How to Remix a Story on Instagram

Instagram's Story Remix feature transforms how you interact with content, moving you from a passive viewer to an active participant in seconds. Think of it as a conversational tool built right into the platform, allowing you to react, respond, and add your own perspective alongside someone else's Story. This guide will walk you through exactly how to remix a Story, why you should incorporate this into your strategy, and give you creative ideas to get started today.

What Is an Instagram Story Remix?

An Instagram Story Remix is a feature that lets you record your own video that appears next to another user's public Story. When you remix a Story, Instagram creates a split-screen video, showing the original Story on one side and your recorded response on the other. It’s similar in spirit to TikTok's Duet feature but designed specifically for Instagram’s ephemeral, 24-hour content format.

The result is a brand-new Story that you can share with your own followers. It's an instant collaboration. Instead of simply sharing someone’s content with a mention, a Remix puts your reaction or commentary front and center, creating a dynamic piece of content that feels personal and immediate. The original creator is automatically tagged in your Remix, notifying them that you’ve engaged with their content in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Why You Should Be Remixing Instagram Stories

Integrating Story Remixes into your content plan offers more than just a new way to post. It’s a strategic move that helps build your brand organically by focusing on interaction and community. Here’s why it’s so powerful.

Drive Genuine Engagement

Let's be honest: genuine engagement can be tough to spark. A Remix is an active form of communication. It signals that you’re not just watching - you're listening and responding. By remixing a follower's story where they've tagged you, you turn a simple mention into a piece of celebratory content. This encourages more followers to tag you, hoping for a similar shout-out and strengthening the bond with your audience.

Foster a Stronger Community

Community isn't built on monologues, it's built on conversations. Remixing Stories breaks down the wall between creator and audience. It allows you to feature your followers’ content directly alongside your own, making them feel seen and valued. For example, a coffee shop could remix a customer’s Story of their morning latte with a "great choice!" reaction. It’s a small gesture that makes the customer feel like part of an in-group, which is the foundation of any strong brand community.

Spark User-Generated Content (UGC)

Remixes create a fantastic feedback loop for user-generated content. You can actively encourage your followers to remix your Stories. Post a question, a challenge, or a simple prompt and ask your community to respond with a Remix. This strategy isn’t just engaging, it also crowdsources authentic marketing content for your brand. That "remixed" content serves as social proof, showing potential customers that real people are actively engaging with and enjoying your product or brand.

Create Fast, Authentic Content

Not every piece of content needs to be a highly polished studio production. In fact, raw and authentic content often performs better. A Story Remix is, by nature, spontaneous and unscripted. It’s a perfect way to create content quickly when you’re short on time but want to stay visible and engaged. Reacting to a piece of industry news or a partner announcement takes just a few moments but demonstrates that you're in the loop and have a point of view.

How to Remix a Story on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to jump in? The process is simple. Here’s how you can create your first Story Remix in just a few taps.

Step 1: Find a Story You Can Remix

First, find a Story you want to react to. This can be from a friend, a follower, or another brand you admire. Keep in mind that you can only Remix a Story if the original creator has the feature enabled. We'll cover how to enable this for your own account later on. You can only Remix public video Stories, not static images or text-only Stories.

Step 2: Access the "Remix" Option

While viewing the video Story, tap the three dots in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This will bring up a menu of options.

Step 3: Select "Remix this story"

From the menu, choose the "Remix this story" option. This will open the Story creation camera with the original Story already loaded into a layout.

Step 4: Choose Your Preferred Layout

Instagram gives you a few different layouts for your Remix. Before you start recording, tap the layout icon (it looks like two overlapping rectangles) on the left side of the screen. You can choose from a few options:

• Side-by-Side: This is the default layout, showing the original video on the left and your camera feed on the right.
• Top-and-Bottom: This option places the original video at the top and your recording space at the bottom (or vice versa).
• Green Screen: This creative layout uses the original video as a virtual background while you record yourself in the foreground.
• Reaction View: This places the original video in a large format with a small picture-in-picture window for your reaction.

Play around to see which format best suits the story you want to tell.

Step 5: Record Your Response

Once you’ve picked a layout, simply press and hold the record button to capture your video reaction. You could add commentary, ask a follow-up question, or just give a visual reaction like a nod, a thumbs-up, or a surprised expression. You'll record your video while the original Story plays, so you can react in real time.

Step 6: Edit and Add Your Flair

Here's the best part: after you record, you have access to all the standard Instagram Story editing tools. Don't skip this step! Adding your unique touch makes the content feel even more your own.

• Add text overlays to provide context.
• Use GIFs or stickers to add some personality.
• Include music that matches the mood of your reaction.
• Use the drawing tools to highlight part of the original video.

Step 7: Share Your Remix!

When you're happy with your creation, share it to your Story just like you normally would. The original creator will automatically be tagged and notified, which is a great way to start or continue a conversation.

How to Let Others Remix Your Stories

Inviting your audience to remix your content is just as important as remixing others. To do this, you need to make sure the feature is enabled for your own account. Here's how to check and turn it on.

1. Navigate to your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down to the "How others can interact with you" section and tap on Sharing and remixes.
4. Under the "Allow others to share and remix your content" heading, make sure the toggle for Allow story remixes is turned on.

Once enabled, other users will see the "Remix this story" option when they view your video Stories.

Creative Ideas for Instagram Story Remixes

Feeling inspired but not sure where to start? Here are some actionable ideas you can adapt for your brand or personal account:

• Host a "Remix & Respond" Q&A: Post a Story with an open-ended question like "What's stopping you from reaching your ____ goal?" and prompt your followers to remix it with their answers. You can then repost their remixes with your feedback.
• Gather Video Testimonials: Encourage happy customers to remix a story of your product in action. Seeing real people use and love your product is incredibly persuasive.
• Run a Community Challenge: A fitness brand could post a "one-minute plank challenge" and ask followers to remix it with their attempt. It’s fun, interactive, and creates a sense of shared experience.
• Collaborate with Other Creators: Team up with another brand or creator in your niche. One person posts a story, and the other remixes it to add their perspective, creating a mini co-hosted content piece.
• React to Industry News: Find a story from a reputable news source in your industry and use the Remix feature to add your two cents. This positions you as an expert who is current on the latest trends and events.
• Showcase "Before & After" Results: Ask your followers to remix a "before" Story prompt with their "after" transformation. This could apply to a home decor project, a new hairstyle, a learned skill, or anything where a transformation is visible.

Final Thoughts

The Instagram Story Remix feature is a simple yet powerful way to deepen relationships with your audience, create authentic content with minimal effort, and encourage a cycle of engaging user-generated content. By moving beyond passive consumption and into active conversation, you can foster a more vibrant and loyal community around your brand.

As you build a more interactive strategy filled with Story Remixes and audience engagement, keeping everything organized is vital. This is why we built Postbase to make things simpler. You can use our visual content calendar to plan your UGC prompts ahead of time, and our unified inbox tidies up all the incoming DMs and mentions from your remixes into one easy-to-manage feed, so you never miss a chance to connect with your community.