A recent update to Facebook’s Creator Studio has added a highly requested feature for Instagram power users and marketers: the ability to natively schedule Instagram posts and IGTV broadcasts ahead of time.

The news spread across social media marketing channels earlier this week, but has remained somewhat quiet on the rest of the Internet. Yet, this update is definitely a big deal, removing a major pain point for professional photographers who use Instagram to market their services and spread the word about their brand.

Facebook updated the Instagram API to allow scheduling by third-party applications last year, but all of the current third-party solutions are limited: capable of doing some things but not others. Facebook’s own implementation obviously has none of these limitations.

In an in-depth breakdown on their blog, Later.com explained exactly how the IG scheduling process works. To use the feature, you’ll need to have an Instagram Business account that is linked to a Facebook page. From there, simply click on the Instagram icon at the top of the Creator Studio dashboard and you are given an interface for managing, posting, and scheduling all of your Instagram and IGTV posts.

You can select a posting date and time, add tags and locations, crop your images before posting, and even upload multiple photos to a carousel post. Just like scheduling Facebook posts, Creator Studio will show you all of the posts in your queue so you can change plans after the fact.

If you’re using Instagram casually, this update won’t make much of a difference to you, but we have a feeling professional photographers who use Instagram to find clients and increase the visibility of their business will welcome the update. Assuming they can get past this most recent privacy scandal, that is.

(via Social Media Today)