Silent, bordered or mostly-text Reel
Instagram may show the video to fewer people.
About to post? A full check of your video looks for this in what's shown and the video's size, shape and length and the words on screen, with a plain fix.
Check a video freeWhat triggers it
A Reel with no audio, borders around the video (e.g. a horizontal clip on a vertical canvas), or mostly text on screen.
What Instagram says
“reels that are muted or contain borders, reels that are majority text”
How to fix it
Add an audio track, reframe to full-bleed 9:16, and keep text overlays well under half the frame.
Good to know
Silent audio track, letterbox/pillarbox bars or frame borders, or text covering most of the frame for most of the video.
Can FYProof spot it?
A full check of your video looks for it in what's shown and the video's size, shape and length and the words on screen. What a check finds is an estimate, not a guarantee.
- Video: looked at for this rule
- Speech: not for this rule
- On-screen text: looked at for this rule
- Caption: not for this rule
- Hashtags: not for this rule
Sounds other than speech, such as music, aren't checked.
Compare this rule across platforms
Related Instagram rules
Platforms change their rules often. This page sums up what Instagram publishes; it isn't legal advice.