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Instagram Auto-Posting Setup

Connect Instagram to ICONIC so we can post photos for your clients automatically

Total time: ~20 minutes (most is waiting for Meta)

Setup Progress
0 of 7 steps complete
1
Switch Instagram to a Creator Account
~2 min

The Instagram API works with Creator accounts. If yours is already a Creator account, skip this step. Do NOT switch to a Business account — Creator accounts keep access to the full music library.

1.1

Open Instagram on your phone

Tap your profile picture (bottom-right corner) to go to your profile page.

1.2

Open Settings

Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top-right corner of your profile.

Tap Settings and activity — it's at the very top of the menu that slides up.

A full-page settings menu with sections like "How you use Instagram", "Who can see your content", etc.
1.3

Find Account Type

Scroll down to the section called "For professionals".

Tap Account type and tools.

A page with options like "Switch to professional account" or "Switch account type" at the top.
1.4

Switch to Creator

Tap Switch to professional account (if currently personal) OR Switch account type (if already Business and want to switch to Creator).

Choose Creator (not Business) — this keeps your music library intact.

Tap Next.

1.5

Pick a Category

In the search box, type Digital Creator or Photography.

Tap it to select, then tap Done or Next.

1.6

Skip the Optional Steps

Instagram will ask about promotional emails and connecting a Facebook Page.

Tap Skip on both — we'll connect the Facebook Page properly in Step 3.

You should now see "Professional dashboard" on your profile. That confirms you're on a Creator account.

Already a Creator account? Check: go to your profile — if you see "Professional dashboard" or "Insights" and your account type says Creator, you're already set. Mark this step done and move on.
2
Create a Facebook Page
~3 min

Meta requires a Facebook Page to be linked to Instagram before the API works. If you already have a Facebook Page, skip to Step 3.

2.1

Open Facebook

Open the Facebook app on your phone (or go to facebook.com/pages/creation in your phone browser).

From the app: Tap Menu (three lines, bottom-right) scroll down to Pages tap Create or + Create new Page.

You must be logged into your personal Facebook account (this account becomes the Page admin).

A form asking for your Page name and Category. On phone it's a simple form filling the screen.
2.2

Fill in the Page Details

Page name: Type ICONIC by AI (or whatever brand name you want)

Category: Click the category field and type Photography. Select Photography or Photographer from the dropdown.

Bio: Optional — you can type something like AI-powered photo studio or leave it blank.

2.3

Create the Page

Click the Create Page button at the bottom-left of the form.

You'll be taken to your new Page. It'll look mostly empty with prompts to add a profile picture and cover photo. That's fine — we don't need to do any of that.
2.4

Note Your Page Name

You'll need to recognise this page name in Step 3. It should be ICONIC by AI (or whatever you typed).

Already have a Facebook Page? Skip this step — just make sure you're an Admin of that Page (not just an Editor). You can check: go to the Page → Settings → Page roles.
3
Link Instagram to the Facebook Page
~3 min

This is the critical step — connecting the Instagram Creator account to the Facebook Page you just created. Without this, the API cannot post.

There are 3 ways to do this — all on your phone. Try Method A first. If you get a "something went wrong" error, try Method B or C.

METHOD A — From Instagram Edit Profile (Most Reliable)

3A.1

Go to Edit Profile

Open the Instagram app go to your profile (bottom-right) tap Edit Profile (the button near the top of your profile, below your bio).

A page where you can change your name, username, bio, profile photo, etc.
3A.2

Find the Page Option

Scroll down. Look for a section called "Public business information" or "Profile information".

In that section, tap Page.

You'll see either "Page" with "Connect" next to it, or the name of a Page if one is already linked.
3A.3

Connect Your Facebook Page

A popup will appear — tap Continue or Connect.

Log into Facebook if prompted.

You'll see a list of your Facebook Pages. Tap ICONIC by AI (the page you created in Step 2).

Tap Done.

Back on Edit Profile, under "Page" it should now show your Facebook Page name instead of "Connect".

METHOD B — From Facebook App (Phone)

3B.1

Open Facebook App and Find Your Page

Open the Facebook app on your phone.

Tap your profile picture (bottom-right or top-right depending on version) to go to your profile.

Scroll down and find your Page (ICONIC by AI) — tap it.

If you can't find it, tap the menu (three lines) look for Pages or Your Pages.

3B.2

Open Page Settings

Once you're on your Page, tap the gear icon or three dots (top-right corner).

Tap Settings or Page settings.

3B.3

Connect Instagram

Look for Linked Accounts or Instagram in the settings list — tap it.

Tap Connect Account.

Enter your Instagram username and password.

If asked about messages, tap Allow or Skip — either is fine.

Tap Confirm or Done.

The Instagram section should now show your Instagram username with a "Connected" status.

METHOD C — From Instagram Settings (If A and B Don't Work)

3C.1

Clear Cache First

This path sometimes shows a "something went wrong" error. To fix it:

Android: Phone Settings Apps Instagram Storage Clear Cache

iPhone: Delete the Instagram app and reinstall it from the App Store (this is the only way to clear cache on iOS).

Also make sure the Facebook app is installed and you're logged in to it.

3C.2

Try the Settings Path

Open Instagram Profile three lines (top-right) Settings and activity

Scroll to "For professionals" Account type and tools

You'll see "Connect a Facebook Page" or "Change or create a Page". Tap it.

Follow the prompts to log into Facebook and select your Page.

If you see "Something went wrong" on Method C, use Method A or B instead — this is a known Instagram bug that Meta hasn't fixed. Methods A and B bypass it.
How to verify it worked (any method): Open Instagram Edit Profile scroll to "Page" — it should show your Facebook Page name (e.g. "ICONIC by AI"), not "Connect".
4
Create a Meta Developer App
~5 min

This creates the "pipeline" between our code and Instagram's servers. Think of it as registering our software with Meta.

4.1

Open the Meta Developer Dashboard

Go to: https://developers.facebook.com/apps/

You'll need to be logged into the same Facebook account that owns the Page from Step 2.

The "My Apps" dashboard. If this is your first time, you may see a "Get Started" or "Register" button — click it and follow the prompts (just confirm your account).
4.2

Create a New App

Click the green Create App button (top-right area).

A "What do you want your app to do?" screen with use case options.
4.3

Select the Use Case

You'll see options like "Authenticate and request data", "Build a game", etc.

Click Other (at the bottom of the list).

Click Next.

4.4

Select App Type

You'll see: "Consumer", "Business", "Gaming".

Select Business.

Click Next.

4.5

Name Your App

App name: Type ICONIC Posting

App contact email: Should auto-fill with your email. If not, type your email.

Business account: If asked, select your business or choose "I don't want to connect a business portfolio yet".

Click Create app.

You may need to re-enter your Facebook password to confirm.

You'll land on the App Dashboard — a page with cards for different "Products" you can add.
4.6

Add the Instagram Product

On the App Dashboard, look for the Instagram card/row in the product list.

Click Set up next to Instagram.

If you see options, choose API setup with Instagram login or just the default option.

The Instagram product is now added. You'll see an Instagram section in the left sidebar.
If you don't see "Instagram" in the product list, try scrolling down or searching. It should be listed as "Instagram" or "Instagram Graph API".
5
Copy Your App ID and App Secret
~1 min
5.1

Go to App Settings

In the left sidebar of your app dashboard, click App settings Basic.

Or: look at the top of the page — the App ID is usually displayed right there.

The "Basic Settings" page showing App ID (a long number like 1234567890), App Secret (hidden behind a "Show" button), and other details.
5.2

Copy Both Values

App ID: It's the number displayed at the top. Click to copy or select and copy it.

App Secret: Click the Show button next to "App secret". Enter your Facebook password if prompted. Copy the revealed string.

5.3

Paste Them Here

Keep the App Secret private. Don't share it or post it publicly. It's saved securely on the server.
6
Generate an Access Token
~3 min
6.1

Open the Graph API Explorer

Go to: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer/

A tool page with a dropdown for "Meta App" at the top, a big text area for queries, and a "Generate Access Token" button.
6.2

Select Your App

In the "Meta App" dropdown (top-left), select ICONIC Posting (the app you created in Step 4).

If it's not listed, refresh the page and try again.

6.3

Add Permissions

Click the Add a Permission dropdown (or it may say "Permissions").

You need to find and add these 4 permissions (they might be under different categories — search for each one):

instagram_basic
instagram_content_publish
pages_show_list
pages_read_engagement

Click each one to add it. They should appear as tags/pills below the dropdown when added.

6.4

Generate the Token

Click the blue Generate Access Token button.

A Facebook login popup will appear. Log in if needed.

It will ask you to grant permissions. Click Continue on each permission screen.

When it asks which Pages to connect, make sure ICONIC by AI (your Page) is selected. Click Continue.

When it asks which Instagram accounts, make sure yours is selected. Click Continue.

Finally click Save or Done.

Back on the Explorer page, the "Access Token" field now shows a long string starting with EAA...
6.5

Copy and Paste the Token

Select the entire token from the "Access Token" field (it's very long — make sure you get all of it).

This token only lasts 1 hour — but we'll automatically exchange it for a permanent one in Step 7.
This is a short-lived token (expires in ~1 hour). That's fine — Step 7 will automatically convert it to a long-lived token that lasts 60+ days. Just don't wait too long before clicking "Connect" in Step 7.
7
Connect — We Handle the Rest Automatically
~30 sec

Click the button below and our system will automatically: exchange your token for a permanent one, find your Instagram Creator Account, verify it can post, and save everything. You're done after this.