Facebook & Instagram Posts
The Facebook & Instagram Posts connection reads the posts on your Facebook Pages and the Instagram business accounts linked to them, with how each one did: views, reach, likes, comments, shares and, on Instagram, saves. Apex shows them on the Posts tab under Attribution, next to what your ads did.
It is its own connection, separate from Meta Ads. You can connect one without the other.
Authentication
Facebook & Instagram Posts uses Facebook Login. Sign in with a Facebook account that manages your Pages.
Click Connect
On the Integrations page, find the Facebook & Instagram Posts card and click Connect. You can also start it from Set up Apex → Attribution → Connect your posts.
Pick your Pages
Facebook asks which Pages and Instagram accounts Apex may read. Apex reads the ones you pick and nothing else. To add one later, connect again and tick it.
Approve read-only access
Approve the permissions below. Apex never posts, edits, deletes or replies to anything.
| Permission | Why Apex asks |
|---|---|
pages_show_list | List the Pages you picked |
pages_read_engagement | Read the posts on those Pages, with likes, comments and shares |
read_insights | Read each Facebook post's views and reach |
instagram_basic | Read the Instagram business account linked to each Page and its posts |
instagram_manage_insights | Read each Instagram post's views, reach, saves and shares |
Info
Your Instagram account has to be a business or creator account linked to a Facebook Page. Personal Instagram accounts don't show up.
Data Synced
Each sync reads the posts from the last 13 months, newest first.
| Figure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Views | Yes | Yes |
| Reach (different people who saw it) | Yes | Yes |
| Likes | Reactions | Likes |
| Comments | Yes | Yes |
| Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Saves | No | Yes |
If Meta won't give the numbers for a post, Apex still lists it and shows the numbers as blank rather than 0.
Boosted posts
When you boost a post, Meta runs it as an ad. If Meta Ads is connected too, Apex marks that post Boosted and shows the ad's spend from the day the post went up, so the post's organic and paid results sit side by side and the money is counted once.
How Apex Uses This Data
- Posts tab and post pages list every post with its numbers and the visits and sales that probably came from it.
- Followers shows each Page's and Instagram account's followers today and how many it gained over the dates you picked, counted once a day from the day you connect.
- 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. Your ads data is untouched. Apex doesn't withdraw the sign-in at Meta, because Meta would also cut off Meta Ads if it uses the same sign-in. To withdraw it yourself, remove Apex under Facebook Settings → Business integrations.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "No Pages" when connecting | No Page was ticked, or the account doesn't manage one | Connect again and tick your Pages |
| Instagram posts missing | The Instagram account isn't a business or creator account linked to the Page | Link it in the Page's settings, then connect again |
| Views and reach blank | Meta didn't give the numbers for those posts | Nothing to do. Likes, comments and shares still show |
Next Steps
- Connect Meta Ads to see boosted posts and ads next to your posts
- TikTok Posts reads your TikTok posts the same way