Does Instagram have an API? Of course, it does. With the help of Instagram API, you will be able to track the performance of your Instagram business account, track hashtags, and perform mention data collection so as to scale your audience towards your brand and post your Instagram media on your website. This feature of Instagram has been provided to increase the customer service quality for Instagram businesses.
In this article, you will learn mainly about Instagram APIs along with API examples. Furthermore, you will also get a brief idea of how to use Instagram APIs to enhance the customer service of your Instagram business. Apart from that, you will also learn how to access Instagram APIs. Hence, to learn in detail about Instagram API, read on through to the end of the article.
With the help of Instagram API, you will be able to run the Instagram interface through other third-party apps for your business. You are basically connecting the features and functionalities of Instagram to your app. As an Instagram business owner, you can use the API to manage your presence on Instagram, which includes getting basic business data, checking most liked Instagram posts, finding hashtagged posts, and finding mentions.
According to the official Meta Developers site, “The API is intended for Instagram Businesses and Creators who need insight into, and full control over, all of their social media interactions. If you are building an app for consumers or you only need to get an app user’s basic profile information, photos, and videos, consider the Instagram Basic Display API instead.”
The Instagram Business API is built on the Facebook Graph API, with the help of which you can manage your business presence on Instagram. The following are some of the major uses of API of Instagram that you will need to know of:
If an Instagram Dev wants to build on top of the Instagram Graph API, there are a lot of features for the developer. If Instagram approves that, the developer will be able to create various apps which can make things easier and more interesting for the end user. There are also options for integrating the API with the business website. However, before you start using Graph API, consider reading the Instagram API documentation first.
Apart from these features, there is also an Instagram Ads API, which can help you a lot in your marketing endeavors. According to the official website, “With Marketing API you can create, measure, and optimize ads on Instagram in the main Stream, in Stories, the Explore tab, the Shop tab, and in Reels.”
The platform has come up with a few new APIs, and these are going to replace the existing ones. Here are the two new kinds which you will find. So, let’s learn a little bit about Instagram Basic Display API and Instagram Graph API.
Instagram has depreciated the old APIs and has come up with this new one. This one is more secure and offers a privacy-conscious way for developers and businesses to get accurate data.
The graph API is a lot like the old Instagram API and has a lot of the same features, like getting profile and media data. It becomes useful when you connect the Instagram account through a business connection or when you log in with Facebook.
You need to meet two requirements for using the new API. Here are the two requirements:
This is a simplified version of the Instagram Graph API and lets developers access data from their Instagram profiles, like profile information and posts. Compared to the Graph API, this one has a few limitations.
There is no possibility of getting any information about likes and comments. This is used when you connect the Instagram account through a consumer connection.
Instagram API has different endpoints and features. Let’s discuss the features first before we get to the endpoints.
There are several endpoints of Instagram APIs. Now, let’s talk about those endpoints in brief.
To start with API of Instagram, you will need to have a few things prior to that:
You can access the API of Instagram from your Facebook settings in the App Dashboard.
There are a few steps that you have to follow to access Instagram API, and here are the steps mentioned:
Using the Instagram API does not charge anything. However, you have to register and take the token of access from Instagram.
There is nothing that can be done with the login flows like Twitter. However, that is not the case with Instagram. The developers for Instagram have to go through a complex process, as well as the creators need to have a professional Instagram account, and that has to be linked to the Facebook page. Some of the major challenges with API integration are:
Once you have access to API, you will be able to use the feature in the following ways for your business:
Using the Messaging API will let you reply to customers quickly and accurately. With the help of that, your brand can also enhance agent productivity.
By tracking the timings when most of your viewers stay online, you can schedule your content to be posted at those times.
You can retrieve information from your followers in terms of interactions and demographics while getting a piece of better information about performance as well.
To enhance the experiences of the customers, a business can use the Instagram messaging API to send messages to users who interacted previously.
With the Instagram API, you can track mentions, and various other analytic data, which can let you enhance your rate of engagement.
Instagram API lets you communicate with your viewers and customers in creative ways, which lets you increase followers.
Before you start a new campaign with your business, you will need to understand trends. The Graph API retrieves those content for you.
You can instantly and automatically post your videos and images in real-time. You can also create live feeds and engage with your viewers.
You can improve your customers’ experiences by the use of features like quick replies, product templates, automation of answering, etc.
You can enable and disable comments or even hide or show comments without even logging in to your Instagram API business account.
Hope this article was helpful for you in getting a better idea of how to make the most use of your API of Instagram for your business and development account. If you have a business account and you do not make use of the API features, then it will not be very feasible for you to remain in trend. Furthermore, you must also consider integrating your messaging platform with your API as well. Where do you think Instagram API can be of use to you for your business? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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A self-proclaimed Swiftian, Instagram-holic, and blogger, Subhasree eats, breathes, and sleeps pop culture. When she is not imagining dates with Iron Man on Stark Tower (yes, she has the biggest crush on RDJ, which she won’t admit), she can be seen tweeting about the latest trends. Always the first one to break viral news, Subhasree is addicted to social media, and leaves out no opportunity of blogging about the same. She is our go-to source for the latest algorithm updates and our resident editor.
