Connect Instagram

STS Connect receives Instagram direct messages in your inbox. Replies go back to the customer as normal DMs.

What you need

• An Instagram professional account (Business or Creator). Personal accounts can be switched in the Instagram app under Settings → Account type.
• In the Instagram app, allow message access: Settings → Messages and story replies → Message controls → Allow access to messages.

Steps

1. Open the STS Connect Inbox and go to Settings → Channels → Add Inbox.
2. Choose Instagram and press the Instagram login button.
3. Sign in with the Instagram account and approve the permissions.
4. Name the channel and add the team members who should answer.

Comments

Comment automation lets you set rules like "when someone comments a keyword on a post, reply publicly and send them a DM". In STS Connect, open Automations > Instagram automation to create rules, and Automations > Instagram activity to see what each rule did. If you connected Instagram before September 24, 2026, reconnect the inbox once (Settings → Channels → the Instagram inbox → Reauthorize) so the consent screen grants comment access.

Tips

• Instagram tokens expire every 60 days and are refreshed automatically. If messages stop arriving, reconnect the inbox once.
• Story replies and mentions arrive as conversations too.
• You can reply to a customer up to 7 days after their last message. Inside the first 24 hours anything goes; after that, the reply must be a huma team member's answer to their request, not a promotion.