How to Schedule Instagram Posts

This article covers how to schedule Instagram posts, including what's needed to schedule them and why you should schedule your Instagram posts. These instructions work best in a web browser on your computer or tablet.

How to Schedule Instagram Posts

The process for automating Instagram posts used to require the use of an Instagram scheduler app or service that still needed you to manually publish your photos or videos. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case as Facebook has since enabled the ability to properly schedule Instagram posts free from any additional actions and annoying notifications. Here’s how to schedule Instagram posts for free.

1. Open your preferred web browser on your computer or tablet and make sure that you’re logged into your Instagram account on the Instagram website and your Facebook account on the official Facebook website.

   To schedule Instagram posts, you will need to have converted your account to either a Creator or Business Instagram account. Switching to an Instagram Creator or Business account is free, only takes a few seconds, and also unlocks a variety of extra features.

   

2. Go to the Facebook Creator Studio web page.

3. Click the Instagram icon at the top of the screen.

   

4. Click Connect Your Account.

   Even if you’ve previously connected your Instagram account to your Facebook account or page, you may still need make this additional connection here.

   

5. Click OK.

   

6. You may be asked to log into Instagram again. If so, enter your username and password and click Log In or click Log In with Facebook if you typically use that method.

   

7. You should now see all of your Instagram account’s previous posts collected within Facebook Creator Studio. Click Create Post to access the Instagram scheduler and automate a post.

   

8. Click Instagram feed to create a regular post that will appear on your Instagram profile.

   

9. Click Add content to upload images or videos for you Instagram post.

   If your photos are on your smartphone, you may want to try using a cloud storage service such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox to sync your media to your computer. You can also email files to yourself, use a messaging app, or try one of many alternative services for sending large files over the internet.

   

10. Use the three icons under your uploaded media to crop it, delete it, or tag other Instagram accounts.

    

11. In the field under Your Post, enter your Instagram post description and hashtags.

    Hashtag suggestions will appear to make choosing them easier.

    

12. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and check the box next to your Facebook page if you want the Instagram image to post to your page as well.

    

13. Click Advanced settings to disable post comments and enter an alt text.

    Alt text is mostly used to help visually impaired Instagram users though it can also be used to boost your post’s discovery via the Instagram algorithm if you include popular descriptive keywords.

    

14. Click the arrow to the right of Publish.

    Do not click Publish. Doing so will immediately publish your content. We want to automate your Instagram post.

    

15. Click Schedule and enter your preferred date and time into the Instagram scheduler.

    

16. Click Schedule.

    

Do I Need a Third-Party App to Automate Instagram Posts?

The process for automating Instagram posts used to require the use of an Instagram scheduler app or service that still needed you to publish your photos or videos manually. That’s no longer the case as Facebook has since enabled this ability on Instagram.

So you don’t need to use an additional service or app to schedule Instagram posts. In fact, most social media scheduling services don’t even support proper Instagram post automation.

However, if you manage many social media accounts, a social media application or service can be useful as it can let you post on multiple platforms all at once instead of creating individual posts for every account and social network.

Can I Schedule Instagram Stories?

Unfortunately, the instant nature of Instagram Stories makes it impossible to automate them whether you’re using an official Instagram app, Facebook Creator Studio, or a third-party tool. Instagram Stories, much like Twitter’s Fleets, have to be created and posted in real-time. It's also impossible to schedule a repost of an Instagram Story.

Why Should I Schedule Posts on Instagram?

There are several benefits to using an Instagram scheduler. Here are some of the biggest reasons you may want to start automating your posts.

• Scheduling Instagram posts keeps your account active. You don’t need to worry about forgetting to post daily.
• Scheduling posts on Instagram saves time. Setting aside an hour or so a month to schedule all of your Instagram posts for the next few weeks can save you a lot of time in the long run. This can be especially useful if you're a busy Instagram influencer.
• Batch uploading makes it easier to stick to a theme. When you’re scheduling several days or weeks of Instagram posts, it’s much easier to stick to a theme or topic than just coming up with an individual idea every day.
• Automation makes reaching other time zones easier. Don’t want to wake up at 3 am to publish an Instagram post for your audience in another country? Schedule it instead and sleep in.