Instagram story data is not automatically tracked in Traackr, as this is considered private data and is restricted by Meta. We have 2 main methods of tracking and measuring the performance of Instagram stories. Firstly, a creator can grant Traackr permission to track this data through the Instagram Graph API by a process called authentication, whereby creators connect to Traackr's creator portal. Secondly, story content (excluding first-party metrics) can be captured via Traackr's manual tracking service.
Method 1: Instagram Authentication
Instagram Stories are ephemeral, and in order for these to be tracked permanently on Traackr, a creator needs to grant the platform access to their Story data.
This is a Meta requirement. It's important to note that the user must have either a Business or Creator account, as well as have this account connected to a Meta page. You can read more about Creator and Business accounts on Instagram's Help section.
Instagram authentication is processed through Studios, our creator collaboration platform. For a creator to connect their Instagram account to Traackr*, they will first need to sign up for a Studios account.
*Note that creators only need to authenticate once with Traackr for their stories to be tracked until the end of the 60-day period. This means that if a creator already authenticated through a different brand, you won't need to ask them to connect their Instagram account in order for you to get access to their stories and insights. We explain further down below how to see if an account is connected.
Invite Creators to sign up to Studios
Invite Creators to sign up to Studios
Once you have set up a Studios in your settings, you can send an invite to the creator(s) you wish to have authenticated in one of two ways:
Copy and paste your unique Brand domain URL (found on the Brands page under Edit Settings > Information) and send it to the creators.
Select creators in the Profiles tab of your campaign and use the bulk email option with our dynamic variables to input the Studios Invite link and send this email.
(Selecting the Instagram OAuth Link option will send creators to a generic Studios page, not your specific Brand profile page).
You can also choose to include the option for creators to Authenticate within a Creative Brief.
By receiving an invitation to your Studio, creators will be prompted to sign up if they do not already have a Studios account.
How can Creators connect their Instagram Account?
How can Creators connect their Instagram Account?
From the Studios account settings, creators will have the option to connect their (Business or Creator) Instagram account to Traackr.
In their Social Accounts tab, clicking Connect next to the Instagram account they used to sign up will trigger the authentication process.
This will take creators to Facebook where they will be able to connect their (Business or Creator) Instagram accounts to Traackr:
Here is a help post that explains the authentication workflow that you can share with your creators if they have any questions.
How do I know if an account is connected?
How do I know if an account is connected?
When your partners have connected their Instagram account to Traackr, you’ll be able to see a visual indication inside their profile under the Footprint tab. A link icon next to their Instagram channels signifies that they successfully authenticated and we are now tracking their Instagram Stories.
You can also check across your campaign or CRM to see which of your creators have successfully authenticated by using the following filter: Social Presence > Instagram Auth Status > Authenticated.
This will provide you with the list of creators currently connected to Traackr.
Method 2: Manual Campaign Story Tracking
The second option to track Instagram stories is Traackr's manual story-tracking service. This is a paid feature that allows Traackr to capture the content of your creators' stories for any creator that is included within a campaign. This will only capture the content of those stories, not any first-party metrics as this would still be private data. Only creators who have been added to a campaign where this setting has been turned ON will have their stories captured. This is why you will occasionally see story content for some of your creators who have not been authenticated.
Influencers will have their IG story content tracked for the duration of the campaigns they are in, as long as this toggle has been turned ON. Any influencer not a part of a campaign in your account where the IG story tracking is enabled, will not have their IG story content tracked. This tracking cannot be done retroactively.
Can Instagram Story metrics be tracked via manual tracking?
Once Instagram content has been captured in your campaign data, you can manually add any metrics for these stories. This is a great option if your creators are used to sending you screenshots of their story data, as you can then ensure this data is included in your campaign performance. You can edit the metrics of a post by heading to the content tab, finding the relevant post using the filters and clicking on the three dots in the top-right corner of the post:
If you have any questions about any of this, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us through the in-app chat, or at support@traackr.com.
📚 Check out the Paid Campaigns course on Traackr Academy to learn more!