Instagram rolls out an in-app scheduling tool to all professional accounts

Instagram is rolling out an in-app scheduling tool to all professional accounts in its app, the company has announced. The new tool allows businesses and creators to schedule their posts in advance without having to use third-party apps or Creator Studio. Social media managers and creators have long relied on third-party tools to schedule posts on Instagram, so the new scheduling tool will likely be a game changer. The official launch comes a few weeks after the social network began testing the scheduling tool with select users.

With the new tool, businesses and creators will be able to schedule posts, reels and carousels directly in the app up to 75 days in advance.

Once you have created a post, you can access the scheduling tool by tapping “Advanced settings.” Then, you will see a new “Schedule this post” toggle. After you have selected the new option, you will be able to select the time and date you want the post to go live. You then need to navigate back to the Instagram post flow and tap “schedule.” Creators and businesses will be able to see scheduled posts in the “Scheduled Content” section that is accessible via the hamburger menu. The section also lets you reschedule content if needed.

The launch of the new tool isn’t exactly a surprise, given that app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi noted that Instagram was working on a scheduling feature back in July.

Instagram hasn’t said when or if regular accounts will get access to the in-app scheduling tool, but TechCrunch has reached out to learn more. It’s worth noting that anyone can switch to a professional account by navigating to their account settings.

In addition to rolling out the new scheduling tool, Instagram also launched “Achievements” in reels. Creators will be able to unlock achievements in relation to specific actions when creating a reel, such as collaborating with another creator, engaging with their community by making reels more interactive, making more than one reel in a week or using trending audio and effects. Creators will be notified when they have unlocked an achievement after publishing their reel. They will also be able to keep track of the achievements they have and haven’t earned. Instagram is testing Achievements globally starting this week.