MAKE Issue: How to Automate Instagram Posting with Make
"What are the ways to automatically create Instagram posts?"
4 methods to try right now
Instead of going into the Instagram app and waiting to post, you can use social media management tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance.
But what if, as you scale your Instagram marketing, you could automatically handle post uploads and various other Instagram-related tasks?
Try building automations that help with things like:
- Creating Instagram posts with AI
- Scheduling and automatically uploading posts
- Auto-replying to comments with AI
- Checking real-time post performance
If you can identify these tasks and apps, there's a good chance you can automate them on the easy-to-use, visually organized Make platform.
The result? You can take your team's productivity to an entirely new level.
No longer tied to boring, repetitive tasks, you're free to plan creative Instagram campaigns that drive the most likes, shares, and conversions.
Let's dive deeper into the possibilities of Instagram post automation.
What Is Instagram Post Automation?
Instagram post automation means using software to automatically execute Instagram marketing processes like researching, writing, and uploading posts.
For example, you can use the no-code Make platform to set up automations called 'scenarios' in Make.
You could use the Anthropic Claude AI app to generate post ideas and save them to Google Sheets.
Running a scenario takes just one mouse click.
In less than a minute, dozens of ideas appear in your spreadsheet.
Then you can review them and decide which ones to turn into actual posts.
Why Automate Instagram Posts?
Automating your Instagram posting process has these benefits:
Increase Team Impact: Some tasks like uploading posts are repetitive and can be easily handled by the right program. Automating these tasks lets you and your team focus on more creative activities, improving your return on Instagram investment.
Post More Frequently: The more you post, the faster you'll learn what content resonates with your followers. Then you can post more proven, high-impact content to get more likes, comments, and shares.
Increase Engagement: According to HubSpot's 2024 Instagram Marketing Report, the most important strategy global marketing and advertising professionals use to boost engagement is interacting with followers. But if you're short on time, consider automating comment replies or other interactions. You can maintain presence in conversations about your brand, and users will appreciate the quick responses.
Instagram Post Automation Ideas
Ready to automate your Instagram marketing?
Here are some ideas you can try right now with a free Make account.
Automatically Create Instagram Posts with AI
Until recently, you had to manually design images and write captions to create posts.
This was especially time-consuming when posts consisted of multiple images.
But now there are powerful generative AI apps that can create text and images in minutes.
Tools like OpenAI (which gives access to the large language models powering ChatGPT), Anthropic Claude, and Freepik.
You don't even need to upload the finished posts yourself — just set up the automation.
For example, this Make template uses the OpenAI app to write post images and captions, then automatically uploads the results to Instagram.
Use Make Official Template (ChatGPT + Instagram Auto Post Creation)
Pro tip: Make also supports AI apps that create videos, like Synthesia. Try it for your next Instagram reel.
Automatically Schedule and Upload Posts
You can schedule posts in the Instagram app, but you have to manually set the posting date.
If you plan to post on specific days and times, it's better to leave this to automation.
Connect your automation to a storage app like Airtable where you upload your post content.
Then set your posting frequency (e.g., every Monday at 10 AM) and the automation will automatically upload future posts accordingly.
Use Make Official Template (Airtable + Instagram Posting)
Make can help with both.
Time-based scheduling: Post at set times like 'every Monday at 10 AM'
Logic-based scheduling: Post when specific conditions occur (e.g., "when new Instagram content is uploaded to Airtable")
Note that Make's file size limits vary by plan and may affect uploading large content (especially video) to Instagram.
For example, with Make's Core plan, you can transfer files up to 100MB each time.
Reply to Comments with AI
Replying to comments on your posts gets users' attention and encourages them to leave more comments.
This interaction plays a key role in growing your community and can increase the value of your posts from an algorithm perspective.
You can also automate replies for faster responses.
Instagram offers AI auto-reply features for this, but if you want more control over the large language model used to create replies, try this Make scenario instead.
In this scenario, you use OpenAI or any AI text generation app of your choice to write customized replies for each comment and automatically post them.
Check Post Performance in Real-Time
Want to share your Instagram post performance metrics with your team?
Now you can skip the hassle of checking post insight data and entering it into a team messaging app.
A smarter, more efficient solution is to create an automation that instantly sends new Instagram post performance data to your messaging app.
You can also connect a database app if you want to store metrics for further analysis.
This Make template does exactly that using Google Sheets and the Slack app.
Use Make Official Template (Instagram + Slack + Google Sheets Performance Monitoring)
Since the automation fetches post statistics at the moment it runs, it's best to schedule it to run at least a few hours after the post goes live.
If the automation runs too early, it collects data too soon and may miss likes and comments that come in later.
How to Automate Instagram Posts Using Make
Follow these steps to automate your Instagram marketing process using Make:
Check that Make supports the apps used in your process so you can use pre-built app modules for easier automation.
Make is compatible with Instagram as well as over 2,700 other apps.
If you're comfortable with coding, you can also use HTTP modules to make direct API calls to any app.
Start a new scenario and add a trigger module to define when the scenario runs.
For example, Instagram's "Watch Media" trigger module makes the scenario run whenever the Instagram account connected to the module (e.g., your account) uploads a new post.
Add action and search modules in execution order that correspond to the tasks the app needs to perform on the received data.
For example, to send a Slack notification about a new Instagram post, add Slack's "Create a Message" action module after Instagram's "Watch Media" trigger module.
Test the scenario to make sure it works.
Feed in test data like your most recent Instagram post and verify that the scenario processes the data correctly.
If not, troubleshoot the issue and adjust the scenario accordingly.
Once ready, schedule and activate the scenario, and from now on the scenario handles the process for you.
Now you can set up more scenarios for other Instagram processes you want to automate.
Learn more about creating your first scenario here.
Things to Watch Out for When Automating Instagram Processes
Instagram post automation is a powerful capability, and AI makes it even easier.
But don't overdo it!
Instagram has long-standing policies against creators using multiple unverified Instagram accounts to artificially inflate genuine accounts with fake (often automated) likes, follows, and comments.
Unverified accounts created for this purpose can be removed from the platform.
Also, if you use AI to create realistic-looking or realistic-sounding video and audio content for your posts, Instagram requires you to label these posts as AI-generated.
(Labeling AI-generated image posts is not required.)
If you don't add the label and the content is detected as AI-generated, Instagram may add the label itself.
When uploading posts through the Instagram app, the 'Add AI Label' setting appears.
Currently, Make's Instagram upload module doesn't offer this setting, so when uploading AI-generated video or audio content, it's best to upload through the Instagram app to make the necessary AI disclosure.
Make Instagram Posting Automation
For Instagram post automation, some creators schedule posts in advance and call it a day.
This approach can work initially.
But as you continue posting, you may need a more advanced solution that can handle more tasks.
That's when Make lets you create scenarios that easily automate the ideation, writing, and posting of Instagram posts.
Reporting on post performance is also very easy.
Make is powerful.
And it's easy to use even without programming knowledge.
Whether you're a solo creator, a lean Instagram team, or running a large social media department, Make can add useful capabilities to your Instagram tech stack.
Sign up for a free account now and try Make.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Make to upload posts, reels, and stories to Instagram?
Currently, you can use Make to help upload posts (including carousel posts) and reels.
Can I tag other accounts when uploading Instagram posts through Make?
Yes.
You can tag other accounts when uploading single-image Instagram posts through Make.
You can also mention other accounts by adding "@[account username]" to the post caption for all types of posts uploaded through Make.
IMPAKERS Blog | Make AI Content Extractor Module Launch View More
Source: Siew Ann Tan, Make, "How to automate Instagram posts? 4 ideas to try today", https://www.make.com/en/how-to-guides/instagram-post-automation%20%EB%B8%94%EB%A1%9C%EA%B9%85, (2025. 7. 31)