Instagram never stops surprising us. After the recent launch of its new DM shopping tool, the platform set up a live test of native scheduling in the app. Although the option is available with a limited group of users, it is possible that all users will get the chance to use it soon.
Some users reported that the option is available with their business accounts only. So, will it be intended for business purposes? It is left to see.
Users who can currently access this feature can schedule both posts and reels when creating their new piece of content and by going to Advanced Settings and then Scheduled Content.
Once users allow the post scheduling by clicking on the “Schedule this post” button, they are able to select the desired date and time for their posts to go live.
Additional options include post rescheduling and editing.
Unfortunately this option is not available with Instagram Stories, at least there is no such info about it yet.
“We are testing the ability to schedule content with a percentage of our global community,” stated Meta.
The company is hoping to see a good response in the app with the initial testing.
While the new feature may be a great option for businesses that leverage Instagram marketing to keep a consistent presence online and engage clients as it will help with their content calendar and posting plans, it may not be good news for social scheduling tools such as Hootsuite, SproutSocial and Buffer.
Social media managers and creators have relied on such tools to save time, prepare and schedule content in advance, and this feature may shake the world of social media marketing.
We are already seeing Twitter comments like “It’s a social media manager’s dream come true” and “Can’t wait to access this feature”.
Back in July this year, app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi already notified the public about this feature.
“Currently, this feature appears to be in development only for business users but in the future it may also be available for creators and regular users,” said Paluzzi.
Meta added:
“This is an early prototype of an experience that we are not publicly testing.”
Meta added the Instagram Scheduling option to Creator Studio in 2019 which was a way for marketers to schedule posts using a third party software. However, this new option will be beneficial for those who don’t have the access to these tools.
