How to Embed an Instagram Post on WordPress

Embedding an Instagram post on your WordPress site is a fantastic way to make your content more dynamic and visually engaging. This guide will walk you through several easy methods, from a simple copy-and-paste to more advanced plugin options, so you can seamlessly integrate your social media content right where you want it.

Why Bother Embedding Instagram Posts on Your WordPress Site?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Integrating your Instagram content with your website isn't just about making things look pretty. It offers some real strategic advantages:

• Boosts Social Proof: Displaying user-generated content or posts with high engagement shows visitors that your brand has an active and happy community. It’s a powerful, visual form of testimonial.
• Increases Follower Count: An embedded post is a direct gateway to your Instagram profile. If a blog visitor likes what they see, they're just one click away from following you, helping you grow your audience organically.
• Enhances Your Content: Breaking up long blocks of text with eye-catching photos or videos keeps readers on your page longer. It makes your articles more scannable, engaging, and professional.
• Keeps Content Fresh: By embedding posts, you can update your website's visual content just by posting on Instagram. It’s an efficient way to keep your site feeling current without having to manually upload new images to your media library.

Method 1: The Quick &, Easy Way (Pasting the URL)

For most users, this is the fastest and simplest way to embed a single Instagram post. WordPress has built-in support for embedding content from various platforms (a feature called oEmbed), and Instagram is one of them. You don't need any special code or plugins.

Follow these steps:

1. Find Your Post and Copy the Link
   Navigate to the Instagram post you want to embed using a web browser (either on your desktop or phone). Click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the post and select "Copy Link". The URL is now on your clipboard.
2. Paste the Link into the WordPress Editor
   Open the WordPress post or page where you want to add the post. In the Gutenberg block editor, simply click to add a new block. You don't need to choose a special block type, a standard Paragraph block will do. Now, paste the copied link directly into the block.
3. Let WordPress Do the Work
   As soon as you paste the URL, WordPress will automatically recognize it and convert it into a fully interactive, embedded Instagram post. That’s it! If you're using the Classic Editor, pasting the link on a new line will produce the same result.

This method is perfect when you just need to drop a single post into your article quickly without any special configurations.

Method 2: Using Instagram's Official Embed Code

Sometimes you need a little more control - specifically, whether or not to include the post’s original caption. Using Instagram's generated embed code lets you make that choice. This method requires using a Custom HTML block.

Here’s how it works:

1. Generate the Embed Code from Instagram
   On a desktop browser, go to the Instagram post you want to embed. Click the three dots (...) in the corner and select "Embed" from the menu.
2. Customize and Copy the Code
   A small modal window will pop up. You'll see a preview of the embedded post and a checkbox labeled "Include caption." If you uncheck this box, the embedded post will only show the image or video without any of your original text. Make your choice, then click the "Copy Embed Code" button.
3. Add a Custom HTML Block in WordPress
   Go back to your WordPress editor. Click the "+" icon to add a new block and search for the "Custom HTML" block.
4. Paste the Code
   Paste the entire embed code you copied from Instagram into the Custom HTML block. When you preview your page, you'll see the Instagram post appear exactly as you configured it.

This method is ideal if the caption is irrelevant to your blog post or if you want a cleaner look focusing solely on the visual content.

Method 3: Using a Plugin for Advanced Displays

What if you want to do more than just embed a single post? Perhaps you want to showcase an entire live feed from your profile, display posts with a specific hashtag, or create a beautiful, shoppable gallery on your site. This is where plugins come in handy.

Plugins offer powerful features, customization options, and the ability to display dynamic galleries of Instagram content without needing to manually embed each post. Here are a couple of popular options:

• Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed: One of the most popular and highly-rated plugins. It allows you to create completely customizable feeds from your Instagram accounts. You can combine multiple accounts, pull in hashtag feeds, and control the layout, colors, and more to perfectly match your site's design.
• Spotlight – Social Media Feeds: A user-friendly and visually appealing option that lets you connect your account and design beautiful Instagram feeds in a live preview editor. It's great for beginners and offers plenty of templates to get started quickly.

General Steps for Using an Instagram Plugin:

1. Install and Activate the Plugin: From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins >, Add New, search for your chosen plugin, and click "Install" and then "Activate."
2. Connect Your Instagram Account: The plugin will have a settings page where you’ll be prompted to securely connect your Instagram account. Just follow the on-screen instructions.
3. Configure Your Feed: This is the fun part. You can choose your feed layout (grid, masonry, carousel), decide how many photos to display, filter content, customize the look and feel, and more.
4. Add the Feed to Your Site: Once you're done configuring, the plugin will provide you with a shortcode (e.g., [instagram-feed]). Copy this shortcode.
5. Paste the Shortcode: In your WordPress page or post editor, add a "Shortcode" block and paste the copied shortcode into it. Your entire customized Instagram feed will now appear on your site.

Troubleshooting Common Instagram Embed Issues

Sometimes things don't go as planned. Here are a few common hiccups and how to fix them.

1. The Embedded Post Only Shows a Link

If you paste the Instagram URL and it stays as a hyperlink instead of automatically converting into an embedded post, one of a few things might be happening:

• Conflict with another plugin: A poorly-coded plugin could be interfering with WordPress’s oEmbed functionality. Try temporarily deactivating other plugins to see if that resolves the issue.
• Theme issues: Your theme might be disrupting the embed feature. Switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Three) to check if the theme is the cause.
• URL is not on its own line: If you're using the Classic Editor, make sure the Instagram link is on its own line and isn't hyperlinked to any other text.

2. The Embedded Post Doesn't Look Right

Sometimes an embedded post can appear too wide, too narrow, or misaligned. This is almost always caused by your theme's CSS styling conflicting with Instagram’s default styles for the embed.

The simplest fix is often to try a different embed method. If pasting the URL causes issues, try using the official embed code in a Custom HTML block, as that's often more resilient to theme styling. For more advanced users, you can use your browser's developer tools to inspect the element and write custom CSS to correct the styling.

3. "This Content Is Not Available" Error

This message typically appears if the post you embedded has since been deleted or the account that posted it has been set to private. Double-check that the original Instagram post is still live and the account is public. If so, try clearing your website's caching plugin to see if it resolves the issue.

Final Thoughts

Integrating your Instagram content into your WordPress site is a simple strategy with a big payoff. Whether you’re using the direct URL paste for quick embeds or a powerful plugin for dynamic feeds, you can create a more visually interesting and socially connected experience for your visitors in just a few clicks.

Of course, having great content to embed in the first place is what truly matters. Juggling content ideas, scheduling posts, and engaging with your audience across different platforms can feel overwhelming. At Postbase, we built our tool to solve that exact problem. It's a clean, modern platform designed for today’s creators, helping you plan your content on a visual calendar and schedule posts - including Reels and video - so you always have something valuable to share and embed on your site.