Meta limits the type of content that can be auto-posted to Instagram. These limits are the same across the board for all scheduling tools, including Plann, and unfortunately, we don't make or mess with the rules!
Here are the main details you need to pay attention to, to make sure your account and content are following the rules and that your posts will be successfully published.
General rules for auto-posting
Your Instagram account must be linked to a Facebook Business Page for auto-post to work
Creator and Business Instagram accounts are allowed to auto-post.
Accounts are limited to 25 API-published posts within a 24-hour period. Carousels count as a single post.
‘Collab’ posts are not supported for auto-post.
Reels cannot appear in carousels.
Carousel images are all cropped based on the first image in the carousel, with the default being a 1:1 aspect ratio.
Reels: Cover images are supported for auto-posting.
Aspect Ratio for Reels Cover Images: If the aspect ratio of the original image is not 9:16, the image will be cropped, using the middlemost 9:16 rectangle as the cover photo for the reel. If you share a reel to your feed, we crop the image and use the middlemost 1:1 square as the cover photo for your feed post.
Account privacy settings are respected upon publication. For example, if "Allow remixing" is enabled on Instagram, the published reels will have remixing enabled upon publishing. These settings can be disabled on the published Reels manually through the Instagram app.
Music tagging is only available for original audio.
Stories expire after 24 hours.
Images Specifications (Carousels included)
For images, you'll need to ensure your content fits these specs:
8MB Maximum
File Type: .bmp, .jpeg, and .png
Aspect Ratio: between 4:5 and 1.91:1
Minimum width: 320
Maximum width: 1440
Carousels: limited to 10 images, videos, or a mix of the two
Color Space: sRGB. Images using other color spaces will have their color spaces converted to sRGB.
Video Specifications (Grid Videos in Carousels - not Reels)
For videos within Carousels, you'll need to ensure your content fits these specs:
Container/ Format: MOV or MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
Grid Video Aspect Ratio: Between 4:5 and 16:9
Grid Video Duration: 3 seconds min 60 seconds max
File Size: 100 MB maximum
Frame Rate: 23-60 FPS
Video Bitrate: VBR, 25Mbps maximum
Audio Bitrate: 128kbps
Video Codec: HEVC or H264, progressive scan, closed GOP, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling
Reels Specifications
For Reels, you'll need to ensure your content fits these specs:
Reels Aspect Ratio: Between 0.01:1 and 10:1 but we recommend 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank spaces
Reel Duration: 3 seconds min 15 minutes max
Reel Container/Format: MOV or MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
File Size: 1 GB maximum
Frame Rate: 23-60 FPS
Video Bitrate: VBR, 25Mbps maximum
Audio Bitrate: 128kbps
Video Codec: HEVC or H264, progressive scan, closed GOP, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling
Audio Codec: AAC, 48khz sample rate maximum, 1 or 2 channels (mono or stereo)
Reel Cover Image Format: JPEG
Reel Cover Image File Size: 8 MB
Reels Cover Image Aspect Ratio: Recommended 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank spaces
Story Specifications
For Stories, you'll need to ensure your content fits these specs:
Container/ Format: MOV or MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
Story Video Duration: 3 seconds minimum, 60 seconds maximum
Story Video Aspect Ratio: between 0.1:1 and 10:1 but we recommend 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank space
Frame Rate: 23-60 FPS
Audio Codec: AAC, 48khz sample rate maximum, 1 or 2 channels (mono or stereo)
Video Codec: HEVC or H264, progressive scan, closed GOP, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling
Video Bitrate: VBR, 25Mbps maximum
Audio Bitrate: 128kbps
File Size: 100MB maximum
Story Image Format: JPEG
Story Image File Size: 8 MB maximum
Story Image Aspect Ratio: We recommended 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank space
Story Image Color Space: sRGB. Images using other color spaces will have their color spaces converted to sRGB
Psst: Personal accounts won’t be able to use the auto-post feature. This is because Instagram/Facebook only allows Instagram Business and Creator Accounts to use this feature (we know, we’re bummed about that too).
Pssst: Instagram Creator Accounts are not able to auto-post Stories just yet, but you can normally auto-post Carousels, Reels, and standard Posts!
If you need any help or have any other questions about auto-posting, our Support Team is ready to help you out! Just reach out to them at support@plannthat.com.