10/14/2024 | News release | Archived content
Managing your Instagram marketing strategy is time-consuming. From posting content at the right time to keeping up with your comments-there's a lot that goes into it. The good news is Instagram automation can take over some of these repetitive tasks. This frees up your time to focus on strategic and creative campaigns.
But before you jump the gun and look for automation tools, Instagram has terms and conditions in place on what you can and can't automate. So let's explore the topic a little further to understand how to automate Instagram the right way.
Instagram automation refers to the use of third-party social media automation tools to manage your account. These tools help you carry out tasks and/or interact with users without a human present.
Simply put, Instagram automation tools can be put into two buckets:
But does Instagram automation make your business look lazy? We say no-but only if you do it right. As with any other tool or strategy, there are pros and cons to weigh in before you automate your Instagram.
Here are some pros and cons to help you decide if you want to start automating certain tasks on Instagram.
As we've discussed, there are pros and cons, but those are subjective. Let's talk about legalities-or at least, what abides by Instagram's Community Guidelines-so your account doesn't get penalized.
The short answer is yes, Instagram automation is allowed. The long answer is that certain types of automation cheapen the experience and make your business look bad online. And some types of automation can even get your account banned.
First, let's talk about the good kinds of automation-the kinds of automation that can support your social team and improve your strategy.
If you're interested in using automation to your advantage, here are a few tasks on Instagram that you can get some robot help with.
Instagram doesn't explicitly state what you can or can't automate. But here are some things to watch out for:
Want to get started with basic-and allowed-Instagram automation? Get a head start with these nine Instagram automation tools.
Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management tool with robust automation capabilities. You can use it to automate Instagram tasks like publishing and response management. Sprout lets you schedule your posts to go out automatically, find the best times to post and track relevant hashtags.
The Smart Inbox lets you monitor all your comments, DMs, tags, brand mentions and Story replies in one place. You can then use AI-powered summaries to find out which messages to prioritize and manage your responses effectively. The Enhance by AI Assist feature provides automated suggestions on how to improve your responses to make them more impactful.
Sprout also offers a number of productivity tools and analytics to automate your Instagram management. So you can streamline your work without missing customer interactions.
Instagram automations available:
SocialPilot is an Instagram automation tool that helps brands streamline their Instagram strategies. Access features that help you publish content, engage with your Instagram target audience and more. This software allows you to schedule up to 500 posts at once, whether on Instagram or another platform. And the option to save evergreen content and responses for frequent reuse helps social teams respond faster.
Instagram automations available:
Kicksta is an AI-based tool dedicated to helping Instagram users grow their followers. Its AI tool focuses on leaving authentic comments and driving Instagram engagements to grow your following. In other words, you're not actually buying followers. You provide the guidelines for who to engage with based on a list of competitors, brands and influencers with similar audiences. Then Kicksta does the hard work.
Instagram automations available:
Tailwind is an Instagram automation tool that focuses more on scheduling and publishing-but takes a unique approach. This tool is only available for Instagram and Pinterest, ensuring its services are catered to specific needs in the market. You can use it to generate post ideas and schedule your Instagram posts to automatically go out at the desired time.
Tailwind also has AI capabilities to automate your content creation. The Ghostwriter AI feature instantly creates Instagram copy in your unique brand voice.
Instagram automations available:
NapoleonCat is an Instagram automation tool that streamlines customer engagement and support. You can use its auto-moderation features to automatically hide spammy and offensive comments. NapoleonCat also helps you automate responses and cut down on response times.
Instagram automations available:
Inflact provides an entire suite of tools that can be used for Instagram automation. This includes AI targeting to effectively reach the right audience. You can also set up chatbots to automate conversations when your team isn't available.
Instagram automations available:
Iconosquare offers a range of features dedicated to Instagram automation. Use this tool for scheduling, monitoring, analytics, social listening and more. Its AI Inspiration tool helps you save time coming up with content ideas to keep your Instagram Feed fresh and engaging.
Instagram automations available:
OnlySocial is another useful option for Instagram automation and management. It lets you create Instagram messenger chatbots to speed up and streamline your social media customer service.
Instagram automations available:
Pictory AI is a tool that lets you simplify your Instagram video creation. It comes with intuitive AI-powered tools to easily generate videos using text prompts. You can also automate the process of adding voice overs, captions and subtitles to your videos.
Instagram automations available:
Instagram's rules on automation are fairly ambiguous. But it's risky to use tools that may put you in violation of the platform's community guidelines. In general, make sure to avoid any automation tool that engages in the following:
The safest bet is to look for tools that have direct Instagram integrations, as these are legitimate platform partners. This also means that their automation capabilities are within the platform's permitted uses. So it's less likely that you'll get into trouble for performing automation tasks with these tools.
Automating your Instagram is the fastest way to save time while staying on top of all your tasks. But too much automation can land your account in trouble, with the risk of spamming and suspension.
Sprout helps you streamline your Instagram management without losing the human touch. Sign up for a free 30-day trial to see how the platform lets you automate safely and grow your account.
Instagram automation isn't illegal. However, automation activities that violate the platform's community guidelines could lead to your account's suspension.
Instagram automation is legit when it's limited to the platform's permitted uses. This means the automation should be done through legitimate platform partners.
Instagram can ban you for using a bot, especially when it's for mass action activities. Similarly, Instagram also frowns upon buying bot followers.
You can set up automation on Instagram using tools like Sprout Social. Use the platform to schedule your Instagram posts, track relevant hashtags and optimize your responses.
Jacqueline Zote
Jacqueline Zote is a professional content writer and editor. Her interests range from pop culture and mythology to content development and social activism. In her free time, she goes on food adventures and writes unrhymed poetry. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies published by HarperCollins Publishers and Zubaan Books.