How to Add Facebook Posts to Instagram

Sharing your Facebook posts to Instagram seems like it should be simple, but doing it effectively requires more than just hitting a share button. This guide will walk you through the different ways to get your content from A to B, from the quick-and-easy direct link to the smarter, strategy-driven approach that gets real results. We'll cover how to repurpose your content so it fits right in with Instagram's visual-first culture.

Why Share Your Facebook Posts on Instagram?

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Consistently sharing content across platforms isn't just about filling your feed. When done right, it's a powerful way to streamline your workflow and strengthen your brand message.

• Save Significant Time and Effort: This is the most obvious benefit. Instead of creating brand new content from scratch for every platform, you can adapt your existing material. This frees you up to spend more time engaging with your audience and less time stuck in content creation mode.
• Maintain Brand Consistency: Using similar visuals, messaging, and tone across your profiles helps build a cohesive brand identity. When a follower sees you on both Facebook and Instagram, the experience should feel connected and familiar, building brand recognition and trust.
• Reach a Wider Audience: Your followers on Facebook and Instagram are likely not identical. Many people prefer one platform over the other, or they might engage differently on each. By cross-posting, you introduce your content to different segments of your audience, increasing your overall reach.
• Reinforce Key Messages: Have an important promotion, announcement, or piece of cornerstone content? Sharing it on both platforms hammers the point home, making sure your most critical messages are seen by the largest possible audience.

Method 1: Linking Accounts for Automatic Sharing (The Fast Way)

Meta makes it fairly straightforward to link your Instagram and Facebook accounts with its Accounts Center feature. Setting this up allows you to automatically share content from one platform to another as you post it.

It's worth noting: This feature is primarily designed for posting from Instagram and having it automatically appear on Facebook. However, the functionality within Meta Business Suite is evolving, allowing more cross-platform posting options during the creation process. For most people, setting this up in the Instagram app is the simplest starting point.

This method is best for when your content works equally well on both platforms without modification, such as a high-quality photo with a general-purpose caption.

How to Set Up Account Linking via the Instagram App:

1. Open Your Instagram Profile: Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to go to your profile.
2. Access Settings: Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner, then select "Settings and privacy."
3. Go to Accounts Center: At the very top, you'll see the Meta Accounts Center. Tap on it.
4. Add Your Facebook Account: Tap on "Profiles," then "Add accounts." Follow the on-screen instructions to log in and connect your Facebook profile. You'll need to select the specific Facebook Page you want to link to if you manage more than one.
5. Configure Sharing Options: Once linked, navigate to "Sharing across profiles." Here, you can select your Instagram account and then choose where to automatically share your content. You can enable automatic sharing for your Instagram stories, posts, and eventually Reels.

Once this is active, when you're creating a new post on Instagram, you'll see a toggle under the caption field to "Share to Facebook." Simply make sure it's turned on, and your post will go live on both platforms simultaneously.

The Downside: While fast, this one-size-fits-all approach ignores the unique culture of each platform. Instagram captions can't have clickable links, and the audiences might expect different tones or hashtags. This brings us to a more strategic method.

Method 2: Repurposing Content for Instagram (The Smart Way)

Top social media managers rarely use the automatic "share to all" button. Why? Because what works on Facebook doesn't always land well on Instagram. Think of it as adapting a conversation for a different room. You might tell the same story, but you'd change your tone and emphasis. Repurposing is the process of thoughtfully adapting a Facebook post to look and feel native to Instagram.

This is the superior strategy for building an engaged audience and getting better performance from your posts.

Step 1: Adapt Your Visuals

Instagram is, first and foremost, a visual platform. Your photo or video has to grab attention instantly. A photo that looked fine in a Facebook album might not cut it on the hyper-visual Instagram feed.

• Check the Quality: Use only high-resolution, clear, and well-lit images and videos. Blurry or poorly composed content will get scrolled past immediately.
• Mind the Aspect Ratio: While you can post landscape images, they don't perform as well. Instagram's feed prioritizes vertical content because it takes up more screen space on a phone. Aim for a square (1:1) or, even better, a vertical (4:5) aspect ratio for feed posts. For Stories and Reels, you need a 9:16 vertical video.
• Turn Text Posts into Graphics: A text-only status update from Facebook won't work on Instagram. Use a simple design tool like Canva to turn that quote, tip, or announcement into an eye-catching graphic. You can create a simple text-based image or even a multi-slide carousel.

Step 2: Rethink Your Caption and Call to Action (CTA)

Captions on Facebook and Instagram serve different purposes and have different limitations. A direct copy-and-paste will usually feel a little off.

• No Clickable Links in Captions: This is the biggest difference. If your Facebook post contained a link to your blog, a product page, or an article, that link will be dead on Instagram. Instead of saying "Click the link here," your Instagram CTA must become "Check the link in our bio!" Then, you'll need a tool like Linktree or use your single website link in your bio to direct traffic.
• Keep it Shorter and Punchier: While long-form storytelling can work on Instagram, the platform's fast-paced nature generally favors shorter, snappier captions. Get to the point quickly, lead with a strong hook, and use line breaks to make the text easy to read.
• Encourage Engagement: Rewrite your caption to ask questions and invite comments. Phrases like "Tell us your favorite in the comments below!" or "Double-tap if you agree!" work well on Instagram to stimulate engagement.

Step 3: Adjust Your Hashtag Strategy

Hashtags are the engine of discovery on Instagram, but they're used much less frequently on Facebook. Your approach must change accordingly.

• Use More Hashtags on Instagram: On Facebook, more than two or three hashtags can look like spam. On Instagram, it's common and effective to use anywhere from 5 to 30. They are a primary way for new users to find your content.
• Research Relevant Hashtags: Don't just guess. Look for a mix of hashtags:
  • Broad Hashtags: Tags with millions of posts (e.g., #socialmediamarketing). They can give you a quick, short-lived visibility boost.
  • Niche Hashtags: More specific tags with 10k-500k posts (e.g., #b2bsocialmediastrategy). This is where you'll find your most relevant and engaged audience.
  • Branded Hashtags: Tags unique to your business or campaign (e.g., #PostbaseTips).
• Place Them Strategically: You can either place your clump of hashtags at the end of your caption or, for a cleaner look, post them as the first comment on your own post immediately after it goes live. Both methods work for discoverability.

Putting It All Together: A Repurposing Example

Let's walk through a quick scenario. Imagine you run a coffee shop and posted this on Facebook:

Facebook Post:

"Happy Monday, coffee lovers! ☕ To help you beat the morning slump, we're sharing our tried-and-true recipe for the perfect at-home cold brew. It's easier than you think! Check out the full guide on our blog here: [www.yourcoffeeshop.com/blog/cold-brew-recipe] #coffee #coldbrew #DIY"

How to repurpose it for Instagram:

1. The Visual: Don't just post a simple photo of coffee. Create a short, engaging Reel showing the quick steps of making the cold brew. Or, design a clean 4-slide carousel graphic walking through the recipe. Ensure all visuals are in a 4:5 or 9:16 ratio.
2. The Caption: "Who needs this today? 🙋‍♀️ Swipe through to see our foolproof method for making the smoothest, richest cold brew right at home! 👇
   
   The full E-Z mode recipe is waiting for you at the link in our bio. Give it a try this week and let us know what you think!"
3. The Hashtags: In the first comment, you’ll add a targeted list: "#coldbrewrecipe #homemadecoldbrew #athomelatte #coffeetutorial #coffeeloversunite #pourovercoffee #morningritual #specialtycoffee #yourcoffeeshop"
4. The Link in Bio: Update the link in your Instagram profile to go directly to that specific blog post.

See the difference? The repurposed Instagram content is far more engaging, visual, native to the platform, and clear in its call to action. It respects how people use the app and delivers value in a format they expect.

Final Thoughts

While directly linking your Facebook and Instagram accounts offers a quick way to maintain a presence on both platforms, the best results almost always come from thoughtful repurposing. By taking a few extra minutes to tailor your visuals, captions, and hashtags, you show your audience that you understand the culture of each platform, which leads to better engagement, reach, and a stronger brand community.

As we developed Postbase, we wanted to solve this exact problem: making it simple to create great content without feeling boxed in by a one-size-fits-all approach. That's why we built our scheduling tool to let you upload your media once, then customize the captions and formatting for each platform - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more - all from one clean view. It closes the gap between the speed of cross-posting and the superior results of platform-native content, giving you back time without sacrificing quality.