Connecting Facebook and Instagram to Social Automation

Social Automation publishes to enabled Facebook Pages and the Instagram professional accounts linked to those Pages. This article covers the Meta prerequisite, connection flow, and destination management.

Before you begin: Use the Facebook login that has access to the Pages you want to connect. Personal Facebook profiles are not publishing destinations. You can publish to Facebook without Instagram; Instagram publishing requires a Business or Creator account linked to the Page.

Why Social Automation needs a Facebook Page

Social Automation publishes to a Facebook Page. It does not publish to a personal Facebook profile. Use your personal Facebook login to create and manage the Page. The Page is the publishing destination.

Meta uses a Page for a business, a brand, an organization, or a public figure. A Page is public. A personal profile can stay private. A Page is also different from Pro mode on a profile, and different from a Facebook Group.

Instagram is optional. You can publish to Facebook without Instagram. To publish to Instagram, the account must be a Business or Creator account, and it must be linked to the Page. A personal Instagram account does not appear when you connect Placester.

  • Business fits a brokerage, a team, a brand, or a local business.
  • Creator fits a public figure, or a person who publishes as a creator.

Either professional account type works with Social Automation. If the Instagram account is private, Meta makes it public when you switch it to a professional account.

Create a Facebook Page

Create the Page in Facebook before you connect Placester. You need your personal Facebook login to create the Page. Only an official representative of the business should create its Page.

  1. Log in to Facebook, then select Pages.
  2. Select Create Page.
  3. Select Public Page, then select Next.
  4. Select Get Started.
  5. Add the Page name and a category.
  6. Add a bio if you want one, then select Create Page.

Meta then asks for contact details, photos, and other optional items. You can add them, or you can skip them. Meta changes these labels. The current steps are in Meta's article Create a Facebook Page.

Switch Instagram to a professional account

Do this in the Instagram app when the account is still a personal account.

  1. Open your profile.
  2. Open Settings and activity.
  3. Under For professionals, select Account type and tools.
  4. Select Switch to professional account.
  5. Select a category. The category does not choose Business or Creator.
  6. Select Switch to professional account again.
  7. When Meta asks for the account type, select Business or Creator.

You can change the account type later. Meta changes these labels. The current steps are in Meta's article Set up a professional Instagram account.

Link Instagram to your Facebook Page

Complete this in Meta before connecting Placester. If the Instagram account is still personal, switch it to a professional account first.

  1. Confirm that the Instagram account is a Business or Creator account, not a personal account.
  2. Sign in to Facebook with an account that has access to the Facebook Page.
  3. Open the Page's settings and find Linked accounts or Instagram.
  4. Choose the option to connect an Instagram account.
  5. Sign in to the Instagram account and approve the connection.
  6. Confirm that Meta shows the Instagram account as connected to the intended Facebook Page.

Meta changes its settings labels periodically. If you cannot find the option, open Meta Business Suite for the Page and look for the Instagram connection under business or Page settings. The current steps are in Meta's article Connect or disconnect an Instagram account and your Page.

Start the Placester connection

In Placester, open Content → Social → Connect, then select CONNECT.

The Facebook and Instagram connection card

  1. CONNECT: This opens a Facebook window and starts the Meta connection. Sign in with the Facebook account that manages your Page. Choose that Page and the Instagram account linked to it.

Choose Facebook Pages

Meta asks which Pages Placester may access.

Choosing a Facebook Page in Meta

  1. Select every Page you want to make available to Placester and continue.

If the Page you want is missing, check these items:

  • Tick the Page if you can see it. Current Pages only includes only the Pages you tick.
  • If the Page is not in the list, sign in with the Facebook account that manages it. The account menu is at the top of the Meta window.
  • The list shows Pages only. A personal profile or a Group does not appear.
  • If you just created the Page, go back and select CONNECT again.

Placester connects the Pages that Meta returns from this authorization. After connection, use Publishing Destinations in Placester to choose which available Pages publish.

Meta may offer access to current Pages only or to all current and future Pages. Current Pages only means Placester can use only the Pages you select now. All current and future Pages means Placester can also use Pages you create later. Choose current-only access for the narrowest permission. If you later add a Page, reconnect Placester to authorize it.

If you choose Opt in to all current and future Pages and this Facebook login does not manage a Page, Placester does not connect. CONNECT stays on the card. Placester shows No Facebook Pages were returned for this account. Create a Page, or sign in with a Facebook account that manages a Page, then select CONNECT again. The steps to create a Page are in Meta's article Create a Facebook Page.

Choose Instagram accounts

Select the Instagram professional accounts linked to those Pages.

Choosing an Instagram account in Meta

  1. Select the linked Instagram accounts and continue.

If the account is missing, stop the Placester connection flow and confirm in Meta that:

  • The Instagram account is Business or Creator.
  • It is linked to the intended Facebook Page.
  • Your Facebook login can manage that Page and Instagram account.

If no Instagram account is linked to the Page, Placester still connects Facebook. The card shows Instagram not linked. There is no error, and CONNECT is no longer on the card. Link the Instagram account to the Page in Meta, then choose Refresh Connection. The steps are in Meta's article Connect or disconnect an Instagram account and your Page.

Review Meta access

Meta shows the access Placester needs to publish and manage posts.

Reviewing Placester access in Meta

  1. Review the request and select Save.

Removing required permissions can prevent Social Automation from publishing, editing captions, or deleting posts.

Confirm the connection

Return to Placester. When Instagram is linked, the card shows the Page, the Instagram name, and ready to publish. When Instagram is not linked, the card shows the Page and Instagram not linked. Facebook can still publish. When more than one Page is on, the card shows a count. It says ready to publish when an Instagram account is linked. It says Instagram not linked to an enabled Page when none is linked.

A connected Facebook Page and Instagram account

  1. Confirm that the destination is correct and the connection is ready.

Manage or repair the connection

Open the three-dot menu on the connected account. The numbers in the picture match the numbers below.

Connection management options

  1. Publishing Destinations: choose which Pages receive new posts. Use this when you connected more than one Facebook Page and you want posts to go to only some of them. Turn a Page on to publish to it. Turn a Page off to stop new posts to that Page. The Instagram account linked to that Page in Meta publishes with it. Leave at least one Page on. This list shows only Pages you already allowed. It does not add a Page. To allow a new Page, choose Reconnect Facebook.

Choosing which Facebook Pages publish

  1. Refresh Connection: update the names and links on the card. Use this when the connection still works, but the card shows old information. You may have renamed a Page, or linked an Instagram account in Meta, and Placester still shows the old name or no Instagram account. Placester asks Meta for the current details. This does not sign you in again. It does not fix an expired connection.
  2. Reconnect Facebook: give Placester permission again. Use this when access has changed. You added a Facebook Page, the person who manages the Page changed, or posts stopped because Meta no longer accepts the saved permission. Meta shows the same sign-in and permission screens as the first time. Sign in with the Facebook account that can manage the Page, then approve the access.
  3. Disconnect: stop Placester from using these accounts. Use this when you want Social Automation to stop publishing here. Placester removes the connection. New posts stop until you connect again. Posts that already published stay on Facebook and Instagram.

If the card says Connection expired and does not offer a reconnect action, contact Placester Support. Refresh Connection is available only while the account is connected and is not an expired-connection recovery action.

If the connection keeps failing

Check these items. Each line says where to fix it.

  • Facebook account. Sign in with the Facebook account that manages the Page. The account name is at the top of the Meta window. If you do not have a Page yet, follow Create a Facebook Page.
  • Page access. That same Facebook account must be able to manage the Page. If you cannot open the Page settings, ask the person who created the Page to give you access.
  • Instagram link. The Instagram account must be linked to that Page. Follow Connect or disconnect an Instagram account and your Page.
  • Instagram type. The Instagram account must be Business or Creator. Follow Set up a professional Instagram account.
  • Placester permissions. On the Meta review screen, leave every requested permission on. If a permission was removed, open the three-dot menu on the connection card and choose Reconnect Facebook. Approve the access again.
  • A Meta restriction. If Facebook or Instagram says the Page or the account is restricted, fix that in Meta first. Then choose Reconnect Facebook.

After the item is fixed, open the three-dot menu on the connection card and choose Reconnect Facebook.

For the rest of the setup, see Setting Up Social Automation. If a post does not appear, see Troubleshooting Social Automation.

Need more help?

For questions, concerns, or feedback, chat with our team at app.placester.com/chat.

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