How to Link a Shop to Instagram

Turning your Instagram feed from a beautiful gallery into a powerful sales channel is one of the smartest moves you can make for your brand. This guide breaks down exactly how to link a shop to your Instagram account, walking you through the entire process from eligibility checks to your first shoppable post. We'll cover the essential preparations, the step-by-step setup, and what to do afterward to actually drive sales.

Before You Begin: The Instagram Shopping Eligibility Checklist

Before you get into the setup process, it's important to ensure your business meets Instagram's requirements for commerce. Running through this checklist first will save you from major headaches down the road. You can’t set up a shop without meeting these fundamental criteria.

• You Sell Physical Products: Instagram Shopping is designed for businesses that sell tangible, physical goods. Digital products, services, and affiliate links aren't currently supported for native product tagging.
• You're in a Supported Region: While the list of countries is constantly expanding, Instagram Shopping isn't available everywhere. You can check Meta's official list of supported markets to confirm your location is on it.
• You Have a Professional Account: If you're still using a personal profile, you'll need to make the switch. Don't worry, it's free and takes less than a minute.
• You Have a Connected Facebook Business Page: Your Instagram Business account must be linked to a Facebook Business Page. Instagram is owned by Meta, and their commerce tools are deeply integrated across both platforms.
• You Own Your Website Domain: You need a verified website domain where you sell your products. Your Instagram Shop will direct customers to your website to complete their purchases unless you opt for Checkout on Instagram (only available in the U.S.).
• You Comply with Commerce Policies: Your business must adhere to Meta’s Commerce Policies. This covers guidelines related to community standards, authenticity, and prohibited content (e.g., selling weapons, adult products, or animals).

If you've checked all these boxes, you're ready to get started!

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting a Shop to Instagram

With the foundations in place, it's time to connect the dots. The process is managed through Meta's Commerce Manager, an all-in-one tool for your sales activities on both Facebook and Instagram. Follow these steps carefully.

Step 1: Convert Your Instagram to a Professional Account

If you haven't already, this is your first task. A professional account unlocks business features like analytics, ads, and, most importantly, shopping capabilities.

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Settings and Privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap Account type and tools.
4. Tap Switch to professional account.
5. Follow the prompts, select a category that best describes your business (e.g., Product/Service, Clothing Brand), and choose Business as your account type.

Step 2: Connect Your Instagram to a Facebook Business Page

Your Instagram shop is managed through your business's Facebook Page, so this connection is essential. If you don't have a Facebook Page for your business, you'll need to create one first.

1. On your Instagram profile, tap Edit Profile.
2. Under "Public business information," tap Page.
3. You can either tap Create Facebook Page or choose to Connect an existing page.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to link the accounts. If you're connecting an existing page, make sure you're an Admin of that page.

Step 3: Upload and Sync Your Product Catalog

Your product catalog is the digital inventory of everything you want to sell through Instagram. This information lives in Meta Commerce Manager, and there are a couple of ways to get your products into it.

Method 1: Using an E-commerce Platform Integration (The Easy Way)

This is the most common and streamlined method. Platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce have direct integrations that automatically sync your entire product library - including images, descriptions, prices, and inventory levels - with Facebook Commerce Manager.

For example, if you use Shopify:

• From your Shopify dashboard, add the "Facebook &, Instagram" sales channel.
• Follow the setup prompts to connect your Facebook account and Business Manager.
• Choose which products you want to make available to the sales channel.
• Shopify will handle the sync automatically. New products you add to your store will appear in your catalog, and out-of-stock items will be updated accordingly.

This process is similar for other major e-commerce partners and is highly recommended as it keeps everything up-to-date without manual work.

Method 2: Setting Up Your Catalog Manually

If you don't use a supported e-commerce platform, you can create your catalog directly within Commerce Manager.

1. Go to Meta Commerce Manager and click Get Started.
2. Choose an e-commerce platform or select "Create a new catalog" on Meta properties and then choose your checkout method.
3. Give your catalog a name and select the business account.
4. Once your catalog is created, you have several options to add items:
   • Manual Add: Add products one by one by filling out a form with details like title, description, image, price, and a link to the product on your website.
   • Data Feed: Upload a spreadsheet (CSV, TSV, XML) containing all your product information. This is suitable for bulk uploads.
   • Meta Pixel: Install the Meta Pixel on your website to automatically import items from your site and keep them current. This is a more advanced option but very powerful.

Step 4: Submit Your Account for Review

Once you have a connected professional account and a populated product catalog, you need to enable Instagram Shopping and submit your account for approval. Meta does this to ensure you meet their commerce policies.

1. Go to your Instagram profile's Professional dashboard.
2. Tap Set Up Instagram Shopping (this option may vary slightly, such as "Expand Your Shop").
3. Follow the prompts. Instagram will ask you to confirm your business information, website domain, and link to the product catalog you just set up in Commerce Manager.
4. Finally, submit your account for review.

The review process typically takes from a few hours to a couple of days. You'll receive a notification on Instagram once your account has been approved and you're ready to start selling.

Step 5: Turn On Shopping Features and Start Tagging Products

Congratulations! Once you're approved, you can officially start using Instagram's shopping features. The first thing you'll want to do is navigate back to your shopping settings and enable them.

1. Go back to Settings >, Business >, Shopping.
2. Select the product catalog you want to connect to your profile.
3. Tap Done.

Now, the fun begins. You can start tagging your products in posts, Reels, and Stories to create shoppable content.

• For Feed Posts: When creating a new post, tap Tag Products. Tap on the photo to select where you want the product tag to appear, then search for and select the product from your catalog. You can tag up to 5 products per image or video post.
• For Stories: After you've taken a photo or video for your Story, tap the sticker icon and select the Product sticker. Search for the product you want to feature from your catalog. You can customize the sticker's color and text.
• For Reels: After you've filmed a Reel, navigate to the final screen before sharing. Tap Tag Products. Select the products or collection, and the tag will appear as a button at the bottom of your Reel.

Now You're Selling! Best Practices for a Thriving Instagram Shop

Getting your shop linked is just the first step. Now you need to incorporate it into your brand's content strategy. Here are some ways to drive sales and create a compelling shopping experience.

Curate Custom Product Collections

Don't just leave your products in one big list. In Commerce Manager, group related items into Collections (formerly called "Sets"). This allows you to showcase curated themes like "Summer Beach Essentials," "Minimalist Jewelry Picks," or "The Holiday Gift Guide." When users visit your Shop tab, these collections create a boutique-like experience, making it easier for them to browse and discover new items they'll love. You can even tag an entire collection in your shoppable posts.

Make Your Reels and Stories Shoppable

Static feed posts are great, but Instagram's momentum is in video content. Consistently create Reels featuring your products in action - tutorials, behind-the-scenes clips, or quick styling tips. Always use the "Tag Products" feature so viewers can tap and shop instantly. For Stories, use the product sticker to highlight specific items, and pair with polls or question stickers to engage your audience.

Leverage Your Bio and Strong Call-to-Action

Your shop appears through the "View Shop" button in your profile, but you should also direct visitors there explicitly. Update your bio to include a call-to-action like "Tap to shop our new collection 👇" to remind followers. In captions and Reels, verbally encourage your audience: "Shop this look by tapping the product link in our video!"

Host Exclusive Drops and Promotions

Create excitement by announcing "Instagram-only" sales, limited-edition drops, or sneak peeks available solely through your Shop. This fosters loyalty and urgency. Use the countdown sticker in Stories to build anticipation for new releases.

Final Thoughts

Linking a shop to Instagram creates a direct path from discovery to purchase, transforming your social media presence into a revenue driver. Although the initial setup requires attention to detail, following these steps turns your profile into an interactive storefront tailored for your customers.

Consistently creating content that highlights your products is the next milestone. We built Postbase to streamline this task. Visual planning your content calendar ensures your shoppable posts complement your other content. Since Instagram commerce relies heavily on video - Reels and Stories - our platform is designed from the ground up for this video-first world. We help publish your shoppable Reels reliably so you can focus less on managing tools and more on building your brand.