When you're ready to publish content to Instagram, the Social Planner provides an efficient and user-friendly solution that allows you to create, schedule, and manage posts with ease. Whether you're sharing a standard post, story, or reel, this comprehensive guide will walk you through each step—from selecting media to adding compelling captions and hashtags—ensuring that your Instagram content is fully optimized and ready to engage your audience.
To begin, simply click the blue "New Post" button located in the top-right corner of the Marketing > Social Planner section.
You will then be presented with multiple posting options such as using Social Planner Templates, or Content AI. This guide will walk you through the creating a new post and uploading a CSV file options.
Create New Post
Click on the "Create New Post" button from the dropdown menu.
Post To
From the "Post To" dropdown menu, select the Instagram account(s) you would like to publish the post. This dropdown will display all the accounts integrated with the platform, allowing you to choose the correct one for your intended audience.
Type Content
In the content field, draft your social media message, incorporating rich media, hashtags, and engaging content. You can get creative by adding formatting options such as bold or italicized text, images, and even videos before proceeding to publish.
Follow up Comment
The "Follow up Comment" feature allows users to optimize engagement on social media posts by enabling comments that appear soon after a post is published. This feature works for various platforms including Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Instagram Business Accounts, LinkedIn Profiles, LinkedIn Pages, and X (formerly Twitter) Accounts.
Advanced Options
Under Advanced Options, you can apply your watermark to images, choose categories for better organization, and add tags to enhance searchability and categorization of posts. Furthermore, you can choose whether your post should be published on your feed or story, or as a reel.
Post Preview
Ensure you preview all your content before publishing to verify accuracy, layout, and overall presentation. This step allows you to catch any potential errors, confirm that your messaging aligns with your brand, and ensure the content displays correctly.
Post
When you click on the "Post" button, it gives you four (4) different sending options to choose from:
- Post Now: This will allow you to send this post to the selected account(s) immediately.
- Schedule Post: This will allow you to schedule a post for a later date or time. Choose the date and time from the calendar and time slot.
- Send Post for Approval: This allows you to send the post to another team member for approval. Choose the date and time from the calendar and time slot, and select an approver. You can add notes as well.
- Schedule Recurring Posts: This allows you to automate the posting of content at regular intervals, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. You can set specific time frames and select particular days for the posts to repeat, ensuring consistent engagement across social media platforms.
Save for Later
Alternatively, utilize the save for later feature to save your post as a draft for further editing.
Uploading Content via CSV
You can also upload posts in bulk using a CSV file. Click the "New Post" button and select "Upload from CSV."
Ensure that the CSV follows the required format (YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm) for date and time, and supports multiple images and videos. A maximum of 90 posts can be uploaded per CSV file.
Once the CVS is uploaded, click on Next.
Select Socials
Select the specific Facebook account where you would like to publish the post. This dropdown will display all the linked Facebook accounts associated with your platform, allowing you to choose the correct one for your intended audience.
Send for Approval
Submit the posts contained in the CSV file for review by a designated approver before they are scheduled for publication by clicking the checkbox and selecting the relevant persons.
Once you click 'Create,' the contents in this CSV will be ready either for review or scheduling.
Instagram-Specific Requirements
When publishing to Instagram, there are specific image and video guidelines:
- Images: Must be in JPG or PNG format, between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a minimum resolution of 250x250 pixels. A maximum of 10 images per post is allowed.
- Videos: Must be in GIF, MOV, or MP4 format, up to 1 GB in size, with a minimum resolution of 1920x3448. Instagram allows one video per post, with a duration of 3 seconds to 15 minutes.
- Reels: Reels follow the same video guidelines, with a recommended 9:16 aspect ratio.
For Instagram Stories, you can upload images and videos, but captions are not supported. Adhere to the image and video guidelines to ensure optimal presentation.
The Social Planner simplifies the entire Instagram content management process, allowing you to create, schedule, and publish posts seamlessly. Whether you're manually uploading content, or using CSV files for bulk posting, this guide equips you to optimize your social media presence efficiently and effectively.