Instagram

Postline has two Instagram integrations:

• Instagram connects with Instagram Login. It needs an Instagram professional (business or creator) account, and no Facebook Page.
• Instagram (via Facebook) connects Instagram business accounts that are linked to a Facebook Page, through Facebook Login.

Both publish the same way.

#What you can post

• Caption up to 2,200 characters.
• Every post needs at least one image or video. You can add up to 10 files.
• One file makes a single post. A video in a feed post is published as a Reel. Two or more files make a carousel.
• Extra parts of a post are published as comments under the post.
• Per-post settings:
  • Post as: Feed post (videos post as Reels) or Story. The default is Feed post.
  • Collaborators: up to 3 accounts to invite as collaborators, for example username1, username2.

#Connect your account

#Instagram

1. In the sidebar, click + Add next to Channels. Only workspace owners and admins can add channels.
2. Choose Instagram.
3. Click Continue to Instagram, sign in on Instagram and allow access.

#Instagram (via Facebook)

1. In the sidebar, click + Add next to Channels.
2. Choose Instagram (via Facebook).
3. Click Continue to Instagram (via Facebook), sign in on Facebook and choose the Pages that are linked to your Instagram accounts.
4. Postline adds each linked Instagram business account as a channel.

#For self-hosters

Instagram (Instagram Login):

1. Create a Meta app with the "Instagram API with Instagram Login" product.
2. Register this redirect URL: {APP_URL}/api/channels/oauth/instagram/callback
3. Set INSTAGRAM_APP_ID and INSTAGRAM_APP_SECRET. INSTAGRAM_GRAPH_VERSION sets the API version (default v23.0).

Instagram (via Facebook):

1. Use the Facebook app from FACEBOOK_APP_ID and FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET. The Meta app needs instagram_basic and instagram_content_publish.
2. Register this redirect URL: {APP_URL}/api/channels/oauth/instagram-business/callback

Both need Meta App Review. Until the app is approved, only its test users can connect. Instagram downloads media from its public URL, so APP_URL/uploads/... (or your S3 public URL) must be reachable from the internet.

#Analytics and plugs

Postline collects, per post: likes, comments, views, reach (shown as impressions), saves and shares. It also tracks the account's follower count.

Plugs:

• Auto-repost: not supported.
• Follow-up: supported. Postline adds a follow-up comment once the post reaches the number of likes you set.

#Known issues

• Only professional (business or creator) accounts can be connected.
• Instagram posts need at least one image or video.
• A story takes exactly one image or video. Postline shows "An Instagram story takes exactly one image or video." otherwise.
• Stories can't have comments. If a story post has extra parts, those parts fail with "Stories cannot have comments."
• Instagram downloads media from a public URL. If Postline serves files from a local address, the post fails with a message asking you to deploy Postline to a public address or use S3 storage.
• If Instagram can't process the media, the post fails. If processing takes too long, Postline retries.
• Instagram (via Facebook): connecting fails with "None of your Facebook Pages has a linked Instagram business account." if no shared Page has one.
• Instagram: Postline refreshes the access token automatically. If the refresh fails, reconnect the channel.