How to Forward an Instagram Post

You’ve stumbled upon an amazing Instagram post - maybe it’s a brilliant Reel, a helpful infographic, or a photo that perfectly captures a mood - and you immediately want to share it. While Instagram borrows features from other platforms, it doesn’t have a straightforward “forward” or “retweet” button, which can feel a little confusing. This guide will walk you through all the ways you can share, or forward, an Instagram post, whether you want to send it privately to a friend, add it to your Story, or feature it on your own feed.

Understanding Instagram's Sharing Options

First, let’s clear up the main point of confusion. Unlike email, Instagram doesn’t let you “forward” content in the traditional sense. Instead, it offers a collection of sharing features that serve different purposes. The little paper airplane icon under every post is your gateway to most of these options. Think of it less as a single “forward” button and more as a hub for sharing content in different contexts.

The two primary ways to share are publicly to your Story or privately through a Direct Message (DM). A third option, reposting to your feed, requires a few extra steps and a big emphasis on ethics and attribution. Let's break down each method so you know exactly which one to use and when.

Method 1: Share an Instagram Post to Your Story

Sharing a post to your Story is the most popular and "Instagram-native" way to showcase content from another account. It's temporary (disappearing after 24 hours), highly visible to your followers, and gives you creative freedom to add your own commentary.

This works for feed posts (photos, carousels, and videos) as well as Reels. The original creator is automatically tagged and notified, giving them credit instantly.

How to Share to Your Story: Step-by-Step

1. Find the post or Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane icon below the post. It’s right next to the comment bubble.
3. From the pop-up menu, select "Add to story."
4. You'll be taken to the Instagram Story editor, where the post appears as a "sticker."

From here, you can customize it before posting:

• Resize and reposition: Pinch to zoom in or out, and drag the post anywhere you like on the screen.
• Change the background: By default, Instagram creates a gradient background matching the colors of the post. If you want a solid color, tap the draw tool at the top, select a color, then tap and hold on the background for a few seconds. The shared post sticker will remain on top.
• Add your own context: This is where you can add real value. Use the text tool to explain why you’re sharing the post. Add relevant stickers, GIFs, polls, or questions to make it interactive. This turns a simple share into an engaging piece of content for your audience.
• Tag people: Mention other relevant accounts using the "@mention" sticker.

Once you’re happy with how it looks, tap "Your Story" at the bottom to publish it.

A Quick Note on Privacy

You can only share posts from public Instagram accounts. If an account is set to private, you won't see the "Add to story" option. This is a privacy feature designed to protect the content of users who don't want their posts shared widely.

Method 2: Send a Post as a Direct Message (DM)

If you want to share a post with a specific person or group of friends without broadcasting it to all your followers, sending it via Direct Message is the perfect option. This is the digital equivalent of tapping your friend on the shoulder and saying, "Hey, you have to see this."

How to Share via DM: Step-by-Step

1. Find the post or Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane icon below the post.
3. A list of your recent contacts and a search bar will appear. You can:
   • Tap the "Send" button next to a person or group you frequently chat with.
   • Use the search bar to find a specific person or group.
   • Select multiple people to create a new group chat centered around that post.
4. Optionally, you can add a message to go along with the post. This is a great way to add personal commentary like, "This made me think of our trip!" or "We should try making this recipe."

The person or group will receive the post directly in their inbox. They can then view it right from the chat without having to navigate to the original poster's profile.

Method 3: Repost an Instagram Post to Your Feed

This is where things get a bit more involved. Sharing to your feed means taking someone else's content and publishing it on your own profile grid. While this can be a fantastic way to showcase user-generated content (UGC), highlight partners, or curate content relevant to your niche, it comes with a strict set of unspoken rules. The most important one? Always ask for permission and always give proper credit.

Why Permission and Credit Are Non-Negotiable

Simply taking a screenshot and posting it to your feed is considered bad practice and, in many cases, is a form of content theft. The original creator put time, effort, and creativity into their work. Reposting without their consent and clear attribution is not only disrespectful but can also damage your brand's reputation.

Proper credit isn't just a tiny tag buried at the end of a long caption. It means:

• Asking First: Send the creator a polite DM. Say something like, "Hi! We absolutely love your photo of [describe photo]. We'd be honored to feature it on our feed and will give you full credit, of course. Would that be okay with you?" Most creators are happy to be featured, but you must ask first.
• Crediting in the Caption: Start your caption by immediately giving credit. For example: "Amazing shot by the talented 📸 @[creator's username]!" or "We love how @[creator's username] is using our product! Thanks for sharing." This ensures everyone who sees the post knows who made it.
• Tagging in the Photo/Video: In addition to the caption mention, tag the creator's account in the image or video itself. This way, the post appears in the "Tagged Photos" section of their profile.

How to Repost to Your Feed (After Getting Permission)

Once you have permission, you have a couple of options for the technical part of reposting:

1. The Screenshot Method

This is the simplest way, but it can result in a loss of image quality.

• Take a screenshot of the post on your phone.
• Open your photo editing app and crop the screenshot so only the image or video is visible.
• Create a new post on Instagram using the cropped image.
• Write your caption (giving credit!) and tag the original creator in the photo.

2. Using a Reposting App

There are many third-party apps available (like Repost for Instagram, Regrann, etc.) designed specifically for this purpose. These apps typically work by having you copy the post's URL. The app then downloads the media and often adds a small watermark with the original creator's username.

• Find the post on Instagram and tap the three dots (...) in the top right corner.
• Select "Link" to copy the URL to your clipboard.
• Open your chosen reposting app and follow its instructions (it usually auto-detects the copied link).
• The app will prepare the post for you. Then, you can publish it to Instagram, adding your own caption and ensuring all credit is clearly given.

Method 4: Sharing the Post Link Outside of Instagram

Sometimes you want to share an Instagram post with someone who might not be on the platform, or you want to share it via email, text message, or another social network like X or Facebook.

To do this, you just need to copy the post’s direct link:

1. On the post you want to share, tap the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the post.
2. From the menu, tap "Link."
3. The URL for that specific post is now copied to your device’s clipboard.
4. You can now paste this link anywhere - in a text message, a Slack channel, a blog post, or an email.

Remember, if the post is from a private account, only people who are logged into Instagram and follow that account will be able to view it. If the account is public, anyone with the link can see the post.

Best Practices for Responsible Sharing

Whether you're an individual user or a brand, how you share content reflects on you. Here are a few final tips for doing it well:

• Add Your Perspective: Don't just hit share. When posting to your Story, add text or a reaction sticker explaining why you’re sharing this content. If you're reposting to your feed, write a thoughtful caption about what the post means to you or your brand. Context is everything.
• Engage with the Creator: When you share someone’s work, they'll be notified. Take a moment to comment on their original post or reply to their Story. Building genuine connections is what social media is all about.
• Curate User-Generated Content (UGC): For brands, sharing posts from your customers is one of the most powerful forms of marketing. It builds social proof and creates a strong sense of community. Actively encourage your followers to tag you and then (after asking permission!) feature their best content.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram may not have a simple "forward" button, it gives you a flexible set of tools for sharing content in different ways. You can broadcast a post to everyone with a Story, share it privately with a friend via DM, send a link to someone off-platform, or even feature it on your own feed - as long as you always prioritize giving proper credit.

Managing this mix of original posts, Stories, and shared content can quickly become overwhelming, especially when you're trying to stay consistent. As we built our own businesses, we constantly battled the chaos of juggling different content formats and platforms. That’s why we created Postbase, a social media tool built for how we work today. We use its visual calendar to plan everything - from original video concepts to curated UGC - so we get a clear view of our entire content strategy without living in spreadsheets.