How to Connect Social Channels
Social channels connect your Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram accounts with SOFRIQ Publish. After connecting a channel, you can select publishing destinations and include them in scheduled posts.
A connected account is the social profile authorised through SOFRIQ. A destination is the specific place where a post is published, such as a Pinterest Board, Facebook Page, or Instagram professional, business, or creator account.
The connection process is similar for every supported platform, but Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram have different account requirements and publishing destinations.
Before You Connect a Social Channel
Before opening the Channels page, make sure that you:
- Are signed in to your SOFRIQ account: learn how to create an account or log in to an existing account.
- Can sign in to the social account you want to connect.
- Have permission to manage its Pages or Boards.
- Know which account you want to publish from.
- Have an available connected-account slot in your SOFRIQ plan.
- Have an available destination slot if the selected platform uses Pages or Boards.
If a Facebook Page, Instagram profile, or Pinterest Board belongs to a team or organisation, confirm that your social account has permission to publish to it.
How to Open the Channels Page
- Sign in to your SOFRIQ dashboard.
- Select Channels from the dashboard sidebar.
- Review the available Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram channel cards.
- Select Connect for the channel you want to add.
- Sign in to the selected social platform if you are not already logged in.
- Review the requested access and complete the authorisation process.
Complete the Social Platform Authorisation
Selecting Connect opens the authorisation page of the selected social platform. The platform asks you to approve the permissions required for SOFRIQ to identify the account, load available destinations, and publish your scheduled content.
Review the account and requested permissions carefully before continuing. If you cancel the authorisation request, close the platform page, or do not approve the required access, SOFRIQ cannot complete the connection.
If you are not redirected to SOFRIQ:
- Confirm that you were signed in to the correct social account.
- Confirm that you approved the requested access.
- Return to the SOFRIQ Channels page.
- Select Connect again.
Access granted during authorisation is platform-specific. If SOFRIQ later loses permission to manage an account, destination, or Page, return to the Channels page and reconnect it.
How the Pending Channels Session Works
After you select Connect, SOFRIQ creates a temporary pending channel session. This session protects the connection process while account information and publishing destinations are being prepared.
The Pending Channels process has two important stages.
Stage 1: Authorisation
The authorisation stage lasts 10 minutes. During this stage, you must complete the social platform login and access approval process.
The authorisation session expires after 10 minutes. If you wait too long, close the platform page, or return too late, SOFRIQ will ask you to start the connection again.
Stage 2: Account and Destination Selection
After authorisation succeeds, SOFRIQ loads your accounts and available destinations. The pending account and destination selection page remains available for 15 minutes.
During this stage, you should:
- Review the accounts found by SOFRIQ.
- Select the account you want to connect.
- Review its available publishing destinations.
- Select destinations that fit your plan limits.
- Save the selection before the pending session expires.
If the page expires, the selection is not saved. Return to the Channels page and reconnect the platform to create a new authorisation and selection session.
If Nothing Happens After Authorisation
If your browser does not return to the Pending Channels page:
- Do not close the Channels page while authorisation is running.
- Check whether the social platform showed a permission request.
- Confirm that you selected the approval option instead of cancelling.
- Check that you signed in to the correct account.
- Return to the Channels page and begin the connection again if the session expired.
Select an Account on the Pending Channels Page
The Pending Channels page displays the accounts that SOFRIQ found after authorisation.
Select an account only when you are certain it belongs to the social profile you want to use.
- Check the account name and username.
- Confirm the profile image if several accounts are available.
- Review whether the account is already connected.
- Make sure your plan has an available account slot.
Selecting the account saves its connection identity but does not publish any content immediately. You must also select at least one eligible destination when the platform requires it.
Select Publishing Destinations
Destinations are managed differently for each social platform:
- Pinterest: Select one or more Pinterest Boards.
- Facebook: Select one or more Facebook Pages.
- Instagram: The selected eligible Instagram professional account is the publishing destination.
If a platform provides several destinations, review each destination name before saving. Selecting a destination confirms that scheduled posts may be published there.
Use Select Available Destinations
Use Select Available Destinations when you want SOFRIQ to choose available destinations automatically within the remaining allowance of your current plan.
This option can save time when many destinations are available. Review the selections before saving because not all automatically selected destinations may be intended for publishing.
Plan Limits for Accounts and Destinations
SOFRIQ limits the number of connected accounts and publishing destinations according to your plan.
| Plan | Facebook Accounts | Instagram Accounts | Pinterest Accounts | Facebook Pages | Pinterest Boards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Basic | 3 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 10 |
| Creator | 6 | 10 | 3 | 25 | 25 |
| Pro | 10 | 15 | 5 | 50 | 50 |
Account and destination limits are separate. For example, having available account slots does not guarantee that more Pages or Boards are available. Your destination selection must also fit within the destination limit.
You can review your plan on the SOFRIQ Account page. Pending channel account and destination limits are also displayed before saving your selection.
Save a Channel Selection
Select Save Selection after reviewing the account and destinations. SOFRIQ validates the connection against your remaining plan limits and redirects you to the Channels page.
Confirm that the social account and destinations now appear in the connected channel card.
If saving fails, check that:
- The pending session has not expired.
- You selected an available account.
- You selected the required destinations.
- Your account and destination selections are within the plan limits.
- All required social platform permissions are still approved.
Reconnect or Add More Accounts
Select Reconnect or Add More when you need to:
- Refresh expired or changed platform permissions.
- Add another social account within the plan limit.
- Load a newly created or newly shared Page or Board.
- Restore access to a profile that stopped publishing.
- Review destinations that were removed or changed on the social platform.
Reconnect the channel, complete authorisation, review the Pending Channels page, and save the updated account and destination selection.
Common Channel Connection Problems
Authorisation Session Expired
Authorisation sessions expire after 10 minutes. Reconnect the channel and complete the social platform login and approval before the authorisation stage ends.
Account Selection Session Expired
After authorisation, account and destination selection is available for 15 minutes. If it expires, reconnect the channel and create a new Pending Channels session.
Account Limit Reached
A channel cannot save a new account after the plan's connected-account limit is reached. Disconnect an unused account or upgrade the plan.
Destination Limit Reached
Facebook Pages and Pinterest Boards have separate destination limits. Disconnect unused destinations or upgrade the plan before adding more.
Authorization Cancelled
Authorisation may be cancelled by closing the platform approval page or declining access. Start the connection process again and complete the requested approval.
Social Account Permissions Changed
Reconnect the channel if a Page, Board, account, or profile is missing. Reconnection refreshes account availability and ensures that the required permissions are approved.