Quick Post — Camera to Social
The 📸 Post tab in the Lead Inbox lets you snap a photo or record a video on your phone and publish it to your Facebook Page and Instagram in seconds. Perfect for "I just finished this job and it looks great" moments — straight from the field, no laptop required.
You'll find it as the third tab at the bottom of the inbox app, next to 💬 Inbox and 📅 Jobs.
What you can post
| Format | Goes to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Facebook Page feed + Instagram feed | 4:5 portrait, auto-cropped if your photo is a different shape |
| Vertical video (9:16 to square) | Facebook Reels + Instagram Reels | Up to 90 seconds. Best organic reach on both platforms. |
| Horizontal video | Facebook feed video + Instagram Reels | Reels eats horizontal video with letterboxing — vertical is strongly preferred. |
If you only have one platform connected (only Facebook or only Instagram), the post goes to whichever one you've connected. Connect them in Customer Dashboard → Channels if needed.
:::tip Videos publish as Reels Vertical phone videos automatically post as Reels on both Facebook and Instagram. No setting to flip, no separate button — just record vertical and hit Post. Reels reach people who don't already follow your Page, which is how new customers discover you on social. The preview screen shows a "🎬 Will post as a Reel" tag before you publish, and the success screen confirms "Posted as Reel!" so you know exactly what landed where. :::
How to post
From the inbox app on your phone
- Tap the 📸 Post tab (third tab at the bottom)
- Choose your starting point:
- 📷 Take Photo — opens your phone's camera in photo mode
- 🎥 Record Video — opens the camera in video mode
- 📁 Choose from gallery — picks an existing photo or video from your library
- Capture or pick your media
- Photos that aren't already 4:5 will show a quick crop slider — drag to choose what stays in frame, then tap Use this crop
- Pick a starter caption — four options appear under the preview, tuned to your business type (HVAC, roofing, plumbing, etc.). Tap one and the text editor fills in.
- Edit the caption freely, or write your own from scratch
- Pick which channels to post to (only the ones you've connected show up)
- Tap Post now
That's it. The post goes live within seconds on Facebook. Instagram takes 15–45 seconds for the platform to process and publish.
Starter caption ideas
Each post comes with four ready-made caption ideas based on your business type. They're starting points — tap one to fill the editor, then tweak the wording, add specifics about the job, or rewrite entirely.
The four tones:
| Tone | Best for |
|---|---|
| Friendly recap | Warm storytelling — "Just wrapped up another job for a great family in Palm Harbor. Stay cool out there 🧊" |
| Professional | Polished customer-facing content — emphasizes quality, expertise, and trust |
| Quick & casual | Short and punchy — perfect for a feed-stopper photo with one line + a hashtag |
| Direct ask | Drives action — "Need an AC tune-up? DM us and we'll get you scheduled." |
You can always skip the suggestions and write your own. Manual captions are unlimited.
Why post from your phone (and not your laptop)?
Quick Post is built for the moment a job wraps up:
- You're standing next to the work
- The lighting is right
- The customer is happy
- You have 30 seconds before you load up and leave
Most service pros lose this window because they think "I'll post that later from the office" — and later never comes. Quick Post collapses the entire workflow into a single tap-and-go experience so the moment doesn't slip.
For more polished, scheduled content (campaign planning, branded ad creative, scheduled posts at specific times), use the 📷 Upload tab in your Customer Dashboard — it has more options like aspect ratio choice, scheduling, and ad-format support.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Photo file size | 10 MB max |
| Photo aspect ratio | 4:5 portrait (auto-cropped) |
| Photo resolution (minimum) | 1080 × 1350 |
| Video file size | 100 MB max |
| Video duration | 90 seconds max (matches Instagram Reels) |
| Video formats | MP4, MOV (iPhone), WebM |
If your file is over the limit, the app will tell you exactly why so you can pick a smaller one. Phone-shot photos and videos almost always fit without any conversion.
Cost — it's unlimited
Quick Post never counts against your monthly image generation cap. The starter caption ideas are pre-written templates, not AI-generated. Manual captions are also unlimited. Post as many photos and videos as you want — the cap only applies to the AI image generation in the Lead Generation menu of your Customer Dashboard.
Tips for great posts
- Post the moment the job is done. Engagement on social is highest right after work happens, when the result still feels fresh.
- Show the work, not just the truck. "Before and after" gets more reach than logo shots.
- One vertical shot beats three horizontal ones. Hold the phone vertically — both Facebook and Instagram are vertical-first.
- Hold the phone vertical for video. Vertical videos publish as Reels on both Facebook and Instagram, which Meta's algorithm pushes to non-followers (the people most likely to become new customers). Horizontal video still works, but only reaches people who already follow you.
- Tag the city in the caption — "in Palm Harbor" or "in St. Pete" — local prospects are more likely to engage.
- For video: 15–30 seconds is the sweet spot. Long-form video underperforms on social.
Common questions
Can I schedule posts from the inbox app?
Not in this version. Quick Post is "Post now" only. For scheduled posting (Tuesday at 11 AM, etc.), use the 📷 Upload tab in the Customer Dashboard.
Will my videos post as Reels?
Yes — if your video is vertical (taller than it is wide) and 90 seconds or shorter, it publishes as a Reel on both Facebook and Instagram. Horizontal video still posts to Facebook's feed video and Instagram Reels (Instagram doesn't offer feed video for third-party tools, so all IG videos go to Reels).
Reels are the right destination because Meta's algorithm pushes them to people who don't already follow your Page — which is where new customers come from. Vertical phone videos are inherently Reel-shaped, so there's no setup or extra step.
Before you publish, the preview screen shows a tag like 🎬 Will post as a Reel or 📺 Will post as a video on Facebook, Reel on Instagram. After you publish, the success screen confirms what happened.
If you need to find a Reel you just posted, open your Facebook Page → Posts → filter by Reels, or open the Reels tab on your Instagram profile.
How long until a Reel shows up?
- On your own Page: usually within 1–2 minutes of publishing.
- In your followers' feeds: 1–5 minutes after Meta finishes processing.
- In the Reels discovery feed (non-followers): 15 minutes to a few hours. Meta evaluates engagement on your existing audience before pushing a Reel to new viewers, so this part is automatic but not instant.
If a Reel hasn't appeared within 5 minutes, check your Page's Reels tab and the Drafts / Failed filter — occasionally Meta parks a video as a draft if there's a processing issue.
Can I post Instagram Stories?
Not currently — Meta doesn't allow third-party tools to post Stories on Instagram. For "Story-style" content, post a vertical video, which goes to Reels instead.
Will my Quick Posts show up on the Customer Dashboard?
Yes — both AI-generated posts and Quick Posts share the same publish history. You'll see all of them in your Customer Dashboard's social posts list.
What if my Facebook or Instagram isn't connected?
The Post tab only shows platforms you've already connected. If neither is connected, you'll see a banner with a link to set them up. Connect them in Customer Dashboard → Channels.
Does the AI write the caption based on what's in the photo?
No — Quick Post uses pre-written starter captions tuned to your business type (HVAC, roofing, etc.), not based on the specific photo content. This keeps Quick Post free, instant, and unlimited.
Related help articles
- Lead Inbox Overview — what's in the app and where
- How AI Replies Work — the AI behavior on the lead side
- Channels — connecting Facebook and Instagram