Instagram Business

How It Works

Instagram gives PostRite two ways in, and you choose one when you connect the account. Instagram Login signs you in with Instagram itself. Via Facebook signs you in with Facebook, and the account has to be linked to a Page you manage. Either way, what you get is an Instagram Business or Creator account you can publish to.

Requirements

Two things, and whether the second applies depends on the method you pick:

• An Instagram Business or Creator account (not personal) — required either way
• A Facebook Page linked to that account, if you connect Via Facebook. Instagram Login needs no Page

The account type is checked during the connection itself. A personal account can log in and grant permissions, but Instagram's API will not publish from it — so PostRite refuses the connection and tells you to convert the account rather than saving a connection that would fail on your first post. Switching is free and takes a minute in the Instagram app under Settings → Account type and tools.

Connecting Your Account

Instagram offers two ways to authorize your account. PostRite asks which one you want before opening the login popup.

1. Go to the Platforms page from the sidebar
2. Click Connect on the Instagram card
3. Choose a connection method (see below)
4. A popup will open — log in and grant the required permissions
5. Pick the account to connect; the popup closes and it appears as a connection

Choosing a connection method

Both methods publish, moderate comments and collect analytics. Each also reaches one thing the other does not:

• Instagram Login — sign in with your Instagram account. Nothing else is required, and it is the right choice for most accounts. It is the method the unified inbox works on today.
• Via Facebook — sign in with Facebook. Your Instagram account must be linked to a Facebook Page you manage. This is the only method that can add music from Instagram's catalog to a Reel.

You can switch later: disconnect the account and connect it again with the other method. An account cannot be connected through both at once. The connection card always shows which method it uses.

What each method gives you can change: Meta reviews the permissions behind some of it, and an account already connected does not gain a permission granted later — reconnecting is what applies it. The connect screen lists what each method delivers at the moment you choose, so that list is the one to trust.

Supported Features

• Feed Posts: Single image or carousel (up to 10 images)
• Reels: Short-form vertical videos (9:16 ratio)
• Stories: 24-hour ephemeral content
• Captions up to 2,200 characters
• Up to 30 hashtags per post
• Meta Feed Safe helper for platform-specific 4:5 image variants
• Schedule posts for future publishing
• Comment moderation: add comments and manage your own replies (hide/unhide, delete) on your published posts — see Comment Moderation
• Post analytics: daily likes and comments on published posts — see Analytics

Instagram-Specific Post Options

When Instagram is selected in the post editor, you get access to additional platform-specific options:

First Comment

Automatically post a first comment right after your post is published. This is commonly used for hashtags — keeping your caption clean while still getting hashtag reach. The first comment supports up to 2,200 characters.

Trial Reels

When publishing a Reel, you can enable Trial Reel mode. Trial Reels are shown only to non-followers first, letting you test content performance before it reaches your existing audience. If the Reel performs well, Instagram may then show it to your followers too.

Reel Cover Image

When scheduling a Reel, you can optionally pick a cover image — upload a new image or choose one from your media library. Instagram uses it as the Reel's thumbnail. If you don't set one, Instagram generates a cover from the video automatically.

Music in Reels

When publishing a Reel from an account connected via Facebook, you can search Instagram's audio catalog and attach a track — with separate volume controls for the music and for the video's own audio.

• Reels only — feed posts, carousels and stories cannot carry catalog audio.
• The track starts at the beginning and cannot be trimmed.
• Instagram provides no preview of the mixed result, so the volumes are set blind.
• The catalog only contains audio Instagram cleared for third-party publishing, so it is smaller than what you see inside the Instagram app.

Collaborators

Invite up to three other accounts as collaborators on a feed post or a Reel. Instagram sends each one an invitation; when it is accepted, the post appears on their profile too and both accounts share its reach and its metrics. The invitation goes out with the post, so it cannot be added afterwards from PostRite — and Stories carry no collaborators at all.

Auto-Reply

Set up automatic replies to comments on your post. You can configure:

• Trigger: Reply to the first N comments, or only when a comment contains a specific keyword
• Reply type: a public comment reply, a private Direct Message, or both — the public reply goes out first, then the DM follows
• Max replies: Limit between 1 and 10 replies per post to keep it natural

Once your Instagram account is connected, Auto-Reply runs automatically after the post is published — no extra setup needed.

A post with Auto-Reply switched on answers its own comments, so a chat flow triggered by a comment stands aside on that post — the flow's history says so. Pick one or the other per post.

Image Requirements

Troubleshooting

Can't see my Instagram account

Make sure your Instagram account is:

• A Business or Creator account (not personal)
• You are logging in with the correct Instagram credentials
• If you chose Via Facebook: the account is linked to a Facebook Page you manage — one with no linked Page will not appear in the list

Publishing fails

Common causes:

• Token expired — reconnect your account
• Image doesn't meet requirements (size, format, ratio)
• Caption exceeds 2,200 character limit
• Too many hashtags (Instagram allows max 30)

Video post stays "Publishing" for a while

Instagram processes video uploads on its side before they can go live. A video post or Reel can stay in the "Publishing" state for up to ~20 minutes while PostRite waits for Instagram to finish — it completes (or reports a clear error) automatically, so there is no need to retry it during that window.