Hey there, WordPress site owner! If you‘ve recently found your embedded Facebook and Instagram posts disappearing or showing errors, you‘re definitely not alone.
In this guide, I‘ll break down exactly what‘s causing the issue and walk you through how to fix it step-by-step. By the end, you‘ll have your social media content showing up good as new!
Understanding the Facebook/Instagram oEmbed Changes
First, some context. For years, embedding Facebook and Instagram content in WordPress was a breeze thanks to a standard called oEmbed.
You could just paste a link to a public social media post, and bam – WordPress would automatically pull in and display that content from Facebook‘s API. Super handy, right?
Well, in 2020, Facebook threw a wrench in that. They changed their API to require a Facebook developer account and an access token to retrieve any content.
That meant WordPress‘ baked-in oEmbed feature for Facebook and Instagram could no longer work. So in WordPress 5.5.2, core developers made the call to remove the feature entirely. (Source)
The Impact on WordPress Sites
So what does this mean for you and your site? If you were using the classic oEmbed method to embed Facebook or Instagram content, those embeds are now kaput. Instead, you‘re seeing errors like:
Failed to get Instagram metadata. Either Instagram is down or unavailable.
Yikes. Not a good look for any site, especially if you had a lot of embeds.
Just how many sites are we talking? Well, WordPress powers over 40% of all websites (Source), and Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular social platforms embedded.
So while exact numbers are hard to pin down, it‘s safe to say this impacted millions of websites. Talk about a major disruption!
How to Fix Facebook & Instagram Embeds in WordPress
Alright, on to the solutions! There are two main ways you can get your Facebook and Instagram content showing up correctly again:
- Fix individual post embeds with Smash Balloon plugins
- Embed dynamic Facebook/Instagram feeds with Smash Balloon plugins
I‘ll walk you through both, step-by-step. But first, you‘ll need to install the relevant free plugin(s):
- Smash Balloon Social Post Feed for Facebook content
- Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed for Instagram content
These plugins handle all the complex API authentication stuff in the background, so you can get back to easily embedding content without being a developer.
Fixing Individual Facebook & Instagram Embeds
Have a specific Facebook or Instagram post you need to embed? No problem.
- Open up the page/post in the WordPress editor
- Delete the old, broken embed
- Click the "+" button and search "Facebook" or "Instagram"
- Select the Smash Balloon block that appears
- Paste in the URL of the Facebook/Instagram post
- Click "Embed" then "Publish/Update"
Boom! Just like that, the Facebook/Instagram post will be properly embedded again.
Rinse and repeat for any other specific post embeds you need to fix up.
Embedding Facebook & Instagram Feeds
Want an always-up-to-date feed of your latest Facebook or Instagram content? Smash Balloon has your back.
After installing the relevant plugin:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- For Facebook: Facebook Feed > All Feeds
- For Instagram: Instagram Feed > All Feeds
- Click "Add New" to create a feed
- Customize feed settings like:
- Number of posts
- Display type (list, grid, carousel, etc.)
- Show/hide likes, comments, caption, etc.
- Style your feed to match your site‘s look
- Copy the provided shortcode
- Paste it wherever you want the feed to appear!
Some quick data on why embedded social feeds are so powerful:
- 91% of people believe social media content is more authentic than traditional marketing (Source)
- Websites with social media content can see a 650% engagement increase (Source)
- Social proof can increase conversions by 15% on average (Source)
So by adding fresh, embedded social content, you‘re tapping into some serious benefits for visitor trust and engagement.
Creating a Social Wall
For the ultimate social media mashup, you can combine Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube content into one unified "social wall".
The Smash Balloon Social Wall plugin makes this a snap:
- Install the plugin and go to your dashboard: Smash Balloon > All Walls
- Click "Add New" to create a wall
- Choose which platform feeds to include (you‘ll need to set these up first with the individual platform plugins)
- Customize layout, styling, number of posts, etc.
- Embed the wall with the provided shortcode
A social wall is an eye-catching way to leverage the power of social proof. 79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions. (Source)
Tips & Best Practices for Facebook/Instagram Embeds
We‘ve covered the technical side of fixing and embedding social content. But to really harness the power strategically, keep these tips in mind:
1. Quality Over Quantity
Don‘t just embed social posts for the sake of it. Curate content that:
- Reinforces your brand and messaging
- Inspires, educates, or entertains your audience
- Drives meaningful action (engagement, following, subscribing, buying, etc.)
Every embed should have a clear purpose that aligns with your goals.
2. Diversify Your Content Mix
Embedded social content is great, but it shouldn‘t be the only thing on your site. Aim for a healthy balance of:
- Original website content
- User-generated content from social media
- Curated content from trusted third-party sources
This mix helps establish your unique value while leveraging social proof.
3. Keep Embeds Up to Date
Unlike a feed that updates automatically, individual post embeds will show outdated content if you edit or delete the source post on Facebook/Instagram.
To avoid this:
- Regularly audit your site for any outdated/irrelevant embeds
- If updating a post, also update the embed URL
- If deleting a post, also delete the embed from your site
- Consider using short-life embeds (e.g. Stories) sparingly
|————|——|——|
| Individual Post | Full control over placement and context | Have to manually update if source post changes |
| Feed | Automatically updates with new posts | Less control over individual post placement |
| Social Wall | Eye-catching mashup of content | Need to style carefully to avoid looking cluttered |
4. Have a Backup Plan
Social media is always evolving. There‘s no guarantee Facebook/Instagram will maintain the current API setup forever.
To mitigate risk:
- Keep Smash Balloon plugins updated for compatibility with any API changes
- Periodically export your Facebook/Instagram content for backup
- Build your own repository of social content (e.g. graphics, videos) that you can host and embed independently as needed
That way, you‘re not totally reliant on third-party platforms for your embedded content strategy.
Wrapping Up
Phew, that was a lot! I know the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed changes caused some major headaches. But I hope this guide has shown you the way forward.
With the right tools and strategies, you can get your broken embeds fixed and even take your embedded social content to the next level.
Just remember:
- Use Smash Balloon plugins to easily fix and feed Facebook/Instagram content
- Curate social embeds thoughtfully and strategically
- Keep embedded content fresh and relevant
- Have a contingency plan for social media changes
You‘ve got this! Now go forth and embed with confidence.
Cheers,
Kristen at Smash Balloon
P.S. Want to keep boosting your WordPress social media game? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more expert tips and tricks!
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