The creator pilot now counts a reel with ManyChat

When the creator pilot opened, it asked for one thing: an Instagram story with your link on a Link sticker. A story is the simplest place on Instagram to put a link people can tap, so the rule was simple.

But for a lot of creators, the audience is in reels. A reel reaches people who do not follow you yet, it stays on your profile, and it is where you put the work. Asking you to skip your best format for a story felt backwards.

So a reel counts now, as long as ManyChat sends your link.

Why a reel needs ManyChat

A reel caption cannot hold a link anyone can tap. Paste one in and it sits there as plain text. That is why the pilot started with stories only.

ManyChat closes that gap. You set up a comment automation on your reel: anyone who comments a keyword gets a DM with your link. We suggest VILLAGE. Your caption asks people to comment it, and ManyChat does the rest, whether one person comments or a thousand.

Your follower ends up in the same place either way. They open your link, chat with Milo, and see where they line up with you.

Reel or story, pick one

You post one or the other, not both. Here is what each one asks of you.

Choose the story if you have never set up ManyChat and do not want to. It is still the quickest route, and your kit has story images ready with your photo and handle on them.

Choose the reel if that is where your people are, or if you already run ManyChat on your account. Adding one more keyword is a few minutes of work. Your kit has a caption you can copy.

Everything else stays the same

The rest of the pilot did not change:

• Post within 7 days of finishing your chat with Milo.
• Tag @startyourvillage and keep the post up for 24 hours.
• Upload a screenshot in your kit. For a reel, show the reel with its caption and tag. For a story, show the Link sticker.

Someone on the team checks your post. If your account is public and has 10,000 or more followers, they email you a $50 Amazon gift card. Every creator in the pilot gets six months of membership, free.

Open to US residents 21 and over. One $50 Amazon gift card per creator with 10,000 or more Instagram followers, sent after we confirm your post. Amazon is not a sponsor of this promotion. The full rules list exactly what counts.

Already registered?

If you finished your chat with Milo and have not posted yet, you can switch to a reel. Your link is the same one in your kit. Point your ManyChat automation at it and post inside your 7 days.

Where to go next

• How to post covers the reel setup and the five story steps.
• Make it yours has ideas and lines you can borrow for your caption.
• Why we built the pilot explains what your followers get out of it, and what you see in Creator Studio.

If a reel is how you talk to your audience, it is now how you can start getting to know them back. Join the creator pilot.