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Spotlight Instagram Feeds Review: Making Instagram Work For You

Setting up Spotlight was completely effortless and it looks amazing right out of the box. Its premium features blew me away. From filtering and moderation to a Link in Bio feature that replaces the likes of Linktree, it’s a no-brainer for all creators and brand marketers.

This article was written by our experts using our in-depth analysis methodology.

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Table of Contents

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Finding the right Instagram feed plugin for your WordPress site can be time-consuming. There are so many plugins out there that do this job.

Not only do you want a plugin that pulls over your Instagram feed, but you also want it to be personalized to fit your site and brand. In this Instagram feeds plugin review, I am going to share an inside look at Spotlight.

Let’s see how this Instagram feeds WordPress plugin stacks up and what features it offers.

Full disclosure: The Spotlight plugin is developed by RebelCode Ltd, the parent company behind WP Mayor, but this review was performed independently by Erin Higgs and the below conclusions are her own.

Getting Started with Spotlight Instagram Feeds

Spotlight Instagram Feeds Plugin Homepage

Spotlight is an easy-to-use and highly customizable solution to adding your Instagram feeds effortlessly to your WordPress site. It takes only a few minutes to set up and you can tailor it to fit your website. It is responsive and looks amazing on any device.

Plus, it’s SEO-friendly and accessible. The Instagram content is pulled directly to your WordPress site, allowing it to be crawled by search engines. The content and captions improve your overall SEO, and the developers kept accessibility in mind throughout the interface.

If you are looking for a simple way to showcase your Instagram feed directly on your WordPress site, you can give Spotlight a go for free.

There are also paid versions of Spotlight that offer even more extras which we’re going to take a look at later on.

For example, Spotlight PRO allows you to filter your feeds by caption or hashtag, moderate what posts you show, and you can even create Link in Bio and shoppable Instagram feeds, making your feed link out to wherever you want.

Having the ability to do these things are great for showcasing podcasts, recipes, product, affiliate links, the latest content, and the list goes on.

How to Set Up Your First Instagram Feed

First, let’s take a look at the free version, and then we will dive into the paid version exploring how to create a Link in Bio page.

1. Install Spotlight

Download Spotlight directly from your WordPress site. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New. In the search bar, type in β€œSpotlight”. Click Install Now, then Activate the plugin.

Install Spotlight

Alternatively, you can download the Spotlight plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory. Click the Download button. Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. Click Choose File, select the .zip file that was downloaded, select Install Now, and then Activate it.

2. Create your first Instagram feed

Creating your first Instagram feed for your WordPress site is just a few clicks away.

Type of Feed

Navigate to Instagram Feeds > Feeds in your Dashboard menu. In the onboarding wizard, select My Instagram Posts and click the Next Step button.

Type of Instagram Feed

Pick a Template

Pick the template you want: classic, gallery, solo, or row. Then click the Next Step button and continue to click the Connect & customize button. You can customize these templates in the next steps.

Pick a Template

Connect and select an Instagram account

Select the Instagram account that you want for this feed, or connect a new account.

If you choose a personal account, a popup will appear asking you to give permission to connect your Instagram account to the Spotlight plugin. Follow the prompts to connect it.

If you choose a business account, which is free and gives you access to more features, a popup will appear asking you to give permission to connect your related Facebook page/Instagram account to the Spotlight plugin. Follow the prompts to connect it.

You can connect more than one Instagram account with this plugin, both in this step and in its account management area, which we’ll look at later on.

Design Instagram feed

Under the design tab, there are a number of features you can customize: layout, feed options, appearance settings, feed header, follow button, and load more button.

Customize your Instagram Feeds

Make your necessary customizations and then click Save in the top right-hand corner.

Name your feed and select Save.

Save Instagram Feed

3. Embed Feed

Now you can embed your feed on your WordPress website. Navigate to the Embed tab up top, to see the options.

On any post or page, you can simply search “Spotlight” in the blocks section of the WordPress editor. Once selected, you can choose the appropriate feed.

Additionally, you can copy the shortcode to use on any page or post, or embed it as a WordPress widget in the Widget area of your site.

4. Manage your Instagram accounts

On your left-hand WordPress dashboard menu, go to Instagram Feeds > Settings. Here you can manage and connect multiple personal or business Instagram accounts and view their details.

Since Instagram’s API doesn’t provide the profile photo and bio text for personal accounts, Spotlight enables you to add custom ones within the plugin to match your account on Instagram.

You can even connect your client’s Instagram account using the Spotlight Access Token Generator without needing your client to share their login credentials with you.

How to Create a Link in Bio Page

Being able to drive traffic to your website or blog posts is a great way to convert your Instagram followers into website followers.

You can easily do this by creating a Link in Bio page on your WordPress site in just minutes. This feature takes away the need for a third-party Link in Bio service while allowing your new Link in Bio page to blend in seamlessly with your website. Not to mention the SEO and website traffic benefits!

Using the Spotlight PRO version, I’m able to create a Link in Bio Instagram page on my WordPress site in just a few clicks. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how it works, plus highlight some of the other PRO features.

1. Choose the type of feed: Link in Bio

After installing, activating, and inputting the license key, you can jump right into the plugin to create a Link in Bio page. On your left-hand WordPress dashboard menu, go to Instagram Feeds > Feeds > Create a new feed.

Here you can choose the type of feed you want. Select Link in Bio and hit the Next Step button. 

2. Choose the template design

Choose the Link in Bio template design and click the Next Step button. 

Then select the Connect & customize button.

3. Connect your Instagram account

Select the Instagram account that you want for this feed, or connect a new account.

Connect Instagram account

Additionally, you can show posts where your account is tagged and show public Instagram posts with a hashtag of your choice, such as from a hashtag campaign that your marketing team put together.

4. Design

Under the Design tab, there is a multitude of features you can customize: layout, feed options, appearance setting, feed header, popup lightbox, captions, likes and comments, follow button, and load more button.

Designing your feed to fit your current brand or website is made easy with so many customizations.

5. Filter

Select the Filter tab. This is where it gets fun! Here you can filter exactly what you want to be seen in your feed.

For example, let’s make a recipe feed. I am going to filter the word “recipe” in my Instagram feed, so now all Instagram posts that have “recipe” in the caption are shown.

Filter your Instagram Feeds

Here you can also hide posts with certain words and phrases, and filter posts using hashtags as well.

6. Moderate

Navigate to the Moderate tab. Here you can fine-tune your selection even more by hiding specific posts, or by selecting the best posts.

Moderate Instagram Feeds

7. Link in Bio

Select the Link in Bio tab. Now that the selection of the feed has been decided, each post can now be linked.

Choose the link source, click behavior, how the link opens, promotions to apply, and popup link text. Additionally, link options can be made to each individual post.

Set the Link source option to Link in caption and Spotlight will automatically find the URL you added to your Instagram post caption, instantly linking your embedded post to it. This automation will save you a ton of time in the future.

8. Save and Name Feed

Click Save in the top right-hand corner. Name your feed and select Save.

9. Create a Page and Embed Your Instagram Feed

Now that the feed is saved, you can embed your feed on any page or post. On any post or page, you can simply search “Spotlight” in the blocks section of the WordPress editor. Once selected, you can choose the appropriate feed.

You can also embed your Instagram feed easily using Elementor. Search the Elementor widgets for “Spotlight”. Drag and drop the Widget where you need it, and select the feed you wish to display.

Now you have a beautifully curated Instagram Link in Bio feed that takes your audience directly to your website.

Link in Bio Instagram Feed

Spotlight Pricing: Affordable and Worthwhile

There is a free version of Spotlight. It gives you the ability to try out the plugin or use it if you need only basic functions. If you want to further get an idea of how the premium Instagram feed features work, check out the demo.

There are three tiers of pricing for Spotlight. So which one is right for you? Let’s take a closer look at what each tier offers.

Essentials (For all the basics you might need)

The Essentials plan ($39) is perfect for anyone that wants to beautifully and seamlessly display their Instagram account on their WordPress website. The Spotlight Essentials plan features:

  • Unlimited IG accounts
  • Unlimited feeds
  • Smart optimization
  • Automatic post backups
  • 10+ pre-built templates
  • Full customization
  • Show captions and likes
  • Popup sidebar
  • Instagram slider
  • Instagram stories
  • Elementor integration

PRO (To get the most out of your Instagram content)

The PRO plan ($59) is ideal if you love what the Essentials offer, but you need the ability to customize your Instagram feed even further with: 

  • Link in Bio template 
  • Shoppable Instagram
  • WooCommerce integration
  • Hashtag feeds
  • Tagged post feeds
  • Combined feeds
  • Caption filtering
  • Hashtag filtering
  • Moderation

Performance (To track engagement and growth)

The Performance plan ($79) is an excellent choice if you need to dive deep into the analytics of your Instagram feeds. It offers everything the Essentials and PRO plans do, plus:

  •  Instagram account insights
  •  Instagram post insights
  •  Feed engagement analytics
  •  Feed promotion analytics
  •  Google Analytics integration
  •  Media management

The license for the plugin is for one WordPress site, however, you can upgrade any of the above plans for 3 sites, 20 sites, and unlimited sites for an additional fee. 

Premium support is also included with all three Spotlight pricing tiers, and there is free support available too. The team is very much praised for their 5-star support on the plugin repository.

Plus, Spotlight offers a 14-day double money-back guarantee so if you choose not to use it in the first 14 days, you can get all your money back.

Level Up Your Instagram Feeds with Spotlight

This review highlights the effortless setup of Spotlight’s Instagram feeds. Plus, its ability to look amazing right out of the box makes choosing this plugin a no-brainer. 

I was most impressed by the Link in Bio PRO feature. Having the ability to pull your Instagram followers to your website without using a 3rd party website, like Linktree, is a huge feature. Additionally, this plugin has similar functions that allow you to make your Instagram feed shoppable and it integrates flawlessly with WooCommerce.

I was completely surprised by the PRO version’s ability to moderate and filter your Instagram feeds. This allows you to completely customize what your feed displays, and make it more relevant to your website’s aesthetics.

Finally, being able to drop your Instagram feed on any page or post with just a click of a mouse makes creating a world where your Instagram and WordPress live together a reality.

Take a look at their Instagram feed showcase for some inspiration too – whether you’re an independent creator or a big brand, Spotlight has everything to need to put your Instagram content to work.

Erin is a self-taught WordPress developer and designer, who enjoys writing and exercising in her spare time.

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