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Overview

Instagram integration allows your agent to respond to Direct Messages sent to your Instagram Business account.

Visual Platform

Image and video-focused

Young Demographic

Popular with Gen Z and Millennials

DMs & Story Replies

Respond to messages and story interactions

Business Account

Professional presence

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Prerequisites

Meta updates Instagram and its developer tools frequently. The steps below describe what you need; for exact, up-to-date screens, see Meta’s Instagram Platform documentation.
1

Instagram Professional Account

Convert your Instagram account to a Professional (Business or Creator) account.
2

Link to a Facebook Page

Connect your Instagram account to a Facebook Business Page.
3

Enable Messaging

Allow message access so your agent can receive DMs (in Instagram: Settings → Messages and story replies → Connected tools → Allow access to messages).

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Connection Method: Admin Dashboard Only

Instagram connection is only available through the admin dashboard due to OAuth requirements and Meta’s authentication flow.
1

Open the dashboard

lua admin
Or visit https://admin.heylua.ai.
2

Open your agent

Click Agents in the main side navigation, then select your agent’s card.
3

Add a channel

Click the + (plus) icon to add a channel, then choose Instagram.
Add a channel
Screenshot: The agent’s add-channel (+) control and the channel options
4

Accept terms & connect

Tick the box to accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, then click Connect.
5

Authorize with Instagram

A login popup opens. Log in with the account that manages your Instagram Professional account, grant the messaging permissions requested, and select the Instagram account to connect. When the popup closes, the channel is connected.
This popup is Meta’s own UI and changes periodically. See Meta’s Instagram Platform documentation if you get stuck.
6

Connection success

Instagram appears in your connected channels and is ready to receive DMs.

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Testing Your Instagram Channel

1

Send a DM to your account

From another Instagram account, send a DM to your business account (for example, “Hi!”).
2

Agent responds

Your agent replies automatically in the Instagram DM thread.
3

View in admin

Monitor the conversation in the admin dashboard.
Admin conversation
Screenshot: The conversation in the admin dashboard

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Features

Direct Messages

Respond to DMs automatically

Story Replies

Reply to story mentions

Rich Media

Send images, videos

Quick Replies

Suggested response buttons

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Best Practices

Instagram is visual - use:
  • Product images
  • Demo videos
  • Infographics
  • Visual guides
Instagram users expect:
  • Friendly, casual communication
  • Emojis and personality
  • Quick, concise responses
  • Less formal than email
  • Respond within minutes if possible
  • Instagram shows response time publicly
  • Fast responses improve visibility
lua admin
# Check Instagram engagement metrics
# Track response rates
# Monitor user satisfaction

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Troubleshooting

Check:
  • Instagram account is Business type
  • Linked to Facebook Page
  • Permissions granted
  • Pop-up blocker disabled
Check:
  • Channel status in admin (CONNECTED)
  • Instagram messaging is enabled
  • Account not restricted
  • Test with simple message
Ensure:
  • Account is converted to Business
  • Linked to Facebook Page
  • Page has admin access
  • Try disconnecting and reconnecting

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Next Steps

Slack

Connect team workspace

Admin Dashboard

Manage all channels visually