Instagram business and creator accounts
Schedule Instagram posts that are ready down to the first comment
Plan photo and video posts for your business or creator account, tag people and Collab partners, choose a custom video cover and let Postocial publish at the time you set.
Free for 7 days. Card required; cancel before the trial ends and you will not be charged.
Instagram in Postocial
Everything an Instagram post needs, set before it publishes
Postocial connects Instagram business and creator accounts, through Facebook or with direct Instagram login, and handles the details people usually add by hand after posting.
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A calendar for your grid
Line up a week of posts in the calendar, or add them to the queue and let Postocial drop each one into the next free time slot in your posting schedule.
Scheduling and calendar -
First comment, ready to go
Write the first comment with the post: credits, a question that starts the conversation or details that would crowd the caption.
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User tags and Collab
Tag the people and brands in your photos and invite a Collab partner, so the post can appear on both profiles once they accept.
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Custom video covers
Pick the thumbnail people see in the feed and on your profile instead of whichever frame Instagram chooses.
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Posts, Reels and Stories
Choose Post, Reel or Story for each Instagram post. Add music or original sound to a Reel and set the audio and video volume.
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Comments and DMs in one inbox
Reply to Instagram comments and direct messages next to your other channels, assign them to teammates and keep internal notes. Included on Premium and higher plans.
Unified inbox -
DM and comment automation
Reply to DMs, story replies and keyword comments automatically, and send the commenter a DM with your link. Included on Premium and higher plans.
Instagram DM automation -
A bio link you control
Point your Instagram bio link to a Postocial bio page with your latest links, a QR code and page and link analytics. Included on Premium and higher plans.
Link in bio
Example
A sample week on Instagram
How a small ceramics studio might plan seven days of Instagram in one sitting.
| Day | Post | Set up in Postocial |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Portrait photo of a new mug glaze, 1080 × 1350 | Added to the queue with a saved hashtag group and a first comment asking which color to restock |
| Wednesday | Short video from the pottery wheel | Custom video cover and a user tag for the clay supplier |
| Friday | Collab post with the café that stocks the mugs | Collab invite to the café account, scheduled for its lunch rush |
| Sunday | Weekend market reminder | Bio page updated with the market map, plus a QR code for the stall sign (Premium and higher plans) |
Best practices
Instagram best practices
A few habits that make scheduled posts work harder, based on Instagram's current limits.
- Lead with the hook. Captions can run to 2,200 characters, but only the first line shows before "more". Put the reason to keep reading there.
- Plan for five hashtags. Instagram announced a gradual cap of five per caption. Pick specific tags and save them as hashtag groups for each topic you post about.
- Shoot for 4:5, check the 3:4 crop. Portrait images fill more of the feed, and the profile grid now previews posts at 3:4, so keep faces and text away from the top and bottom edges.
- Describe your images. Alt text helps people who use screen readers. Instagram accepts up to 1,000 characters of it through its API.
- Answer early comments. Reply while the post is fresh, so the conversation keeps going.
- Caption characters
- 2,200
- Hashtags to plan for
- 5
- Portrait ratio
- 4:5
- Grid preview
- 3:4
Platform limits
Instagram limits and media specs
The limits and sizes Instagram sets for text, images and video, with a source for each. Platforms change them often, so check before a big campaign.
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Instagram character limits
Field Maximum Caption 2,200 characters Comment 2,200 characters Bio 150 characters Username 30 characters About the text limit. Meta's IG User Media API reference sets captions at up to 2,200 characters and 20 @mentions. Individual carousel items can't have their own captions. Through the API, image alt text can be up to 1,000 characters and a post can invite up to 3 collaborators. The same limits apply to Business accounts connected through Facebook and to Instagram Login.
Hashtags. In December 2025 Instagram said it would gradually cap captions on posts and Reels at 5 hashtags. Meta's Graph API reference still lists 30, so plan for 5.
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Instagram image sizes
Placement Size Aspect ratio Feed post, squareSize per Hootsuite. Via the API, feed images must be JPEG, up to 8 MB, 320 to 1440 px wide (scaled outside that range), with an aspect ratio between 4:5 and 1.91:1. 1080 × 1080 px 1:1 Feed post, portraitThe tallest feed ratio the API accepts. 1080 × 1350 px 4:5 Feed post, landscapeThe widest feed ratio the API accepts. 1080 × 566 px 1.91:1 Profile grid previewPer Hootsuite, the profile grid now previews posts at 3:4, so keep key content inside that crop. 1080 × 1440 px 3:4 StoryAPI: JPEG up to 8 MB, 9:16 recommended. Stories expire after 24 hours. 1080 × 1920 px 9:16 Profile picturePer Hootsuite. 320 × 320 px 1:1 -
Instagram video specs
Placement Max length Max file size Aspect ratio Reel published via API3 seconds minimum. MOV or MP4, up to 1920 px wide, 23 to 60 fps, video bitrate up to 25 Mbps. Cover image: JPEG up to 8 MB. Reels can't go inside carousels. 15 minutes 300 MB 9:16 recommended (0.01:1 to 10:1 accepted) Reel recorded in the Instagram cameraInstagram added 20-minute recording to the Reels camera in November 2025. It says it only recommends Reels under 3 minutes to new audiences. 20 minutes Not stated 9:16 Story video via API3 seconds minimum, 23 to 60 fps, up to 1920 px wide. 60 seconds 100 MB 9:16 recommended (0.1:1 to 10:1 accepted) -
Sources
Checked on . Where Instagram publishes no number, the notes in the tables say where a figure comes from.
Get connected
How to connect Instagram
Connecting takes a few minutes, and the connect accounts guide walks through each screen. Managing an account for a client? Send a client invite link so they can connect it themselves, without sharing a password.
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Use a professional account
Postocial publishes to Instagram business and creator accounts. You can switch a personal account to a professional one in the Instagram app settings.
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Pick a connection method
Connect through Facebook if the account is linked to a Facebook Page you manage, or use direct Instagram login if it is not.
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Set your time slots
Choose the weekly times you want to post, so "add to queue" always has a place for the next post. See the posting schedule guide.
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Schedule your first post
Add media, the caption, tags and a first comment, then schedule it or send it for approval.
Free tools
Free Instagram tools
Free browser tools for getting posts ready before you schedule them.
Instagram character counter
Check a caption against the 2,200-character limit before you schedule it.
Instagram image resizer
Crop photos to 4:5 portrait, square or 9:16 in your browser.
Instagram font generator
Style a line of your bio or caption with Unicode bold, italic or script letters. Bios hold 150 characters.
FAQ
Questions about Instagram scheduling
Something else on your mind? Email us at hello@postocial.com.
Can Postocial publish to a personal Instagram account?
No. Instagram only allows publishing through its API to professional accounts, so Postocial works with business and creator accounts. Switching a personal account to a professional one is free and done in the Instagram app.
Should I connect Instagram through Facebook or with Instagram login?
Both let Postocial publish to your account. Connect through Facebook when the Instagram account is already linked to a Facebook Page you manage, which suits brands that also run a Page. Use direct Instagram login when no Facebook Page is involved.
How many hashtags should I use on Instagram?
Plan for five. In December 2025, Instagram said it would gradually cap posts and Reels at five hashtags per caption, even though Meta's API reference still lists 30. Save your best sets as hashtag groups in Postocial so you can reuse them.
Can I add a first comment, user tags and a Collab?
Yes. Instagram posts in Postocial can include a first comment, user tags and a Collab invite, so the post goes out complete. Instagram allows up to three collaborators on a post published through its API.
What size should Instagram images be?
Use 1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5) for portrait posts, 1080 × 1080 for square and 1080 × 566 for landscape. Through the API, feed images must be JPEG files of up to 8 MB. The free Instagram image resizer crops photos to these sizes in your browser.
Can I reply to Instagram comments and DMs in Postocial?
Yes, on Premium and higher plans, for accounts you connect through Facebook, which links them to a Facebook Page. Comments and direct messages arrive in the unified inbox with your other channels. Assign conversations to teammates, add internal notes, and use saved replies or AI-suggested replies from your own AI key. You can also automate replies to DMs, story replies and keyword comments.
Can Postocial send a DM when someone comments?
Yes, on Premium and higher plans. A comment automation replies to the comment and sends the commenter a DM, for example with a guide or a discount code. Instagram only allows this for people who comment, and within Meta's limits for private replies. How comment-to-DM works.
Can I publish trial Reels or share a post to my Story?
Yes, on accounts connected with direct Instagram login. With share to Story turned on, a feed post also goes to your Story when it meets Instagram's Story criteria. A trial Reel is shown only to people who don't follow you yet; you share it with your followers yourself, or let Instagram do it when the Reel performs well. Trial Reels may fail on accounts with fewer than 1,000 followers and can't have collaborators.
Does Postocial show Instagram analytics?
Yes. See follower growth, post results and your top posts for Instagram next to your other accounts, plus a best-times heatmap that suggests when to post next.
Plan next week on Instagram today
Connect your business or creator account, schedule a few posts with tags and first comments, and watch them go out on time.
A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.