How to Post Someone Else's Reel on Instagram

You’ve come across a Reel so perfect it feels like it was made for your audience - it’s funny, informative, or perfectly captures your brand’s vibe. Your first instinct is to share it. Posting someone else’s Reel on Instagram can be a fantastic way to fill your content calendar and engage your community, but doing it the right way is what separates savvy social media managers from spammers. This guide walks you through exactly how to repost a Reel, covering everything from getting permission and giving proper credit to the technical steps for getting it on your own feed or Story.

Why Share Someone Else’s Reel In the First Place?

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly touch on the "why." Sharing others' content, also known as content curation or User-Generated Content (UGC), is a powerful social media marketing strategy. It’s not about being lazy, it’s about being smart.

• It Builds Community: When you feature content from your customers or followers, you make them feel seen and valued. This strengthens their connection to your brand and encourages others to share their experiences, too. It turns your feed from a monologue into a conversation.
• It Provides Social Proof: A Reel from a happy customer raving about your product is often more persuasive than any ad you could create. UGC acts as a genuine, third-party endorsement that builds trust with potential customers.
• It Fills Your Content Calendar: Let’s be real - creating original, high-quality content day after day is demanding. Curating exceptional Reels from others helps you maintain a consistent posting schedule without burning out your creative team. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

The Most Important Step: Always Get Permission First

If you take away only one thing from this article, let it be this: you must have explicit permission from the original creator before posting their Reel to your feed. Taking someone’s content without asking is not only in poor taste but also a violation of Instagram’s Terms of Service and intellectual property laws. It can damage your brand's reputation and even lead to your post being taken down.

Getting permission is easier than you think. You just have to ask. Don't be shy, most creators are happy to have their work shared with a new audience, especially if you give them proper credit.

How to Ask for Permission (A Simple DM Template)

A polite, direct message is the best way to request permission. Here’s a simple template you can adapt:

“Hey [Creator’s Handle]! My name is [Your Name] from [Your Brand/Handle]. We are huge fans of your content and absolutely loved your recent Reel about [briefly describe the Reel]. It would be a perfect fit for our audience, and we’d be honored to feature it on our feed. Of course, we would give you full credit as the creator in the caption and tags. Would that be okay with you?”

Wait for a clear "yes" before you proceed. Once you have that confirmation (grab a screenshot for your records), you’re ready to move on to the next steps.

3 Ways to Technically Post Someone Else’s Reel

Once you have permission, you have a few different options for getting the Reel from their account to yours. Each method has its pros and cons, so choose the one that best fits your goal.

Method 1: Share the Reel to Your Instagram Story (The Easiest Official Method)

This is Instagram’s built-in, officially supported way to share content. It's incredibly simple, but the major limitation is that it posts to your Story, not your permanent feed or Reels tab. Stories disappear after 24 hours.

This method is great for quick, informal shares or to temporarily highlight a partner or piece of content without adding it permanently to your grid.

How to do it:

1. Find the Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane icon (the "Share" button).
3. From the menu that pops up, tap “Add to story.”
4. Instagram will open its Story editor with the Reel embedded. You can resize it, add your own text, stickers, or mentions.
5. Importantly, the Story will automatically include a link back to the original Reel with the creator's username.
6. Once you’re done customizing, tap “Your story” to publish it.

Method 2: Use a Third-Party Repost App

For sharing a Reel to your actual feed, you’ll likely need a dedicated reposting app. These apps are specifically designed to download Instagram content and prepare it for you to repost on your own account.

A word of caution: Be careful which apps you use. Some require you to log in with your Instagram credentials, which can pose a security risk. Look for apps with strong reviews that don't ask for your password and instead work by simply pasting the Reel's link. Quality apps also typically add a small watermark giving credit to the creator, which is a good practice.

How these apps generally work:

1. Find the Reel on Instagram that you have permission to share.
2. Tap the three dots (...) and select “Link” to copy the URL to your clipboard.
3. Open your chosen reposting app.
4. Paste the link into the app. It should automatically detect and download the video.
5. The app will usually give you options to copy the original caption and position a credit watermark.
6. Follow the app’s instructions to “Share” or “Repost,” which will open the Instagram app with the video ready to be posted. From there, you can write your own caption, add hashtags, and publish it just like you would with your own Reel.

Method 3: Ask the Creator for the Original File

This is often the best and highest-quality method for reposting a Reel to your feed. Instead of using intermediate apps or techniques that can degrade video quality, you simply ask the creator to send you the original video file directly.

When you ask for permission, you can add this to your message:

“If you’re open to it, could you possibly send us the original video file? That way, we can ensure it gets posted at the highest possible quality on our feed.”

Most creators are happy to do this. They can send it via email, AirDrop, or a file-sharing service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Once you have the file, you can upload and post it natively, just as you would your own content. This gives you a clean copy without watermarks or quality loss and bypasses the security risks of third-party apps.

What about screen recording?

You might be tempted to just screen record the Reel. While technically possible, this should be your absolute last resort. Screen recording often results in lower video quality, awkward cropping, and captures on-screen interface elements like likes and comments. More importantly, doing it without permission is a definite no-go. The creator-sent file is always a more professional and respectful alternative.

Best Practices: How to Repost Like a Pro

Technically sharing the Reel is only half the battle. How you present it on your feed is what builds community and makes your brand look good.

1. Give Crystal Clear Credit in the Caption

This is non-negotiable. Proper credit means more than just tagging them in the video. The most respectful and effective way to give credit is by mentioning their handle right at the very top of your caption.

• Good Example: “Incredible advice from @[OriginalCreatorHandle]! 💡 We couldn’t agree more that…”
• Great Example: “🎥 via the amazing @[OriginalCreatorHandle]! Here’s what she had to say…”

Putting the credit first ensures the creator’s handle is immediately visible, even before the “...more” fold in the caption. Hiding the credit at the bottom of a long list of hashtags looks like you're trying to obscure the original source.

2. Write Your Own Unique Caption

Don't just copy and paste the creator's original caption. Add your own voice and context. Your followers follow you for your perspective. Tell them why you’re sharing this specific Reel.

• What did you like about it?
• What key takeaway resonated with you?
• How does it relate to your brand, product, or community?
• Ask a question to prompt engagement from your audience.

An original caption adds value and frames the curated content within your brand’s narrative.

3. Do Not Alter the Original Reel

Respect the creator's work. Unless you have specific permission to edit it, you should not add your own music, apply a dramatically different filter, crop their face or watermark out, or otherwise change the video. You are featuring their content, not claiming it. Preserve the integrity of their original creation.

4. Engage With the Comments

Once you’ve posted the Reel, treat it like any of your other content. Respond to comments from your audience, and if someone asks a question about the content, you can even tag the original creator in your reply to bring them into the conversation. This fosters a sense of dynamic community around the shared content.

Final Thoughts

Sharing someone else’s Reel on Instagram is an excellent strategy when handled correctly. The bedrock of this approach is respect: respect for the creator's work by asking permission first, and respect for your audience by curating high-quality content that adds value to their feed. By following these steps, you can build community, foster trust, and keep your content calendar full of engaging posts.

As our team works with brands to build out their content strategies, we know how time-consuming it can be to coordinate every piece of content - from original video shoots to curated Reels like these. It's why we built Postbase with a visual calendar that lets you see your entire schedule at a glance. You can easily plan your original posts around curated content, ensuring a balanced and consistent presence without the headache. It’s what helps us keep everything on track, reliably.