How to Allow People to Share Your Post on Instagram

Getting more people to share your Instagram posts is one of the best ways to grow your reach without spending a dime. When a follower shares your content to their Story or sends it to a friend, they're giving you a personal endorsement to an audience you might not have reached otherwise. This article breaks down exactly how to turn on Instagram’s sharing features and, more importantly, gives you real-world strategies for creating content that people are genuinely excited to share.

First Things First: How to Turn On Sharing in Your Instagram Settings

Before you can craft the perfect shareable post, you need to make sure your account is set up to allow sharing in the first place. For most public accounts, these settings are enabled by default, but a quick check can save you a lot of headaches later. It's a simple process, but the settings are tucked away a bit.

There are two main permissions you want to check: allowing shares to Stories and allowing shares and remixes of your Reels and feed videos.

How to Allow Sharing to Instagram Stories

Sharing a feed post to a Story is the most common way users reshare content on Instagram. It puts your original post smack in the middle of someone else’s Story, complete with a direct link back to your profile and the original post. Here’s how to make sure that feature is active:

1. Open your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top right corner.
2. Tap on Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down to the "How others can interact with you" section and tap on Sharing and remixes.
4. Under the "Sharing" section, you'll see a toggle for Allow posts and Reels to be shared to stories. Make sure this is turned on (it should be blue).

When this is on, anyone who can see your post will be able to tap the little paper airplane icon and select "Add to story." If this is toggled off, that option simply won't appear for them.

How to Allow Sharing and Remixing of Reels and Videos

For video content like Reels and posts, sharing goes a step further with remixes. A "remix" allows another user to create their own Reel that appears alongside your original video, effectively co-opting your content to create their own. This is a massive driver of viral trends and can put your content in front of a huge new audience. It's a form of sharing that is highly encouraged by the Instagram algorithm.

You can manage this in the same menu as Story sharing:

1. Navigate back to Settings and privacy >, Sharing and remixes.
2. In the "Remixes" section, check the toggles for:
   • Allow remixes for Reels
   • Allow remixes for feed videos
   • Allow remixes for posts
3. You can enable or disable these individually, but for maximum reach, it’s best to keep them all on.

In this same area, you'll also see an option labeled "Allow people to share your reels to their stories." This functions just like the feed post setting but applies specifically to Reels. Keep it on so your short-form video gets as much visibility as possible.

A Quick Note on Public vs. Private Accounts

There’s one important rule that overrides all these settings: your account must be public. If your Instagram profile is set to "Private," only your approved followers can see your content, and a "share post to story" option simply won't appear for them, even if you have the setting enabled. The same goes for sharing Reels to Facebook or allowing any public-facing remixes. If your goal is to grow your brand or business on Instagram, having a public account is non-negotiable.

The Strategy: How to Make Content People Actually Want to Share

Okay, so you've flipped all the right switches in your settings. Fantastic. Now comes the real work: creating content that’s so good, so funny, or so helpful that sharing it becomes an impulse for your followers. Anyone can technically share a boring post, but very few people will. Here’s how to make your content undeniable.

Tap into Relatable Humor and Memes

Humor is a universal connector. People share memes and funny videos because it says something about them - "this is so me" - or because they know a specific friend will find it hilarious. It’s a low-effort way to bond and communicate.

• For Businesses: Don’t be afraid to poke fun at industry quirks or universal experiences your ideal client faces. A web designer could post a Reel about a client asking for "one more tiny change" for the tenth time. A coffee shop could share a meme about trying to function before your first cup. This humanizes your brand and makes it more relatable.
• For Creators: Niche-specific humor is gold. If you're a fitness creator, a post about the struggle to find matching gym socks is instantly relatable. The more you can make your audience laugh and say, "That's exactly what I'm going through," the more likely they are to hit share.

Create Incredibly Valuable & Educational Content

Think about the last time you saved a post. It was probably something you wanted to reference later, right? Now, what about the last post you sent to a friend? It was likely something you knew they'd find helpful. This is the power of educational and utility-driven content.

• Tutorials & How-To's: A carousel post that breaks down "5 Steps to Better Food Photography" or a Reel that shows "How to Tie a Scarf 3 Different Ways" provides tangible value. Viewers will share it to their Story to provide value to their own followers, or send it to a friend who expressed interest in that topic.
• Lists, Checklists & Cheatsheets: Content that simplifies a complex topic is highly shareable. Think "The Ultimate Packing Checklist for a Weekend Trip" or "10 Free Tools Every Small Business Needs." These posts act as a resource, making them evergreen content that people will share long after you first post it.
• Eye-Opening Stats or Insights: A visually engaging graphic that presents a surprising statistic from your industry can be a powerful share trigger. People love to share information that makes them look smart and informed.

Inspire and Motivate with Powerful Quotes or Stories

Aspirational content connects on an emotional level. People share quotes that reflect their current mindset or goals. They share stories that inspire them because they want to spread that feeling of hope or motivation to others. Done right, this can be some of your most-shared content.

• Aesthetic Quote Graphics: It’s not just about the words, it’s about the presentation. Use clean fonts and on-brand colors. A quote from a business leader, an author, or even just a powerful one-liner can resonate deeply if it looks professional.
• Personal Stories: Share a vulnerability or a win. A Reel detailing how you overcame a major obstacle or a carousel explaining the lesson from a recent failure is incredibly human. People connect with stories, not just stats.

Don't Just Hope for Shares - Actively Encourage Them

Sometimes, all your audience needs is a little push in the right direction. Waiting for shares to happen passively is a slow strategy. Proactively encouraging your community to share your work can dramatically increase your reach.

Use a Direct and Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

It sounds simple, but directly asking for what you want often works. You don’t need to be aggressive about it, but a gentle prompt at the end of your content reminds viewers that sharing is an option they can (and should) take.

• In Your Captions: After you've provided value, end with a simple CTA. Examples include:
  • "Found this useful? Share it to your Story so others can see it too!"
  • "Got a friend who needs this reminder? Send it their way."
  • "Tag someone in the comments who would love this!" (While not a share, it functions similarly by bringing new eyes to your post).
• In Your Visuals: For Reels, add a text overlay at the end that says, "Share this if you agreed!" For carousels, make the last slide a simple graphic asking people to share if they found the content helpful.

Engage With Everyone Who Shares Your Content

When someone takes the time to share your post in their Story and tag you, Instagram sends you a notification in your DMs. This is a golden opportunity to build a stronger relationship with your biggest fans. Never ignore this.

• Respond & Acknowledge: At a minimum, tap and hold on their Story in your DMs and give it a quick "heart" reaction. A better approach is to send a quick message like, "Thanks so much for sharing!" It takes two seconds and makes people feel appreciated.
• Reshare Their Story to Yours: If their Story share is public and on-brand, consider resharing it to your own Story. This is the ultimate "thank you." It gives them a public shout-out, and it rewards the behavior you want to see from more of your followers. When people see that you celebrate those who share your work, they become more likely to do it themselves.

Final Thoughts

While the technical switches in your settings are the necessary first step, they don't guarantee growth. Letting people share your content is a one-time fix. The real secret is creating a consistent stream of posts that are so entertaining, educational, or inspiring that sharing feels like a natural reaction for your audience. Combine great content with clear calls-to-action, and you'll turn your followers into an organic marketing team.

Keeping track of all that share-worthy content - Reels, carousels, posts, and Stories - can get overwhelming fast, especially when you're managing multiple social platforms. At Postbase, we built our tool for how social media works today, making it simple to plan your visual content calendar, schedule short-form videos without the usual friction, and manage all your comments and DMs in one organized inbox. We want to help you spend more time on creating great content, giving your audience more amazing things to find and share.