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Publishing to Instagram and Facebook from Shopify

Instagram & Facebook · 7 min read · Updated September 9, 2026

These two networks share a permission system, so it is tempting to treat them as one channel. They are not: the accounts differ, the formats differ and the audiences differ. This guide covers the setup that trips people up and the settings that make one automation work well on both.

1. Getting the accounts right

Nine out of ten setup problems on these two networks are account problems, not app problems. Sort this out first:

• Instagram must be a professional account — business or creator. A personal account cannot publish through any API, by any tool. The switch is free and lives in Instagram's own settings.
• The Instagram account must be linked to a Facebook Page. This is a platform requirement for API publishing, even if you never post on the Page itself.
• For Facebook you need a Page you administer, not a personal profile. API publishing to personal timelines is not permitted.
• If the Page belongs to a Business Manager, make sure your account has access to it there — otherwise the Page will not appear in the list AutoPost shows you.

2. Connecting both networks

In your Shopify admin, open AutoPost and go to Accounts. Instagram and Facebook have separate cards, and each one runs its own authorisation:

• Instagram asks for instagram_business_basic, instagram_business_content_publish and instagram_business_manage_comments — identify the account, publish to it, and manage comments on its own posts.
• Facebook asks for pages_manage_posts, pages_read_engagement, pages_show_list and business_management — publish to a Page, read the state of those posts, list the Pages you manage, and resolve Pages owned by a business.

After the Facebook authorisation you pick which Page to publish to. If you create a new Page later, refresh the list in the app rather than reconnecting. Full details are on the Instagram and Facebook integration pages.

3. Feed post, Reel or carousel?

AutoPost chooses the format from the media on the product, so the decision happens when you attach media in Shopify.

Practical consequence: if you want Reels — and Reels are where most new reach on Instagram comes from — attach vertical video to your products. A 15-second clip filmed on a phone in portrait is enough.

4. Copy that suits each network

Both networks accept up to 2,200 characters, so the limit is not the constraint. The audience is.

• Instagram tolerates a little storytelling. Put the hook in the first line, because the rest is collapsed behind “more”. Hashtags at the end, three to five of them.
• Facebook readers skew older and click links more readily. A plain description of what the product is, plus a clear call to action and the link, outperforms clever copy.
• Both benefit from the product link. Use {PRODUCT_URL} rather than pointing people at your homepage.

A template that works on Instagram: an {AI_RESULT} block for the product-specific hook, then a fixed call to action, then {PRODUCT_URL}, then your hashtags. For Facebook, drop the hashtags and lead with what the product does.

5. One automation or two?

Start with one automation targeting both networks — it is half the setup and the copy is usually good enough on both. Split into two when one of these becomes true:

• You want hashtags on Instagram but not on Facebook.
• You want a different posting rhythm — daily on Instagram, three times a week on the Page.
• You want Reels on Instagram from vertical video, while Facebook gets the image-led version.
• Your Facebook audience responds to a different tone than your Instagram audience.

Remember that each network consumes its own credit: one product published to both is two posts against your monthly allowance.

6. Errors you will actually meet

7. A short pre-launch checklist

• Instagram account type is Business or Creator, and a Page is linked
• The right Facebook Page is selected in AutoPost
• Your products have at least one good image; the hero products also have vertical video
• A template exists that reads well with your longest product title
• The schedule has slots spread across the day, not stacked together
• The first five queued posts have been read in the Calendar before anything goes out

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