How do I make Instagram posts and marketing content with MONA?

Quick answer: click Marketing in the sidebar, connect your Instagram account, then use Create to pick a photo or video, write the caption (or click Write with your agent to have MONA draft it in your voice), and click Schedule post. For a multi-photo post, build a carousel of 2 to 10 project photos. MONA publishes approved posts to Instagram on schedule, and Calendar shows everything queued, posted, or waiting for your approval.

Marketing is where MONA works as your social media manager: it plans your Instagram, drafts posts from your project photos, and keeps the grid on schedule while you design.

Who can use this

• Every MONA plan includes Marketing, Instagram publishing, carousels, Reels and comment auto-replies.
• Use a computer. The Marketing section sits in the sidebar on desktop. It is not one of the tabs in the MONA iPhone app.
• You need a professional Instagram account (Business or Creator). A Facebook Page is not required.
• Publishing and scheduling do not use credits. Work you hand to MONA, such as caption drafts and slide edits, draws from your credit pool.

How do I connect Instagram?

1. Click Marketing in the sidebar.
2. In the Instagram connection card, click Connect Instagram.
3. Sign in to the Instagram account your studio posts from and allow access.
4. Back in MONA you see Instagram connected, and the header shows your @handle next to Instagram.

The same card is in Settings, then Integrations. One connection powers both publishing and comment auto-replies. Use Disconnect to remove it or Connect another to add a second account.

How do I make a single Instagram post?

1. In Marketing, click + New post, or open the Create tab.
2. Under media, pick one of your recent Library images or click the + tile to upload a photo or video. Photos are formatted to Instagram’s 4:5 portrait size automatically, and iPhone HEIC photos are converted for you.
3. Write the caption, with hashtags inline. The counter shows how much of the 2,200-character limit you have used. Or click Write with your agent on an uploaded file and MONA drafts the caption in the voice from your Brand settings.
4. Set the date and time. If MONA shows a Best time chip, tap it to use that slot.
5. Choose how to finish:
   • Schedule post publishes at the time you picked.
   • Save as draft sends it to your approval queue on the Calendar.
   • Post now publishes in about two minutes.

The phone preview on the right shows how the post will look in the feed before you commit.

How do I build an Instagram carousel?

1. Open Create and click + Create carousel on the Build an Instagram carousel card.
2. Give it a name, then click + Upload photos or Pick from Library. Add between 2 and 10 images.
3. Drag the slides into order.
4. To change a slide, select it and click Ask MONA, then describe the edit, for example "brighten this slide" or "remove the cable clutter". MONA edits it in place and keeps the original, so Revert puts it back.
5. When the status line reads ready to send, click Send to Approve queue.
6. Open Calendar, review the caption and time, and approve it.

Instagram rejects carousels that mix aspect ratios, so keep every slide the same shape. Carousels are images only.

How do I review and approve posts?

The Calendar tab shows your week or month with every post marked Scheduled, Publishing, Posted, Failed or Pulled. On the right, Needs approval lists drafts from you, from carousels and from MONA.

1. Click a draft to open Review draft.
2. Edit the caption and the Publish time.
3. Click Approve. Approved posts publish automatically.

Changed your mind? Click Pull back on a queued post any time before it goes live. The Grid tab shows how upcoming posts will sit in your profile grid.

How do I get MONA to plan and draft posts for me?

• Strategy. Click Strategy in the header, then Analyze account. MONA reviews your account and writes an Account strategy for what to post and how often. Add notes or questions and click Request changes, then Approve plan when it reads right.
• Library. In the Library tab, upload your project photos. MONA scores each one for how well it would perform, then Generate N posts turns the best into captioned drafts for your approval.
• Chat. In any MONA chat, click + and choose Instagram post under Studio, or just ask, for example "draft three posts from the Tribeca loft install". MONA shows the exact images and caption and only publishes after you confirm in the chat.

Can MONA make Instagram Reels?

Yes. Under Reel templates in the Create tab, choose a template that fits your photos and clips and click Make this reel. MONA assembles the Reel and its caption for you to review. You can also upload your own video in Create: .mp4 or .mov, 3 to 90 seconds, up to 100 MB.

For trimming and arranging clips yourself, open Video Edits under Marketing in the sidebar.

How do comment-to-DM auto-replies work?

Open Automations and click New keyword automation. Set a Trigger word (for example SOURCING), an optional Link to send, and the DM copy. Choose whether to listen in Post & reel comments, Story replies, or both. When someone comments the word, MONA sends them the DM. An automation shows Active, Paused or Not firing so you can tell when Instagram has not granted messaging access.

Where do I see results?

The Analytics tab shows Followers, Reach (30d), Engagement rate and Comments (30d), plus your top posts once your Instagram insights sync.

What about email newsletters and audiences?

Under Marketing in the sidebar, Audiences builds a list of your contacts for an email campaign and exports it as a CSV for your email tool. MONA does not send bulk email itself. For the monthly blog post and newsletter workflow, see How do I publish a monthly blog post and newsletter with MONA?.

What it does not do (yet)

• Instagram only. There is no publishing to Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok or LinkedIn from Marketing.
• No Stories. MONA publishes feed posts, carousels and Reels.
• No video in carousels. Carousel slides are images.
• No paid ads. Running Meta ads from MONA is not available yet.

If a post cannot publish, the draft card offers Copy caption and Download image so you can post it by hand, then Mark posted to keep the Calendar accurate.

Want a hand?

To set up your Instagram connection, strategy and first week of posts together, book a 30-minute setup call at calendly.com/mona-justin/30min.

Related articles

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• How do I add my logo, colors, and fonts to MONA documents?
• Can MONA build my interior design website?

Frequently asked questions

Can MONA post to Instagram for me?

Yes. Connect your Instagram account in Marketing and MONA publishes scheduled and approved posts, carousels and Reels to it automatically. Nothing posts until you schedule it or approve it.

Does MONA write Instagram captions?

Yes. In Create, click Write with your agent and MONA drafts a caption for the photo or video you uploaded, in the voice you set in Settings, then Brand. You can edit it before scheduling.

What kind of Instagram account do I need?

A professional Instagram account, either Business or Creator. You do not need a Facebook Page. If your account is personal, switch it to professional in the Instagram app first.

How many photos can an Instagram carousel have in MONA?

Between 2 and 10 images, the same limit Instagram sets. Carousels are images only, and the slides should share one aspect ratio.

Does posting to Instagram use credits?

Scheduling and publishing posts does not use credits. Work you ask MONA to do, such as writing captions, editing a carousel slide or chatting about strategy, uses credits like any other MONA agent work.

Can I approve posts before they go live?

Yes. Drafts land in Needs approval on the Calendar tab. Open one, edit the caption and publish time, and approve it. You can pull a queued post back any time before it goes live.

Can MONA make Instagram Reels?

Yes. In Create, the Reel templates rail turns your project photos and clips into a Reel, and you can upload your own video of 3 to 90 seconds as a .mp4 or .mov file up to 100 MB.

Can MONA send email newsletters?

MONA builds the audience and the newsletter content, and you export the list as a CSV to send from your own email tool. See How do I publish a monthly blog post and newsletter with MONA.