Error “Media ID is not available” when using Instagram for Business

Hey there, ​@takahashi26 

The error you’re seeing from the Instagram for Business app, translates roughly to:

“Cannot be published: This media is not ready to be published. Please wait a moment.”

This usually means that Instagram hasn’t fully processed the media (image or video) by the time Zapier tries to post it. Even though the media may appear uploaded on WordPress, there can be a small delay before it’s ready for third-party tools like Zapier to access and publish it.

In this case, can you try replaying the errored run to see if it now goes through?

In case that goes through, here’s what I’d suggest:

Add a delay step between your WordPress trigger and the Instagram action. This gives WordPress more time to recognize and prepare the media file for Instagram.

• You can use the Delay by Zapier app to wait for, say, 2-3 minutes before continuing the Zap.

If you’ve already replayed the run and the issue persists even after a delay, feel free to share a bit more about how the media is being handled in your WordPress post (e.g. are you using featured images? Custom fields?). What do you see when you open the URL directly? That can help us dig in a bit deeper.

Let us know how it goes — we’re here to help! 😊

Thank you very much for your quick reply, ​@abdullahumar 

I tried replaying the errored run and found that sometimes it completes successfully, and sometimes it doesn’t — even when using the same test data. The same behavior occurs when I only replay the Instagram action step.

This makes me think the issue might be related to the Instagram action itself. For example, maybe the post attempt happens before the image upload process is fully completed on Instagram’s side, possibly depending on the image size or upload time.

Is there any recommended way to handle such cases?

For reference, I’m using the image URL stored in a custom field in WordPress. When I open the URL directly, the image displays correctly without any issue.

Hi there,

Thanks for the reply. Laura here picking this one up, I would be happy to help further!

I've taken a look at the Zap's Instagram for Business step, and I noticed it's currently using an older version, indicated by the version number beside it. To understand whether this may be related to the errors, could you try updating to the latest version Instagram For business App, then publish your Zap to see if the error still remains? 

This error may be fixed in the latest version.

Let us know how it goes!

Thank you for your suggestion. ​@laura.giles 

You’re correct that the previous Zap runs were using the older version. I’ve now updated to the latest version of the Instagram for Business app and tested again, but unfortunately the same behavior persists.

Could you please let me know if there’s anything else I should verify or adjust to further investigate this issue?

Hi ​@takahashi26 , thanks for following these steps!

If the issue is intermittent and the replay works, I’d recommend enabling Autoreplay in the account or Zap: https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496241726989-Replay-Zap-runs

This way, the errors will be automatically retried later without needing manual intervention. 

However, if that doesn’t solve the issue, I’d recommend opening a ticket with us here, so we can look into the logs and see exactly what is causing the issue: https://zapier.com/app/get-help.

Let us know if that helps 😊

Thank you for your response. ​@Daniela_Paulo 

I think enabling Auto Replay is a helpful idea, so I’ll start by implementing that. However, since I still don’t fully understand the conditions under which the error occurs, I’m a bit concerned that relying on automatic retries might not be a reliable long-term solution.

Ideally, I’d like to identify the root cause of the error and how to prevent it entirely.

I also tried uploading smaller images in case the file size might be related, but the issue still occurs intermittently even with smaller files.

Do you have any suggestions for further troubleshooting or possible causes?

I’m currently experiencing the same problem. Tried adding a delay but it didn’t work

Hi ​@takahashi26, ​@takahashi and ​@Dynamate  - I’m really sorry to hear that you’re all running into these “Could not publish media file. Media ID is not available: Unable to publish: This media is not ready to be published.” errors. 

It looks like this issue is likely related to a problem on Meta’s side, which was discussed in their developer forum here: https://developers.facebook.com/community/threads/1111116517263885/. It’s marked as resolved, but based on the discussion in the thread, it still seems to not be fixed.

If you haven’t already, I’d recommend reaching out to our Support team to flag this. They’ll be able to open a bug report so we can investigate on our side and work on ways to help prevent those intermittent errors. 

Keep us in the loop on how you get on with our Support team!

First, replace the problematic image source with a publicly accessible URL, ensuring reliable image retrieval. Utilize the renaming feature to create a more descriptive and meaningful image filename, which enhances organization and traceability.
To prevent potential connection issues, re-authenticate your Instagram (Facebook) connection in Zapier to generate a fresh access token. This step is crucial for maintaining seamless integration and resolving potential authentication-related disruptions. The token regeneration ensures that your workflow has the most current and valid credentials for accessing Instagram platforms.

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Hi,

The error you’re seeing translates to: “This media is not ready to be published yet. Please wait a moment.” It usually happens when Instagram hasn’t fully processed the media before Zapier tries to post.

Try these steps: check that your image/video meets Instagram’s requirements, add a short delay (1–5 minutes) in your Zap between WordPress and Instagram, and reauthorize your Instagram Business account in Zapier.

Also, test with a single manual post to isolate the issue, and ensure the “Zapier for WordPress” plugin is fully compatible with your WordPress and PHP versions.

If the problem persists, it may be on Instagram’s API side sharing task logs with Zapier support can help resolve it.