Instagram allows scheduling of posts…finally

Sahail Ashraf posted on 30 November 2022

If you’re used to using third-party apps to schedule posts on Instagram, we’ve got good news. A new update will allow you to schedule posts months ahead.

Instagram has done what it should have perhaps done a long time ago, and has decided to allow users to schedule posts months in advance.

While it’s not clear that the new feature will be available for non-professional accounts, it’s quite easy to switch a personal account to professional. The move is something that users have been wanting for a long time, so it is a welcome one.

How to do it

With the update, you can simply schedule a post to run up to 75 days in advance. Previously, this could only be done via a third-party app, so it’s quite an advancement.

To get the post scheduled you create a post just like you are used to doing. Then, before you actually publish, just click on ‘Advanced settings’.

Then you simply have to select ‘Schedule this post’. From there, just choose the time and date for the post to go live. It’s that simple.

The good news about this new feature is the fact that users can now get this part of their marketing done without having to hop between apps. When you think about it, this is a leap forward, and obviously something that has been missing for a while.

It’s all going to be introduced over the next few weeks.

Why this is a good thing

Okay, it’s not the best thing in the world, but it will make the whole process of posting on Instagram seamless.

Also, think about this. If your team leader or your brand as a whole has a developed Instagram strategy, that is good news. You can now think about those KPIs that have been in place and plan even further with the confidence that you can get it all done on Instagram.

Most social media marketing teams have KPIs that focus on areas like:

• Sales
• Website traffic
• Engagement
• Followers
• User-generated content
• Influencer partnerships

All of this falling into the mix can mean that it is difficult to keep up. With scheduled content you can work a content plan that is months ahead. So if you have a campaign built to try and drive engagement for example, you can plan months ahead and reach your goals with a clear view of what needs to be created on the way.

It just allows for longer-term planning. 

Impact?

Adam Mosseri is the CEO of Instagram, and he commented on the feature being rolled out:

“I call this a ‘finally’ feature, one of those things that we really should’ve gotten to a long time ago.”

Maybe it isn’t necessary for all those businesses so used now to working with the third-party solutions. But it is still pretty good as an idea. And Instagram could use some good press.

In October of this year there was an outage that caused millions of accounts to be locked, and even told the users of these accounts that they were suspended. That did not go down well, and anything that makes accounts easier to use (for businesses at least) will be welcome.

The best thing that Instagram can do for a business is make it more human and relatable. And now, presuming this all goes ahead and Mosseri gets the update he finally wants, businesses can craft long-term campaigns easily, without dipping into another app.

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