Every serious Instagrammer needs to have a content posting strategy that results in more engagement. If you have a lot of content ideas but are not scheduling them, you will find it challenging to post consistently or reach the most people once you do post.
Are you wondering how to schedule Instagram posts without paying some app for doing so? The good news is that you can schedule posts on Instagram using a free tool that every Instagram user can have access to. That means no third-party tools are required to schedule your Instagram content.
Why Schedule Instagram Posts
There are several key reasons why you should schedule your Instagram posts if you are serious about expanding your reach and engagement on the platform. These include:
- Save time posting content by spending just a few hours for an entire month of content
- Stay consistent to deliver new content your followers can engage with
- Stay prioritized within Instagram’s algorithm and stay visible to others
- Post content at periods of peak activity when your followers are on Instagram
- Keep content organized and avoid missing opportunities and gaps
- Maintain a visually-appealing grid and keep your page looking cohesive
How to Schedule Instagram Posts
Currently, scheduling posts is possible by using Facebook’s Creator Studio. This free tool is accessible to all Creator and Business IG accounts. Even though it’s a Facebook product, Meta has integrated it into the Instagram experience.
Note: The Instagram app presently does not provide the ability to schedule IG posts.
Also, to use Facebook’s Creator Studio, you will have to use a computer.
Besides scheduling posts, the Creator Studio also allows you to:
- Tag people in posts
- Turn off comments on posts
- Tag collaborators and businesses in sponsored content
Follow these steps to schedule posts using Creator Studio:
- Head to the Creator Studio for Instagram on Facebook’s website but make sure you have a Creator or Business account to access this feature.
- Click on the Instagram icon in the topbar of the page.
- Connect your Instagram account if you haven’t already but if you have then skip this.
- While connected with your IG account, click the Create Post button on the left side.
- Decide between creating a post for your feed and for a video over 60 seconds in length.
- Create your content and customize your post using the features provided.
- Click on the downward arrow next to the Publish button once your post is ready.
- Pick the Schedule option and select a day and time you wish for the post to go live.
Note: You can also save the post as a draft if you or others would like to review it before finalizing the scheduling.
Now that you have finished scheduling your post, you can view it in your content library. It will have a Scheduled status. Your options now are:
- Delete
- View
- Edit
- Publish
You will also see a Calendar option on the left-hand side of the screen. When you click on this, you will see a calendar view that will provide you with information on all of the posts you have scheduled for the month. This assists you in seeing whether you have any content gaps where there should be none.
Bottom Line: Now that you know how to schedule Instagram posts in an easy way, without using any paid third-party tools, you can ensure your Instagram content strategy improves and increases reach, engagement, and success.
