Browse Calendar & Publishing
Create an Instagram post in MorningAI by writing (or generating) a caption, attaching your visuals, previewing the Instagram feed look, and publishing or scheduling — directly to your Instagram business account.
Before You Start — Read This
Instagram posting requires a Business or Creator account that's linked to a Facebook page. Personal Instagram accounts cannot publish via API — that's Meta's rule for any third-party publisher, including us. This is the single most common reason new users hit a wall on Instagram setup.
If you're on a personal account, switch to a Business or Creator account in the Instagram app first, link it to a Facebook page you admin, then come back and connect through Settings → Connectors.
Two Ways to Start a Post
Same as the rest of the platform: Hype Writer (Instagram post use case) or Calendar Quick Create. Both paths land in the same Publish Flow.
For Instagram-native briefs, choose the Instagram post use case in Hype Writer — it's tuned for Instagram's voice (shorter, hashtag-friendly, image-first).
Inside the Publish Flow
The Instagram preview mimics the Instagram feed — square or 4:5 aspect, the username bar, the heart/comment/share icons. You'll also see:
- Suggested Caption with inline editor.
- Filmstrip of attached images.
- Pills for each connected platform — toggle Instagram on.
- Schedule picker.
Hashtags go in the caption (Instagram counts them against the character limit). Instagram posting through MorningAI puts hashtags in the caption, not in the comments.
Writing for Instagram
- Hook in the first 125 characters. Instagram cuts the caption with "more" after that, so what's above the fold decides whether someone reads on.
- 3–8 hashtags is the modern sweet spot. Skip the legacy 20-tag dump.
- Image-first platform. Don't publish to Instagram without an image (or video). Use Image Studio or Video Creation upstream, save to your library, then drop into the post.
- Match aspect ratio at generation time. 9:16 for Reels and Stories, 1:1 or 4:5 for the feed. Re-cropping after the fact loses quality.
Using the AI Rewrite Chips
Click "Write alternative caption" and try:
- More casual — for community posts.
- Shorter — for hook-driven feed posts.
- Add urgency — for limited drops.
- Expand — when you have a one-liner that needs a real story.
"More casual" and "Shorter" are gold for Instagram.
Publish Now or Schedule
Same controls as the rest of the Publish Flow. Click Publish to post immediately, or "Select time" to schedule into your feed rhythm. If you post 4×/week, lock in those slots in the Calendar — your feed will look intentional, not chaotic.
Cross-Posting
Toggle Facebook and LinkedIn pills alongside Instagram to cross-post. Customize captions per platform before publish if Instagram's voice is different from your LinkedIn voice (it usually is).
Limits and Gotchas
- Caption: up to 2,200 characters. The publish modal blocks publish if exceeded.
- Personal accounts won't connect — Instagram requires a Business or Creator account.
- The Instagram account must be linked to a Facebook page you admin. If you disconnect Facebook, Instagram publishing breaks too.
- Instagram requires images. Text-only posts aren't supported by the API.
- Hashtags eat your character count. A 30-hashtag caption can blow past 2,200 fast.
Things Not Yet in the UI
A few Instagram features aren't exposed as dedicated controls in MorningAI today. Don't expect them in the Publish Flow:
- Reels vs Feed selection — posts go to the standard feed.
- Per-image alt text.
- User and location tagging.
- Carousel-specific controls (Instagram allows up to 10 images; behavior in the publish flow may vary).
If any of these are critical, schedule a manual hand-off through Instagram's native tools for now.
Troubleshooting
My account won't connect.
Almost always a personal-account issue. Switch to Business or Creator in Instagram, link to a Facebook page you admin, then reconnect.
Instagram publishing broke after I disconnected Facebook.
Expected — Instagram publishing depends on the Facebook page link. Reconnect Facebook, then reconnect Instagram.
Caption exceeds Instagram character limit.
Trim. Hashtags count.
FAQ
Can I publish Reels directly?
Reels-specific publishing is not exposed as a dedicated control in MorningAI today. Posts publish to the standard feed.
Can I tag users or locations from MorningAI?
Not in the current Publish Flow.
Can I post a video to Instagram from MorningAI?
Yes — generate the video in Video Creation, save it to your library, then attach it like an image in the Publish Flow.
