Instagram’s secrets:

  • “Instagram is indexing everything you say in your content... so it can figure out how to classify your content so it can figure out who to show it to.” (Leslie, 05:50)

• On what not to do:

  • “If your content is generic, if it’s not local… Instagram will classify these types of posts as general interest and show them to people everywhere, not local people.” (Leslie, 07:55)

• On engaging local non-followers:

  • “Hey, XYZ city… This is a trial reel which means you don’t follow me yet. If you want help with XYZ, hit the follow button. I’m your girl!” (Leslie, paraphrasing viral script, 09:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:20 – Introduction to trial reels and their purpose
• 03:05 – Do trial reels actually help local businesses?
• 05:15 – Behind-the-scenes: How Instagram decides who sees your reels
• 07:41 – Why generic content won’t win you local followers
• 09:15 – “Hack” for speaking to local non-followers in trial reels
• 10:25 – Leslie’s LocalPreneur Academy framework for growing a local following

Tone & Language

• Leslie speaks in an upbeat, reassuring, and practical tone. She balances marketing strategy with hands-on, jargon-free advice aimed directly at local business owners. Her language is encouraging, relatable, and peppered with real-world examples and scripts.

Conclusion

This episode offers a step-by-step breakdown of how Instagram trial reels work and how to harness them intentionally to grow a real local audience for your business. Leslie Presnall’s practical strategies focus on localization: using local keywords, direct calls to action, and content tailored specifically for your city—for trial reels and beyond.

If you’re a local entrepreneur tired of generic “reach” hacks, Leslie’s advice offers a roadmap for finally converting Instagram views into genuine local followers—and clients.