Schedule Posts on Instagram is a fantastic method to streamline your content and maintain a consistent posting schedule. One of the most recurring questions RecurPost customer support answers is “Why Can’t I Schedule Posts on Instagram?”
There are several common reasons behind this problem, and in this blog post, I’ll delve into those factors and provide practical solutions. In the following sections, I’ll explore the most prevalent reasons behind your inability to schedule posts on Instagram and walk you through the steps to address these issues effectively.
I will also introduce you to RecurPost, a powerful social media scheduling tool, and demonstrate how to schedule posts on Instagram with ease.
I have written this blog post to serve diverse audience. Whether you’re a business owner, a marketing agency facing issues while scheduling IG posts for your clients, an influencer, or an Instagram enthusiast looking to make the most of this platform. The second most recurring question our customer support teams answer is “why are my scheduled posts not posting on Instagram?”. You should read that blog post as well if you haven’t already.
If you are running into Instagram scheduling issues, then give RecurPost’s Free Trial a spin as we take care of over 150+ common issues for you. If we cannot post it for you, it cannot be posted on Instagram.
Why Can’t I Schedule Posts on Instagram: Reasons
1. You don’t have a business account
Instagram’s scheduling feature is only available to business accounts. Business accounts have access to a wider range of features and tools, including insights and analytics. Scheduling is definitely a primary part of this list. If you have a personal account, you will need to switch to a business account in order to schedule posts.
2. Your Facebook page is not connected to your Instagram account as a business account
In order to schedule posts on Instagram, you need to connect your Instagram business account with a Facebook page. This is because Instagram uses Facebook’s scheduling tools (Meta Business Suite) to schedule posts. This connection is mandatory as Meta (formerly Facebook) wants you to use their Business suite as that promotes people to go for paid Meta ads as well.
3. You are using an outdated version of the Instagram app
The scheduling feature is only available on the latest version of the Instagram app. If you are using an outdated version of the app, you will need to update your app in order to schedule posts.
4. You have insufficient permissions to use the scheduling feature
If you are part of a team managing a business account, your account may not have sufficient permissions to use the scheduling feature. Check with the account administrator to ensure that you have the appropriate access level.
5. Your Instagram account is temporarily blocked or suspended
Instagram blocks or suspends accounts for various reasons. If you happen to be a victim of this suspension, you will not be able to schedule posts on your account. This can happen for a number of reasons, such as violating Instagram’s community guidelines or posting spam. Meta allows you to appeal this suspension or block if their automated systems made a mistake. Make sure you present your case well in the first appeal itself. It gets harder and harder after the first appeal.
6. You are experiencing technical difficulties with the Instagram app
If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the Instagram app, such as crashing or freezing, you may not be able to schedule posts. Try restarting the app or logging out and logging back in. If the problem persists, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
7. There is a problem with the Instagram API
The Instagram API is the set of tools and protocols that allow third-party apps to interact with Instagram. If there is a problem with the Instagram API, it can affect third-party scheduling tools and prevent you from scheduling posts. Meta is infamous for having system issues. At the time of writing this blog, there are 26,730 bugs in their system. Yes, that is not a made up number.
If the bug is only with their API, you should still be able to schedule posts from Instagram directly. Many API issues only target third-party Instagram scheduling apps. You can restart using third-party scheduling apps once Meta fixes the API bug.
You can search for Meta API bugs in their bug report page.
Why Can’t I Schedule Posts on Instagram: Solutions
If you need help on how to do any of these, then feel free to reach out to our customer support team by clicking on the chat button in the bottom right corner.
1. Switch to a business account
To switch to a business account, open the Instagram app and go to your profile. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then tap Settings > Account > Switch to Professional Account. Choose Business from the options and follow the instructions to complete the switch.
2. Connect your Facebook page to your Instagram account as a business account
To connect your Facebook page to your Instagram account as a business account, open the Instagram app and go to your profile. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then tap Settings > Account > Linked Accounts. Tap Facebook and follow the instructions to connect your pages.
3. Update your Instagram app
To update your Instagram app, open the App Store or Google Play Store and search for “Instagram.” Tap Update if there is an update available.
4. Ask the account administrator to grant you permission to use the scheduling feature
If you are part of a team managing a business account, you may need to ask the account administrator to grant you permission to use the scheduling feature. To do this, contact the account administrator and ask them to give you the “Schedule Posts” permission.
5. Use a third-party scheduling tool
There are a number of third-party scheduling tools available that allow you to auto schedule Instagram posts. RecurPost is one such tool that enables you to schedule posts on both Instagram personal and business profiles without any issues!
How to schedule posts on Instagram in the right way using RecurPost
1. Create an Account With RecurPost
To begin with the scheduling process, you will first have to create an account with RecurPost. For this, you will need to visit RecurPost and complete the sign-up process. You will have to fulfill all requirements and add your name and email address. Your account will be ready instantly. You will get an email to verify your email so you can use this.
2. Add Your Social Media Profiles
Your next step is to add your social media profiles. You can do this as part of onboarding or from your dashboard. Multiple features and services would appear on the navigation bar for you to skim through. There is also the option of managing your social accounts and content libraries. On the panel towards the left of the screen, there is an option saying “add social accounts”.
3. Connect Your Instagram Profile
Since you want to schedule a post on Instagram in particular, the upcoming step would be to connect your Instagram profile with the RecurPost interface. This window will appear on your screen when you click on the “Add social account” option:
From all the given options, you need to choose the one that falls under the Instagram category. Choose the option saying “Instagram business profile”. Login to the Facebook account that owns the page connected to your Instagram business account.
You do not have to worry about the privacy of your personal information because RecurPost guarantees the safety of your details. We are an app that successfully clears the Meta data security assessment each year.
4. Start Creating Posts
RecurPost supports two types of posts. You can create one-off posts that go out at a particular date and time. These are handy for notifications that you only want to share once. The second type of posts are recurring posts, such as your blog posts or your promotions videos. Recurring posts help you share your evergreen content, such as blog posts, multiple times so that your new followers can see them as well.
On the RecurPost main dashboard, there is an option saying “share a post”. To create a one-off post, click on it.
Once you do that, a box will open up wherein you can add all the details about your post. You can enter your content here or use our ChatGPT integration to write it for you. Your content can either be a link or text. There is also the option of adding media such as images or videos.
RecurPost will show you if you missed something, such as an image or a video is mandatory for Instagram. Furthermore, you cannot have too many hashtags. RecurPost will guide you if you missed any of these mandatory requirements. When there are no such errors, you are good to schedule instagram posts. You can even get a preview of how your content will look on the feed by clicking on the ‘Preview’ button in the bottom right corner of the box.
You can either share your post right away by clicking on the Post Now button. Or you can toggle the option to “schedule for later” and set a date and time when this post should go out. Discover the best times to post on Instagram for maximum engagement! For detailed insights, check out our blog post on the ideal Instagram posting times for boosting your reach and connecting with your audience.
Conclusion
Using an Instagram scheduler can be a real time-saver and help you maintain a consistent posting schedule. If you’ve been experiencing difficulties, I trust this blog post has steered you toward the solution you need.
You also have the option to connect with our customer support team to get specific solutions. We also recommend you give RecurPost a try as we take care of most of these common problems for you.
With RecurPost, you can:
- Schedule posts in advance and create recurring schedules
- Track your performance and monitor comments and DMs
- Collaborate with team members and maintain a content calendar
Frequently Asked Questions
Your scheduled posts are not posting on Instagram because either your Instagram account is not eligible to schedule posts, or you have not configured your scheduled posts correctly.
There can be multiple reasons for this limitation. Your account may be a personal account, blocked or suspended among many.
To enable scheduling posts on Instagram, you need to switch to a business account and connect your Facebook page to your Instagram account as a business account, or ask the account administrator to grant you permission to use the scheduling feature. Want to schedule posts on Facebook? Check out our easy guide to learn how!
The schedule option on Instagram is only available to business accounts. To access it, create a new post and tap on the Advanced Settings option. You will then see the ‘Schedule this post’ option.
Instagram does not really remove scheduled posts. However, if Instagram blocks or suspends your account before the post goes out then your post may never show up on Instagram.
Debbie Moran is a Digital marketing strategist with 5+ years of experience producing advertising for brands and helping leaders showcase their brand to the correct audience. She has been a part of RecurPost since 2019 and handles all the activities required to grow our brand’s online presence.