Have Camera Will Travel - Reviews & Tips HomepageHave Camera Will Travel - Reviews & Tips

David Coleman Photography

  • Reviews & Tips
  • GoPro
  • Lightroom
  • Places
  • Photos
  • Reviews
    • Nikon
    • Sony
    • Fujifilm
    • Cameras
    • Lenses
    • Sample Images
    • Travel Tripods
    • Adventure Cameras
    • 360°
  • Memory Cards
  • GoPro
  • Flash
  • Travel Tripods
  • Books
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Twitter

How To Schedule Posts to Instagram

Instagram doesn't offer any built-in way to schedule posts, and it even discourages automated scheduling, but it can be done. Some options play by the rules better than others. Here's a rundown of the options.

instagram scheduling 1068x400 - How To Schedule Posts to Instagram

Categories: Social Media
Tags: Instagram Guides
Last updated about 4 months ago // Originally published about 4 years ago

In early 2018, Instagram revised their API to allow third-party apps to post to Instagram in some circumstances. For now, it only works with Instagram business profiles, and while it adds the ability to schedule posts, not all of the usual Instagram features are available. Several social media management services like Buffer’s, Sendible, and Hootsuite offer this functionality now.

If you’re using a business profile on Instagram, those are new options you have available for scheduling posts.

Manage Your Pinterest & Instagram Accounts with Tailwind

If you're looking for an easy way to plan, schedule, and analyze your Instagram and Pinterest posts, it's worth taking a look at Tailwind. You can try it out for free with this link.

Instagram’s ideal is for real-time sharing. It aims for in-the-moment spontaneity. But that’s not necessarily a good fit for every use. Sometimes you might want to be able to schedule when a post goes public.

Maybe you’re using it for social media marketing and want to post at specific intervals or at what you’ve determined to be the best time of the day to reach the most followers. Or maybe you have a batch of photos to post but don’t want to flood your followers’ feeds and also don’t want to use the multi-photo post feature. I will sometimes use it when I’m traveling so that I can post updates quickly while on the go.

You’ve no doubt noticed that the Instagram mobile app doesn’t offer any scheduling features. Nor do the mobile or desktop versions of the website. That’s not accidental. Instagram takes a dim view of automated posting of all kinds.

But there are a number of different ways to post to Instagram from a computer or website. Some of them offer scheduling; some don’t.

Here’s a rundown of some of the best ways to schedule posts to Instagram. Several of these only work with Instagram business profiles.

Instagram’s Terms of Service

Before you dive in with any of these, it’s important to know that Instagram has strict rules about automatic posting. The API that third-party apps used contains specific limitations on doing that, and it’s important to note that if Instagram finds you in violation it might shut down your account.

That said, there are services that have come up with a way to work around the problem while staying within the rules. They’re the safest ones to use, and they’re under the “Push Notification Reminder Services” section below. The catch is that they’re not fully automated–they get you part of the way there but still require user intervention to do the actual posting.

Push Notification Reminder Services

These are the safer options to use because they are designed specifically to work within Instagram’s terms of service. They’re not fully automated–they’re essentially beefed-up reminder services.

They get you part of the way there, but to actually post you have to respond to a popup push reminder and do the final step of posting manually. So it’s a two-step process: schedule and then publish.

The advantage of this approach over simply setting a calendar reminder is that once you’ve scheduled the post, the photo and caption info will be passed on to the Instagram app as well as copy the caption text into the phone’s memory for you to paste directly into the Instagram app.

Buffer

Instagram Scheduling Buffer

Buffer is an online service that allows scheduling for multiple different social media services. It sets itself apart from other social media management services with a distinctive way of tackling the issue of scheduling and deferred posting–the buffer queue that gives it its name.

It’s a combination of mobile app and web service. Technically, you can post directly from the website without needing to install the mobile app, but you’ll need the mobile app if you want to take advantage of scheduling Instagram reminders.

There’s a free version with stripped-down features, and paid subscription plans for more features.

Buffer now offers Instagram as one of the social media services it can work with, although its Instagram functions are pretty bare-bones. And Instagram posts are not as automated as when working with some other social media services.

I’m using the Buffer website for the illustrations here, but the scheduling features I’m describing work with both the website and the official Buffer mobile app.

For the start of the process, it treats Instagram posts just like any posts. You select what you want to share and then choose whether to add to your buffer queue, post immediately, or set a custom time for that specific post. If you choose the schedule post option, you can choose the date and time. The time is based on the timezone you’ve selected for that account in Buffer.

Instagram Scheduling Buffer

Some things you can’t do as part of the process include cropping, adding filters, or in-photo tagging. You will get the opportunity to do those things at the time of actually posting.

You can schedule as many as you like–they’re all added to your Instagram queue just like any other post.

But the next part of the process is where things get different. With other accounts like Twitter or Facebook, anything in your queue will simply post publicly at the time you’ve set–you don’t have to do anything else. But with the Instagram function, what you’ve actually done is set a reminder–there are still steps to do to make the post actually go live.

At the time you’ve scheduled, you’ll get a reminder popup on your mobile from the Buffer app (make sure the Buffer app is installed and you’re signed in, of course).

Buffer Instagram Reminder

It’ll then pass you over to the Instagram mobile app where you can proceed as you would for a normal Instagram post.

Buffer Instagram Reminder2

Hootsuite

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is an extensive suite of tools for managing social media presence across multiple services and accounts.

Like Sendible and Sprout, Hootsuite caters to heavy-duty social media marketing users, but unlike those two, they also bridge the gap to lower-volume users. They have a feature-limited free version that includes scheduling that might be enough for low-volume users. There’s also a $19/month plan that includes extra features.

Like the other services in this section, after you’ve schedule an Instagram post you’ll be sent a push notification reminder when the time comes. You can then complete the process using the Instagram app. One distinctive feature of Hootsuite is that it has an auto-schedule feature, which chooses the time based on when your account gets the most response.

You can find more details here.

Later

Later Scheduled Instagram Posts

Later is a combination web service and app specifically for scheduling social media posts. In addition to Instagram, it also works with Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

It’s a combination of mobile app and web service that work together. It’s among the most full-featured here because, in addition to letting you choose the date and time, it also gives you integrated analytics and things like recommendations on the best time to post based on when you’re likely to get the most response from followers. They have a feature-limited free account, but for any of the extended features like being able to work with multiple users, post videos, and higher numbers of posts per month, you’ll need to buy a monthly subscription, with plans starting at $9/month up through $49/month depending on the feature set you want.

You can post and schedule either from the mobile app or the website. But the website has a lot more features related to managing your schedule, like a visual calendar view and analytics.

Later Scheduling for Instagram

You can also connect it to your Google Photos or Dropbox Photos folders.

As far as whether they violate Instagram’s terms of service, this is what they say:

Do you violate Instagram’s Terms of Use? No, we make sure we are in full compliance with the rules they have set forth. We do not store your username and password and we do not fully automate posting. We do everything we can to make content scheduling for Instagram as easy as possible.

You can find more details here.

Sendible

Sendible

Like Hootsuite, Sendible is a full-featured social media management tool. It’s aimed pretty squarely at the social media marketing end of things, which is reflected in its pricing model. There’s no free plan–or, rather, there’s a free 30-day trial but no ongoing free plan. It’s really designed for teams, agencies, and brands.

It includes an extensive collection of analytics, lead generation, and customer profile tools. You can also do things like monitor Instagram keywords.

Like the other tools here, it’s a push notification system. But a slightly different twist comes thanks to its emphasis on tools for teams–you can specify the push notification to go out to other people, perhaps your marketing team, for instance. You can find more details here.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social

Like Sendible, Sprout is designed for heavy-duty social media management. They’re also both aimed at the team, agency, and brand level rather than for individual users, and that’s reflected in their pricing. They do have a 30-day free trial, but their regular plans start at $59/user/month.

You can find more details on their Instagram scheduling tools here.

Preview

Preview

Preview is a bit different to the others. It’s an iPhone app where everything is handled within the app on the phone rather than through a web service. It still sends you a push notification reminder, but it’s more self-contained than some of the others. You will still have to open the Instagram app to do the actual posting.

It gives you a suite of image editing tools, like filters, and provides a visual way to see your upcoming posts.

You can find it on iTunes. It’s free.

Fully Automated Scheduled Posts for Instagram

Use these with care. Instagram takes a dim view of some implementations of automated posting and might take action against your account if they find you in violation of their terms of service.

Combin

Combin Instagram Scheduling

Combin calls itself a fully automated Instagram scheduler for both posts and stories. It allows for bulk story uploads, location tagging, and image size editing. According to the developers, it works with both personal and business profiles and fully complies with the Instagram terms of service.

The Combin Instagram Scheduler service is free for unlimited use (can manage up to 15 Instagram accounts) and can be used as a standalone service. They also offer another product, Combin Growth, that is a paid service.

Hopper Instagram Scheduler

Hopper Instagram Scheduler

This one pitches itself as a fully automated Instagram scheduler. It focuses exclusively on Instagram. It’s a combination of a web service and mobile app.

I haven’t yet had a chance to try it, but you can find more information about it here.

It doesn’t require the reminder function, can work with videos as well as photos, and has bulk upload and scheduling.

The pricing is based on the number of Instagram accounts, with a single account starting at $19/month. There’s a free 14-day trial available (you have to provide a credit card to start the trial).

By David Coleman
Instagram: @havecamerawilltraveldc

Last updated on September 18, 2020

Categories: Social Media
Tags: Instagram Guides

I may earn a commission for purchases using links on this page. Learn more.

News & Deals

With the holidays fast approaching, there’s some great deals on photography gear and services available. I’ve put together a roundup of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 Photography Deals. It’s a running list as new deals are announced, so be sure to check back.

Canon announces new EOS Rebel T8i DSLR. Canon has announced their new T8i DSLR. 24MP APS-C cropped CMOS sensor, 4K24 video, and updated image processing and detection systems. It’s available for preorder from B&H Photo.

New Firmware for the Ricoh GR III. Ricoh has release firmware v1.31 for the GR III. Release notes are: “Corrected — When shooting with the multiple exposure, in rare cases the live view may not display correctly. Improved stability for general performance.” You can download it here.

New Canon 1D X Mark III Pro DSLR Announced. Canon has announced their new flagship model of pro DSLR, the 1D X Mark III. They’re sticking with a 20.1MP CMOS sensor, but it’s a new and improved version and boasts an incredible native ISO range of ISO 100 to ISO 102400 and an extended range that goes up to a jaw-dropping ISO 819200. With revamped autofocus, a new image processor, and all sorts of other bells and whistles, it’s no wonder that Canon is billing it as “The Ultimate EOS.”

New Manfrotto Pro Rugged Memory Cards. Manfrotto, an Italian probably best known for their tripods and studio accessories, has launched a new Pro Rugged range of high-end SD, microSD, and CompactFlash cards. While they don’t have a huge selection of sizes and speeds, the cards are aiming for very fast cards that can put up with rugged demands. For instance, they claim that their V90 rated SD cards can withstand three times the force (20kg / 45 lbs) of a regular SD card. I’ve ordered some to run through my speed tests.

New Sony Alpha a7 firmware released. A firmware update for the Sony a7R IV now lets you control external Sony flashes from the camera’s own menu system. Up to 15 flashes in five groups can be controlled via the camera. It also applies to the a7R III and a7 III.

Comments

  1. lisa says

    August 15, 2018 at 9:34 pm

    I have used both planoly & preview 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 :) SO good, really recommend

    Reply
    • ameli says

      May 14, 2019 at 8:04 am

      I used different scheduled posting services for instagram. The best one appeared from ingramer.com. It has much more good options.

      Reply

Questions & Comments Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

About Me

I take photos. I travel. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between.

Get in Touch

Newsletter

© 2009–2021 David Coleman · Have Camera Will Travel LLC · all rights reserved


Photos by David Coleman. Please contact me for licensing images.
All images are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.


Privacy & Disclosure · Cookie Declaration · Disclaimer · Terms of Service · Copyright · Contact


XML Sitemap