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 create an Instagram business profile, you must associate it 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.)

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 the steps at the bottom of the article

 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 and then click Get started to confirm that setup was successful, or to see whether your profile is personal or business.

Publishing to Instagram

Direct publishing is available in both the compose box, and the new full-screen Composer, where you can see a preview of your post before sending. If you currently have single-photo posts scheduled to your business profile, they will publish directly to Instagram at the scheduled time.

With direct publishing enabled, you can still also publish videos using the mobile notification workflow. The composer will detect what you upload and direct you to the correct publishing workflow accordingly.

Edit your images in the Composer by clicking Edit with Creative Cloud. Add overlays and text, resize, or make other adjustments to your image before sending it to Instagram. Or, make adjustments to your images before uploading them to Hootsuite. When sharing photos that aren't square, note that they need to have aspect ratios between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 4:5 (portrait).

On iOS, edit images with our iOS photo editing app, Hootsuite Enhance. After uploading an image in the Hootsuite app compose box, tap Edit with Enhance to easily resize and edit images for Instagram.

To publish photos to personal profiles, continue using the mobile notification workflow. Instagram requires these posts to be published via the Instagram app on a mobile device. So when you send or schedule a post from Hootsuite, a reminder notification is sent to your Hootsuite mobile app when the post is ready to publish. From the notification you can easily publish the post via the Instagram app.

Stories and multi-image carousel posts are not supported.

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 adding 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