Instagram posts can now be scheduled to publish at a later time through Facebook’s Creator Studio.
This functionality, reported by TechCrunch, is available to all business accounts and also extends to IGTV videos. Instagram posts and IGTV videos can both be scheduled up to six months in advance.
Previously, users had the ability to schedule Instagram posts in advance using third-party tools. This marks this marks the first time users can do it directly through one of Facebook’s services.
Facebook offering the functionality directly means the previous limitations no longer exist. When scheduling Instagram posts through third-parties, users could only upload one image per posts with no support for IGTV videos at all.
Now, users can schedule posts with multiple images as well as upload longer videos to IGTV. The only catch is this feature is not immediately available to everyone. There are a few hoops to jump through, so to speak.
How to Gain Access to Instagram Post Scheduling
A few requirements have to be met in order to gain access to this feature. They are as follows:
- Must have a Facebook Business account
- Must have an Instagram business or creator account
- Your Instagram account must be linked to a Facebook page
Once those requirements are met then you’re good to go. You can start scheduling posts through the Facebook Creator Studio by clicking the Instagram logo at the top of the page.
Note that this feature does not support Instagram stories. Due to the nature of the Instagram stories feature it doesn’t exactly lend itself well to advanced scheduling.
By that I mean Instagram stories are designed to capture a moment in time to share with others for a brief, 24-hour window. Scheduled stories would arguably come across as inauthentic and be less engaging.
Those who strongly desire the ability to schedule Instagram stories can always look into stories ads, which can be scheduled to run at certain times just like any other ad.
