How to Post a Reel on an Instagram Story

Sharing an Instagram Reel to your Story is one of the quickest and most effective ways to get more eyes on your short-form video content. This simple move can dramatically increase your views, drive engagement, and make sure your followers don’t miss what you’ve created. This guide breaks down exactly how to do it, step-by-step, and offers a few creative strategies to make your shared Reels even more effective.

Why You Should Be Sharing Your Reels to Your Story

Before getting into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Simply posting a Reel and hoping for the best isn't enough in a crowded algorithm. Sharing it to your Story acts as a powerful promotional tool. Here’s why it’s a non-negotiable step for any serious creator or brand:

• It Sidesteps the Algorithm: The Instagram Story feed and the Reels feed are driven by different algorithms. Some of your followers are dedicated Story-watchers who rarely scroll through Reels. By posting your Reel to your Story, you catch this segment of your audience where they already are, giving your content a massive visibility boost.
• It Creates an Engagement Loop: A well-placed sticker - like a poll, quiz, or question box - on your Story share engages viewers instantly. This interaction signals to Instagram that your content is valuable, which can positively impact the performance of both your Story and your original Reel.
• It Adds Context and Urgency: Your Reel exists on its own, but your Story gives you a chance to frame it. You can add text to share backstage insights, ask a question about the video, or use a countdown sticker for a time-sensitive announcement. This added layer of context can be the push a viewer needs to actually click through and watch the entire video.
• It Reminds People Your Content Exists: Let's be honest, people's attention spans are short. They might have seen your Reel for a split second while scrolling earlier, but seeing it promoted in your Story serves as a powerful reminder to go check it out properly.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Posting a Reel on an Instagram Story

The process is incredibly straightforward, though there are slight differences between sharing your own content versus someone else's. We’ll cover both scenarios.

How to Share Your Own Reel to Your Story

You can share a Reel right after you’ve published it or go back and share an older one from your grid at any time. The steps are the same.

1. Open the Reel You Want to Share: Navigate to your Instagram profile and tap on the Reels tab (the clapperboard icon) to view all your Reels. Select the one you want to post to your Story.
2. Tap the Share Icon: On the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll see a row of icons for liking, commenting, and sharing. Tap the paper airplane icon to open the sending menu.
3. Select "Add to story": At the top left of the menu that appears, you’ll see a blue plus-sign icon next to "Add to story". Tap this option.
4. Customize Your Story: You’ll now be in the Instagram Story editor. Here, the Reel will play on a continuous loop, appearing as a sticker on top of a default gradient background. You can pinch to resize it, drag it anywhere on the screen, or rotate it. This is your chance to add your creative flair (more on this in the next section).
5. Publish Your Story: Once you're happy with how it looks, tap the "Your story" button in the bottom left corner to post it live. Now, anyone who views your Story can tap on the video to be taken directly to the original Reel to watch it in full, like it, and comment.

How to Share Someone Else's Reel to Your Story

Sharing content from other creators is a fantastic way to build community, showcase user-generated content (UGC), or simply share inspiring video with your followers. The process is almost identical, with one key condition.

1. Find the Reel You Want to Share: Navigate to the user’s profile or find their Reel in your feed or the Explore page.
2. Check for Sharing Permissions: The account must be public, and the creator must have enabled sharing in their settings. If they haven’t, the "Add to story" option simply won’t appear when you tap the share icon.
3. Tap the Share Icon and Add to Story: Just like with your own Reel, tap the paper airplane icon and then select "Add to story".
4. Credit Is Automatic: When you share someone else’s Reel, Instagram automatically adds a tappable sticker with the original creator’s username. This ensures they always get credit and that viewers can easily navigate to their profile. Don’t try to cover this up with GIFs or stickers, giving credit is fundamental to good social media etiquette.
5. Customize and Publish: Add any text, GIFs, or other elements you'd like to provide your own commentary, then tap "Your story" to post.

3 Creative Strategies to Make Your Shared Reel Stand Out

Just putting a tiny Reel in the middle of a default background is a missed opportunity. To truly capture attention and drive clicks, take a few extra seconds to customize your Story. Here are three simple but powerful techniques.

1. Create a Custom Background

The standard gradient background automatically generated by Instagram is boring. Make yours pop by either matching the vibe of your Reel or teasing the content within it.

Option A: The Solid Color Background

• Once your Reel is in the Story editor, tap the "Draw" tool (the squiggly line at the top).
• Use the color dropper tool at the bottom left to select a dominant color from your Reel video. This creates a cohesive, branded look.
• Now, tap and hold your finger anywhere on the screen for a couple of seconds. The entire background will fill with your selected color, while the Reel remains on top.

Option B: The Photo Background

• A powerful tactic is to use a still image from your camera roll as a background. From the sticker menu, choose the 'photo' sticker to add an image from your library. Enlarge the photo to fill the entire screen and place your Reel on top of it. This method is perfect for before-and-after reveals, showcasing a final product, or simply adding a textured, dynamic backdrop.

2. Tease the Content with a "Tap Here" GIF

Curiosity is a powerful motivator. Instead of showing the best part of the Reel in your Story preview, build some intrigue to encourage a click-through.

• Resize and position your Reel so a key part of the video is visible.
• Tap the sticker icon and search for a GIF like "tap here," "new post," or an arrow.
• Place the GIF strategically over a portion of the Reel to obscure part of the action. This visual cue tells the viewer exactly what to do and creates a desire to see what’s behind the graphic.

3. Add Context and a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Never assume your audience knows what you want them to do. Use the text or sticker functions in the Story editor to guide them.

• For E-Commerce Brands: If your Reel features a product, add text like, "Full demo in our latest Reel!" and maybe a "link in bio" sticker if the product is shoppable.
• For Coaches or Consultants: If your Reel shares valuable tips, use a question sticker in the Story to ask, "Did you know you could do this? Watch the Reel for more tips!" This immediately engages the user before they’ve even watched the video.
• For Entertainers or Artists: Use a poll sticker with options like "😍" or "🤯" and ask your audience to react to the Reel. Adding commentary like "My favorite part of this video is..." helps humanize your content and primes the viewer for what to look for.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Sharing your Reel is easy, but a few simple mistakes can weaken its impact. Watch out for these common missteps:

• Blocking the Main Visual: Don't place so much text or so many GIFs on the screen that people can't see the Reel itself. The video is the main attraction, let it shine.
• Ignoring the "Safe Zones": Remember that the very top and very bottom of a Story are often obscured by your username or the "send message" bar. Keep your important visuals, CTAs, stickers, and text within the central part of the screen so they don’t get cut off.
• Forgetting to Tell People What to Do: People won’t click through just because you posted something. Use clear language like "Tap to watch!" or "See the full thing here!" Give a clear, direct instruction.

Final Thoughts

Sharing your Reels to your Instagram Story is a simple yet powerful tactic to increase visibility, engagement, and the overall lifespan of your content. By following these simple steps and getting creative with your presentation, you can ensure your hard work gets seen by as many people as possible.

Mastering individual tactics like this is just one piece of the social media puzzle. A consistent, well-planned content strategy is what truly drives growth. At Postbase, we built our visual calendar to help creators and brands see their entire content plan at a glance. By scheduling all your posts - including video-first formats like Reels that other tools struggle with - you can stop scrambling to post daily and start building a real content machine that works for you.