Social Channels Integration

Connect Instagram and Facebook to receive direct messages and mentions as feedback, and reply directly from your dashboard.

Supported Platforms

Both platforms are connected through a single Meta Business Login flow.

How It Works

Direct Messages

1. A customer sends a DM to your Instagram or Facebook Page
2. The message appears in your UserHero dashboard as feedback
3. Follow-up messages within 15 minutes are grouped into the same conversation thread
4. Your team can reply from the Customer Thread — the reply is delivered on the same platform

Mentions

1. A customer mentions your Instagram or Facebook Page in a post or comment
2. The mention is captured as a new feedback item with a link to the original post
3. Your team can reply — the response is posted as a comment on the original post

Prerequisites

Before connecting, you need:

• A Meta Business Account with Business Verification completed
• A Facebook Page for your business
• For Instagram: an Instagram Business Account linked to your Facebook Page
• Admin access to the Facebook Page

Setup

Step 1: Enable Social Channels

1. Go to Workspace Settings → Integrations
2. Find Instagram and/or Facebook and toggle them on

Step 2: Connect with Meta

1. Go to your project Settings → Integrations
2. In the Instagram or Facebook section, click "Connect with Meta"
3. Log in with your Meta Business account
4. Select the Facebook Page to connect
5. Grant the requested permissions
6. Click "Continue" to complete the connection

Both Instagram and Facebook are connected at the same time through this single flow. If your Page has a linked Instagram Business Account, both platforms will be connected automatically.

Step 3: Configure Capture Settings

After connecting, you can choose what to capture:

• Direct Messages — toggle on/off per platform
• Mentions — toggle on/off per platform

Step 4: Verify the Connection

• DMs: Send a direct message to your Page from a personal account. It should appear as feedback within seconds.
• Mentions: Mention your Page in a post. It should appear as new feedback shortly after.

Receiving Messages

Direct Messages

DMs create feedback items with:

• The message content
• Sender's name and profile picture
• An Instagram or Facebook source badge on the feedback card
• Customer Thread automatically enabled

Mentions

Mentions create feedback items with:

• The post or comment content
• A link to the original post (click "View original post" to see it)
• The author's username
• An Instagram or Facebook source badge

Media Attachments

Supported media types are automatically downloaded and attached to the feedback:

Conversation Grouping

When a customer sends multiple DMs within 15 minutes, they are grouped into the same feedback thread. This prevents inbox clutter from rapid messages.

After 15 minutes of inactivity, the next message creates a new feedback item.

Mentions are not grouped — each mention creates a separate feedback item.

Replying to Customers

Replying to DMs

1. Open an Instagram or Facebook DM feedback item
2. In the Customer Thread, type your reply
3. Click the platform-colored Send button
4. The customer receives your reply as a DM

Replying to Mentions

1. Open a mention feedback item
2. In the Customer Thread, type your reply
3. Click Send — the reply is posted as a comment on the original post

Token Management

Meta access tokens expire after 60 days. UserHero automatically manages token refresh:

• Tokens are checked daily
• Tokens within 7 days of expiry are automatically refreshed
• If a token cannot be refreshed, the connection is marked with a "Token Expired" badge and the workspace owner is notified via email
• To reconnect, go to your project Settings and click "Connect with Meta" again

Disconnecting

To disconnect a social channel:

1. Go to your project Settings → Integrations
2. Find the Instagram or Facebook section
3. Click "Disconnect" and confirm

A connection may also be disconnected automatically if:

• The access token expires and cannot be refreshed
• The workspace is downgraded to a plan that does not include Social Channels
• The connection is manually disconnected

Troubleshooting

Connection Stalls During Setup

If the Meta login popup closes without completing:

• Check that pop-ups are not blocked by your browser
• Make sure you're logging in with an account that has admin access to the Facebook Page
• Try again — Meta's popup can occasionally time out

Messages Not Appearing

• Verify the integration is enabled in Workspace Settings
• Check that "Capture DMs" or "Capture Mentions" is toggled on
• Ensure the connection status is "Active" (not "Token Expired")
• Send a test DM to confirm the connection is working

Replies Not Delivered

• Check that the connection status is "Active"
• DM replies require the conversation to still be open on the platform
• Mention replies require the original post to still exist and allow comments
• Verify your message is within the character limit

Token Expired

If you see a "Token Expired" badge:

1. Go to your project Settings → Integrations
2. Click "Connect with Meta" to re-authenticate
3. Complete the Meta login flow to restore the connection