Publishing to Instagram Personal Accounts Using Hootsuite

Hootsuite’s free platform course provides the knowledge and skills to use the full suite of Hootsuite social media management tools. Learn how to utilize these tools to boost the impact of your social media efforts, driving results and proving your ROI.

Video Transcript | Intro

Posting to Instagram in the Hootsuite Dashboard is different than publishing to your other social networks. There are two methods for sending an Instagram post, based on the type of Instagram account you’re using have. Direct Publishing for Instagram business profiles, and the Mobile Notification workflow for personal profiles. 

Mobile Notification 

In this video, we’ll cover the Mobile Notification workflow for personal profiles. With this method, Instagram posts can be composed and scheduled in the Hootsuite dashboard, and when it’s time to publish you’ll receive a push notification on your mobile device for the final step. 

While the Mobile Notification workflow does require additional steps, it’s worth the effort because you can manage all your social content within the Hootsuite Dashboard. Publishing to Instagram with Hootsuite also eliminates the need to transfer images to your phone or risk typos when writing posts on a small screen. 

To Get Started

Begin by installing both the Hootsuite and Instagram apps from the app store. Now, open the Hootsuite app, log in with your Hootsuite user info, tap Settings, and open Notification Settings. Turn Instagram Notifications on. Next, go into the main settings for your device and enable push notifications for the Hootsuite App. It is essential that you turn notifications on in both these locations, otherwise you can’t post to Instagram. Now you’re set up to compose and schedule posts to your personal Instagram account! 

New Post

Click New Post, select your Instagram account from the profile picker and enter your copy.  

Media

To attach media, either select a file from your computer, or drag and drop your image or video to the window. When you are ready to post, click Send Now or schedule it for a later date. At the scheduled time, a push notification appears on your mobile device, reminding you to perform the final steps to publish your post to Instagram.

Hootsuite App 

Open the Hootsuite App, and tap the Notifications bell. Tap on your post then Open in Instagram.   Choose to send it to your Instagram Story or to your Feed. This will launch the Instagram app and copy over your image.  

Final Edits 

Now that your post is open in Instagram, you can make any final edits or adjustments. Next, paste your pre-loaded caption into the box. Finally, hit share to publish.   

Correct Account 

Please note, that your post will publish to whichever Instagram account you’re currently logged into - in the Instagram app. Make sure you’re signed in to the correct Instagram account prior to opening the Hootsuite Mobile App and sharing your post.  

Check out How to Schedule Instagram Posts.