Scheduling and publishing
Instagram auto-post limits
What Instagram auto-post supports in Planoly: post types, carousel and story limits, and the features that need a Facebook-linked account.
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Planoly auto-posts to Instagram. What a post can carry depends on the post type and on how the account is connected.
Two ways to connect Instagram
Planoly has two Instagram connections, and the planner shows both as one channel.
- Instagram — you sign in at instagram.com. This connection publishes posts, reels, and stories, and it supports a first comment.
- Instagram through Facebook — you sign in with Facebook and pick the Page your Instagram Business or Creator account is linked to. This connection publishes the same things and adds everything in the table below.
| Feature | Instagram through Facebook | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing | Yes | Yes |
| First comment | Yes | Yes |
| User tags | No | Yes |
| Location tags | No | Yes |
| Product tags | No | Yes |
| Collaborators | No | Yes |
| Music (Instagram's sound catalogue) | No | Yes |
| Instagram analytics | No | Yes |
When you reach for one of the right-hand features on a direct connection, Planoly opens Update Instagram account to followed by the feature you tapped, and asks you to link a Facebook Business page to your creator or business account.
Post types
The post type picker on the Instagram tab has two entries:
- Post/Reel — one to ten images or videos.
- Story — one image or video.
A single-video Post/Reel publishes as a Reel. Instagram decides that, and the builder posts a note beside the media when the channel is set to auto-post.
Carousels
A Post/Reel carousel auto-posts up to 10 items. Instagram's publishing API stops there.
Switch the channel to Reminder and the same post takes 20, because you publish it by hand. Planoly says the same thing in the error when you go over: remove the extra media, or switch to Reminder.
Stories
- Auto-post sends one item. Instagram's API publishes one story container at a time.
- On Reminder, a story post takes up to 10 items, so you can plan a full sequence and post it yourself.
- A story video must be 60 seconds or less to auto-post.
- The caption field on a story is a note for you. Instagram never receives it, and hashtags you put there are not counted.
What each post type supports
| Post/Reel | Story | |
|---|---|---|
| Caption | Yes | Note only |
| First comment | Yes | No |
| Location tag | Yes | No |
| User tags | Yes | Yes |
| Product tags | Yes | No |
| Collaborators | Up to 3 | No |
| Cover photo | Yes | No |
| Alt text | Yes | No |
| Sound from the catalogue | Single video only | Reminder only |
Instagram takes audio_configuration on a reel container, and Planoly sends any single video as a reel. So a sound attaches to a one-video Post/Reel and to nothing else. On a story the picker still appears in reminder mode, where your selection is a label to act on when you post by hand.
Media and caption limits
Instagram's file size, aspect ratio, caption, and hashtag limits sit with every other channel's in Media requirements for auto-post. The Instagram-specific ones:
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Caption | 2,200 characters |
| Hashtags | 30, counted across the caption and the first comment together |
| Mentions in a caption | 20 |
| First comment | 2,000 characters, up to 10 mentions |
| Collaborators | 3 |
| User tags per media item | 20 |
| Product tags per media item | 5 |
When auto-post is not available
The Posting method control falls back to Reminder, and cannot be moved off it, when:
- The channel was added as reminder-only rather than connected.
- The connection has expired. If you had auto-post switched on for that channel, the builder shows Your connection expired with a Reconnect button.
Reminder still works in both cases. See Auto-post vs. reminder.
Related guides
Scheduling and publishing
Media requirements for auto-post
What Planoly checks before it lets you schedule an auto-post, and every channel's media, caption, and hashtag limits.
Read guideScheduling and publishing
Auto-post vs. reminder
Planoly publishes a post one of two ways — auto-post or reminder — and which channels support each.
Read guideGetting started
Link Instagram to a Facebook Business page
Link your Instagram account to a Facebook Business page so Planoly can tag locations, users, collaborators, and products, and show Instagram analytics.
Read guide