As someone that runs social media marketing efforts for a number of businesses across a variety of platforms, I always like finding ways of making the administrative side a bit easier.
Over the years, one particular bugbear of mine has been with Instagram. As a rule, Instagram is quite ‘locked down’ compared to Facebook, Twitter, and suchlike – for example, activities like scheduling posts or obtaining analytics data can be difficult.
Another thing I’d found a bit of pain was that, although you can view your Instagram feed on desktop, actually posting images from non-mobile devices is a PITA.
Fortunately, things have moved on, and there are now many different ways to schedule to Instagram from your PC. Here are some options to try.
Start making the most of Instagram
We can helpFacebook Business Suite
Back in 2012, Instagram was purchased by Facebook. It took them eight years to come up with a solution to my problem, but eventually they did. The solution is Facebook Business Suite; a management platform which allows you to schedule posts for both Facebook and Instagram.
My experience of various Facebook business tools has involved quite a bit of banging my head against a brick wall. And Facebook Business Suite is no exception. It’s clunky and glitchy…but it will get the job done for you.
You can use the Facebook Business Suite to post immediately, schedule posts and save draft posts. Find out more in the Facebook help files: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/351303132187013?id=203539221057259
Instagram insights are also available through Facebook Business Suite.
Third party schedulers
There is a cornucopia of companies out there who will help you to schedule Instagram posts. These allow you to post to virtually any social media platform and are a really useful way of planning and managing your social media activity.
We use Hootsuite to manage our social media posts, although this is in combination with Facebook Business Suite for some clients.
Which isn’t to suggest that Hootsuite is the best solution out there, but it works for us and we’re too lazy to switch.
Most of these scheduling systems are paid, however many will give you a free trial, so try a few and find the one to suit you.
Tell your browser to act like it’s on a phone
These methods give you a mobile experience directly on your PC. However, note that these options can’t be used for posting videos, just photos.
Option 1: How to post to Instagram from Chrome
- Step one – if you don’t already have it, download Google Chrome.
- Step two – once you’ve downloaded and installed Google Chrome, open it, go to Instagram, and log in to your account.
- Step three – open Chrome Developer Tools (Ctrl+Shift+J, or Cmd+Option+J on Mac).
- Step four – once that’s done, press Ctrl+Shift+M to go to Mobile View.At this stage, you should see something like in the image below. Should you wish, you can even choose which mobile device to replicate the viewport of (we’ve gone for the iPhone X).
- Step five – post your image! The ‘add image’ + icon is right there at the bottom of the screen, just as it is on your phone or tablet. Clicking upon it will open up your PC or Mac file manager, where you can navigate to your chosen image. Choose filters or other editing features like you would normally, then click “Next” in the top right of your screen. You can then add captions and tag people, and then click “Share” in the top right of your screen.
Option 2: How to post to Instagram from Safari
- Step one – like with Chrome, first, navigate to Instagram and log into your account. Select “Safari” and then “Preferences” in your menu bar. Find the “Advanced Features” section and then check the box that reads “Show develop menu in menu bar”.
- Step two – click on “Develop” in your menu bar and then scroll to “User Agent”. Here, you can choose which mobile device you’d like.
- Step three – refresh the page and you’ll be in the mobile version of Instagram.
- Then, follow step five from the Chrome section above!
Outsource it all!
The easiest option of all is to consider outsourcing your social media work to an agency that can ensure your posts are always on-brand, on-message, and on-time – desktop or not.
Tomango can help your business’ social media
Social media can, frankly, be a waste of time if it’s not managed properly.
Our approach is to take a holistic view of your brand, your business and your audience. We’ll help you define a strategy and marketing tactics to get more of the customers you want.
Should Instagram be part of this? Let’s find out.