Instagram Actions

Applications that support Instagram actions:

• Competitions
• Rewards
• Galleries

The Instagram visit action allows you to ask a user to check out a specific Instagram profile. This action will send the user externally to that profile where they are free to optionally engage.

This is the backend view of the action. You only need to enter the username of the account or the complete Instagram URL for the profile.

This is the public view of what the action will look like to the end user. Users only need to click the action to visit the Instagram profile.

The View a Post action type allows you to ask users to check out a specific photo, video, or reel on Instagram without having to leave the widget. Engaging with the post is completely optional.

In the admin area you must include the full URL to the Instagram post containing the photo, video, or reel you want to include in the action.

Users will be able to hover to see the image before they click to give intent to open it.

Once they click the action it will expand to show them the full photo, video, or reel. They are free to engage with it as they see fit, we do not force or ask the user to take any other actions.

The Follow on Instagram action sends users to your Instagram profile, where they can choose to follow you.

Since following isn't something Instagram lets us verify automatically, we recommend also offering an alternative entry method.

If you use the Visit a Profile or View a Post actions, users who'd rather not follow can still engage with your content and earn an entry.

In the admin area you must include your username or the full URL to the Instagram profile.

Users will be able to visit your Instagram profile, followed by a verification step where they have to enter their IG username to proceed.

Note: Instagram's API doesn't allow third-party apps like Gleam to verify a follow automatically. We can only confirm the user visited the profile and capture the username they entered. You'll need to manually cross-check the winner's Instagram handle against your followers before announcing them.

The Comment on Instagram action sends users to a specific Instagram post or reel, where they have the option to leave a comment.

Since the Instagram API doesn't let us verify a comment automatically, users are asked to submit their Instagram handle so you can manually confirm they commented when picking a winner.

In the admin setup, paste the full URL of your Instagram post or reel. This ensures users are sent directly to the correct content.

Users will be prompted to add their Instagram handle to complete the action, which you can use for manual verification or reporting purposes.

On the entry screen, users are prompted to visit your Instagram post or reel, leave a comment, and then submit their Instagram handle to continue.

Note: Instagram's API doesn't allow us to verify a comment automatically. This is the same limitation as the Follow action. We can only confirm the user visited the post and capture the handle they submit, so you'll need to manually check that against the actual comments before announcing a winner.

On the Business plan and above, you can use Import Comments to pull real comments from your post directly into Gleam as entries instead, with no self-reported handle or manual verification needed.

Instagram content collected through your campaign can also be showcased in a Gallery. This is a separate Gleam app for displaying (and optionally moderating) submitted photos and videos. See the Galleries documentation for setup details.

You can use these actions to grow your following and engagement on Instagram by using this template:

The following actions are no longer available due to Instagram API changes or platform policy. They remain visible (greyed out) in the dashboard in case any are reinstated.

The Instagram Entry action allows you to award an entry for logging into Instagram within the widget. This can be a great way of ensuring that you are able to identify the Instagram @profile of all users that enter your campaigns.

The Select a Photo or Video action type allows you to accept photo submissions from a user's Instagram feed as an entry into a contest or to unlock a reward.

Note: While images can no longer be submitted directly via the widget, you can still pull photos, videos, or reels tagged with a specific hashtag, or that mention your business page, into your campaign using Instagram imports. Import actions are available on the Business plan and above. See Import via Instagram.

The Like a Photo or Video action let users earn an entry for liking a specific Instagram post from within the widget.