Enable direct photo publishing to Instagram business profiles

All Hootsuite customers can publish photos directly to Instagram business profiles from the Hootsuite web dashboard and mobile apps!

Instagram has made direct publishing available to business profiles. If you don’t have a business profile yet, but want to take advantage of direct publishing from Hootsuite, you can convert your personal profile to a business one in five easy steps.

 

What is a business profile?

Instagram business profiles are just like personal profiles, with a few added benefits:

• Promote posts directly from the app
• Track post performance and audience demographics with Instagram Insights
• Add business contact information so customers can reach you through the app

To enable direct publishing, your Instagram business profile must be associated with a Facebook Page. To do this, you need to be a Facebook admin of the Page. All posts shared to Facebook from Instagram will appear on that Page going forward. (Business profiles can’t be private.) Each business profile can only be connected to a single Facebook Page.

Note that business profiles are different from verified profiles. Instagram profiles are either personal or business, and both can be verified.

To add an Instagram business profile to Hootsuite

Adding a business profile is a two-step process: Connect with Instagram, and then authorize the profile’s associated Facebook Page (admin credentials required) to enable direct publishing.

Already have a business profile or recently converted personal profile connected to Hootsuite? Skip to enablement

 Log out of Instagram natively in your browser before adding each new Instagram profile with the following steps.

1. Click your profile picture ( by default) in the top-right corner of the dashboard, and then select Manage social networks.
2. Click (Add) + Private Network in the bottom-left corner of the dashboard.
3. Organization members: Click Select Destination, and then select the organization to add the business profile to, or select Private Social Networks.
4. Select Instagram from the list, and then click Connect with Instagram.
5. Enter your Instagram credentials, click Log in, and then click Authorize.
6. If the connected Instagram account is a business profile, click Authenticate with Facebook.
   If the account is a personal profile, convert it to a business profile to enable direct publishing, and then click I’m Ready.
7. Enter your Facebook credentials, and then click Log in.
   The Facebook user signing in must be an admin of the Page associated with the Instagram business profile.
8. You will be prompted to authorize access to your Instagram business profile. Click OK.
9. Click Done.

Direct publishing for single photos is now enabled!

Check if you have direct publishing enabled

Click here to see whether your profile is personal or business, and if direct photo publishing still needs to be set up.

Alternatively, click New Post in the top-right corner of the dashboard to open the Composer, and find your Instagram profile in the picker. Business profiles will say 'Business' next to the name, and will display a pink airplane icon  if direct publishing is enabled.

Enabling direct publishing for an already connected profile

For business profiles, and recently converted personal profiles, that are already connected to Hootsuite.

 Log out of Instagram natively in your browser before enabling each new Instagram profile with the following steps.

If your profile is connected in an organization:

1. Click your profile picture ( by default) in the top-right corner of the dashboard, and then select Manage under the organization name.
2. Enterprise organizations: Click Social Networks, and then select the profile from the list on the left.
   Team/Pro organizations: Click the Instagram profile.
3. Click the Profile Settings tab.
4. Click Connect with Instagram.
5. Enter your Instagram credentials, click Log in, and then click Authorize.
6. If the connected Instagram account is a business profile, click Authenticate with Facebook.
   If the account is a personal profile, convert it to a business profile to enable direct publishing, and then click I’m Ready.
7. Enter your Facebook credentials, and then click Log in.
   The Facebook user signing in must be an admin of the Page associated with the Instagram business profile.
8. You will be prompted to authorize access to your Instagram business profile. Click OK.
9. Click Done.

If your profile is connected under your private social networks:

1. Click your profile picture ( by default) in the top-right corner of the dashboard, and then select Manage social networks.
2. Click your Instagram profile.
3. Click Connect with Instagram.
4. Enter your Instagram credentials, click Log in, and then click Authorize.
5. If the connected Instagram account is a business profile, click Authenticate with Facebook.
   If the account is a personal profile, convert it to a business profile to enable direct publishing, and then click I’m Ready.
6. Enter your Facebook credentials, and then click Log in.
   The Facebook user signing in must be an admin of the Page associated with the Instagram business profile.
7. You will be prompted to authorize access to your Instagram business profile. Click OK.
8. Click Done.

To enable direct publishing in the Hootsuite mobile app

Add a new Instagram business profile with the following steps to enable direct publishing from the Hootsuite mobile app. If your business profile or recently converted personal profile is already connected to your mobile app, you will need to remove it and add it again to prompt the direct publishing authorization.
 Removing a social network will also remove any scheduled content for that profile. If you have currently scheduled messages you don’t want to lose, you may want to enable direct publishing through your Hootsuite web dashboard.

iOS

1. Tap Settings .
2. Tap Social Networks.
3. If applicable: Remove your Instagram profile by swiping left on it, and then tapping Delete.
4. Tap Add Social Network.
5. Tap Instagram.
6. Enter your credentials and tap Log in.
7. Tap Authenticate with Facebook.
   If the account is a personal profile, convert it to a business profile to enable direct publishing, and then tap I’m Ready.
8. Enter your Facebook credentials, and then tap Log In.
   The Facebook user signing in must be an admin of the Page associated with the Instagram business profile.

Android

1. Tap the main menu .
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Social networks.
4. If applicable: Remove your Instagram profile by swiping left on it, and then tapping Delete. Tap Add , and then tap Connect Instagram.
5. Enter your credentials to authorize the account.
6. Tap Authenticate with Facebook.
   If the account is a personal profile, convert it to a business profile to enable direct publishing, and then tap I’m Ready.
7. Enter your Facebook credentials, and then tap Log In.
   The Facebook user signing in must be an admin of the Page associated with the Instagram business profile.

To disable direct publishing

If you prefer to disable direct publishing to Instagram and use the mobile notification workflow instead, revoke Hootsuite's access to the Instagram profile and then reconnect it to the Hootsuite dashboard. When you complete the reconnection process you can decline to set up direct publishing.

1. Sign in to Instagram using: https://instagram.com/accounts/manage_access/.
2. Click Revoke Access beside Hootsuite, and then click Yes.
3. In your Hootsuite account, click your profile picture ( by default) in the top-right corner of the dashboard, and then select Manage social networks, or, if the profile is connected in an organization, select Manage under the organization name.
4. Click your Instagram profile.
5. Click Connect with Instagram.
6. Enterprise organizations: Click Social Networks, and then select the profile from the list on the left.
   Team/Pro organizations and Private social networks: Click the Instagram profile.
7. Under the Profile Settings tab, click Connect with Instagram.
8. Enter your Instagram credentials, click Log in, and then click Authorize.
9. Click I don't want to publish directly.
10. You will be prompted to set up the mobile notification workflow. More details here

Publishing to Instagram

Ready to publish? Now that you have a business profile enabled for direct publishing, you can schedule and publish single photos directly to Instagram, just like you would for your other social networks. Direct publishing is available in both the compose box, and the new full-screen Composer.

Publishing a video to a business profile will use the same mobile notification workflow that personal profiles use for publishing. Hootsuite will detect if you upload a video, and automatically direct you to the correct publishing workflow.

Note that Instagram stories and multi-image carousel posts are not supported with direct publishing.

When sharing an image that isn't square, it must have an aspect ratio between 4:5 (portrait) and 1.91:1 (landscape). Put another way, between 0.8 and 1.91 (just divide your image pixel width by height to see if it fits). You can make adjustments to your images before uploading them to Hootsuite, or, edit them easily in the Composer. Click Edit Image, and then select from one of the crop sizes specific to Instagram.