Instagram Reels Publishing

The Instagram Reels publish-mechanics skill -- distinct from reels-script (the script), instagram-seo (the keyword caption), and platform-specs-and-validation (cross-platform validation). Use when someone has a finished Reel and needs to publish it correctly: specs, cover, safe zone, publish settings. It gets the Reel OUT the way Instagram displays it: 9:16 spec-clean video, the safe zone that survives the feed and profile-grid crops, a custom grid-safe cover (chosen before publish, can't edit after), the keyword caption, and audio. Uses the FRAME framework. Reads brand-profile + the Reel asset first. The agent specs the publish settings, cover brief, and specs/safe-zone checklist, and advises audio/tags. WoopSocial publishes postType REEL + video + caption + cover on a schedule; trending audio, Share-to-Feed, tags, and Reel Insights stay native/in-app; the video/cover come from other tools. Remove other-platform watermarks; metrics never fabricated.

The Reel publish-mechanics skill — get a finished Reel out the way Instagram displays it (specs, safe zone, cover, settings). The agent specs the publish settings + the cover brief + the specs/safe-zone checklist + advises audio/tags; WoopSocial publishes postType REEL + video + caption + cover; trending audio, Share-to-Feed, tags, quality + Insights are native/in-app, and the video/cover/burned-in captions come from other tools.

The POV: the Reel is made elsewhere — this gets it OUT spec-clean

Great Reels get squashed/cropped/blurred at the publish step — a sizing/settings problem, not a content problem. Design for how Instagram actually displays a Reel: full 9:16 in the Reels tab, a 4:5 crop in the feed, and the 3:4 (1080×1440) profile-grid crop (the 2025 rectangular-grid change) — so keep critical content centered and in the safe zone. The cover is chosen before publish and can't be edited after. WoopSocial publishes postType REEL + video + caption + cover; the trending audio, Share-to-Feed, tags, and quality settings are native/in-app, and the video/cover/captions come from other tools.

Read these first

1. brand-profile — cover/caption style.
2. the finished Reel asset (+ topic).

The framework: FRAME

(Depth: references/the-frame-framework.md.)

• F — Frame it 9:16, spec-clean: 1080×1920, MP4/MOV H.264 30/60fps ≥1080p ≤4GB (~15–20 Mbps); off 0.5625 → crops/letterboxes; remove other-platform watermarks.
• R — Reserve the safe zone: top ~250px + bottom ~350px are UI; keep hook text/face/CTA in the central safe zone (survives the 4:5 feed + 3:4 grid crops).
• A — Art the cover for the grid: choose before publishing; a custom upload beats a video frame; key elements + bold ≥60px text in the 3:4-grid-safe center; can't edit after upload (→ ideogram/ nano-banana).
• M — Match caption + audio: publish the keyword caption (← instagram-seo); audio beats silent + trending audio is pushed (native); the first-3-sec hook (← reels-script); burned-in captions in the safe zone (← captions-and-clipping).
• E — Emit on schedule + mind what's native: WoopSocial publishes postType REEL + video + caption + cover, scheduled + spec-validated (→ platform-specs-and-validation); native/in-app: trending audio, Share-to-Feed, collab/product tags, media-quality, Reel Insights.

The reality (verify-quarterly)

9:16 1080×1920 canonical (off 0.5625 crops/letterboxes); MP4/MOV H.264 30/60fps ≥1080p ≤4GB ~15–20 Mbps; length ~90s / 3 min in-app / ~15 min third-party; the 3 crop contexts (Reels tab 9:16, feed 4:5, profile grid 3:4 1080×1440 [2025 rectangular-grid change], link 1.91:1); safe zones (top ~250 / bottom ~350 UI; central ~1320 safe; March 2026 unified FB+IG safe zone); cover (chosen before publish, frame or custom upload, can't edit after, renders 9:16 feed + 3:4 grid, custom > frame, bold ≥60px center); audio (with-audio > silent, trending pushed [native]); hook first 3s; burn captions (safe zone); remove watermarks; blurry fixes (15–20 Mbps VBR, ~30-min processing, Rec.709, desaturate reds); media-quality native: references/reels- publishing-2026-reality.md. The spec sheet + pre-publish checklist, the safe-zone map, the cover brief, the publishable-vs-native table, the publish block + worked examples: references/specs-cover-and-publish.md.

Honest scope (never violate)

• The agent specs the publish settings, writes the cover brief, runs the specs/safe-zone checklist, and advises trending-audio/Share-to-Feed/tags.
• WoopSocial publishes postType: REEL + the 9:16 video + the caption (content.text) + the cover (REEL-only) on a schedule, validated via platform-specs-and-validation.
• WoopSocial does NOT: select trending audio (IG's licensed library — not via API; native), toggle Share-to-Feed (native), add collaborator/product tags (native), trim the video, set media-quality (native), or read Reel Insights (native). It can't render the video (video tools/ creator), design the cover (image tools), or burn in captions (captions-and-clipping).
• 9:16 1080×1920 or it crops/blurs; content in the safe zone (survives the 4:5 feed + 3:4 grid crops); custom cover — can't edit after upload; remove other-platform watermarks; never fabricate reach. (Scope, distinctions + connections: references/scope-and-connections.md.)

Distinct from its siblings (route correctly)

instagram-reels-publishing (this) = the publish MECHANICS (specs/safe-zone/cover/settings) · reels- script = the script · instagram-seo = the keyword caption (pairs — published here) · platform-specs- and-validation = the cross-platform validation (this uses it) · captions-and-clipping = the burn-in · tiktok-video-publishing/youtube-publishing-and-metadata = the sibling publish skills · thumbnail- design = YouTube thumbnails (the cover is the IG analogue) · instagram-growth = the strategy.

Where this connects

Reads first: brand-profile + the finished Reel asset. Pulls from: reels-script (the hook/script), instagram-seo (the keyword caption), the video tools (veo-3/luma/kling/heygen via ai-video) for the clip, ideogram/nano-banana for the cover, captions-and-clipping for the burned-in captions. Validates with: platform-specs-and-validation (9:16, ≤4GB, MP4/MOV). Publishes via: scheduling-and-queue → WoopSocial (postType REEL + video + caption + cover). Measures with: native Reel Insights + analytics-and-reporting. Trending audio, Share-to-Feed, tags, quality, Insights + asset creation stay native/other-tools.

Definition of done

A finished Reel published spec-clean: 9:16 at 1080×1920 (MP4/MOV H.264, ≤4GB, no other-platform watermark), with the hook/face/CTA centered in the safe zone so it survives the 4:5 feed + 3:4 grid crops; a custom grid-safe cover briefed to an image tool (bold ≥60px text in the 3:4 center, chosen before publish since it can't be edited after); the keyword caption (from instagram-seo) and audio in place, with the hook routed to reels-script and the burn-in to captions-and-clipping; postType REEL + video + caption + cover published via WoopSocial on a schedule and validated via platform-specs-and-validation, while trending audio, Share-to-Feed, collaborator/product tags, media-quality, and Insights stay native/in-app; nothing fabricated; correctly distinguished from reels-script, instagram-seo, and platform-specs-and-validation.