How to share a repost on instagram

Ways to Reshare Content From Other Users

Instagram is a powerful social media platform to help increase brand reach and drive new business, but it can be time-consuming and expensive to consistently share content you need to see your engagement grow in the long-term — which is why you should learn how to repost on Instagram.

In this post, we'll show you different free ways to repost on Instagram in a few simple steps. But before diving in, let’s discuss why reposting on Instagram can benefit your brand.

Why should your brand repost on Instagram?

Instagram is one of the largest social media sites on the market. With over one billion monthly active users, brands that incorporate the site into marketing strategy can reach larger audiences and gain visibility faster over other social media channels.

And with an audience like that, you want to consistently post high-quality content — but that can take time, effort, and resources that may not fit your budget just yet. Since most marketers post between 3-4 times per week, you should have a backlog of content to keep up with demand.

Additionally, user-generated content (UGC) performs exceptionally well. In fact, 90% of consumers say UGC holds more influence over their buying decisions than promotional emails and even search engine results.

For instance, consider the power of Warby Parker reposting this funny image from one of its customers, @cjronson:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Warby Parker (@warbyparker)

Not only does the image likely appeal to Warby Parker customers, but it ultimately made Warby Parker marketers' jobs easier — they didn’t need to create that content in-house.

Reposting to Instagram can help you highlight brand endorsements from your customers, brand loyalists, and employees. UGC is typically considered more trustworthy since a consumer isn't gaining anything by promoting your product or service (unless it's an advertisement) — they're just doing it to tell their audiences that they like your product.

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How to Repost on Instagram

Instagram allows you to repost other users’ Reels and posts to your own Instagram Story using its native reposting functionality. However, it has its limits: It doesn’t let you repost to any permanent part of your Instagram profile, including your feed, Reels, or videos.

In other words, Instagram only lets you temporarily share someone else’s content for 24 hours max. If you do want to keep it permanently, you can add it to an Instagram Story Highlight.

If you’re looking to add a post to your permanent feed and credit the original creator, read about how to do that in the next sections. For now, let’s learn how you can repost content to your Story and add it to your highlights.

1. Navigate to the post, Reel, or video you want to repost.

First, find the right content to share with your followers. You can do this through several avenues:

Search for industry hashtags and repost popular posts by other brands and influencers
Search for branded hashtags, which will show you user-generated content made by your customers and fans
See the posts you’ve been tagged in and repost any that align with your brand
Find brands that you admire and repost the content that most aligns with your brand

Remember that you can only repost content from users and brands with public profiles.

Note: You can also repost other people’s Stories, so long as you’re tagged in them. You can find those who’ve mentioned you in their Story in your Direct Messages.

2. Click the paper airplane symbol on the post or Reel.

On photos and videos, the button will be located next to the Like and Comment buttons.

On Reels, it will be located between the Comment button and the three dots.

3. On the pop-up menu, click “Add post to your story.”

A pop-up will appear with several options. If you’re sharing a post, you have the option to add it to your story, reply to the poster (if they allow replies), or send the post via Direct Message to anyone you’ve messaged recently.

Similar options appear when you try to share a Reel.

Click Add post to your story or Add reel to your story.

4. Tap to show and hide the post’s caption.

Next, you should see a draft of your story.

You have the option of either showing or hiding the caption. Simply tap the post to toggle between the two.

5. Add text, stickers, hashtags, and other elements.

To get the most engagement possible and align the repost with your brand, spruce up the story with text and other elements. You can even add a link or a call-to-action. Learn how to customize your Instagram Story here.

6.

To share, click “Your Story.”

It’s time to finish your repost. At the bottom, click the button that says “Your Story” at the bottom. This will automatically share it with no additional action required.

You also have the option to click "Close Friends", if you only want a select group to view your story. Last, if you click the right-hand arrow, you’ll see additional options to share the post via DM or with your close friends.

7. Add the shared post to your Highlights.

While Instagram doesn’t allow you to share posts directly to your permanent feed, you can add it to one of your Highlights, which will remain permanently on your profile. Learn how to create Highlights here.

Here’s one example from a stationer called MARK+FOLD:

With Stories, the same best practices should be followed as for sharing a post. If you don’t know the person and suspect the content you’d like to re-share might be licensed material, ask for permission first. Give credit to the original posters whenever possible.

How to Repost on Instagram Using a Screenshot

Take a screenshot of the Instagram post you want to use.
Tap the new post button located on the top right corner, select post.
Resize the photo in the app.
Edit and add filters of your choice.
Add a citation.
Add a caption.
Click share on the top right corner.

The screenshot method doesn't require other websites to repost on Instagram. It's worth nothing that this method only works for reposting photos, not videos.

Here's how to do it.

1. Find a photo on Instagram you'd like to repost, and take a screenshot with your phone.

For iOS: Press down on the home and lock buttons simultaneously until your screen flashes.
For Android: Press down on the sleep/wake and volume down buttons simultaneously until your screen flashes.

2. Tap the new post button.

Once you've got your screenshot, return to your Instagram account. Tap the "new post button" in the top right of your Instagram screen (the plus sign inside a square).

Then select "Post" (other options include "Story" "Reels" or "Live").

3. Resize the photo in the app.

Keep in mind that your phone will take a screenshot of everything on your screen, not just the photo you want to repost. So, be prepared to crop the sides of the screenshot to capture just the image you want to share with your followers.

After you've cropped or resized the photo to your liking (by pinching the image and then widening your fingers apart), click "Next" in the top-right of your screen.

4. Edit and add filters of your choice.

Edit and filter the post like you would any other Instagram post.

5. Add a citation.

The repost won't include a citation, so we suggest adding one by typing "@ + [username]" to credit the original poster with the photo you're reposting.

6. Add a caption.

At the top you'll see a preview of your post along with space for a caption. You can choose to tag people or organizations, and add a location.

7. Click share.

Once you've finished customizing the post with the options above, click share at the top right corner. The post will be live.

Here's how the finished product looks:

Pro Tip: When reposting content through screenshots, make sure you properly tag or give credit to the original content owner either within your story by linking to their account, or in the description of a post or reel.

Best Apps for Reposting on Instagram

1. Repost: Posts, Stories, Reels

Price: Free with in-app purchases

Image Source

For Instagram for iOS or Android. The app integrates directly with Instagram so you can share content from other Instagram users from your mobile device.

If your brand’s Instagram profile follows a distinct brand style guide, Repost can help you customize your reposts to adhere to those guidelines. Users can pick from 50+ different text styles and symbol art to create eye-catching captions to capture more attention.

2. Reposta

Price: Free

Image Source

For Instagram for iOS or Android. Reposta for Instagram is a straightforward way to repost your favorite photos and videos on Instagram while giving credit to the original poster.

When you find something you want to repost in Instagram, simply copy the share URL and open Reposta. Then in Reposta, you can position the attribution mark and send the reposted media back to Instagram.

3. DownloadGram

Price: Free

DownloadGram lets social media users download high-resolution copies of content to repost from their own accounts on channels like Instagram and Twitter.

There’s no app you need to download to repost using this process, instead you can copy and paste the URL to download video, photos, reels or stories to repost via PC.

Share Your Favorite Instagram Posts

Now that you've learned how to repost on Instagram, you can diversify your profile with content sourced from friends, family, and brands. Use the methods above — being sure to cite the source of the original post — to quickly and easily reshare your favorite content.

This article was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Two Easy Ways To Reshare Content

In this post, we’ll share exactly how to repost on Instagram.

One of the best aspects of social media is being able to share something with your followers, but other social media platforms make reposting a bit easier.

On Twitter, you can retweet. On Facebook, there’s the option to share a post. And on Instagram, you can repost, which is essentially a way to share a picture from another Instagram user with your followers.

Though reposting isn’t an official feature of Instagram’s apps or website, it’s something that many brands and users have been doing for a while now. And it’s a tactic that has delivered great success, too. Here at Buffer, reposting was a key factor in our growing our Instagram audience by over 400%.

Learning how to repost on Instagram is the key to taking your marketing strategy on the photo-sharing platform to the next level. We’d love to help get you started! Keep reading for advice and tips on the best ways to add reposting to your social strategy and the ideal workflows for doing it quickly and efficiently.

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You can now schedule Instagram carousel posts directly in Buffer! Learn more today.

How to Repost on Instagram

First things first, before you repost…

With other social networks, reposting is a native feature that comes baked into the product experience and expectations. On Instagram, since this isn’t a native part of the app, there needs to be an additional step:

Before you repost, it is best to get permission from the original poster so that you can repost their work with credit.

You can do this in a few ways:

Send the original poster a direct message on Instagram.
Comment on their photo to start the conversation.
Connect via email to iron out the details and get explicit permission.

Reposting has been around as a strategy on Instagram for quite some time, long before tools like Buffer for Instagram came around. Third-party apps allowed for particular repost functions, often including watermarks or @-mention credits on the reposted photo. The absolute simplest way, though, was with a screengrab of the original post — a process that can still be replicated today.

Here’s how to manually repost photos in four easy steps:

1. Screenshot a photo

Open Instagram, find the photo you’d like to repost with your audience, and take a screenshot of it.

2. Upload your screenshot to Instagram

Once you have your image saved to your camera roll, tap on the plus-sign icon within Instagram, hit post, and select your screenshot as you would any other image you want to share on Instagram.

3. Resize the image

Next, you’ll want to resize your post so that only the image remains. You can do this using the resize functionality within Instagram, or if you’d like to crop before you upload the photo, this can also be done using your phone’s photo editing functionality.

4. Add a caption

Be sure to credit the original source of the image within your caption and tag their account using their Instagram handle (@buffer, for example).

How to repost to your Instagram Story

You can also repost someone else’s original content to your Instagram Story. You’ll need to be on the app to do this, but the process is the same from Android to iPhone. To repost content to your story, follow these steps:

Tap on the paper airplane icon on the post or video you want to share.
Tap on the option to add this to your story.
Customize your post with the text, effect, and caption options in the top-right corner.
Tap the arrow in the bottom-right corner, and make sure “Your Story” is selected,
Hit the share button,

Keep in mind that this won’t work with a private account or with ads; only those set to public will let you share their content on your own account.

What happened to the Instagram reshare sticker?

In 2021, Instagram tested and scrapped a new feature: the reshare sticker. It required users to navigate to a “recently viewed” tab if they wanted to repost someone else’s content to their story. Feedback wasn’t positive; the new feature meant users had to stray from their feed if they wanted to share something, which just made the process more complicated.

Why reposting can be important for brands

Instagram has become an incredibly important network for brands. In fact, 48.8% of brands are on Instagram. And by 2017, this figure is predicted to rise to 70.7%.

Instagram is used by more than 200 million businesses and 1 billion monthly users.

Instagram has become an incredibly important network for brands. There are over 200 million branded business accounts on the platform, as well as around 1 billion monthly users worldwide.

Instagram offers a prime opportunity to engage with your customers. Your audience is there, ready, and expecting to interact with you. The vast majority of people — 90%, in fact — follow at least one brand on Instagram. One in two people have discovered new brands using the platform, and 63% of people say they’ve formed meaningful connections with companies using Instagram. And with social commerce on the scene, 44% of users said they use Instagram to shop on a weekly basis.

But how does reposting come into play here?

People tend to trust user-generated content (aka UGC) more than they trust branded posts. Consumers are twice as likely to see user-generated content as authentic — and that authenticity directly influences their purchasing decisions.

How we use reposting at Buffer
Here at Buffer, we’ve also made reposting a key part of our Instagram strategy and this tactic has helped us to significantly grow our account. In under 3 months after implementing a user generated content campaign on Instagram, our account grew by 60% – 5,850 to 9,400 followers and counting.

How reposting can fit into your Instagram strategy

Here are three ways to make reposting a part of your strategy.

1. Share UGC from events and milestones

Live events, meetups, and talks are great times to create and curate content. If you’re running your own event, or maybe a member of your team is giving a talk at a conference, this is a golden opportunity to repost some content on Instagram.

Addressing big milestones or celebrating key moments can also be a great strategy to inspire your followers to share some user-generated content.

Coachella sometimes features UGC to generate hype for their music-loving fans. For instance, they shared an incredibly creative video from artist Rudy Willingham that showcases headlining performer Harry Styles:

Coachella shares UGC from fans

2. Monitor brand mentions, tags, and hashtags

Your Instagram notifications can also be a great source of user-generated content. Keep an eye out for any new mentions and tags, as these can be great sources of content for your own Instagram feed.

Airbnb features guest photos (and tags rental listings) in their feed, sometimes drawing from their #airbnbsuperhost community for content.

An example of UGC on Airbnb's Instagram

This approach from Airbnb serves two needs: they get compelling visuals to share with their audience, and they promote the properties that support their bottom line.

3. Acknowledge and share content from community members

People enjoy being acknowledged for their content and efforts on social media. And sometimes, reaching out and asking to share some fan’s content on your brand’s profile can be a great way to acknowledge their work and discover new brand ambassadors.

Etsy puts their community of makers front and center on their feed, showcasing the products available on their wide-ranging shopping platform. They also created an elegant way to secure permission to repost: they ask people to respond to requests with the custom hashtag #YesEtsy if they’re comfortable with the reshare.

Etsy features UGC on their Instagram constantly

Etsy is built on a community of makers, so showcasing their creativity and craftsmanship helps them feel supported while getting customers excited to purchase their products.

Discover more about how we use reposting and UGC as part of our Instagram strategy here at Buffer:

How We Grew Our Instagram Followers by 60% with User Generated Content

How to decide what you should repost on Instagram

Cool, so you’re ready to repost some content on Instagram, but which photos should you share?

It’s important to ensure you have a strategy in place when it comes to reposting and also an idea of how the content you repost fits into your wider Instagram strategy. There are a few factors to think about before you hit “share post.”

Composition

Composition refers to the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art as distinct from the subject of a work. A good composition makes an image pleasing to look at and will draw in more viewers. The rule of thirds is a great starting point for a well-composed image: if you imagine a grid of nine equal zones, the subject of the photo should be in the right or left third of the grid (or the top or bottom if it’s a vertical shot).

An image with good composition

This fan image of a Getaway House rental cabin is a striking example of the rule of thirds at work.

When it comes to sharing images from other Instagram accounts, think about your brand’s style of composition and whether each image fits in here. For example, if all of your images feature a solid background, it might not fit in with your visual style to repost an image with a textured background.

Color palette

Many brands use a set color palette or aesthetic on Instagram, and moving away from your brand style may make your reposted content feel a little out of place. For example, Everlane tends to use a soft palette made up mostly of neutrals with the occasional pop of bright color:

Everlane's Instagram

If Everlane were to repost an image with a busy, saturated color scheme, it wouldn’t feel aligned with their brand.

Content

This is probably the most important factor of any reposting strategy. Before sharing a photo, think about whether the content is aligned with your brand. For example, at Buffer, our Instagram content focuses on three main themes:

Social media strategies
Small business advice
Remote work

Before reposting anything, we’ll ensure that the photo aligns with one of these three themes and helps us execute our strategy.

3 reposting best practices

1. Be thoughtful when you ask for permission to repost

Once you’ve discovered a photo you’d like to share, we’ve found that it’s best to send a thoughtful message in your outreach. Include a kind word about why you liked the original post, and tell the poster why you’d like to share their photo. If you have any terms and conditions before you offer attribution, give the original poster a link to review them. Finally, give them directions on how they can respond if they’re on board with a repost: These could be as simple as “Respond with ‘yes’ if you’re interested” or could include a custom tag that you’ve developed specifically for this purpose.

2. Avoid edits

If you’ve picked out a photo you’d love to repost, it’s a best practice to share it untouched and unedited. If you do want to add something to the post, reposting it to your story will preserve the original while giving you a chance to include commentary, stickers, etc. Ninety-nine percent of the time, you’ll be able to go ahead and publish without any changes, but for those rare occasions where a slight edit may be needed, reach out to the original creator and ask before publishing an edited image.

3. Credit your source

This one is super important. If you choose to repost someone’s photo, ensure you give credit in your post. The best way to credit someone is to include their username within your caption.

Instagram captions become truncated with an ellipsis after three lines of text, so, where possible, try to include the credit within those first three lines so it’s visible.

Here are a few ways you can give credit within your photo caption:

Credit: @username
Photo credit: @username
Moment captured by @username
📸 by @username
Thanks to @username for sharing this image with us

7 Inspiring examples of reposting done right

Which brands have top-notch UGC?

1.

GoPro

GoPro is built on user-generated content. Their Instagram feed regularly features content from members of their community and showcases the amazing images you can capture using a GoPro camera. They also host challenges where their followers submit photos for a chance at an award.

GoPro shares an incredible photo from a user

2. Bēhance

Bēhance from Adobe uses Instagram to showcase illustrators and graphic designers who use their platform. They spotlight artists and feature guest curators while including links to their work, which gives their feed the feel of an inclusive museum.

Instagram post from Behance

Bēhance runs a social platform for artists where they can share their projects, connect with peers and potential clients, and even live stream their creative processes. Reposts go one step further in promoting their users and likely drum up interest for creatives who haven’t signed up yet.

3. Quince

Quince reposts examples of customers wearing their clothing or using home goods out in the wild — while keeping a tight focus on their minimalist vibe. For example, here’s a cozy photo of their linen bedding that was originally shared by a customer:

Quince's Instagram

These kinds of posts from users give Quince’s products a much more accessible feel — it doesn’t take an expert to re-create their looks in your own home or wardrobe.

4. Poler

Poler produces outdoor adventure and camping accessories and clothing. They share UGC on Instagram to showcase products being used by customers.

A customer wearing one of Poler's outdoor garments

Poler’s products are designed for the outdoors, not for staged or stuffy photoshoots. User posts show off how their products work in an authentic setting — and that’s much more compelling for their audience.

5. The Design Tip

The Design Tip is a must-follow account for anyone in the design space or anyone with a desire to learn a little about design. Every day, the account features work submitted by their community of followers, such as this piece by Scott Martin (aka Burnt Toast) that asks you to fill in the blank:

The Design Tip's Instagram account

By exclusively sharing user content, the Design Tip can maintain a rigorous posting schedule and keep engagement high without having to spend time and resources creating fresh, original content.

6. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is incredibly welcoming, and their brand personality carries over into the content they repost on Instagram. They regularly feature posts from partner companies in their story to showcase how businesses use their email tool

Mail Chimp's Instagram story

This doesn’t just promote Mailchimp’s partners; it gives their audience valuable tips and creative ideas on how to use their software.

7. WeWork

WeWork uses Instagram to showcase their co-working spaces and the amazing people and companies who are a part of their community. WeWork often shares photos of their spaces that are shared by community members. For example, this post featuring a member with her dog was originally shared by the member herself:

WeWork showcasing one of their members using their coworking spaces

WeWork’s spaces are designed to be modern and inviting, so they look great in customer photos. Sharing UGC of their workspaces lets their audience imagine themselves at WeWork.

Reshare Instagram posts as part of your brand strategy

Repost UGC to elevate your brand on Instagram.

Reposting the right way can expand your reach, turn your followers into ambassadors, and boost trust among your customers. Be strategic when you’re picking user-generated content to share, and look for posts that match your goals for social.

If you’re trying to increase brand awareness, for instance, focus on posts from users with a large number of engaged followers. If you’re hoping to create an engaged community, create branded hashtags or contests where users can submit posts for you to share. And always make sure your reposts reinforce your brand’s look, feel, and tone.

Remember you can use Buffer for free to stay on top of all of your Instagram and social media needs! ➡️

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How do I share someone's feed post to my Instagram story?

Help Center

Instagram Features

Stories

You can only post someone else's post to your story if the author of the post has made their account public and allowed their posts to be reposted. Not everyone can share a post from the feed in their story.

To share someone's feed post to your story:

Instagram app for Android and iPhone

Click the icon below a photo or video in the feed.

Select Add Post to Your Story, Add Video to Your Story, or Add Reels Video to Story.

Press in the lower right corner of the screen.

Click Share.

Instagram Lite app for Android

If you share someone's post in your story, every person who has viewed it will be able to see the name of the author and go to his account. Learn more about how to share a store in an Instagram story.

If you have a public account, you can prevent other people from sharing your stories.

To prevent people from sharing your posts in Stories:

Instagram app for Android and iPhone

Tap the or icon on your profile photo in the bottom right corner of the screen to go to your profile.

Click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen and select Settings.

Click Privacy and select History.

Click next to Allow reposts in stories.

Instagram Lite app for Android

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How to Repost on Instagram Stories - Step by Step Guide

The Instagram Stories* section is amazing with so many possibilities. Among them there are functions without which the SMM manager is like without hands. Let's talk about simple but effective: how to share a story on Instagram*, post an IGTV announcement or a post there.

Let's figure out what exactly you can repost in your stories:

other people's stories on which you are tagged;
posts from your feed;
posts from someone else's feed;
videos from the IGTV section - from your own or someone else's account (preview 15 seconds).

Let's see how it works.

How to repost stories on Instagram* that you're tagged in

When your account is tagged in a story, a tag notification is sent to your private messages. It also contains an active "Add Story" link to click on.

How to repost stories on Instagram*: steps one and two

The standard Stories editing window will open. Optionally, you can add a link (available for accounts with more than 10,000 followers), stickers, text, and filters.

Next, send the post to your stories. Done - you are amazing!

How to repost a video or photo from your feed to Stories

To share your own or someone else's post in your story, click on the airplane icon below the post and select "Add post to your Story". The story editing page will open, where you can add a link, stickers, and more.

Share the post in your Story and enjoy

By the way, if you don't want your stories to be reposted all in a row, disable this feature in the settings.

Find Stories in the "Privacy" section, manage reposts there

How to repost a video from the IGTV section to your Story

The principle here is the same as for posts. If you want to share, for example, a cool live stream, start watching in the IGTV section of the blogger who hosted it, click the plane below the video and select "Add video to your Story."

Post from your Story with some kind of inscription to encourage viewing

Repost via SMMplanner

For those who like to work from a computer, the SMMplanner delayed posting service allows you to repost posts in the Stories of any of your Instagram accounts*.

Start planning your Story with the click of a button Select the account where you want to post in the Story

If you select a project with several accounts, you will be able to announce the post of one account in the History of another.

Go to the "Stickers" tab and select the "Post" sticker Posts of your account have opened, select the one you need Done. Position the main image of the post and publish

Read more about delayed posting of Stories with cool design in the article “Delayed Instagram* Stories Constructor by SMMplanner”.

Reposts on Instagram* is a useful feature for effective work on account content:

Reposting posts in Stories allows you to announce new posts. We recommend doing this immediately or 4 hours after the release of the post. Everyone who missed the appearance of the publication in the feed will see the announcement in the stories.
Learn more