Instagram API Integration and Ways to Use It

Instagram is a massive social media platform. Millions of users sign in daily and browse their feeds. You may think of Instagram as a consumer platform mainly existing for the average user to look at the pretty pictures, follow celebrities, and favorite posts to their heart’s content. That side of Instagram does exist, but there is also the business side. Instagram is a place where incredible amounts of money can be made. Businesses use every possible tool Instagram provides to make money. One of those tools is the Instagram API.

An API (Application Programming Interface) is software that lets one application talk to and work with a different application. When you tweet an article you read on a different website, an API is what lets you do that. Another common example of an API is address verification. When you enter your shipping address after buying something, an API checks the address to ensure it is valid to prevent shipping issues. There is an API for just about everything, and the Instagram API is just one example.

The Instagram API has changed quite a bit since it launched. Major changes hit the API in 2016 and again in 2018 leaving us with essentially the version we have today. The API is different than it used to be, but there is still a plethora of ways to put it to good use.

Recent Changes

In 2018, Instagram shut down its public API. These changes were likely made because of the trouble Facebook found itself in after the Cambridge Analytica controversy. After Facebook was found gathering personal data from over 50 million profiles, there was pressure to change policy to protect personal privacy. It is speculated that the changes to the Instagram API was an attempt to put customers’ minds at ease.

The major change means that third-party apps need permission and approval to access the API. The changes were announced, but still left many apps out of commision. Another big change was the complete removal of purchased followers. All engagement is organic with no way to beat the system with money.

In place of the public API, Instagram introduced Graph API. Graph API is the only way to collect data regarding mentions or specific targeted hashtags. Graph API can only be used through an Instagram business account, which we will cover below.

With Graph API, you can track hashtags, but only 30 of them over a seven-day period. If you want to stop tracking a hashtag and start tracking a different one, you have to wait seven days.

Business Account Required

In order to use the Graph API and access many valuable metrics, you need an Instagram business account. Not only does a business account let you use the API, but it also comes with a few more perks. Thanks to having a business account, you have a higher chance of being Instagram verified, your content is easier to find, you can run paid ads, you have access to analytics, and you have a professional distinction from public users. Due to the closed off nature of Instagram’s API, a business account is a necessity if you want to collect data about your campaigns.

Photos on Websites

The most obvious and common use of the Instagram API is posting pictures from Instagram on other websites. You can post images from a specific account or from tags other users create. With this ability, you can post any images from you company Instagram on your company page. By connecting your Instagram to your website you are allowing the images to do twice the work for far less effort. You are also reminding viewers on your website about your Instagram and vice versa. If you can get a customer to follow your Instagram because of a website post, that is a great benefit of the API.

Custom Items

You can pull Instagram photos to other websites, but you can also pull them into the real world. Since you can take entire photo feeds from Instagram, you can feed those images into other programs. You can even take those images and use them to make real world items. There are phone cases covered in Instagram pictures and that is just one example of what can be made.

Instagram is an expansive social media platform, but it’s API has seen some changes in years past. We have ended up with a slightly more restrictive Instagram API, but it still has the power to do what businesses need it to do. With a business account, you can put the API to work.