Run your Instagram accountfrom one screen.
Publish posts, Reels and Stories, answer comments and DMs in priority order, and compare every post with your own history.
Rather hand the job over? In our Social Media Management service we run this tool for you; scope and monthly price are published.
Social media management agencyInstagram management is four jobs, not one
Keeping a business account alive means publishing, keeping up with comments, answering DMs and measuring what works. In most teams those four jobs are scattered across a phone, a spreadsheet and separate apps.
- Publishing: posts, Reels and Stories go out instantly from this screen; for dated publishing use the social media content calendar.
- Community: comments on published content are answered, hidden or deleted.
- Messages: DMs and comments wait in the inbox in priority order.
- Measurement: reach, saves, shares and engagement rate are read per post.
Rules for publishing posts, Reels and Stories
Instagram accepts different files for each format. The rules are checked in your browser. Video length and aspect ratio are verified before anything reaches the server, and a failing file tells you what to fix.
| Format | File | Length | Aspect ratio | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post | JPG | None | Between 4:5 and 1.91:1 | 8 MB |
| Reels | MP4 or MOV | 3 sec to 15 min | 9:16 recommended | 300 MB |
| Story | JPG, MP4 or MOV | 3 to 60 sec for video | 9:16 recommended | 100 MB |
Limits are read from the publishing screen's rule table; the server-side check uses the same values.
Values are read from the publishing screen's file rules.
- Captions can run to 2,200 characters and up to 5 hashtags; a counter shows both as you type.
- A caption suggestion fills an empty field or is appended to existing text; nothing you wrote is overwritten.
- Hashtag suggestions go into the first comment, not the caption, so the caption stays readable.
- Publishing takes two steps: Instagram prepares a media container, then publishes it. The button shows which step it is on.
Judge each post against your own history
A number like "score 88" only means something if you know what it is compared with. Here the score compares a post's engagement rate with your account's other posts: 88 means it beat roughly 88% of them.
| Score | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 85 and above | Excellent | Among your account's best posts |
| 70-84 | High | Clearly above your average |
| 50-69 | Good | Around or slightly above average |
| 30-49 | Fair | Below your average |
| Under 30 | Low | Rethink the format or topic |
- Engagement is likes, comments, saves and shares added up; the rate divides that by reach.
- A post with no measured reach gets no rate and no score; there is no dividing by zero to fake one.
- Comparison needs at least four measured posts; with fewer, the screen shows no score.
- The account summary's engagement rate uses the last 30 days on both sides, so periods are never mixed.
Where the best time to post comes from
Most guides hand you one "best time" per weekday. But when an audience engages varies from account to account. Here the suggestion comes from your posting history when there is enough of it, otherwise from a sector average, and the screen tells you which.
- 1Read history
Your scheduled and published posts are grouped by hour and weekday.
- 2Check the threshold
With fewer than ten posts, the suggestion rests on the sector average.
- 3Blend
With enough history, your own data weighs 70% and the sector average 30%.
- 4Show the top three
The three highest-scoring day and hour slots appear in the side panel.
Answer comments and DMs in order of urgency
Sales often start in a comment or a DM. The screen marks comments you have not answered as awaiting reply; your own comments are not counted. Complaints are listed first, questions next and praise last.
- Reply to, hide, unhide or delete a comment. The list only changes after Instagram confirms the action.
- Write a fresh comment on a post; it appears in the list as the record Instagram returns.
- Comment tone comes from a word list: complaint, question, positive or neutral. A comment with both a complaint and a question counts as a complaint.
- Set an automatic DM rule for comments containing a keyword or pattern; the DM template, public reply and cooldown live in the rule.
| Priority | When it is given | Target |
|---|---|---|
| P1 Critical | A complaint or a message with negative sentiment | 30 minutes |
| P2 Sales opportunity | Price, product, partnership or reseller question | 60 minutes |
| P3 Support | Shipping or refund message about an existing order | 4 hours |
| P4 General | Spam or a message with no measured urgency | 24 hours |
A negative message from an account with 10,000 or more followers is always P1.
Suggested replies pass a checklist: 3 to 60 words, no stock phrases, no unverified phone numbers or links, at most one emoji. We explain how reply speed affects sales in the cost of answering late.
If you would rather our team ran the account
This screen is built for running the account yourself. If you want our team to handle content, planning and replies, see our social media management service; scope and monthly price are listed there.
- To draft captions separately, use the caption generator.
- To keep a record of customers who arrive by DM, there is the customer records screen.
- If you also plan for Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube, the calendar keeps them in one place.
Frequently asked questions
What does Instagram management cover?
Publishing, replying to comments and DMs, moderation and measurement. On this screen you publish posts, Reels and Stories, manage comments and see reach, saves, shares and engagement rate per post.
Can I connect a personal Instagram account?
No. Publishing and measurement permissions are only available to business accounts. Switch to a professional account in the Instagram app, then connect it.
Can I publish Reels and Stories?
Yes. Reels take MP4 or MOV between 3 seconds and 15 minutes; Stories take an image or a video of up to 60 seconds. The rules are checked before upload.
How is the post score calculated?
A post's engagement rate is compared with your account's other posts and shown as a percentile. Without at least four measured posts, no score is shown.
How does it find the best time to post?
From your hourly and daily history if the account has at least ten posts, otherwise from a sector average. With enough history, your data weighs 70% and the sector average 30%.
Can I hide and delete comments?
Yes. A hidden comment is visible only to its author and you can unhide it at any time. Deleting removes the comment from Instagram.
Can I send an automatic DM to people who comment?
Yes, with a keyword-based rule. Under Meta's rules, one message can go to the commenter within 7 days of the comment; if they reply, the conversation continues.
How many posts does the screen show?
Each refresh pulls your last nine posts and up to 25 comments per post. The account summary shows reach and follower growth for the last 30 days.
Sources
The official documentation behind the technical points on this page:
- [1]Meta for Developers: Instagram content publishing
Publishing uses a container step and a publish step, with a cap of 100 posts per 24 hours.
- [2]Meta for Developers: Comment moderation
Comments can be replied to, hidden and deleted programmatically.
- [3]Meta for Developers: Private replies
One message can be sent to a commenter within 7 days.
Related pages
- Social media management serviceOur team runs your Instagram account for you.
- Content calendarPlan and track posts in a month view.
- Social media analyticsRead cross-platform performance in one report.
- Smart TimingFind your best posting time from your own history.
- Pinterest ManagementPinterest cannot be connected in AgentFabrica today; posting, scheduling and measuring Pins are not done from the panel.
- Facebook ManagementAgentFabrica publishes text, single image, video and multi-image posts to a Facebook Page and schedules them from the calendar.
- Link in BioA link in bio page sits behind the single URL on your Instagram, TikTok or YouTube profile, and holds all your links, products and contact options.
Run Instagram from one screen.
Connect your Instagram account with a free account. The full panel is free with no time limit: brand, accounts, reports. Allowance: 10 captions a month, 2 images a month, 1 videos a month, 1 brand, 1 user.