There are two ways to connect an Instagram account to BotHelp:
- Using Instagram*
- Using Facebook*
Before choosing a method and starting the connection, you have to make sure that your account has the necessary settings on the Instagram* side.
Instagram* account settings
1. Switch to a professional account
If you already have a professional account, then you can skip this step.
You will need a mobile application, because the browser does not have some of the necessary functions.
- Log in to your profile and click on the menu button (three bars in the upper-right corner). Go to “Settings and Actions.”
- In the “For professional accounts” section, click “Account type and tools”.
- Select “Switch to a professional account”.
4. Select any category and click “Done”.
5. At this stage, be sure to select “Business”.
6. Enter your contact information and click “Next”.
2. Allowing access to messages
- Go to “Settings and Actions”.
- In the “Interaction with you” section, click “Messages and replies to stories”.
- Go to “Message Settings”.
- Activate the “Allow access to messages” setting.
The preparation of the Instagram account is completed.
Next, you need to choose an activation method.
We recommend using the “Using Instagram” activation method, it requires less time and effort. To connect, you will need the login information for your Instagram account: username and password.
Important! BotHelp does not store authorization data for your account. The connection is performed exclusively on the Instagram* side.
Connecting using Instagram*
We recommend that you log in to your Instagram account in advance via the official website Instagram.com in the browser to make sure that there are no problems accessing the account.
If you are logged into another Instagram account in the browser you are planning to connect through, you have to log out of it in advance.
Let’s move on to the connection:
1. In BotHelp, go to the “Settings” section, select the “Channels” menu item and click the “Add New Channel” button.
2. Select Instagram* channel type in the window that opens and click on “Using Instagram”.
When “Using Instagram” is clicked, you will be redirected to Instagram*.
3. If you have not logged in to your Instagram account yet, an authorization window will open in front of you.
Enter your username and password, then click “Log in”.
4. Instagram* will prompt you to save your login information in this browser. You can confirm or cancel saving, at your discretion.
5. Instagram* will offer to grant the BotHelp application access to your account information, which is necessary for the automation to work.
Make sure that you have provided all necessary permissions. This is necessary for your automation systems to work correctly.
6. To complete the setup, click the “Allow” button
Within a few seconds, your Instagram account will be connected to BotHelp and available for setting up automation.
If the account is successfully connected, it will appear in the BotHelp channel list.
Connecting using Facebook*
To connect Instagram* to BotHelp, you have to have an Instagram* account and the company’s Facebook* page.
If you don’t have a business page on Facebook*, then you need to create one (instructions).
Video instructions:
1. Account Center
1. Connect to Facebook* and log in to your profile.
2. Link the accounts through the Account Center.
- Create a Facebook page* (if you have not had it before) and select a category, click “Create”. Check the contact information and click “Next”.
- Click “Connect” if the Facebook* page was created earlier. Check the contact information and click “Next”.
3. Finish adding your Facebook account. And set up your professional account.
2. Connecting to BotHelp
- In BotHelp, go to the “Settings” section, select the “Channels” menu item and click the “Add New Channel” button.
2. Select the Instagram* сhannel type and click “Using Facebook”.
- Log in if necessary.
- Or go to your account if you are already logged in.
3. Click “Change previous settings”.
4. Select the Instagram* account that you will connect, if you connect additional channels, do not uncheck the previously connected ones. Click “Continue”.
5. Here, select the company’s Facebook* page as well, the one that is linked to the Instagram* account. You also do not need to remove the old checkboxes.
6. Check all requested access rights.
All items have to be selected for your page. Click “Save”.
7. If you see a message that the account is linked to the BotHelp app, it means that the account has been linked successfully. Click “Got it”.
8. The additional window will close. In the profile window, click “Add Channel”.
9. Confirm that your account is a business account.
10. The channel has been added. You can create a flow for the channel. Alternatively, select the “Create later” option.
How to create a flow for Instagram*
The official documentation on the Instagram* API is available at the links:
https://help.instagram.com/399237934150902
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-api/overview
❗The Instagram API can clip text in messages with a button. We recommend sending a short message with the flow launch button, and writing the rest of the necessary information in the flow itself.
Not available for Instagram* right now, but we plan to add:
- Broadcasting and sequences
- Importing people
- Copying a flow from another messenger
What to do if Instagram* isn’t connecting?
Firstly, you need to double-check all the presets described in this article:
– Account type — professional — business.
– There is access to messages.
– Facebook and Instagram accounts have been added to the Account Center.
Next, check the settings according to our article
and after that try reconnecting again:
1. Check if the name is specified in the Instagram* account. The “Name” field has to be filled in in the profile settings window, otherwise the channel will not connect.
2. On Instagram*, change your account from professional to personal, then back.
3. In Facebook* Profile/Privacy Settings -> Business integrations, remove the integration with Bothelp (IMPORTANT: after removing the integration, all Facebook* messenger/Instagram channel connections made by the user, will be reset. They will have to be reconnected after that).
4. Facebook* and Instagram* integration settings are available in the Instagram* settings — remove the integration with the Facebook* page there.
5. In Facebook* Business Page settings remove the integration with the Instagram* channel.
6. Connect the Instagram* channel to the Facebook* page.
7. Try reconnecting the channel to Bothelp.
* Owned by Meta, recognized as extremist and banned in Russia
If you haven’t found the answer to your question, contact us in the chat in your profile or email [email protected] 😃
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