Free guide
Instagram and Facebook glossary
110 terms explained in plain words: Instagram and Facebook features, Meta’s messaging rules and API, metrics, marketing and selling. Each entry lists its sources.
Instagram features · 30
- Active statusActive status is the setting that lets certain people see when you’re online (“Active now”) or when you last used Instagram (“Active 3h ago”).
- Alt textAlt text (alternative text) is a written description of an image that screen readers read aloud, so people who can’t see the photo know what it shows.
- ArchiveArchive is a private section of your Instagram account that holds posts you’ve hidden from your profile and Stories that have expired. Only you can see it.
- Blue check (verified badge)The blue check is Instagram’s verified badge: a sign that Instagram has confirmed the account really belongs to the person or brand it names.
- Broadcast channelA broadcast channel is an Instagram chat where one account posts updates to everyone who joins; members can react, reply and vote in polls but can’t post.
- Business accountA business account is Instagram’s professional account type for shops, brands, organisations and service providers, with insights, ads and contact options.
- CarouselOne Instagram post made of several swipeable images or videos, with a single caption and a single comment thread. Meta’s publishing docs cap it at 10 items.
- Close FriendsClose Friends is a list of people you pick on Instagram. Stories, Reels and Notes you share to it are seen only by the people on that list.
- Collab postA collab post is one Instagram post or Reel co-authored by two or more accounts, shown on each profile with a single shared set of likes and comments.
- Creator accountA creator account is the Instagram professional account type for public figures, artists, influencers and content producers. It’s public and includes insights.
- Engagement baitA post that pushes people to like, comment, share or tag mainly to inflate its numbers and reach. Facebook says it demotes posts that do this.
- Explore pageInstagram’s Explore page shows posts from accounts you don’t follow, ranked mainly by how popular a post is and what you have engaged with before.
- Green dotA green dot on someone’s photo in your Instagram or Messenger chats means they’re in the app right now. When they leave, it becomes a note like “Active 20m ago.”
- Hidden WordsAn Instagram setting that filters DM requests and comments containing offensive or unwanted words, phrases or emojis, using Instagram’s list, your own list, or both.
- HighlightsCollections of your past Instagram Stories, each with a cover and a name, shown as circles under your bio. They stay on your profile until you remove them.
- Instagram algorithmThe ranking systems that decide what each person sees on Instagram. Instagram says there is no single algorithm: Feed, Stories, Explore and Reels each rank differently.
- Link in bioA phrase and a habit: posts and Stories say “link in bio” to send people to the web address on the poster’s Instagram profile, where visitors can tap it.
- Meta VerifiedMeta Verified is Meta’s paid subscription for Instagram and Facebook profiles: a verified badge, impersonation protection, support access and some profile extras.
- MuteMute hides an account’s posts, Stories or Notes from you, or silences a chat’s notifications, without unfollowing them. The account isn’t told.
- NotesInstagram Notes are text updates of up to 60 characters, shown above your profile picture and at the top of the inbox for 24 hours; replies arrive as DMs.
- Personal accountAn Instagram account that is neither Business nor Creator. You can switch back to it from a professional account, but apps built on Meta’s APIs cannot connect to it.
- Pinned commentA comment fixed at the top of a post’s comment thread so it is seen first. Instagram describes it as a way to set the tone for your account and highlight good comments.
- Professional accountA professional account is an Instagram Business or Creator account. It can’t be private, and it is the type Meta’s APIs, and so most auto-reply apps, require.
- Profile gridThe profile grid is the area of an Instagram profile where a person’s posts appear as small tiles in rows, so a visitor sees many of them at a glance.
- Reels RemixAn Instagram feature for making a Reel that includes part of another creator’s Reel or photo, so you can react to it, add to it or answer it with your own clip.
- RepostOn Instagram, a repost shares someone else’s public Reel or feed post with your followers, keeps the creator credited and lists it on your profile.
- RestrictRestrict quietly limits one Instagram account: their comments on your posts are hidden from others, and they can’t see when you’re online or have read their DMs.
- ShadowbanThe belief that Instagram secretly hides an account’s posts from others. Instagram denies doing it on purpose, but some content is kept out of recommendations.
- Story mentionA Story mention tags an account by its @username in an Instagram Story. The account is notified, sent a DM with a preview, and can usually reshare it.
- Story replyA Story reply is a private message sent from an Instagram Story to the person who posted it, arriving in their DMs with a preview of that Story.
Facebook and Meta ads · 13
- Click-to-Messenger adsAds that open a Messenger conversation with your Facebook Page when someone taps them, instead of loading a website. The first message is a greeting you can customise.
- Conversions APIA Meta connection that sends your website, app, messaging or offline events from your server or CRM to Meta, to measure outcomes and improve ad targeting.
- Custom AudienceAn ad audience built from people you already know, such as customers or visitors, which Meta matches to its users from data you supply, or from events you share.
- Facebook groupA community space on Facebook where members post and talk around a topic, run by admins and moderators. A Page is different: it is a brand’s public presence.
- Facebook MarketplaceA part of Facebook where people list items for sale and search for things listed by others nearby, then message each other to agree a deal.
- Facebook PageA public Facebook presence for a business, brand or creator, managed by people with roles. It is separate from a personal profile and is what messaging tools connect to.
- Facebook ReelsShort vertical videos on Facebook. Through Meta’s API they can be published to Pages only, at 3 to 90 seconds, in a 9:16 ratio.
- Lead adsFacebook ads with a built-in form, so people can sign up without leaving the app. The contact details they submit are stored against your Facebook Page.
- Lookalike AudienceAn ad audience of new people who resemble a seed group you supply, such as customers. Meta builds it for one country, from the top 1% to 20% most similar.
- Messenger PlatformThe Messenger Platform is Meta’s free API that passes messages sent to a Facebook Page, or a linked Instagram account, to an app and lets the app reply.
- Meta Business SuiteMeta Business Suite is Meta’s free tool for managing a Facebook Page and an Instagram account together: posts, Stories, messages, comments, insights and ads.
- Meta PixelA snippet of JavaScript on your website that reports visitor actions to Meta, so you can measure ads, define custom audiences and analyse conversion funnels.
- Page rolesThe levels of access people can hold on a Facebook Page: Admin, Editor, Moderator, Advertiser and Analyst, from full control down to viewing reports.
Messages and DMs · 11
- Generic template (message cards)A generic template is a DM card with a title, an optional image and subtitle, and up to three buttons. Up to 10 cards in one message make a carousel.
- Hidden requests folderThe hidden requests folder is where Instagram files DM requests with offensive or scam-like wording, or words you chose to hide. Help pages now call it the spam folder.
- Human agent tagThe human agent tag marks a message as written by a person, so a business can reply up to 7 days after a customer’s last message instead of 24 hours.
- Ice breakersIce breakers are up to four frequently asked questions a business shows in its Instagram or Messenger chat. Tapping one starts the conversation.
- Message requestA message request is a DM from someone outside your chats. It waits in a separate requests folder until you accept it, delete it or block the sender.
- Persistent menuA persistent menu is a set of buttons a Facebook Page keeps available in its Messenger chats, linking to things like opening hours, products or support.
- Private replyA private reply is a single DM that an Instagram professional account or Facebook Page sends someone because of their comment, within 7 days of it.
- Quick repliesQuick replies are up to 13 buttons attached to a business’s message. Tapping one posts its words as the person’s reply, and the buttons disappear.
- Read receiptsA read receipt tells the sender you’ve opened their message: “Seen” under an Instagram DM, or a tiny copy of your profile photo under a Messenger message.
- Response timeResponse time is how long a customer waits between messaging your business and getting your reply, usually measured to your first reply.
- Vanish modeVanish mode lets people send disappearing messages, photos and videos in an Instagram chat. They disappear when someone leaves the chat or turns vanish mode off.
Automation and Meta's API · 14
- Advanced AccessAdvanced Access lets a Meta app request a permission from any user, not just its own team. Each permission or feature is approved separately in App Review.
- API rate limitAn API rate limit caps how many requests an app may make to a service in a set period, such as 750 private replies an hour for one Instagram account.
- Business verificationBusiness verification is Meta’s check that a business is a real, registered company. Apps need a verified business behind them to get Advanced Access.
- ChatbotA chatbot is software that answers messages automatically, either by following rules you set, like keywords and buttons, or by writing replies with AI.
- DM keywordA DM keyword is a word or phrase, such as PRICE or MENU, that sets off an automatic reply when someone sends it to your account in a direct message.
- Follow gateA follow gate holds back what an Instagram auto-reply promised, such as a link or a free guide, until the person follows the account that sent it.
- Inbox automationInbox automation is a set of rules that act on incoming DMs by themselves: replying, asking follow-up questions, labelling chats or handing them to a person.
- Instagram API with Instagram LoginThe Instagram API with Instagram Login lets apps work with an Instagram professional account that signs in with Instagram, without a linked Facebook Page.
- Instagram-scoped ID (IGSID)An IGSID is the ID Meta’s Instagram API gives someone who messages a professional account. Apps receive their DMs, reply and look up their profile with it.
- MCP serverAn MCP server is a program that offers a service’s actions and data to AI apps through the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use them when you ask.
- Meta App ReviewMeta App Review is the check an app must pass, permission by permission, before it can use Meta’s APIs for people outside its own team.
- OAuth loginOAuth lets an app act on your account without your password: you approve specific permissions on the account’s own site, and the app receives a token.
- Page-scoped ID (PSID)A PSID (page-scoped ID) identifies a person in their Messenger chats with one Facebook Page. Apps reply to it, and every Page sees a different PSID.
- WebhookA webhook is an automatic HTTP request one app sends to a URL you choose whenever an event happens, such as a new comment, so nobody has to keep checking.
Metrics · 12
- Click-through rate (CTR)The percentage of people who clicked or tapped after seeing an ad, link or button: clicks divided by the number who saw it, times 100.
- Conversion rateThe percentage of people who finished a chosen goal, such as buying or signing up, out of everyone who could have: conversions divided by visitors, times 100.
- Cost per leadThe average you spend to collect one lead, such as a sign-up or an email address. Work it out as total spend divided by the number of leads.
- CPCCost per click: the average you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Work it out as total ad spend divided by the number of clicks.
- CPMCost per mille: the average amount you pay for 1,000 impressions of an ad. Work it out as total spend divided by impressions, multiplied by 1,000.
- Follower growth rateThe percentage change in followers over a set period: gained minus lost, divided by the starting count, times 100. It lets you compare growth across account sizes.
- ImpressionsImpressions are the number of times content or an ad was shown on a screen, counting repeat showings to the same person. Reach counts the people instead.
- Profile visitsThe number of times your Instagram profile was opened. It shows curiosity after someone sees your content, before they follow, tap a button or visit your link.
- ReachReach is the number of unique accounts that saw a post, Reel or Story at least once. An account that sees it again doesn’t add to it.
- ROASReturn on ad spend: revenue attributed to your ads divided by what you spent on them. A ROAS of 3 means three units of sales for every one unit of ad spend.
- SavesThe number of times people bookmarked your post or Reel to come back to later. You see it as a count in your insights, and it is one of the interactions Meta reports.
- SharesThe number of times people passed your post, Reel or Story on to others. Meta reports shares as its own metric, separate from likes, saves, comments and reposts.
Marketing · 16
- Affiliate linkA product link carrying your personal tracking code. If a click turns into a purchase, the seller pays you a commission, and your audience should be told about it.
- Brand ambassadorSomeone who represents a company over a longer period, usually by using and promoting its products to their own audience. Payment can be money, products or a commission.
- Branded hashtagA hashtag created for one business, campaign or community, such as its name or slogan, that people add to their own posts so the brand can find and collect them.
- Call to action (CTA)A prompt that tells your audience the next step, such as Sign up, Book now or Comment GUIDE. It can be a button in an ad or words in a post or video.
- Content calendarA schedule of the posts, Reels and Stories you plan to publish, with the date, format, caption and goal for each, so your account does not run on last-minute ideas.
- HashtagA word or phrase written with a # in front and no spaces, such as #sourdough. It labels a post so people can find other posts about the same topic.
- Influencer marketingA way to promote a product by working with creators who have their own audience, paying them, gifting them or sharing sales, so their followers see it from them.
- Lead generationCollecting contact details from people who show interest in what you offer, so you can follow up. A lead is that person; generation is how you get them.
- Lead magnetA lead magnet is a free resource, such as a checklist, template or short lesson, offered in exchange for contact details like an email address.
- Marketing funnelThe steps a person takes from first seeing your content to becoming a customer, drawn as a funnel because fewer people reach each next step.
- Micro-influencerA creator with a relatively small but focused audience, often in one niche, whom brands work with because their followers tend to know them and listen.
- Nurture sequenceA planned series of messages sent after someone shows interest, each one answering the next question they are likely to have, until they are ready to decide.
- Social proofEvidence that other people already use or trust something, such as reviews, testimonials, customer photos or sales counts, which helps a new visitor decide.
- User-generated content (UGC)Content such as photos, videos and reviews made by your customers or fans, not by your brand, and later shared or featured by the brand with the creator’s consent.
- UTM parametersTags added to a URL, such as utm_source and utm_campaign, that tell an analytics tool which source, medium and campaign sent a visitor to your page.
- Whitelisting (partnership ads)A brand runs ads that appear to come from a creator’s own handle, after the creator has approved it. Meta’s name for this is partnership ads.
Selling and payments · 14
- Abandoned cartAn abandoned cart is an order a customer started, by adding a product or reaching checkout, and left before paying. Sellers often follow up by email to bring them back.
- Booking linkA web link to a page where people choose an open time on your calendar and book it themselves, so you do not have to agree a slot by message.
- CheckoutThe final step of a purchase, where the buyer reviews the order, enters payment details and confirms. It can sit on your site or in a payment provider’s window.
- Coupon codeA coupon code is a short code a buyer enters at checkout for a discount, such as a percentage or fixed amount off, with limits the seller sets, like an expiry date.
- Digital productA product delivered online as a file, a link or access to content, so nothing is shipped. Guides, templates, presets, courses and audio are common examples.
- Instagram ShopA storefront inside Instagram that shows products from a catalog connected to your account. Where buyers pay can differ: in the app or on your own website.
- Payment gatewayA payment gateway is the service that securely passes a customer’s payment details from your checkout to their bank and returns the result, so you know it was paid.
- Product carouselA swipeable row of cards where each card shows one product, usually with an image, a name and a button. It lets people browse several items in one place.
- Razorpay RouteA Razorpay product for splitting incoming payments among several linked accounts, such as sellers on a marketplace, and managing their transfers and settlements.
- RefundA refund returns some or all of a customer’s payment to the method they paid with. Online it can take days, can be partial, and once issued usually can’t be cancelled.
- SubscriptionA recurring payment set up once: the customer is charged automatically every week, month or year for a plan until they cancel or the payments fail for good.
- UPIUPI (Unified Payments Interface) is India’s instant bank-to-bank payment system: you pay from a phone app using a UPI ID or QR code and confirm with your UPI PIN.
- UpsellAn upsell is an offer at the point of purchase for a pricier or upgraded version of what the customer is already buying, such as a yearly plan instead of a monthly one.
- WaitlistA list of people who have asked to be told, or to go first, when something becomes available: a sold-out product, a launch not yet open or a place that is full.
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