Tutorial · 10 minutes
Post your WordPress portfolio to Instagram, automatically and for free
Your portfolio is up to date on your website, but your Instagram account hasn't posted anything for three weeks? That's the case for most artists and studios: preparing each image, writing the caption, picking hashtags and remembering to post takes time. Here is how to hand all of it over to your WordPress site.
What you need
- A site running WordPress 6.0 or later, with your projects published.
- A professional Instagram account (Creator or Business). Switching is free in the Instagram app: Settings → Account type and tools.
1. Install Foliocast
Foliocast is on WordPress.org. Install it from your dashboard: Plugins → Add New, search for “Foliocast”, then Install and Activate. A Foliocast menu appears on the left.
2. Connect Instagram
The setup assistant opens. Click Connect with Instagram (during early access, through an Instagram tester invitation): you go through Instagram's official login page. Foliocast never sees your password; access is stored encrypted on your own site.
3. Pick your projects
Foliocast lists the projects published on your site, whatever your theme: posts, pages or the theme's “project” type. Untick the ones you don't want to show.
4. Approve the plan
Foliocast prepares three posts a week: a new project's carousel on Tuesday, a close-up on Thursday, a signature image on Sunday. Images are cropped to Instagram's format around their point of interest, and captions and hashtags are written. Read them, edit if needed, then schedule.
5. Post right on time
Your site posts on its own, even with your computer off. For an exact time, add the scheduled task shown in Settings → Automatic publishing: two minutes at your host.
Which format for each project?
In the feed, Instagram shows images in 4:5 portrait (1080 × 1350 pixels), and the profile grid only shows their centre, in 3:4. Foliocast crops each image to these formats around its point of interest, which you can move.
- The carousel (up to 10 images) presents a whole project: it is the launch format for a new project.
- The single image brings back a detail or a signature view a few weeks later.
- The Reel (vertical 9:16 video) is the format Instagram shows most to people who don't follow you yet. According to Buffer, across more than 4 million posts, a Reel reaches on average 2.25 times more people than an image. If your project page contains a video, Foliocast posts it as a Reel; the Pro version also makes an animated Reel with music from your images.
How many posts a week?
Consistency matters more than volume. Foliocast suggests three posts a week, at times suited to your field; with the paid plans, it then adjusts days, times and hashtags based on your statistics. A portfolio of 20 projects gives you about five months of posts without preparing anything.
Credit your clients and collaborators
The caption uses the project page: client, scope, location, photographer. You can also invite up to three accounts as collaborators: if they accept, the post also appears on their profile. A client or photographer who accepts introduces you to their own followers.
Frequently asked questions
Will it work with my WordPress theme?
Foliocast reads projects whatever the theme: posts, pages, the “project” type of portfolio themes, Elementor or block editor galleries, images pasted into the page.
Do I need a professional Instagram account?
Yes: Instagram only allows automatic publishing for Creator or Business accounts. Switching is free and changes nothing for your followers.
What happens if a post fails?
The dashboard shows it with the reason in plain words (image too large, expired connection…) and what to do. Nothing is sent twice: before retrying, your site checks on Instagram that the post isn't already live.
Where are my images stored?
On your own hosting. Foliocast only sends Instagram the posts you have approved.
What next?
The grid preview shows your profile as it will look: drag a tile to move it, and the dates follow. Each live post shows its reach and engagement. When you publish a new project on your site, Foliocast prepares its posts automatically.
Foliocast is free with unlimited posts. The Pro version adds Reels made from your images, grid banners and automatic tuning of posting times.
Foliocast is on WordPress.org. For Reels and the Studio plan, get early access.