Second-by-second review for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
See your reel the way your viewers do.
Signal watches your video before you post it: the first two seconds, the text each app covers, what's said and when. Then it tells you what to fix first, and learns what works for your account.
Free for 3 reels a month · No card · English and Spanish · Watch the 37-second tour
Signal's best bets beat its worst bets 2 times out of 3.*
*Test on 3 Instagram accounts and about 250 reels, September 2026. Each reel was scored before it was posted, using only that account's earlier reels, and compared on watch time and views. Results vary by account.
Signal in 37 seconds
Watch what Signal sees.
The quick tour, with sound: the first two seconds, the text each app covers, what's said and when, what to fix first, and how Signal learns from your own results.
How it works
Upload it. Watch it get read. Know what to fix.
A review takes about as long as the reel. You get a short list, most important first, each item tied to the exact second.
Drop in your reel
Before you post it. MP4, MOV or WebM, up to 3 minutes. If it's already live, add its average watch time.
Signal reads every second
Image, cuts, motion and light. The text on screen and the faces. Every word that's said, with its timing.
Fix, then improve
Each finding comes with the fix and the second it happens. Tap it and the video jumps right there.
What Signal checks
What Signal checks, second by second.
Every rule Signal applies comes from a published source or from your own numbers, and every finding says which one.
The first two seconds
Six things can stop a thumb: a face, words on screen, a voice, motion, light and a cut. Signal checks which ones your opening has, and when each one arrives.
Sample reel, 0 to 2 seconds
Where each app covers your text
Reels, TikTok and Shorts put the account name, the caption and the buttons in different places. Signal draws each app's safe zone over your video and flags the text that lands underneath.
Sources: Meta · TikTok Ads Manager safe-zone file · Google Ads
Text people can actually read
Signal reads along at subtitle speed and counts only what's new on screen. When a line stays up and just its last word changes, only that word needs reading.
Source: Netflix Timed Text Style Guides, adult programs (English · Spanish)
Where natural meets innovation.
Already read: 19 characters. New: 11 characters, so it needs about half a second on screen.
What's said, word by word
When the first sentence lands, how fast you talk, where the pauses are, and how much of it is on screen for the people watching with the sound off.
Where people leave
Add the reel's average watch time and Signal marks it on the timeline, next to what was on screen at that second, so you can see what they left on.
Account audit
What works for your account, and what doesn't.
General rules are a starting point. Your audience has its own taste. Signal compares the reels that hold attention best with the ones that hold it least, with length taken into account, and shows what separates them.
- Connect Instagram (read-only, through Meta's official API), or upload your recent reels with their numbers.
- Patterns are clear differences between your best and weakest reels. Leads are weaker ones, worth testing in your next reel.
- Every review is then weighed against your own account, so what matters for you rises to the top.
- Opening on a face helpsFace in the first second: your top reels vs. the restPattern
- A shorter end card holds attention betterEnd card as a share of the reelPattern
- Speaking from the first second holds attention betterWorth testing in your next reelLead
Sample layout. Your audit shows your own reels and numbers, and how many reels back each finding.
Pricing
Start free. Upgrade when you post every week.
Prices in US dollars, billed monthly or yearly. Cancel anytime.
Free
See what Signal sees, on your own reels.
- 3 reels a month, second by second
- Account audit of your last 20 reels
- Try Pro on 15 reels when you connect Instagram
- No card
Creator
or $190 a year
For creators and businesses with one brand.
- 1 brand on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
- 40 reels a month, second by second
- Review before you post
- Account audit: what your best reels share
- Weekly plan: what to repeat, what to drop
- 4 scripts checked a month
Pro
Founding: $19or $790 a year
For teams and full-time creators.
- Up to 3 brands, 3 seats
- 150 reels a month, second by second
- 20 scripts checked a month
- A weekly look at 20 reference accounts
- Alerts when a format stops working
- Monthly report with your logo
Your clients stay yours. We never contact them, the Pixories studio can't see your account, and on Pro every report carries your logo instead of ours.
The first 100 get Pro at the Creator price for a year, in exchange for sharing their results and a 15-minute call each month.
FAQ
Questions people ask first.
Do I need to connect my account?
No. Upload a video and you get the full review. Connecting Instagram (read-only) adds your numbers: how long people watch each reel, how many skip it in the first 3 seconds, and what your best reels have in common. The Pro trial is one per Instagram account.
Which apps does it cover?
Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts: vertical video up to 3 minutes. Horizontal and square videos get the same review, without the app guides.
How is this different from a virality score?
A score gives you a number. Signal shows you what happens at each second, why it matters and the rule behind it, with its source, so you know exactly what to change.
What happens to my videos?
Signal uses them to make your review. You can delete them from your account whenever you want.
Which languages?
English and Spanish, both for the review and for the speech in your video.
Who's behind Signal?
Pixories, an animation and video studio that makes explainer and social videos for brands. Signal is the checklist our editors use, turned into a product. The studio uses Signal like any other customer and can't see your account.
Will you contact my clients or offer them edits?
Never. We don't contact your clients, and we don't use your videos, reports or client names to sell anything. Your account and its data stay yours.
Post your next reel knowing what it does.
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