How to Upload Reels on Facebook

Uploading Reels to Facebook is a powerful way to expand your reach, and the process is surprisingly straightforward whether you're on your phone or at your desk. This guide breaks down exactly how to upload Reels using the mobile app and how to schedule them from your computer, so you can start sharing engaging video content with your audience right away. We'll also cover some simple best practices to help your Reels perform better once they're live.

Why You Should Bother with Facebook Reels

You might be focused on Instagram Reels or TikTok, but ignoring Facebook Reels means leaving a massive audience on the table. With its gigantic user base, Facebook offers a different - and often more diverse - demographic than other short-form video platforms. Uploading Reels here isn't just about reaching more people, it's about connecting with a different segment of your potential audience in a format they already love.

Here’s the simple breakdown of why it’s a smart move:

• Expanded Reach: The Facebook algorithm loves Reels and actively promotes them to people beyond your existing followers, giving your content a chance to go viral on a whole new platform.
• Leverage Existing Content: Already creating short-form videos for Instagram or TikTok? Repurposing that content for Facebook Reels is an efficient way to get more mileage out of the work you're already doing.
• Higher Engagement: Video content consistently drives more engagement than static images or text posts. Reels, in particular, are designed to be interactive, encouraging likes, comments, and shares.
• Build Community: Reels offer a direct and personal way to communicate with your audience. You can showcase your brand's personality, share behind-the-scenes content, or provide value through quick tutorials, building a stronger connection with your viewers.

Getting Your Video Ready: The Pre-Upload Checklist

Before you hit upload, a little prep work can make all the difference. To give your Reel the best shot at success, make sure it meets these simple requirements.

• Aspect Ratio: Stick to a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio (1080 x 1920 pixels). This is the standard smartphone screen size, ensuring your video fills the entire screen for an immersive viewing experience.
• Video Length: Facebook Reels can be up to 90 seconds long. While you have more room than Instagram's 60-second Reels from the past, the sweet spot is often much shorter. Aim to capture attention and deliver your message quickly, usually within 15 to 30 seconds.
• Audio is Everything: Great audio is non-negotiable. Use clear original audio or tap into Facebook's library of trending sounds and music to make your content more discoverable. A song that’s trending on Instagram Reels is often trending on Facebook, too.
• Quality Matters: Upload the highest quality video possible. Grainy, blurry, or low-resolution videos get skipped. Also, Facebook's algorithm is known to deprioritize videos that have visible watermarks from other platforms (like TikTok), so upload a clean version of your video whenever possible.

How to Upload Reels on Facebook (Mobile App)

Most creators will upload Reels directly from their phones. The in-app editor provides all the tools you need to add music, text, and effects on the fly. Here's the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Open the Reels Creator

Open the Facebook app. You can create a Reel in a few ways:

• Tap the "+" icon at the top right of your home feed and select "Reel."
• From your home feed, find the Reels section and tap the "Create Reel" button.
• Go to your own Facebook profile or Page and find the "Reel" option under the post composer.

Step 2: Select or Record Your Video

Now, you have two choices: upload a pre-made video or record one right in the app.

• To upload: Tap on the gallery icon in the bottom-left corner and select one or more video clips from your phone's camera roll.
• To record: Simply press and hold the record button at the bottom center of the screen. You can record a series of clips by starting and stopping the recording.

Step 3: Edit Your Reel

This is where you bring your video to life. On the right side of the screen, you’ll see a menu of editing tools. Let's walk through them:

• Audio: Tap the music note icon to add a song from Facebook’s library or use your own original audio. You can search for specific tracks or browse trending sounds. This is one of the most important steps for increasing visibility.
• Length: You can set the timer here before recording to get hands-free clips of a specific duration.
• Effects: Browse through AR filters to add some creative flair to your video.
• Green Screen: This effect lets you superimpose yourself over another photo or video, perfect for reaction-style content.
• Text: Add text overlays to provide context, tell a story, or create eye-catching captions. You can change fonts, colors, and timing to make the text appear and disappear when you want.
• Stickers: Add stickers, polls, quizzes, or GIFs to make your Reel more interactive and engaging.

Once you've added your desired elements, tap "Next."

Step 4: Add Your Caption, Hashtags, and Settings

You're almost ready to post. On this final screen, you’ll need to wrap up the details:

• Write a description: Craft a compelling caption that encourages viewers to watch and comment. Keep it relatively short and punchy. Ask questions to drive engagement.
• Add hashtags: Include 3-5 relevant hashtags to help Facebook categorize your content and show it to interested users. Mix broad hashtags (#smallbusiness) with niche ones (#handmadepottery) for the best results.
• Set your audience: Choose who can see your Reel - Public, Friends, or Friends except... For maximum reach, always set your Reels to Public.
• Tag people: If your Reel features other people, you can tag their profiles here.
• Remixing: By default, this is turned on, allowing others to create their own Reel alongside yours. This can boost your visibility if popular creators remix your content.

Step 5: Share Your Reel

Once you've finalized everything, tap the "Share now" button at the bottom. Your Reel will be published to your profile or Page and will start being distributed in the Reels feed and other places across Facebook. Congratulations!

How to Schedule Facebook Reels from a Desktop (Using Meta Business Suite)

If you're managing a brand or business account, scheduling posts from your desktop is a game-changer for staying consistent. Meta Business Suite is the official - and free - tool for doing this.

Step 1: Go to Meta Business Suite

Visit business.facebook.com and select the account you want to post from.

Step 2: Create a Reel

In the "Content" tab or the "Planner" tab, look for the "Create Reel" button. This will open the Reel creation window, which looks slightly different from the mobile editor but has all the key functionality.

Step 3: Upload Your Video

Click "Add video" and choose the pre-edited video file from your computer. Remember, it should be in a 9:16 aspect ratio and under 90 seconds. You’ll see your video populate the preview window on the right.

Step 4: Fill Out the Details

Just like on mobile, you’ll add your caption and hashtags. You can also choose a thumbnail for your video by either selecting a frame from the video or uploading a custom image. Business Suite even has an A/B testing feature that lets you try out different captions to see what performs best.

Step 5: Schedule or Publish

This is the key step. At the bottom right, you'll see a blue "Publish" button. Next to it, there's a dropdown arrow. Click it to reveal more options:

• Publish now: Your Reel will go live immediately.
• Schedule: Select this to choose a future date and time for your Reel to be published. This is perfect for planning your content calendar in advance.
• Save as draft: If you're not ready to post or schedule, you can save your progress and come back to it later.

Once you’ve selected your preference, click the schedule/save/publish button, and you’re all set. The Business Suite Planner will give you a great visual overview of all your upcoming scheduled content, including Reels.

Final Thoughts

Uploading and scheduling Reels on Facebook is a straightforward process whether you're using your phone for spontaneous content or your desktop for a planned-out strategy. By adding Reels to your content mix, you open up a massive opportunity for growth, engagement, and community building on one of the world's largest social platforms.

To make this process even easier, our team designed Postbase specifically for the modern social media landscape, which is all about video. Unlike older tools that tacked on video support as an afterthought, we built a scheduler that handles Reels, TikToks, and Shorts flawlessly. You can use our visual calendar to plan your content across all your platforms, schedule your Reels reliably without constant glitches, and manage all your engagement in one place.