How to Automate Instagram Posts with Make.com in 3 Simple Steps
Most businesses waste hours manually tracking Instagram performance. This Make.com automation saves every post to Google Sheets automatically - giving you a searchable archive of all your content. Learn how to connect Instagram to Make.com in minutes, not hours.
The Instagram Marketing Pain Most Businesses Ignore
Every Instagram marketer faces the same frustrating reality: you spend hours creating content, but have no organized system to track what you've posted, when it went live, or how it performed. Important posts get buried in your feed, never to be found again when you need to reference them.
Manually copying post details into spreadsheets eats up valuable time that could be spent creating new content. This disorganization leads to duplicate posts, inconsistent posting schedules, and missed opportunities to repurpose top-performing content.
82% of businesses admit they have no system for tracking Instagram posts, relying instead on memory and scrolling through their feed when they need to find old content.
Step 1: Connecting Make.com to Instagram
Connecting your Instagram account to Make.com takes just minutes but unlocks powerful automation capabilities. Start by logging into your Make.com account and creating a new scenario - this is where you'll build your automation workflow.
Search for the Instagram app in Make.com's module library and select it. You'll then be prompted to connect your Instagram account through a secure authentication popup. This uses Instagram's official API, so your login credentials remain protected.
Pro Tip: Use a business Instagram account rather than a personal one for this integration. Business accounts have access to more features through Instagram's API.
Step 2: Setting Up the Instagram Post Trigger
The trigger is what tells your automation to run. For this workflow, we'll use the "Watch Posts" module that activates whenever you publish new content to Instagram.
After adding the Instagram module to your scenario, select "Watch Posts" as your trigger type. You can optionally filter which posts activate the automation - for example, only posts with specific hashtags or from certain accounts. For most users, monitoring all posts from your connected account works best.
Step 3: Configuring the Google Sheets Action
Now we'll set up where the Instagram post data gets saved. Add a Google Sheets module to your scenario and select "Add a Row" as the action type. Connect your Google account and choose the spreadsheet where you want to store your Instagram post archive.
Make.com will guide you through mapping Instagram post fields to spreadsheet columns. At minimum, map these key fields:
- Post caption/text
- Image or video URL
- Publication date/time
- Post permalink
Time Saver: This automation eliminates 15-30 minutes of manual work per post. For businesses posting daily, that's 5-10 hours saved each month.
Testing and Activating Your Automation
Before going live, test your automation by clicking "Run Once" in Make.com. This executes a manual test run so you can verify everything works correctly. Check your Google Sheet to confirm the test post appears as expected.
Once testing succeeds, toggle the scenario to "Run Continuously." Make.com will now automatically monitor for new Instagram posts and update your spreadsheet in real-time. The platform handles all scheduling and error recovery automatically.
Advanced Use Cases Beyond Basic Tracking
While saving posts to Google Sheets is valuable, Make.com can do much more with your Instagram content. Consider these powerful extensions to your basic automation:
- Send Slack notifications when new posts go live
- Analyze post captions for sentiment and keyword density
- Auto-generate performance reports in Google Data Studio
- Archive posts to Airtable with rich metadata
At 2:15 in the video tutorial, you'll see how to add conditional logic that only saves posts meeting certain criteria, keeping your archive focused and relevant.
Watch the Full Tutorial
See the complete step-by-step process in action, including how to handle connection errors and configure advanced filtering options at the 1:30 mark.
Key Takeaways
Automating Instagram post tracking with Make.com solves a universal pain point for social media marketers. No more lost posts, manual spreadsheets, or wasted hours trying to find old content.
In summary: Connect Instagram to Make.com, set up a post trigger, map fields to Google Sheets, and let automation handle the rest. What used to take hours now happens automatically behind the scenes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this topic
Make.com requires basic read permissions to access your Instagram posts when setting up the connection. You'll need to grant these permissions through Instagram's secure authentication popup when connecting your account.
The app only accesses the data you specify in your automation scenario. You maintain full control and can revoke access at any time through Instagram's settings.
- No password sharing required
- Permissions are limited to what you approve
- Access can be revoked anytime
Yes, Make.com's Instagram module allows filtering by specific accounts or hashtags. You can set conditions so only posts matching certain criteria trigger your automation workflow.
This helps keep your automated processes focused and relevant. For example, you might only archive posts containing your branded hashtag or those from a specific team member's account.
- Filter by specific hashtags
- Limit to certain user accounts
- Add multiple conditions
Make.com checks for new Instagram posts according to your scenario's schedule. For most accounts, we recommend checking every 1-2 hours to balance responsiveness with API rate limits.
The platform handles all the timing automatically once you set the workflow to run continuously. You don't need to manually trigger checks or worry about missing posts between checks.
- Automatic scheduling
- Configurable intervals
- Handles rate limits intelligently
Beyond Google Sheets, you can connect Instagram to hundreds of apps including Slack, Notion, Airtable, Mailchimp, and CRMs. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Common automations include sending post notifications to teams, archiving content to databases, or triggering email campaigns based on new posts. The only limit is your imagination.
- Slack for team notifications
- Notion/Airtable for content databases
- CRMs for lead tracking
Make.com's free plan allows processing up to 1,000 operations per month, while paid plans offer higher limits. A single Instagram post automation typically uses 2-3 operations.
For most small businesses, even the free plan provides ample capacity for basic Instagram automations. Only very high-volume accounts might need to upgrade to a paid plan.
- Free plan: 1,000 ops/month
- Paid plans: 10,000+ ops/month
- Each post = 2-3 operations
Currently, Make.com's Instagram integration focuses on feed posts rather than Stories. The API permissions differ, and Instagram maintains stricter controls around Story automation.
For now, we recommend focusing on feed post automations. As Instagram's API evolves, Story automation may become possible in the future.
- Currently feed posts only
- API limitations prevent Story automation
- Future updates may enable it
The connection uses Instagram's official API with OAuth 2.0 authentication. Make.com never stores your Instagram password - you authenticate directly with Instagram through a secure popup.
All data transfers are encrypted, and you can revoke access at any time through Instagram's settings. The connection meets industry standards for security and privacy.
- OAuth 2.0 authentication
- Encrypted data transfer
- Revocable at any time
GrowwStacks helps businesses implement automation workflows between Instagram and other platforms using Make.com. We handle all the technical setup so you can focus on creating content.
Our team will design custom automations that save your team hours each week by automatically tracking posts, analyzing engagement, and distributing content to other systems. We offer free consultations to discuss your specific Instagram automation needs.
- Custom workflow design
- Full technical implementation
- Free initial consultation
Stop Wasting Hours on Manual Instagram Tracking
Every minute spent copying post details into spreadsheets is time stolen from content creation and strategy. Let GrowwStacks implement this Instagram automation for you in under 48 hours - with a free consultation to customize it for your exact needs.