Welcome to the New Normal for Instagram
On December 11th 2018 Instagram will stop access to the Instagram Platform API.
In its place they have given developers access to the new Graph API.
Despite various reports that the new API would not support the collection of hashtag content Instagram has confirmed that the Graph API will indeed support hashtag collection and Miappi has already incorporated this new API end-point into their service.
As an added bonus user-generated content featuring @mentions of your brand name can also now be collected via the Instagram API.
These are the headlines of what the new Graph API will offer:
- Hashtag Search [NEW]: Allows businesses to find public photos and videos that have been tagged with a #hashtag relevant to their Business Accounts.
- Mentions: A subset of Instagram Graph API endpoints and Webhooks that allow you to identify public captions, comments, and media in which your Business Account alias has been tagged or @mentioned.
- Authenticated Feed: Allows business to add an Instagram business account to Miappi and collect any brand-owned content publish to Instagram.
Increase engagement and conversion by curating your Instagram Mentions!
Background
Earlier this year Instagram announced some significant changes to their API. Those changes meant Miappi (and all third-party platforms processing data via the IG API) were able to access UGC content at lower volumes than before. It also resulted in several API features (end-points) being permanently removed.
Miappi got busy with workarounds that meant there was little noticeable impact on the way our clients access, curate and publish user-generated content using the Miappi platform.
Launching Instagram Graph API
At the same time as announcing some of these changes, Instagram also announced the launch of a brand new API (The Instagram Graph API). That became available almost immediately which meant that for the last eight months there have been two different ways (two APIs) to access content from Instagram.
New features of new Instagram API
One of the interesting new features of the Graph API is the ability to collect user-generated content based on @mentions. In other words, if consumers are talking about your brand using @mentions then Miappi can collect that content and allow you to process it in the same way you would do hashtag content.
On December 11th 2018 the old API will be permanently deprecated, leaving just the Graph API. When they first announced the new API there was no mention of hashtag support. You’ll be happy to know that Instagram, later on, made a decision that the new API would now support the collection of hashtag content.
What Will These Changes Mean for Miappi Clients?
If you want to collect Instagram content going forward you will need to set things up slightly differently in the Miappi dashboard. To enable the @mentions and hashtags using the Graph API feature you will first need to connect/authenticate your Facebook account on the Feeds page/My Feeds. (You will also need to ensure you have an Instagram Business page associated with that Facebook account). Once Facebook is connected you can then connect ‘Instagram Graph’.
