What is a source?
In Behold a “source” represents a connected social media account that can be used to populate a feed of posts.
Currently we have two types of Instagram sources, but in the future we plan to add support for other social networks.
Why are there two different types?
Instagram currently provides multiple official ways to access posts. Each with benefits and drawbacks.
Under the hood, advanced sources use a different API to connect. Doing this provides additional features, but at the cost of some convenience.
What are the differences?
Basic sources connect directly through Instagram. They are easy to set up, but have a couple limitations. Most of the time a basic source is all that’s required.
Advanced sources are more complicated to set up. You can connect with a Facebook Business Portfolio or directly through a Facebook page. The latter method requires manual reauthorization every three months, so we recommend using a Business Portfolio if possible.
So why go through the hassle? Advanced sources provide a couple benefits:
- Advanced sources are able to access collab posts.
- An advanced source is required to create hashtag feeds
If those things are not necessary for your purposes, we recommend a basic source.
Adding a basic source
Connecting a basic source is very simple. First navigate to the sources page, click on the ”+ Add source” button and select “Basic source”
If you have login access to the Instagram account:
- Click on the “Connect” button
- After being redirected to Instagram, click “allow”. Make sure all permissions are granted. It will say “optional” next to some requested permissions, but they are required for Behold to function.
- You should then see a loading screen, followed by your sources page with a new source added.
If you do not have login access to the Instagram account:
- Copy your unique auth link, displayed next to the “Open link” button
- Have the owner of the account visit that link. They can authorize the account without being logged in to Behold.
- Once they have completed authorization, their account will appear on your sources page
Adding an advanced source
Rather than authorize directly with Instagram, advanced sources connect through Facebook. This can be done in two different ways:
Method 1. Facebook Business Portfolio
For this method you need three things:
- A Facebook Business Portfolio
- A Facebook page connected to that Business Portfolio
- A professional Instagram account connected to that page
After that, just navigate to the Behold sources page, click “Add source”, choose “Advanced”, make sure the toggle is set to “Business Portfolio” and follow the instructions.
Method 2. Facebook user
This method bypasses the need for a business portfolio, but comes with a significant drawback: You will need to manually reauthorize every three months.
We make this easier by sending you a reminder email a week before reauth is due, but it’s still a hassle compared to method 1 which creates a permanent connection.
For this method you need two things:
- A Facebook page
- A professional Instagram account connected to that page
Once that’s set up, navigate to the Behold sources page, click “Add source”, choose “Advanced”, set the toggle to “Facebook User” and follow the instructions.
Permissions and Privacy
During the connection process you’ll be asked to allow a set of permissions for Behold. Most of them are obvious and directly Instagram related, but “Manage your business” is somewhat alarming sounding. Unfortunately this is out of our hands. Every one of these is required for our products to function.
We only access the data we specifically need to provide our services to you, and we will never sell it or share it for any reason. If you ever choose to close your account, we permanently delete all your stored Meta account data from our servers. Contact support@behold.so if you have any questions.