How to Repost a Story on Instagram

Sharing another user's post as an Instagram Story is one of the most effective ways to build community, showcase social proof, and keep your content fresh. This guide will walk you through exactly how to repost a story on Instagram, whether you’ve been tagged or not, and cover the smart strategies behind making each share count. We’ll cover the official method, a clean workaround for everything else, and best practices to make your reposts even more powerful.

Why Reposting Stories Is a Smart Social Media Strategy

Before getting into the step-by-step, it’s helpful to understand why reposting is more than just filling space in your content calendar. When done right, it's a strategic move that strengthens your brand and relationship with your audience.

• Build a Community, Not Just an Audience: When you share a follower's story, you're telling them, "I see you, and I appreciate you." It transforms passive followers into active community members who feel valued and recognized. This encouragement often leads to them creating and sharing more content about your brand in the future.
• Leverage Authentic Social Proof: A B2C brand resharing a customer's unboxing video is far more powerful than a polished ad saying the same thing. Reposting user-generated content (UGC) is the ultimate form of a five-star review. It shows potential customers that real people love and use your products or services, which builds immense trust and credibility.
• Curate High-Value Content: You don't have to create every single piece of content yourself. Sharing helpful posts, interesting perspectives, or beautiful visuals from other accounts in your niche positions you as a valuable resource. Your feed becomes a destination for quality content, not just for your own updates, which keeps an audience coming back.
• Nurture Partnerships and Collaborations: Reposting a Story is an easy, low-lift way to support your brand partners, affiliates, or just other creators you admire. It's a simple act of goodwill that strengthens professional relationships and keeps your brand top-of-mind for future collaborations.

How to Repost an Instagram Story You’re Tagged In (The Easy Way)

Instagram makes it incredibly simple to reshare a Story when another user tags your account. This is the official, built-in method, and it only takes a few taps. When someone mentions you, an alert lights up your Direct Messages (DMs), giving you a direct line to instantly add their shout-out to your own Story.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Check Your DMs for a Mention Notification: When someone tags you (using @YourUsername) in their Story, you'll receive a notification and a new message in your DMs from that user. It will clearly state, "mentioned you in their story."
2. Find the "Add to your story" Button: Open the conversation in your DMs. You’ll see a preview of the Story they tagged you in. Right below it, there will be a prominent button that says "Add to your story." This is your direct link to start the reposting process.
3. Tap "Add to your story" to Open the Story Editor: Tapping this button will instantly open Instagram's Story editor with their Story embedded as a movable sticker. It's now ready for you to customize. The original creator's username will also be automatically included, so credit is already handled.
4. Customize Your Repost: This is where you can add your own flair. The original story appears as a resizable, rotatable element.
   • Resize and Reposition: Pinch to zoom in or out, making the original post larger or smaller. Drag it around the screen to place it wherever you like. Many creators shrink it down to leave room for their own comments or branding.
   • Add Context: Use the text tool to add your reaction. Simple phrases like "So happy you love it!", "Thanks for the love!", or "Amazing shot from @username!" provide context and show appreciation.
   • Use Stickers and GIFs: Add relevant GIFs, polls, quizzes, or stickers to make the Story more interactive and aligned with your brand's personality. A simple "Thank You" sticker can go a long way.
   • Change the Background: If you shrink the shared Story, the background will default to a gradient based on the original content’s colors. To change it, tap the drawing tool, select a color, and then tap and hold on the screen to fill the background. Important: Do this before adding text or a GIF on top of the background.
5. Share it to Your Story: Once you've finished customizing, tap the "Your Story" button at the bottom left to publish. It will now be visible to your followers for the next 24 hours. The repost will also link directly back to the original creator's profile, making it easy for viewers to discover their account.

What if I don't see the "Add to your story" button?

Occasionally, you might get a mention but not see the option to reshare. Here are a few common reasons why:

• The Original Account is Private: If a user with a private profile tags you (and you aren't following them), you won't be able to reshare their content.
• They’ve Disabled Resharing: Instagram users can disable the ability for others to reshare their content. If they have this setting turned on, the button simply won't appear.
• The Story Expired: Stories only last for 24 hours. If you try to reshare after it's expired, the option will be gone.

How to Repost a Story You’re NOT Tagged In (The Creative Workaround)

What if you come across a fantastic Story you want to share, but you weren't tagged in it? Instagram doesn't offer a native 'repost' button for this scenario because of privacy and original content ownership. However, there's a widely accepted manual method, provided you follow one non-negotiable rule: always ask for permission and give clear, obvious credit to the original creator.

The Screen Capture Method

This is the safest and most respectful way to share a Story you aren't tagged in. It avoids sketchy third-party apps that may compromise your account security.

1. Ask for Permission First: Before you do anything else, send a quick DM to the creator. Something simple like, "Hey! Love this story, would you mind if I shared it and credited you?" is perfect. Not only is it respectful, but it also opens a nice line of communication with another creator. Most will be thrilled to say yes.
2. Capture the Story:
   • For Static Images: Open the Story and take a screenshot. To get a cleaner look, you can tap and hold on the screen to temporarily hide the Instagram username and chat interface before you take the screenshot.
   • For Videos: Use your phone's built-in screen recording feature. Start the recording, play the Story video, and then stop the recording.
3. Crop and Clean Up Your Capture: Open your phone's photo gallery and edit your screenshot or screen recording. Crop out any unnecessary parts of the screen like your phone's status bar, the time, or other interface elements to make the content look neat and focused.
4. Create a New Story and Upload Your Media: Go back to Instagram, open the Story camera, and swipe up to access your camera roll. Select the screenshot or screen recording you just polished.
5. Give Clear and Enthusiastic Credit: This is the most important step. Don't hide the credit in a tiny font in the corner. Make it prominent and valuable.
   • Use the ‘@Mention’ Sticker: This is the best way to credit someone. It's highly visible, and more importantly, it sends a notification to the original creator and adds a clickable link directly to their profile.
   • Add Supportive Text: Frame your credit positively. Instead of just "@username," try "Incredible insight from @username!" or "Sharing this amazing design by @username." It positions you as a helpful curator, not just someone resharing content.

Best Practices for Reposting Instagram Stories

Following the steps will get the content onto your Story, but applying a bit of strategy will make your reposts far more effective for building your brand and community.

• Don’t Just Reshare - Add Your Voice: A repost is an opportunity for commentary. Add your perspective, ask a question, or explain why you are sharing the post. This transforms a simple share into a conversation-starter and gives your audience a reason to engage with it on your Story.
• Maintain Your Brand's Aesthetic: Your Stories should feel consistent, even when featuring content from others. Resize UGC and place it on a background that uses your brand colors, fonts, or templates. This keeps your Story feed feeling curated and professional.
• Be Selective, Not Exhaustive: If you get tons of mentions, you don't have to share every single one. Pick the best ones that showcase your product well, have high-quality visuals, or include a particularly compelling testimonial. Curating the best UGC sets a higher standard and tells a more compelling brand story.
• Thank the Creator Publicly and Privately: After reposting, consider sending the user a quick DM to thank them personally. A simple message like, "Thanks so much for the shout-out! Just shared it to our Story," goes a long way in strengthening that connection. It makes the customer feel truly seen.
• Respond to Replies: Don't forget that a repost is one of your active stories! When your followers reply to the shared Story in your DMs, make sure you're engaging with them. The conversation around the content is just as valuable as the content itself.

Final Thoughts

Reposting stories on Instagram is a core skill for any modern brand or creator. Whether you're seamlessly sharing with the built-in "Add to your story" button for tagged posts or using the manual screen-capture method with proper credit, it's a fantastic tactic for building community and showcasing genuine user love.

We know that managing all of those brand mentions, planning ahead, and engaging with UGC can become a full-time job. We built Postbase to streamline this entire process. With our visual content calendar, you can see all your scheduled content in one place, schedule posts effortlessly across all platforms, and manage all your comments and DMs in one simple inbox. Our focus is to provide you with tools built for today's social media so you can spend your time building relationships, not just juggling apps.