Connecting Instagram

Instagram only lets apps publish to professional accounts. A personal account cannot be connected, however many followers it has. The switch takes two minutes and is free.

Switch to a professional account

1. Open the Instagram app, go to your profile, and open the menu in the top right.
2. Choose Settings and privacy, then Account type and tools, then Switch to professional account.
3. Pick Business or Creator. Either one works; Business suits a brokerage page, Creator suits a personal brand.
4. Pick a category (Real Estate Agent is fine) and finish. Your posts and followers stay as they are.

Link a Facebook Page (recommended)

Instagram's business features work best when the account is linked to a Facebook Page you manage. In the Instagram app: Settings and privacy, Accounts Center, Add accounts, and choose the Page. If you do not have a Page, Facebook creates one in a minute; it can stay unpublished.

Then connect in the studio

1. In Viara Studio, open Settings, Social accounts, and choose Connect Instagram.
2. Instagram asks you to log in and approve posting on your behalf. The studio never sees your password.
3. You land back in the studio with the account listed. Disconnect any time from the same page.

If it does not connect

• "Not a professional account": the switch above has not been done, or was done on a different account than the one you logged in with.
• "No Page found": link a Facebook Page as above, then try again.
• Two-factor prompts and "confirm it's you" screens are Instagram's own; finish them in the same window and the connection completes.

Still stuck? Write to hello@viarastudio.ca with the message you saw. See what the studio stores about connected accounts.