Facebook Reels API
What changes when publishing a Reel instead of a standard post to a Facebook Page via API.
By André LugMeta's dedicated Reels Publishing API is a three-phase flow: video_reels with upload_phase 'start', an upload to the returned URL, and 'finish' with a video_state of DRAFT, SCHEDULED, or PUBLISHED. Through PostGate, a vertical video goes through one POST /api/posts as a standard Page video — Facebook surfaces qualifying vertical video as a Reel on its own; the dedicated endpoint's SCHEDULED draft/review workflow isn't available through PostGate yet.
Meta ships a dedicated Reels Publishing API for Facebook Pages: a three-phase flow — video_reels with upload_phase: "start", an upload to the returned URL, then upload_phase: "finish" with a video_state of DRAFT, SCHEDULED, or PUBLISHED. It exists because Reels have their own spec and their own moderation path, separate from a normal Page video post.
Through PostGate, publishing that same vertical, short-form video to a Page still goes through the one POST /api/posts call — PostGate attaches it as a standard Page video rather than driving Meta's separate video_reels endpoint. In practice Facebook surfaces a qualifying vertical video in the Reels format on its own; if you specifically need the video_state: "SCHEDULED" draft/review workflow that only the dedicated Reels endpoint exposes, that isn't available yet through PostGate.
What does Meta's Reels spec actually require?
Publish a vertical video to a Page
curl -X POST "https://postgate.studio/api/posts?profile_group_id=grp_acme123" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTGATE_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: reel-launch-001" \
-d '{
"post": { "body": "New drop, 20 seconds." },
"profiles": ["pro_facebook789"],
"media": ["https://cdn.example.com/reel.mp4"]
}'Permissions are the same as any Page post
CREATE_CONTENT capability, sourced from pages_show_list, pages_read_engagement, and pages_manage_posts. Nothing extra beyond what any Facebook Page connection through PostGate already grants — see Facebook Page access token.Do Reels carry their own posting cap?
Frequently asked questions
What are the video requirements for Facebook Reels?
Meta’s Reels publishing guide lists an MP4 file, 9:16 aspect ratio, roughly 3 to 90 seconds long, minimum 540×960px (1080×1920 recommended), 24–60 fps, H.264 or H.265, and AAC audio at 128 kbps or higher. Treat the duration ceiling as a moving target — Meta has adjusted Reels length limits before, and different surfaces don’t always agree on the number, so verify against the live docs before hard-coding a cutoff.
Does PostGate use Meta's dedicated video_reels endpoint?
No — PostGate attaches a vertical, short-form video as a standard Page video through the one POST /api/posts call, rather than driving Meta’s separate video_reels endpoint. In practice Facebook surfaces a qualifying vertical video in the Reels format on its own; if you specifically need the video_state: "SCHEDULED" draft/review workflow that only the dedicated Reels endpoint exposes, that isn’t available yet through PostGate.
What permissions do Facebook Reels require?
Meta’s Reels endpoints require a Page access token with the CREATE_CONTENT capability, sourced from pages_show_list, pages_read_engagement, and pages_manage_posts. That is nothing extra beyond what any Facebook Page connection through PostGate already grants.
How many Reels can I publish per Page per day?
Meta caps Reels publishing at 30 API-published Reels per connected Page within any rolling 24-hour window — a spam-prevention limit, not a call-volume one. It stacks on top of the usual Facebook API rate limits, so a burst of scheduled Reels for one Page needs to respect both.
