Facebook and Instagram

Summary#

Facebook and Instagram are connected separately in Metric Vault, and both send you through Meta's consent screen. After you approve, you choose the account the connection posts to: a Facebook Page for Facebook, an Instagram Business account for Instagram. Facebook publishes text posts to that Page. Instagram publishes a post with an image attached, and refuses text alone. Connecting is free; publishing costs 1 credit for each channel that accepts the post.

Purpose#

Meta's two channels are where most brand publishing still happens, and they are also the two with the most conditions attached. Facebook does not let an app post to a personal timeline, only to a Page. Instagram does not accept a post without media, and only works with a Business account linked to a Page.

The account choice exists because posting to the wrong Page is worse than not posting. The post is public, and you might not notice where it went. So you always pick the account yourself, and a connection that cannot tell which account to use refuses to post rather than guessing.

Requirements#

• A Metric Vault account you are signed in to. Connecting works on every plan; publishing needs a paid plan and available credits. See Connecting social accounts.
• A Facebook account.
• For Facebook: a Facebook Page you manage. Posting to a personal timeline is not possible. If the login gives Metric Vault access to no Page, the connection is refused. See Troubleshooting.
• For Instagram: an Instagram Business account linked to a Facebook Page you manage. Pages without a linked Instagram Business account are left out of the list. If none has one, the connection is refused.
• For an Instagram post: an image. PNG, JPG, WEBP or GIF, up to 5 MB.
• The channel must show Connect rather than Setup needed. See Connecting social accounts.
• Popups allowed for this site, because the consent window opens as a popup.

Permissions#

Any signed-in user can connect their own accounts. There is no role gate, and the connection is personal: teammates do not inherit it.

Meta asks you to approve these.

Facebook

Instagram

Nothing beyond these is requested. Metric Vault cannot read your messages, your friends list, or anything about accounts you do not manage.

If this site uses a Meta Login for Business configuration, Meta shows the permissions saved in that configuration instead of the list above.

Navigation Path#

Dashboard → Account & Team → Integrations

The connect controls are in the Connected channels card. Publishing happens at Dashboard → Promote → Social Dashboard.

Step-by-Step Guide#

1. Open Integrations from the sidebar, under Account & Team.
2. In Connected channels, find the Facebook row (or Instagram).
3. Check the status. Not connected means you can proceed. Setup needed means the channel is not configured for this site, and pressing Connect will tell you so rather than opening Meta. Report it.
4. Press Connect. A popup window opens onto Meta's consent screen.
5. Sign in to Facebook if you are not already.
6. When Meta asks which Pages (and, for Instagram, which Instagram accounts) to include, keep the one you want to post to selected. Excluding it here means Metric Vault cannot see it.
7. Review the permission list and press Continue or Save.
8. The popup shows Choose the account you want to connect.
• For Facebook it lists every Page you manage, each with its category or Page underneath.
• For Instagram it lists each Instagram Business account, with the Page it is linked to shown as via <Page name>.
9. Select the account posts should go to, even if it is the only one, and press Continue. The button reads Connecting... while it saves.
10. The popup shows Facebook connected (or Instagram connected) with the account name, then closes itself.
11. The row now shows the Page or Instagram account name and a Disconnect button.

If this site is set up to use Instagram's own sign-in, the Instagram consent screen opens on instagram.com instead. No Facebook Page is involved and there is no list to choose from, because that login covers exactly one account.

What you can do once connected#

Facebook. Write a post in Compose a post on the Social Dashboard, select Facebook among the channels, and press Publish. The post goes to the Page you chose, as a text post on the Page feed. An attached image is not sent to Facebook. On success the result row shows View post, which links to the published post. Scheduling works the same way through Schedule. See Publishing and scheduling posts and Scheduled social posts.

Instagram. Press Add image in the composer and pick a PNG, JPG, WEBP or GIF up to 5 MB. Once it uploads, the composer shows the preview and Attached. Instagram requires an image; other channels ignore it. Select Instagram and press Publish. The image is posted with your text as the caption.

Without an image, publishing returns Instagram needs an image. Add one to the post and try again. Scheduling without one is refused straight away with Instagram needs an image. Add one to the post before scheduling it., so a queued post cannot fail for that reason hours later.

The image is stored at a public web address on this site, because Instagram fetches the file from there rather than receiving it directly.

Common Mistakes#

• Expecting a post on your personal timeline. Meta does not allow apps to post there. Facebook publishing is Page publishing.
• Excluding your Pages at the consent screen. Meta lets you choose which Pages an app may see. A Page you exclude will not appear in the list, and if you exclude all of them the connection is refused.
• Posting to Instagram without an image. It will not post, and the message says so.
• Using an Instagram account that is not a Business account, or not linked to a Page. It will not appear in the list. Change it in Instagram and link it in the Facebook Page settings, then reconnect.
• Connecting Instagram and expecting Facebook too. They are separate rows and separate connections, even though both run through Meta.

Limitations#

• Each connection posts to one account: the Page or Instagram account you chose.
• Facebook posts are text only. An attached image is not sent.
• Instagram posts are a single image with a caption. No video, carousel, reel or story.
• No comments, replies, reactions or analytics are read back into Metric Vault from these connections. The Social Analytics tool measures public data and is unrelated to what you connect here.
• A connection lasts about sixty days and is not renewed automatically. When Meta stops accepting it, you reconnect.
• Disconnecting Facebook removes every Facebook account stored for you, not only the one shown.

Troubleshooting#

FAQs#

Can I post to my personal Facebook timeline? No. Meta only permits app publishing to Pages. A Page you manage is required.

Can I choose which Page a post goes to? Yes. After you approve, Metric Vault lists every Page you manage and you pick one. To change it later, disconnect and connect again.

Why does it ask me to choose when I only have one Page? So you can see exactly which account you are connecting. A Page you forgot you administer is otherwise only discovered after a post lands on it.

Can Instagram post now? Yes, with an image attached. Text alone is refused, because Instagram does not accept it.

Why does Instagram ask for my Facebook Pages? With this login, an Instagram Business account is reached through the Facebook Page it is linked to. It is part of Meta's own permission model rather than something Metric Vault adds.

Can I connect Instagram without Facebook? The consent screen is Meta's, so you sign in with Facebook, but Facebook and Instagram are separate rows. Connecting one does not connect the other.

Does it cost credits? Connecting is free. Publishing costs 1 credit for each channel that accepts the post, and needs a paid plan. See Connecting social accounts.

How long does a connection last? About sixty days. Meta offers no renewal, so reconnect when a post returns the expired message.

Do my teammates see my Facebook connection? No. Connections belong to the account that made them.

Can Metric Vault read my Page's comments or insights? Page engagement access is requested as part of the Facebook permission set, but no engagement or insights data is displayed anywhere in the app today.

How do I revoke access completely? Press Disconnect in Metric Vault, then remove Metric Vault from your Facebook settings under business integrations. See Disconnecting an integration.