Instagram Posts
The Instagram Posts connection reads the posts on your Instagram professional account, with how each one did: views, reach, likes, comments, shares and saves. Apex shows them on the Posts tab under Attribution, next to what your ads did.
It is its own connection, separate from Facebook Page Posts and Meta Ads.
Two ways to connect
Your Instagram account has to be a professional account (business or creator). Personal accounts don't have the numbers Apex reads.
- Sign in with Instagram (the usual way). Use the Instagram login itself. It doesn't need a Facebook Page.
- Sign in with Facebook. For an Instagram account linked to a Facebook Page you manage. Facebook asks for the Page first, because that's how it reaches the Instagram account, then for the Instagram account. Because you've already picked Pages, Apex connects Facebook Page Posts for those Pages too, unless it's already connected. The two stay separate cards: disconnect either one without touching the other.
Both ways read the same posts. If you connect the same account both ways, Apex counts it once.
Click Connect
On the Integrations page, find the Instagram Posts card. Click Sign in with Instagram, or Sign in with Facebook for an account linked to your Page. On Instagram's screen, sign in with your Instagram username: Instagram's own "Log in with Facebook" link doesn't come back to Apex.
Approve read-only access
Approve the permissions below. Apex never posts, edits, deletes or replies to anything.
Tick this workspace's accounts
Back in Apex, tick the Instagram accounts whose posts belong in this workspace. Apex reads only those. Change them any time without signing in again. Unticking an account removes its posts and followers from this workspace.
| Signing in with Instagram | Why Apex asks |
|---|---|
instagram_business_basic | Read your account and its posts |
instagram_business_manage_insights | Read each post's views, reach, saves and shares |
| Connecting through Facebook | Why Apex asks |
|---|---|
pages_show_list | List the Pages you shared, to find the Instagram account linked to each |
pages_read_engagement | Read which Instagram account is linked to each Page, and the reactions on the Pages' posts for Facebook Page Posts |
pages_read_user_content | List the Pages' own posts for Facebook Page Posts |
read_insights | Read each Page post's views and reach, and the Page's follower history |
instagram_basic | Read the linked Instagram account and its posts |
instagram_manage_insights | Read each post's views, reach, saves and shares |
Data Synced
Each sync reads the posts from the last 13 months, newest first: views, reach, likes, comments, shares and saves. If Instagram won't give the numbers for a post, Apex still lists it and shows the numbers as blank rather than 0.
How Apex Uses This Data
- Posts tab and post pages list every post with its numbers, the account it came from, and the visits and sales that probably came from it. With more than one account ticked, filter the Posts tab by account.
- Followers counts each account's followers once a day from the day you connect, because Instagram reports new followers without the ones who left.
- Top posts and Organic vs paid cards on Attribution, shown when the switch is on Organic or Both.
- Campaign content. A post that carries an Apex Link shows under that piece of content on the campaign page.
Disconnecting
Disconnecting stops new reads and deletes the posts Apex read through it, with the pictures it copied. To withdraw the sign-in at Instagram, go to Settings → Website permissions → Apps and websites in Instagram and remove Apex. If you connected through Facebook, remove Apex under Facebook Settings → Business integrations, unless Meta Ads or Facebook Page Posts still use it.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "No Instagram account is linked" when connecting through Facebook | The Instagram account isn't linked to a Page you shared | Link it in the Page's settings, or sign in with Instagram instead |
| The sign-in refuses a personal account | Instagram only shares numbers for professional accounts | Switch to a business or creator account in Instagram's settings, then connect again |
| Views and reach blank | Instagram didn't give the numbers for those posts | Nothing to do. Likes and comments still show |
Next Steps
- Facebook Page Posts reads your Facebook Page posts
- Connect Meta Ads to see boosted posts and ads next to your posts