Use the Instagram feed planner to map out what your grid of Instagram posts will look like to visitors. This is ideal when you have photos and videos that connect to one another to create a larger image, or to ensure the posts match your brand's aesthetics.
Before you begin
- The feed planner works best when you have many images and videos to post already on your device. This gives you the most flexibility to review how different arrangements will look in your Instagram feed.
- Unfold Pro subscribers can schedule Instagram posts with the feed manager. If you have an Instagram Business Account connected to Meta Business Manager, you can have Unfold publish scheduled posts directly to your Instagram feed. If you don’t have an Instagram Business Account, you’ll get reminders that it's time to post, but posts won’t be published automatically.
- On the free version of Unfold, you can plan the arrangement of up to 3 images or videos in your Instagram feed. Subscribe to Unfold Plus or Unfold Pro to arrange more images at one time.
- On Unfold Plus or the free version of Unfold, you can connect one Instagram account to the feed planner. Subscribers to Unfold Pro can connect multiple accounts.
Connect to Instagram
Tip: To connect a business or creator Instagram account to Unfold, first connect your Instagram account to a Facebook page.
To start using the feed planner:
- Open the Unfold app.
- Tap Plan on the Unfold home screen, then tap Connect your account.
- Choose whether you have a personal Instagram account or a business or creator account.
- Follow the prompts to log in and approve the connection.
After Instagram connects successfully, your current Instagram posts will appear in a grid format. Images you've already posted display with an Instagram icon in the bottom-right corner.
If you have trouble connecting
- To connect a business or creator Instagram account to Unfold, first connect your Instagram account to a Facebook page.
- If you encounter an error message that says Your Facebook account's off-Facebook activity is
turned off, update your off-Facebook activity settings in Facebook.
Add images to your feed planner
You can add images from your device and pictures you take with your device to your feed planner. Android users can add up to 10 images at a time, and iOS users can add up to 12 at a time.
To add new images to your feed planner:
- Tap +, then tap Add to feed planner.
- Tap images from your device to highlight them.
- Tap Camera to open your device’s camera. After taking a photo, click the share icon in the top-right corner to save your photo to your device and highlight it.
- After you’ve highlighted the images you want to add, tap Select to add them to your feed planner.
Rearrange your feed planner
To rearrange your feed planner, tap an image then drag it to a new position. It’s not possible to rearrange images that have already been posted to Instagram or to place an unpublished image below your most recent published image.
Tip: To preview how the last image in one row of you feed planner looks next to the first image in the next row, shift your feed planner by tapping >. Each time you tap >, Unfold adds a blank space to the top of your planner, pushing your posts down one spot. These blank spaces change how the feed planner displays, but won't post. To undo your feed planner shift, keep tapping > until you've cleared the entire first row, prompting the blank spaces to disappear.
Add a placeholder to your feed planner
You can add a placeholder to help you plan your feed while you wait for an image.
To add a placeholder:
- Tap +, then tap Add to feed planner.
- Tap Placeholder, then tap a color.
Color map your feed planner
Color mapping overlays the planned and posted images in your Instagram feed with their predominant color. Use this view to plan color themes for your Instagram posts.
Color mapping changes how your posts are displayed in your feed planner, not the images that appear to your followers on Instagram.
To turn color mapping on, tap the droplet at the top of the Instagram feed planner. To turn it off, tap the droplet again.
Other options
For more options, tap an image or multiple images, then tap one of the following:
- Delete - Remove the images from the feed planner. This doesn't delete them from your device.
-
Hide - Hide the images from the feed planner.
- To reveal the hidden images that haven't been posted to your Instagram feed, click the eye icon in the top-right corner, tap the images, then tap Show.
- To reveal all hidden images, including those that have been posted to your Instagram feed, log out and log back into your Instagram account on the Feed Planner tool.
- Replace - Replace the image with another from your device. You can only replace one image at a time.
Publish a post
You can publish an image from your feed planner. To publish:
- Tap your farthest-down unpublished image, then tap Manage.
- Tap Start typing your caption to add a caption.
- Tap the share icon in the top-right corner, then tap Instagram.
- Follow the prompts to post. Your caption will be automatically copied to your clipboard. When you reach the Instagram caption field, you can paste your pre-written caption.
Schedule a post or post reminder
If you're an Unfold Pro subscriber, you can schedule a reminder to post content from the Instagram feed planner on social media. At the scheduled time, you'll receive a notification on your device reminding you to publish the post online.
If you're an Unfold Pro subscriber and you have an Instagram Business Account connected to Meta Business Manager, Unfold can publish scheduled posts directly on your Instagram feed. Scheduled posts are stored on our server and post even if your mobile device can't connect to the internet at the scheduled time.
Note: It's not possible to have Unfold automatically publish posts to an Instagram Creator account’s feed.
To learn more about setting up an Instagram Business Account, visit Instagram’s help center. To learn more about connecting Instagram to Meta Business Manager, visit the Meta Business Help Center’s guide on creating a Meta Business Manager account and connecting Instagram to Meta Business Manager.
To schedule a post or post reminder:
- In the feed planner, tap an image, then tap Manage.
- Tap Start typing your caption to add a caption.
- Under Schedule, tap Date/Time.
- Tap a date in the calendar and set a time for the notification.
- Tap Add or Ok.
- To receive a notification on your phone at the assigned time, tap Send reminder. To have the Unfold app publish your post on your behalf, tap Post automatically (Business and Creator accounts only).
- Tap Schedule, then tap Close.
If you choose to post automatically, Unfold will include your caption when it posts your image. If you choose a reminder, when you get the reminder, follow the steps to publish a post.
To cancel a scheduled post, tap the X beside the scheduled time. To view all scheduled posts and post reminders, tap the calendar icon in the feed planner.
Add another Instagram account
If you subscribe to Unfold Pro, you can add more Instagram accounts to the feed planner. This way, you can plan your post grid for each of the business and personal accounts you manage, all in one place.
To add another Instagram account to the feed planner:
- Tap your account name at the top of the page, then tap Add Account.
- Select your account type by tapping Creator or Business or Personal.
- Follow the steps to log in and Allow.
To switch between accounts, tap the Instagram account name at the top of the feed planner, then tap the account you want to view the feed for. Tap … beside an account name to refresh the account’s Instagram feed or log out of that Instagram Account.
Reset your connection to Instagram
If you're having trouble with the connection between the feed planner and Instagram, you can reset the connection.
To reset your connection:
- Log out of Instagram in the feed planner. From the feed planner, tap …, then tap Log out.
- Remove Unfold from your Instagram account by following the steps in Instagram's Help Center.
- Connect to Instagram again.
Note: Resetting your connection removes any of your unpublished posts from the feed planner.