In order to import the comments on an Instagram post published on a business profile, apps like Easypromos need to connect to the Facebook API to be able to retrieve all the comments.

However, there are four possible cases where the Facebook API doesn't give access to retrieve all the comments, which results in a difference between the number of comments that Easypromos has imported for the giveaway and the comments that Instagram show in the post.

Note: We recommend that you take the step of importing the comments from a laptop computer instead of a mobile device, and make sure that you don't lose connection and you don't close the browser.

Below we explain these four cases in detail:

1. Issue related to the Instagram API pagination system

2. Comments from sponsored posts

3. Discrepancy between the number of comments displayed publicly and the number of comments indicated by the Instagram counter

4. Replies to comments on the post

1. Issue Related to the Instagram API Pagination System

Since September 2024, we have noticed an increase in incidents related to importing comments from Instagram for giveaways. In some cases, the process stops before it is completed, and fewer comments are imported than expected. Interestingly, the number of imported comments is always a multiple of 50 (e.g., 50, 200, 450, 2550, etc.).

Why is this happening?

This issue is related to the Instagram API's pagination system, a tool provided by Meta for importing comments.

The Instagram API returns comments in blocks of 50 using a pagination system. Under normal conditions, the process requests new pages until there are no more left. However, we have noticed that unexpectedly, the API stops returning more pages, causing the system to assume that all comments have been imported.

This behavior is an internal error in the Instagram API, the exact cause of which Meta has not explained, although it may be due to technical issues or platform updates. It is worth noting that, when trying again later, the API sometimes responds correctly with complete pages.

How to resolve the issue and complete the giveaway?

When this happens, the only solution is to repeat the comment import process for the post. To do this, you need to delete the current giveaway and recreate it, so the system attempts to import all comments again.

The number of imported comments may be the same, higher, or lower, but it will always be a multiple of 50. If the issue persists, we recommend repeating the process after a few minutes or hours.

For full information on this issue and how to resolve it, please refer to the guide here.

2. Comments from sponsored posts

By default, the Facebook API allows to import comments made on the organic post. If the post has been sponsored, comments that are made on the sponsored post are not automatically included. However, Instagram adds the comments made on the sponsored post in the comment counter that shows on Instagram.

How to resolve the issue and complete the giveaway?

With the "Multi-Network Giveaway" you can add the comments coming from sponsored posts by selecting the Facebook Ad.

Learn how to do it in this tutorial.

3. Discrepancy between the number of comments displayed publicly and the number of comments indicated by the Instagram counter

In some occasions we have observed that there is a discrepancy, in some cases an important one, between the number of comments that Instagram shows publicly in the post and the number indicated by the Instagram counter. This discrepancy becomes evident when the comments of the post are counted manually, by displaying all the comments on the post and manually counting them. When doing the manual count, the number of comments obtained does not correspond to the number that Instagram indicates in its counter.

From Easypromos we have checked with Instagram the reason for this discrepancy. Instagram confirms that this discrepancy may exist and may be due to two possible reasons:

1. User privacy settings.
2. For being comments considered spam/offensive.

In both cases, Instagram directly hides or removes these comments.

Therefore, the visible and valid comments will be the comments that can be manually counted in the post. This will also be the number of comments that can be imported into the giveaway, even if the Instagram counter shows another number.

4. Replies to comments on the post

Comments that users make on a post are considered first level comments and can be obtained through the Facebook API. But replies to comments are considered second level comments and are not provided by the API. However, Instagram adds these second level comments in the comment counter that shows on Instagram.

In this screenshot you can see an example of replies to a comment on a post that can not be imported to the giveaway: