How to Repost a Video on Instagram

Want to share an amazing Instagram video you found on your own profile? You're in the right place. Reposting is a fantastic way to fill your content calendar, celebrate creators you admire, and share valuable or entertaining videos with your audience. This guide breaks down exactly how to repost a video on Instagram, both to your Story and your main feed, and covers the essential practices to make sure you’re doing it right.

Why Repost a Video on Instagram?

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly touch on the "why." Reposting isn't just about filling in a blank spot on your content schedule. When done thoughtfully, it’s a powerful strategy for building your brand and community.

• Source User-Generated Content (UGC): Sharing content from customers and followers is social proof at its best. It shows you have an active, engaged community and that people genuinely love what you do.
• Build Community and Relationships: Highlighting other creators in your niche (or those who align with your brand values) is a great way to network and show appreciation. It can lead to collaborations and reciprocal shout-outs down the line.
• Provide Value Efficiently: You don't have to create every single piece of content from scratch. Curating and sharing valuable videos from others positions you as a trusted source in your industry and saves you significant production time.

The Most Important Rule: Always, Always Give Credit

If you take only one thing away from this article, let it be this: always give clear and prominent credit to the original creator. Instagram is a community built on creativity, and reposting someone's work without crediting them is a major misstep. It’s not just bad etiquette, it can damage your reputation.

Proper crediting isn't just adding a tiny, hard-to-read tag. Here’s how to do it correctly:

• Tag the Creator in the Video/Photo: Use Instagram's tagging feature to tag their account directly in the video itself. This sends them a notification and connects your post directly back to their profile.
• Mention the Creator in the Caption: Your caption should include a clear shout-out using their @username, ideally at the very top of the caption so it's impossible to miss. For example: "Amazing advice via @creatorhandle" or "We love this Reel from @creatorhandle!"

Now that the golden rule is clear, let's get into the step-by-step methods.

How to Repost a Video to Your Instagram Story (The Easy Way)

Instagram makes sharing someone else's feed post or Reel to your own Story incredibly simple. This is built directly into the app and takes just a few seconds. It's the most common and accepted way to reshare content on the platform.

Steps to Repost a Feed Video or Reel to Your Story:

1. Find the video (from a feed post or Reel) that you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane icon below the video, just next to the comment button.
3. A menu will pop up. Select the first option, "Add to your story."
4. This will open the Instagram Story editor with the video embedded. It will automatically show the original creator's username, which links back to their post. Don't hide this!
5. Customize the Story as you wish. Pinch to resize the video, move it around, add text, GIFs, or stickers to add your own commentary or reaction.
6. When you're happy with it, tap "Your Story" in the bottom left corner to post it.

This method is fantastic because credit is automatically included, and viewers can tap on the post to see the original video and visit the creator's profile.

How to Repost a Video to Your Instagram Feed or Reels

This is where things get a bit more complex, as Instagram doesn’t offer a built-in "repost" or "regram" button for sharing someone else's feed video to your own feed. You’ll need to use an external tool or a manual method. For both methods below, it's highly recommended that you ask the original creator for permission via DM before posting to your feed. While sharing to a temporary Story is one thing, putting their content permanently on your profile is a bigger step.

Method 1: Using a Third-Party Repost App

The most popular way to repost to the feed is by using a specialized app. There are many options available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store (just search for "repost for Instagram"). While features vary slightly, they generally all follow the same process.

Steps for Using a Repost App:

1. Download a Repost App: Find a reputable app with good reviews. Most offer a free version that includes a small watermark to credit the original user.
2. Copy the Video Link from Instagram: Open the Instagram app and navigate to the video you want to repost. Tap the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the post and select "Link" or "Copy Link." The link is now copied to your device’s clipboard.
3. Open the Repost App: Open your newly downloaded repost app. Most apps will automatically detect the link you just copied and display the video for you. If not, there's usually a field where you can paste the link.
4. Customize the Attribution Mark: The app will allow you to choose where the original creator's username overlay (the watermark) appears - usually the corner of the video. You might also be able to choose between a light or dark theme for the overlay.
5. Initiate the Repost: Tap the "Repost" or "Share" button within the app. It will typically give you the option to share directly to your Instagram Feed or Reels.
6. Post on Instagram: The app will prepare the video and open Instagram for you. From here, you’ll proceed as if you were uploading your own video. You can write your caption, add a location, and tag people.
7. Add Your Final Credit: This is important! Even though the app added a visual watermark, you should still credit the original creator in your caption with an @mention, as discussed earlier. A personal note explaining why you loved the video is even better.

Method 2: Manually Screen Recording the Video

If you'd rather not use another app, you can use your phone's built-in screen recording feature. This method gives you a direct copy of the video file, but it requires a bit more editing work and, ethically speaking, puts a greater emphasis on getting permission beforehand since you are creating a new copy of the work.

Steps for Screen Recording on an iPhone:

1. Enable Screen Recording: If you haven't already, go to Settings > Control Center and add "Screen Recording" to your list of included controls.
2. Start Recording: Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right of your screen. Tap the record button (a circle within a circle). After a three-second countdown, your phone will start recording everything on your screen.
3. Record the Video: Open Instagram and play the video you want to repost in full-screen mode to get the best quality. Let it play from start to finish.
4. Stop Recording: Swipe down to open Control Center again and tap the record button to stop. A notification will confirm the recording has been saved to your Photos.
5. Trim the Video: Open the Photos app, find your screen recording, and tap "Edit." Use the sliders at the bottom to trim out the beginning (where you started the recording) and the end (where you stopped it), so only the video you want is left. Tap "Done" to save the cleaned-up clip.

Steps for Screen Recording on Android:

1. Find Screen Recorder: Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to access the full Quick Settings panel. Find the "Screen Recorder" tile. (If it's not there, you may need to edit your tiles to add it).
2. Start Recording: Tap the "Screen Recorder" tile. A small menu will appear. Make sure you choose to record device audio. Tap "Start."
3. Record the Video: Navigate to the Instagram video, play it in full screen, and let it run.
4. Stop Recording: When the video is done, stop the recording using the floating controller or by pulling down the Quick Settings menu. The video will save to your gallery.
5. Trim the Video: Open your phone’s gallery or Google Photos app, find the video, and use the edit tool to trim the ends.

Once you have your trimmed video clip on either device, you can upload it to your Instagram feed or as a Reel just like any other video from your camera roll. And for the last time, because it matters: write a great caption and give prominent credit to the original creator by tagging them in both the video and the caption.

Final Thoughts

Reposting video on Instagram offers a simple yet effective way to engage your audience, connect with other creators, and maintain a consistent flow of content. Whether you're quickly sharing to your Story or using a third-party app to curate content for your feed, the key is always to give enthusiastic and clear credit to the original creator.

A smart reposting strategy can be a huge part of managing a social presence without getting overwhelmed. At Postbase, we built our visual calendar and scheduling tools to make planning this mix of original and curated content seamless. By scheduling reposts alongside your own Reels and videos, you get a bird's-eye view of your entire strategy, making it easy to create a polished and balanced feed without constantly jumping between apps just to keep your calendar full.