In this Article:
Instagram has 3 different types of profiles: business, creator, and personal. Due to API limitations set by Instagram, only business and creator profiles are supported in Later. Certain features, including Best Time to Post and tagging users and locations, also require your Instagram profile to be connected to a Facebook Page. Instagram personal profile connections are no longer supported.
This article covers what each type of Instagram profile can and can’t do within Later, how to tell what profile type you have, and how to switch between them.
Instagram Profile Types Comparison
The following table illustrates what each type of Instagram profile (business, creator, and personal) can do:
| Business | Creator | Personal | |
| Auto Publish Instagram Stories | ✓ | ||
| Auto Publish Instagram Posts, Multi-Photo Posts (Carousels), and Reels | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Access Later’s Instagram Analytics* | ✓ | ✓ | |
| See your Best Times to Post* | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Tag Instagram Shop Products* | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Schedule a First Comment for Auto Publish | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Collect media by Profiles, Hashtags*, Mentions, and Tags | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Manage comments with Conversations* | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Tag users and locations* | ✓ | ✓ | |
| See your profile picture in Later | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Schedule posts and Stories using notification publishing | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Go private on Instagram | ✓ |
Key Takeaways
Personal profiles are the only type that can go private on Instagram, but are also granted the least capabilities through the API. Due to Instagram API changes, Later no longer supports Instagram personal profile connections.
Creator and business profiles share most of the same capabilities in Later—the exception is auto publishing Instagram Stories, which is only available for business profiles. Due to API requirements from Instagram, certain Later features also require your business or creator profile to be connected to a Facebook page.
Our recommendation? If you have (or are willing to have) a public Instagram profile, switch it to a business or creator profile and connect it to a Facebook Page for best, most actionable results! 🚀
Switch Your Instagram Profile Type
Follow these steps to switch your profile type, or to check which profile type you currently have:
Mobile
- In the Instagram mobile app, go to your profile
-
Tap ☰ in the top right corner
- You might need to tap Settings and privacy after this step
-
Scroll down to the For professionals section and
tap one of the following options (these options will vary based on
the profile type you currently have):
- Business tools and controls if you’re on a Business profile
- Creator tools and controls if you’re on a Creator profile
- Account type and tools if you’re on a Personal profile
- Tap Switch account type (or Switch to professional account if you’re on a personal profile)
-
Select the profile type you’d like to switch to, and review any confirmation
messages from Instagram
- If you’re switching from a personal profile, you may be prompted to select a category for your profile
Desktop
- Navigate to instagram.com
- Log in if needed (or, confirm you’re logged in to the correct profile)
- Select ☰ More > Settings (or click here)
From here, the steps vary based on which profile type you currently have.
If you currently have a personal profile, select Switch to professional account from the Settings sidebar, and select the profile type you’d like to switch to:
If you currently have a business or creator profile, select Professional account from the Settings sidebar, and then select Switch to business account or Switch to creator account (again, depending on which profile type you currently have):
Review any confirmation messages from Instagram, and select a category for your profile if prompted.
When you're done, don't forget to connect your Instagram business or creator profile to a Facebook Page for full functionality in Later!