Facebook is currently in the process of updating its developer infrastructure, including the APIs that platforms like Stackla use to aggregate Facebook and Instagram content.
These updates have resulted in some changes in the content and metadata we can access on both platforms.
They have also made available some new capabilities such as Business Mentions, Business Photo Tags and Business Stories aggregation.
The latest changes affect the way hashtags are aggregated from Instagram.
Accessing Hashtag Content
Facebook has made a change to the account types that are allowed to access hashtag content on Instagram.
In order to access hashtags on Instagram, you will now need to connect an Instagram Business Profile to your Stack.
An Instagram Business Profile differs from a standard User Profile and your brand account will likely be a Business Profile. To verify:
- Log in to your Instagram app and tap your account profile image at the bottom right
- On your Instagram account page, tap the menu icon in the top right
- Click the "Settings" option at the bottom of the main menu
- Scroll down to find the “Business Settings” section in the main menu. If this section is present, you have a Business Profile
If your account is not an Instagram Business Profile connect a different account that is a Business Profile or you will need to convert your account to a Business Profile which is highly recommended for brand accounts.
Hashtag Content Changes
There are three main changes that have been introduced by Facebook when accessing Instagram Hashtags, these are:
- Each Instagram Business Profile is limited to aggregating from 30 unique hashtags in any 7-day period
- Hashtag posts no longer come with geolocation data
- It is now possible to aggregate "Top Posts" as well as "Most Recent"
Each Instagram Business Profile is limited to aggregating from 30 unique hashtags in any 7-day period
Within any 7-day period, you are allowed to aggregate content from up to 30 unique Instagram Hashtags.
If you need to aggregate from more than 30 unique hashtags within any 7-day period, you will need to connect an additional Instagram Business Profile to your Stack.
Instagram Business Profiles are free to create, you can learn how here.
Stackla will display a warning if you are attempting to aggregate from too many hashtags within a 7-day period so you can connect additional Instagram Business Profiles or reconfigure your Stackla Terms.
Hashtag posts no longer come with geolocation data
Because we no longer receive the location of hashtag posts, naturally we are unable to include or exclude content based on location. This means that the geofencing functionality previously available when configuring an Instagram Hashtag Term in Stackla is no longer available.
Instagram has not given a reason for removing this information from Hashtag content, nor any indication if they intend to replace it, so for now, unfortunately it’s gone.
For customers who currently have Instagram Hashtag Terms with Geofencing configured, your Customer Success Account Manager has already been in touch to walk you through your options to reconfigure.
If you need further assistance please create a support ticket.
Preparing for the Changes
These changes will take effect on 2 December, 2018.
Please ensure you have completed the following steps for any Instagram Hashtag Terms you have configured before this deadline.
Connect an Instagram Business Profile to Your Stack
Ensure you have at least 1 Instagram Business Profile connected to Stackla. To do this:
- Log in to Stackla
- Click "Settings > General" from the main navigation menu
- Click the "Social Data Access" tab
- Click "Connect Facebook and Instagram Accounts" and follow the prompts to connect the Facebook Account you use to manage the Facebook Page that is linked to your Instagram Business Profile.
Migrate your Instagram Hashtag Terms to Instagram Business Hashtag Terms
To migrate your existing Instagram Hashtag Terms to Business Hashtag Terms please follow these steps:
- Log in to Stackla
- Click "Discover > Terms" from the main navigation menu
- In the Manage Terms table, check the box next to all Instagram Hashtag Terms. You can see the Network (Instagram) and Type (hashtag) in the relevant table columns.
- From the Batch Process dropdown, select "Migrate Instagram Hashtag Terms to Business Hashtag Terms".
Your terms will be converted and you will see a confirmation message on screen.
Once you have connected one or more Instagram Business Profiles to your Stack and completed the migration steps for existing Instagram Hashtag Terms you are set to continue aggregating Instagram Hashtag content.
We are in close contact with the folks at Facebook to ensure we're one step ahead of any changes and continue you to provide you with solutions to eliminate any disruption to your UGC aggregation.
If you have any questions or require further support please contact your Customer Success Account Manager or create a support ticket.