Have you ever watched an Instagram story and thought, "[Insert name of friend] needs to see this?"
One of my favorite aspects of Instagram — and social media in general — is its shareability. For businesses, it's also a great way to engage your audience, share relevant content, and tell a bigger brand story.
However, when it comes to reposting content on Instagram, the steps aren't always straightforward. Here, we'll cover how to share content to your Instagram story.
Table of Contents
How to Share an Instagram Story
How to Share an Instagram Post to My Story
Why Brands Share Instagram Stories and Posts
As I mentioned above, businesses can repost content on Instagram to engage their followers and share on-brand content.
But what, exactly, should you share? It's a good idea to share content that meets at least one of the following criteria:
- The content is directly related to my brand
- The content reflects my brand's aesthetic
- A customer has tagged or mentioned my brand
- My followers will find the content valuable
Here's an example — Peloton's apparel brand, @PeletonApparel, regularly shares posts from customers wearing its clothing – and they typically add a call to action, such as a link to its shop. It's an excellent way to leverage user generated content to engage a community and build brand advocates.
A word of caution here — when it comes to reposting user-generated content, brands should always ask for permission from users before reposting content. Certain users value their privacy over others — and you never want to overstep those boundaries.
Now, let's cover how to repost content on your Instagram Story.
How to Share an Instagram Story to My Story
Your ability to repost someone's Story depends on whether the original creator tagged you.
If the user hasn't tagged you, you’re limited in what you can do. Currently, there's no feature that allows you to repost stories without a tag. However, you can share it via direct messages to another follower.
If you were tagged in a story, you can easily reshare it to your story by following the steps below:
- Tap the direct messages icon in the upper right-hand corner.
2. Locate and open the tagging notification.
3. Tap "Add to Your Story." From here, you can add your own text, filters, and stickers to the post — or continue to the next step.
4. Lastly, tap "Send."
Once your post is live, viewers can see the original story, along with any comments or stickers you may have added.
How to Share an Instagram Post to My Story
You can share another user's in-feed post to your story in four quick steps:
1. Tap that airplane icon below the photo or video in your feed.
2. From the pop-up menu, tap "Add post/video to your story."
3. Next, you can add text, filters, or stickers to the story — or move to the next step.
4. Tap "Send To" then "Share."
Why Can’t I Share Someone's Instagram Story?
Keep in mind that many users enable story sharing by default, but others may opt to disable this feature. Similarly, users may put their profile on private mode. If they haven't accepted your follow request, you won't be able to view their stories.
Of course, you can screenshot or screen record a story before it expires. However, when it comes to sharing and reposting content, it's important to remember that certain users value their privacy more than others. To avoid crossing any lines, it's a good habit to ask for permission before sharing any content to your page.
