Connect Instagram
Capture inquiries received via Instagram direct messages straight in your Inbox, without watching the app constantly.
Many venues get their very first event inquiries not by email or phone, but in an Instagram direct message. A future spouse stumbles onto your wedding photos, an agency lead spots your rooftop, and the first sentence they send you is a DM. Connecting your professional Instagram account to Joinways avoids juggling between the mobile app and your management software: relevant messages land directly in Inquiries, already qualified by AI, ready to become events.
This article walks through how to link your account step by step, what the integration captures, what actually surfaces in the Inbox, and how to handle an Instagram inquiry exactly like an email one. The goal is that no opportunity gets lost in a social inbox you only check once a day.
For an event venue, Instagram is often the storefront: it's where desire is built. But a storefront with no cash register lets sales slip away. Plugging your DMs into Inquiries turns your social storefront into a real acquisition channel, tracked with the same rigor as your emails.
Prerequisites
Before connecting Instagram, make sure you meet the following conditions. They come straight from the limits imposed by Meta's API: without them, authorization fails or no message comes through.
- A professional or creator Instagram account. A standard personal account cannot be connected.
- That account must be linked to a Facebook page, because authorization goes through the Meta ecosystem.
- Admin access to the associated Facebook page, so you can grant the requested permissions.
- A role in Joinways that allows managing integrations (Settings then Integrations).
What you'll learn
- Connect a professional Instagram account to your Joinways workspace.
- Understand which DMs surface in Inquiries and which are filtered out.
- Reply to an Instagram inquiry and convert it to an event.
- Diagnose cases where the account doesn't appear or messages don't come through.
Connect Instagram
Connecting takes just a few clicks from settings. Follow the steps in order; at each step, the screen tells you what you are authorizing.
- Go to Settings then Integrations.
- Find the Instagram card and click Connect next to Instagram.
- A Facebook/Meta window opens: sign in to the Meta account that administers the Facebook page linked to your Instagram.
- Authorize via Facebook/Meta and select the professional Instagram account you want to link.
- Grant the requested permissions, then return to Joinways: the Instagram card now shows the connected account.
Once authorization is granted, there is nothing else to install. Joinways listens for new direct messages and surfaces them automatically in Inquiries.
To check that everything works, ask a friend to send you a DM that looks like a quote request: it should appear in Inquiries shortly after, a sign that the channel is active.
💡 Good to know: only a professional or creator account can be connected (Meta API limit). If your account is still in personal mode, switch it to professional mode in Instagram before starting the connection.
What surfaces in Inquiries
The integration does not dump all your social traffic into Joinways. It is designed to surface only what looks like an actionable inquiry, so Inquiries stays a work tool and not a second notification feed.
- DMs that look like event inquiries surface in Inquiries.
- The prospect's original message, as they wrote it, to keep the conversation context.
- The sender's public identity on the Instagram side, so you can identify who you are talking to.
From there, the experience is identical to an incoming email: you read, you reply, and you decide whether to turn it into an event.
Anything that doesn't look like an inquiry — reactions, lone emojis, exchanges with no event intent — does not clutter Inquiries and stays accessible directly in Instagram if you want to review it.
How it works
The principle is simple: Joinways plugs a listening channel into your professional Instagram account via Meta's official API. Each new direct message is analyzed by the AI to estimate whether it is a genuine event inquiry or an interaction with no follow-up.
Messages deemed relevant appear in Inquiries like any other incoming inquiry. You reply and, when the conversation firms up, you convert it to an event like with an email. Nothing leaves your control: the AI proposes a sort, but you are the one who validates.
This filtering logic exists for a concrete reason: an Instagram inbox holds as many emojis and story reactions as real inquiries. By surfacing only actionable messages, Inquiries stays reliable as the starting point of an event file.
In practice, you handle an Instagram inquiry in the same flow as your emails: no separate software, no copy-paste between the mobile app and your management tool. The conversation, your reply, and the created event stay tied together in one place.
And because the listening happens through the official API, you don't need to keep the Instagram app open or watch your DMs manually: as soon as a relevant message arrives, it surfaces in Inquiries on its own.
Edge cases
A few situations deserve attention once the connection is in place.
- Personal account: until it is switched to professional or creator mode, it cannot be connected.
- Missing Facebook page: if the Instagram account is no longer linked to a Facebook page, Meta authorization fails.
- Ambiguous message: a DM that is too short or too vague may not be identified as an inquiry; it stays viewable directly in Instagram.
- Multiple accounts: if you manage several professional Instagram accounts, be sure to select the right one during authorization.
- Revoked permission: if you remove access from Meta settings, DM surfacing stops until you reconnect.
💡 Tip: treat Instagram Inquiries like your email inbox. Replying quickly to a DM strongly increases the odds of turning simple curiosity into a visit, then into a booked event.
Best practices
- Check professional mode and the link to a Facebook page before starting the connection, to avoid an authorization failure.
- Reply to qualified DMs from Inquiries rather than from the app, to keep history in the same place as your emails.
- Convert to an event as soon as the inquiry is serious, so information is not lost in the conversation thread.
- Keep an eye now and then on raw DMs in Instagram, in case an ambiguous message was not identified as an inquiry.
- Keep your account in professional mode and the Facebook page linked: a configuration change on the Meta side can interrupt message surfacing.
Troubleshooting
The account doesn't appear during connection?
Cause: the account is still in personal mode, or it is no longer linked to a Facebook page. Solution: check it is in professional mode and linked to a Facebook page, then restart the connection.
Meta authorization fails?
Cause: you are not an administrator of the associated Facebook page, or you declined a requested permission. Solution: sign in with a Meta account that administers the page and accept all permissions.
A specific DM didn't surface in Inquiries?
Cause: the AI deemed it not relevant (too short, no event intent). Solution: open the message in Instagram; if it really is an inquiry, reply to it and the conversation can be followed normally.
Real-world example
A couple discovers your estate while scrolling through wedding photos and writes you a DM: "Hi, are you available for a 120-guest wedding next June?" The message surfaces in Inquiries, qualified as an inquiry. You reply from Joinways, discuss the date and guest count, then convert the conversation into an event, without ever reopening the Instagram app.
Another example
An events agency spots your rooftop for a product launch and sends you a DM with a few capacity questions. The inquiry lands in Inquiries. You reply, attach your availability, and create the event directly. Meanwhile, story reactions and plain emojis do not clutter your Inquiries: the AI filtered them out.
FAQ
Do all DMs come through?
No. The AI filters to favor genuine event inquiries; you keep control. Filtered messages remain viewable in Instagram.
Can I connect a personal account?
No. Only a professional or creator account can be connected, due to a Meta API limit. Switch your account to professional mode first.
Do I have to keep a Facebook page linked?
Yes. Authorization goes through the Meta ecosystem: the Instagram account must stay linked to a Facebook page for the connection to work.
How do I reply to a surfaced DM?
You reply from Inquiries, like with an email. The reply goes back to the prospect's Instagram conversation.
Can I convert a DM to an event?
Yes. An Instagram inquiry converts to an event exactly like an email inquiry, as soon as the exchange becomes serious.
What happens to irrelevant messages?
They do not surface in Inquiries but remain available in Instagram, without disrupting your workflow.
Do I need to reinstall anything after connecting?
No. Once authorization is granted, Joinways listens for new DMs automatically, with no extra installation.
Can I connect several Instagram accounts?
During authorization, you select the professional account to link; be sure to pick the right one if you manage several.
Do my old DMs surface in Inquiries?
The integration listens for new direct messages once the connection is established; focus on inquiries that arrive afterward.
See also
Ready to centralize your event inquiries?