Skip to main content

Instagram publishing guidelines

Learn about the Instagram direct publishing requirements, how to connect your account and Placeholder accounts

Updated over 2 weeks ago

Important: Starting December 04, 2024 Personal Instagram accounts are no longer supported from Meta and have been converted to Placeholder accounts.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Instagram direct publishing!

HeyOrca can schedule your Instagram posts (image, video and carousel posts, reels, and single media stories) directly in HeyOrca! 🥳

In order to publish directly to Instagram, you'll need to make sure your Instagram account is designated as a Professional Account (Business or Creator), and that the same account is linked to an existing Facebook page.

Want to learn about publishing via mobile and email notifications? Learn how to use the HeyOrca Mobile App!

Converting your personal account to a Professional (Creator or Business) account

To convert your personal account to a Professional account, go to your Instagram profile settings.

From the left hand side menu, select Account Type and Tools.

A mobile screen displaying a settings menu with options including "Family Center," "Account type and tools," "Meta Verified," "Help," and "Privacy Settings." The background is dark, indicating a night mode theme.

Next, select the Switch to professional account option.

Text on a dark background titled "Account type and tools" with an option to "Switch to professional account" displayed below.

From the following page, you can choose if you'd like to upgrade your account to a Business or Creator account

Pairing your Facebook page and Instagram account

To connect your Facebook page and Instagram account, go to business.facebook.com and enter into your Business profile.

From the top, select the Connect Instagram option.

Banner image of a Facebook page featuring a header with waves and fish icons. The user profile name is "Oscar From The Pod," and options for creating posts or reels are visible. A "To-do list" section is displayed below, indicating tasks related to messages and comments.

Next, follow the onscreen prompts to pair your account with your Facebook page.

A pop-up window appears on a screen, prompting the user to connect their Facebook page to Instagram. The message includes options for managing tasks, such as content and ads, messages and comments, insights, and settings permissions. There are buttons labeled "Connect," "Cancel," and "Learn more."

For more information about connecting a Facebook page, click here.

How to Set Up Instagram Direct Publishing

Step 1: Ensure You Meet the Requirements for Direct Publishing.

In order to connect your Instagram account to HeyOrca for direct publishing, you need to ensure that your IG account meets the requirements of being a Professional account (Business or Creator) and be paired to a Facebook page.

Step 2: Select the Business account option & reauthorize your Instagram account in HeyOrca.

Now that your Instagram account is setup properly, all you have to do is reauthorize the account via the reauthorization dashboard.

Screenshot of a digital interface prompting users to connect their Instagram Professional account to HeyOrca for direct publishing. The message explains that direct publishing is not supported for personal accounts and provides instructions for creating a placeholder account.

Note: If you already have a Creator account connected in HeyOrca, all you need to do to enable direct publishing is authorize it using the Business profile option above!

If you are having trouble reauthorizing your accounts, follow our troubleshooting guide here or reach out to customercare@heyorca.com!

Step 3: Change your account's publishing status to Direct in your calendar settings.

Click on the arrow next to the Instagram logo to open up the notification settings. You'll have the option to choose how each post type will be published using the drop down menu.

Image displaying an IG account connected to a calendar where publishing settings and the notification receiver can be edited.

You'll have the option to select direct or notification publishing as your desired publishing method. You can also choose the user who will be the notification receiver and the notification type using this menu!

Step 4: Start creating your content in HeyOrca!

You can create your content as you would have previously on your Instagram account, but now you’ll be able to save even more time by having your single-image and video posts scheduled automatically!

Placeholder Instagram accounts

Starting December 04, 2024 Placeholder accounts will replace Instagram Personal accounts as they will be no longer supported.

Placeholder Instagram accounts will still be able to publish content using mobile and email notifications! However, placeholder accounts will not be able to support the Instagram Grid Page or pull in your account profile picture.

Updating your account profile picture or username can be done via the Calendar Settings page.

A dialog box titled "Placeholder account customization" with fields for "Channel Type" and "Channel Title." The channel type is set to Instagram, and the channel title is "OscarfromthePod." There are options to change the image and buttons for saving or canceling the changes.

Did this answer your question?