Troubleshooting Issues with Feeds and Facebook/Instagram Importer Tools

Contents

Business Profile vs. Personal Profile (Instagram)
Checking Information and App Permissions (Facebook)
Checking Account Permissions (Facebook)

Overview

Our Feeds feature and Facebook/Instagram Importer tools can save you a lot of time when trying to automatically gather entries for your campaign. Unfortunately, running into issues can be frustrating when trying to get things set up. Some common issues are things like:

• Not seeing any Pages pop up to select when setting up your Feed/Import
  
  
• No posts coming in as entries after doing the initial set up
  
  
• Seeing some Pages listed, but not the one from which you're trying to import entries
  
  

This doc will help walk you through some common troubleshooting steps to hopefully help you get your Feed or Import running smoothly, and assumes that the features are being used correctly.

Business Profile vs. Personal Profile (Instagram)

For Feeds and using the Importer on Instagram, you'll want to make sure that the Instagram account from which you're trying to pull posts or comments is a Business Account and not a personal one. To do that:

1. Log into the Instagram account that you're wanting to use for the feed.
   
   
2. Navigate to your bio, and click the Options icon (three lines) in the top-right corner, then click Settings.
   
   
   
   
3. Click Account.
   
   
   
   
4. Scroll to the bottom; if it says Switch Back to Personal Account - that means you're set up as a business profile, and you're all set.
   
   
   
   
5. If it says, Switch to Business Profile or Sign up for a Business Profile - you'd either need to switch, or set up the business profile on Instagram's end.
   
   
   
   

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING BUSINESS PROFILES: The only way to link a Facebook Page to an Instagram account correctly is by doing the conversion using the Instagram app on iOS or Android. All other linked Instagram accounts via any other flow are not guaranteed to be Business accounts.

If you had set up your Business account on the Facebook or Instagram website on desktop, you'll need to disconnect the Business account, log in via your mobile app, and reconnect it there.

Checking Information and App Permissions (Facebook)

There are a few things you'll need to check on the Facebook side when it comes to both Instagram Feeds and both Importer Tools; these are mostly steps to make sure that the Instagram account and Facebook account are properly communicating with each other, and that ShortStack has all the permissions it needs to pull stuff into your account for you.

Verifying That Your Instagram Information is Properly Pulled into Facebook

1. Log into your Facebook account with admin access to the linked Page, and go to the Page.
   
   
2. Click Settings at the top of the Page.
   
   
   
   
3. Click Instagram from the menu on the left-hand side.
   
   
   
   
4. Verify that the Instagram Account Details are present/correct and that you see the Basic, Business Contact, and Private Information all filled out.
   
   
   
   

Making Sure the ShortStack App Has All Needed Permissions

1. Click the down arrow at the very top-right corner of Facebook.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Settings.
   
   
   
   
3. Click Business Integrations from the menu on the left-hand side.
   
   
   
   
4. Locate ShortStack, then click the View and Edit link.
   
   
   
   
5. Make sure all of the sliders are flipped to the on (blue) position, including Manage your business, Access profile and posts from the Instagram business connected to your page, Manage comments for the Instagram business connected to your page, Manage your Pages, and Show a list of the Pages you manage.
   
   
   
   

Checking Account Permissions (Facebook)

The final group of items you can check have to do with your Facebook account; notably, making sure that your account is listed as an admin on the Facebook Page that is linked to your Instagram account, and that the correct Facebook account is linked to your ShortStack account.

Making Sure You're An Admin

1. Log into your Facebook account and go to the Page where you should have Admin access.
   
   
2. Click on Settings at the top of the Page.
   
   
   
   
3. Click on Page Roles in the menu on the left-hand side.
   
   
   
   
4. Scroll down to the Existing Page Roles section, and double-check to see that you're listed as an Admin.
   
   
   
   
5. If you're not - you'll have to get an existing admin or the owner of the Page to provide you with that role.
   
   

Verifying That Your ShortStack Account is Linked to the Right Facebook Account

The easiest way to do this is to deauthorize ShortStack. This procedure will remove the permissions you have granted to ShortStack. It does not affect your account or campaigns, but you will be prompted to grant permission to ShortStack again when you try to log in or set up a new Feed or Import.

1. Click the down arrow at the very top-right corner of Facebook.
   
   
   
   
2. Click on Apps and Websites.
   
   
   
   
3. Find ShortStack, click the checkbox at the right, and then click the Remove button to confirm.
   
   
   
   
4. Head back to ShortStack and log out.
   
   
5. Log back into Shortstack, then try again to set up your Feed or Import - when the step comes to select your Instagram account or Facebook Page, click the Log In With Facebook button.
   
   
   
   
6. Log into the Facebook account associated with the Page or Instagram profile you're looking to work with, then finish setting up your Feed or Import.
   
   
   

Related Resources

How to Set Up an Instagram Hashtag Feed (Video)

Create a Facebook Contest to Inspire Fans to Bond with Your Brand (Blog Post)