Want to auto post to Instagram?
As business use of Instagram has exploded, social media marketers have clamored for this feature.
And got it!
Instagram has added safe, seamless direct publishing. Now all you need is a business account and an app from a Facebook Marketing Partner.
Read on to learn about apps that automatically post on Instagram.
What is Instagram Auto Posting?
Auto posting to Instagram means you schedule your post in a third party app, which will then publish it to Instagram for you automatically, at your set time.
Instagram’s updated Graph API now allows auto-posting through any of Meta’s Marketing Partners.
Look for an approved partner. Other apps put your account at risk.
My favorite is Tailwind App!
Why I Prefer Tailwind for Instagram Posting
There are a few Instagram Partners which offer auto-publishing to Instagram. Why choose Tailwind?
- Tailwind are visual marketing experts in Instagram and Pinterest.
- It’s your best buy if you pay for a year in advance.
- Their analytics rock! Access valuable stats on your IG performance.
- Smart Schedule posts when your audience is most engaged.
- Hashtag Finder! Save time and increase engagement with a perfect collection of hashtags.
- Tailwind is a small business of dedicated, hardworking folks like you and me. I love to support small business, don’t you?
Try Tailwind with the Smart Schedule and Hashtag Finder. Take it for a spin with the new Forever Free plan. No obligation!
• • • Click here to try Tailwind for Instagram FREE• • •
I’m an affiliate for Tailwind and may receive a referral fee if you purchase a paid plan.
Approved Instagram Schedulers: Compare Prices
I’ve listed the top approved scheduling tools in low-to-high price order.
If you’re interested in a particular tool, contact the company to ensure the availability of direct posting to Instagram.
These tools offer various features included their pricing. Contact companies directly for more details. Multi-user and upgraded features are available at higher cost.
I may receive a referral fee if you purchase a plan via a link below.
Best-priced schedulers for small businesses
I know you’re on a budget, just like I am! These approved scheduling apps work hard to keep their plans affordable.
Tailwind: $19.99 per month or $120 paid a year in advance. Lowest cost option if you pay for one year. For 1 account: 1 Instagram, 1 Pinterest, 1 Facebook. Includes Smart Schedule and the amazing Hashtag Finder.
Planoly: $13 per month or $135 paid a year in advance for 1 account. Lowest cost if you need to pay by month and only need Instagram scheduling.
Later: $18 a month for one social set (one of each of Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok) and 1 user. $180 a year if paid in one payment.
More options below, up to $249 per month. Yikes!
More IG scheduling apps
These options are a bit pricey, but I’ve included them so you can compare.
HootSuite: Monthly payments not available. $588 paid a year in advance. Add up to 10 social profiles. 1 user.
AgoraPulse: $59 per month or $588 paid a year in advance. Add up to 10 social profiles. 1 user.
Iconosquare: $62 a month for 3 profiles or $620 a year if you pay in one go. Includes post and account analytics.
Sprout Social: $249 per month then an extra $199 a month per user. Add up to 5 social profiles.
SocialFlow: No prices revealed but they offer a custom plan based on your needs.
My first choice is always Tailwind, because it’s a small business with real people – who really care.
I personally use Tailwind for Pinterest, and Missinglettr to automate my other social media marketing. I can’t wait to try the Instagram auto-posting feature on Tailwind.
HootSuite is great tool used by millions, but as you might imagine, the service is pretty impersonal. I was a paid user for a couple years though, and it worked well. I switched to MissingLettr because it’s the perfect hands-off tool for bloggers. We all need more time! That’s what MissingLettr provides that HootSuite didn’t.
Tailwind now includes posting to Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, all from one account. HootSuite costs more than Tailwind, but it does allow 10 social profiles, including Twitter and LinkedIn.
Of course, you won’t have Tailwind’s proprietary SmartSchedule and Hashtag Finder, so you’ll have to spend some valuable time figuring the best time to post, and the best hashtags to use.
Why not take Tailwind for a spin with the new Forever Free plan. No credit card required!
• • • Click here to try Tailwind for Instagram FREE• • •
I’m an affiliate for Tailwind and may receive a referral fee if you purchase a paid plan.
More about Instagram Automated Posting
The Instagram Graph API includes the ability to:
- Analyze metrics and insights about the business’s performance on Instagram.
- Moderate comments.
- Access the business’s mentions and add responses to those.
Some of the things not yet supported in direct scheduling and posting to Instagram include:
- Posting videos.
- Using filters.
- Adding location data and shopping tags.
Most scheduling tools now let you publish multi-image or carousel posts. Some can do it automatically, some may need you to go to the app to complete the process.
Instagram had said that support for non-business profiles was in the works for an early 2019 release. As of December 2022, we still haven’t heard anything new on that.
For now, non-business profiles are limited to using a scheduling tool that sends push notifications, or setting up Drafts right inside the IG app itself.
You can find more tools that post to Instagram from desktop here.
I haven’t heard anything to suggest that Instagram will include a scheduling feature inside the app. You can schedule posts for free on Facebook, and with a bit of rigamarole, if you have a business account with Instagram you can try using the Meta Creator Studio to schedule posts.
Related: How Many Hashtags on Instagram in 2024?
Wrap Up: How to Schedule and Post to Instagram
What do you think of this feature? Have you tried it yet?
If you’d like to give it a whirl, I recommend you try Tailwind to post to Instagram directly.
Try Tailwind with the Smart Schedule and Hashtag Finder. Try it out with the new Forever Free plan. No credit card required!
• • • Click here to try Tailwind for Instagram FREE• • •
I’m an affiliate for Tailwind and may receive a referral fee if you purchase a paid plan.
Sonia says
I’m using tailwind free plan for now and loving it but not sure if I will pay for it yet or not. I miss commenting option like later but I do recgoznice their hashtag feature is amaaaazing.
I have a few days yet to keep testing it. Thanks for the post!
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome! Enjoy deciding 🙂
lisa says
I have used some of the above, however I use Plann to grow/schedule my Instagram. Rather than just a scheduling tool they also give “your personal best time to post” (+ competitors best time to post), what hashtags that *really works* and all their filters are free 🙂
+ The full version is $6/ month!
Louise Myers says
If and when they become approved as an Instagram partner I’ll check them out. I can’t recommend apps that might put my readers accounts at risk.
Albert Fernandez says
Hey Louise,
great article! As far as I know, Instagram still testing their new scheduling API and for now it is only open to their biggest partners which to be fair I do not believe is Tailwind. For now, only Hootsuite and Buffer are confirmed.
Louise Myers says
Sorry, that’s not correct. Tailwind is 100% confirmed and has had it available for months.
I also don’t allow promotion in comments so it’s been edited.
Stephanie Kunder says
Onlypult has been offering Instagram autoposting for at least 2 years.
Louise Myers says
Right, but it’s not approved and can get your account shut down. And I did write about it at least 2 years ago. But I don’t recommend taking the risk.
Leah says
I was using Hootsuite’s auto-posting feature and noticed that I got less engagement on those posts. I’ve gone back to the old way of scheduling posts and my engagement has increased. While I like the convenience of auto-posting it hasn’t been worth it for me. Wondering if anyone has seen the same thing happen when using Tailwind’s feature.
Louise Myers says
I haven’t used TW auto-post yet, but did see this with HootSuite. It doesn’t surprise me. Typical FB thing.
Lisa Kalner Williams says
Hi there Louise,
I’m over at Agorapulse and I love what Tailwind can do. In fact, I still use it to track one of my Pinterest accounts. Thanks for including us both on the list. (We’re both small businesses competing against giants!)
Lisa
Louise Myers says
Hey Lisa, thanks for stopping by! That’s good to know, I’m not too familiar with Agora Pulse. Please let us know if / when you add auto posting.
Lisa Kalner Williams says
It’s here: https://www.agorapulse.com/instagram-direct-publishing
Feel free to email me if you’d like to try it out 🙂
Freddy G. Cabrera says
Hey Louise!
I have not tried tailwind, yet. I recently started posting more on my instagram profile. Not a big fan of it but I know it has the potential for free traffic. Using such automation tools definitely help save time and work.
Thank you for sharing this!
Best regards! 😀
Louise Myers says
Hey Freddy!
If you’re looking for blog traffic, IG will be labor intensive for little traffic. It’s more of a place to connect and engage with your audience.