Automate Instagram stories publishing from Google Sheets with Meta Graph API

Automated Instagram Stories from Google Sheets

🚀 What it Does

This workflow automates posting Instagram Stories directly from a list of video URLs in a Google Sheet. Simply add a video link to the sheet, and this template will schedule and post it for you. It's designed to be a "set it and forget it" solution for your content strategy.

Key Features:

• Fully Automated: Runs on a schedule to post new content without manual intervention.
• Simple Content Management: Manage your entire video queue from one Google Sheet.
• Smart & Safe: Automatically avoids posting duplicate content by tracking what has already been published.
• Randomized Posting: Shuffles the video list to ensure varied content is posted, not just the first one on the list.

📋 Pre-Setup Requirements

Before you start, you'll need a few things. This is the most important part of the setup!

1. Instagram Business Account: A personal account won't work. It must be a Business or Creator account.
2. Facebook Page: Your Instagram Business Account must be connected to a Facebook Page.
3. Meta Developer Account: This is required to create an "App" that gives n8n permission to post on your behalf.
4. A Publicly Accessible Place to Host Videos: This is critical. The video URLs you use must be direct links to the video file.
   • ✅ Good Sources: Shopify file storage, Amazon S3, a WordPress site with a valid SSL certificate (https://...).
   • ❌ Unreliable Sources: Google Drive and Dropbox share links will not work because they are not direct links to the video file itself.

⚙️ Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Follow these three parts carefully. Once done, you won't have to touch the configuration again.

Part 1: Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Configuration

This section generates the keys and IDs you need to allow n8n to communicate with Instagram.

1. Create a Meta App:

   • Go to Meta for Developers and create a new app.
   • Detailed Guide: Meta's Official Guide to Creating an App

2. Configure App Permissions:

   • In your new app's dashboard, add the "Instagram Graph API" product.
   • Under "Permissions," you will need to grant instagram_basic, instagram_content_publish, pages_show_list, and pages_read_engagement.

3. Find Your Instagram Business Account ID:

   • You'll need this ID for the workflow.

3.1. Log in: to your Instagram account.
3.2. Click on your Profile: in the menu on the left.
3.3. Click: "Edit Profile" at the top.
3.4. Under the "Settings" heading, click "See more in Accounts Center".
3.5. Select: your intended Instagram profile.
3.6. In the URL, your Instagram Business Account ID will be displayed after /profiles in a numerical format.

Example:
https://accountscenter.instagram.com/profiles/[YOUR_ID]/?theme=dark

1. Generate a Long-Lived Access Token:

   • An access token is like a password for n8n to use. A standard one expires quickly, so you need a long-lived one.
   • Official Guide: Meta's Guide to Generating a Long-Lived Token

Part 2: Google Sheet Preparation

This is where you'll manage your video content.

1. Create a Google Sheet: You can make a new one or use our template to get started quickly.
   • Download Template: Instagram Videos Template.xlsx
2. Set Up Columns: Your sheet must have these two columns with these exact names:
   • source_url: This is where you will paste the direct URL to your video file.
   • posted_story: Leave this column empty. The workflow will automatically fill it with true after a video is successfully posted.
3. Get the Sheet ID: In your Google Sheet URL, copy the long string of letters and numbers from the middle: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/[THIS_IS_THE_SHEET_ID]/edit

Part 3: n8n Workflow Configuration

Now, let's connect everything inside your n8n workflow.

1. Fill the ⚙️ Configuration Hub Node:

   • IG_BUSINESS_ID: Paste the Instagram ID you found in Part 1.
   • SHEET_DOC_ID: Paste the Google Sheet ID you found in Part 2.
   • SHEET_TAB_NAME: Enter the exact name of the tab in your Google Sheet (e.g., "Instagram Videos").

2. Connect Your Credentials:

   • Google Sheets: In the 📊 Fetch Videos from Sheet node, create a new credential and connect your Google Account.
   • Facebook Graph API: In the 📤 Create Story Container node, create a new credential. Use the App ID, App Secret, and the Long-Lived Access Token you generated in Part 1. You will use this same credential for the other Facebook/Instagram nodes.

3. Activate the Workflow:

   • First, test it by clicking the "Execute Workflow" button on the 🚀 Manual Start node.
   • Once you confirm it works, activate the workflow using the toggle at the top of the screen. The ⏰ Auto Schedule node is set to run daily by default, but you can change the time to whatever you like.

🤔 Troubleshooting

• Error: "(#10) This endpoint requires the 'instagram_content_publish' permission": Your Meta App is missing the correct permissions. Go back to the app settings in the Meta Developer dashboard and add it.
• Error: "Unsupported post request" or Video Processing Fails: This is almost always an issue with the video URL. Ensure it's a direct link and not from a service like Google Drive. Paste the URL into your browser—it should immediately start playing the video, not take you to a preview page.
• Error: "Sheet not found": Double-check that your SHEET_DOC_ID and SHEET_TAB_NAME in the Config node are perfectly correct (it's case-sensitive!).
• Workflow runs but doesn't post: Make sure you have rows in your Google Sheet where the posted_story column is empty. If all are marked true, it has nothing new to post.

@iMan https://imanetworks.ch/