How to Repost Instagram Reels to TikTok

Repurposing your Instagram Reels for TikTok is one of the smartest ways to maximize your content's reach without creating twice the work. It's a content strategy used by top creators and brands to get their best videos in front of a completely new audience. This guide provides a complete walkthrough on how to repost your Instagram Reels to TikTok effectively, starting with the most important step: getting rid of that pesky watermark.

Why Repurpose Your Instagram Reels on TikTok?

You already did the hard work of scripting, filming, and editing a killer piece of short-form video. Letting it live on only one platform is a missed opportunity. Reposting is about efficiency - getting more value from the effort you've already invested.

• Reach a New Audience: While there's an overlap, the Instagram and TikTok audiences aren't identical. Your ideal customer might be spending more time scrolling TikTok's 'For You Page' than the Explore page. Your content could find a massive new segment of followers on a different app.
• Save Valuable Time: Content creation is demanding. Instead of starting from scratch for every platform, repurposing allows you to maintain a consistent posting schedule across your social profiles with far less effort. This frees you up to work on new ideas, engage with your community, or simply take a break.
• Test Content Across Platforms: A Reel that performed moderately on Instagram might go viral on TikTok, and vice versa. Each platform's algorithm is a unique beast. By reposting, you give your content a second chance to shine and gather valuable data on what resonates with different user bases.

The Golden Rule: Never Repost with the Instagram Watermark

Before we get into the "how," let's cover the single biggest mistake creators make: uploading a video to TikTok that clearly has the Instagram Reels watermark on it. Both platforms are in direct competition, and their algorithms are designed to favor native, original content. Uploading a video branded with a competitor's logo is an almost-guaranteed way to get your content deprioritized, meaning it will be shown to fewer people.

Beyond the algorithm, it also signals to users that they're seeing recycled content. Viewers on TikTok expect content made *for* TikTok. A watermark instantly breaks that illusion and can make your content feel like an afterthought. Taking a few extra minutes to remove it shows that you care about the viewer experience on the platform you're posting to.

How to Download Your Instagram Reel Without the Watermark

You have two primary, reliable methods for getting a clean, watermark-free version of your Reel. The best one depends on where you are in your posting workflow.

Method 1: Save the Video Directly From the Instagram Editor (The Pre-Posting Method)

This is by far the cleanest and safest method because it doesn't involve any third-party websites or apps. The trick is to save the video to your camera roll before you hit the final "Share" button on your Reel.

Here's how it works:

1. Film and edit your video inside the Instagram Reels editor. Add your clips, trim them, and do your color correction.
2. Add any music from Instagram's library you plan to use. When you save the video to your phone, the clip will be saved with the audio.
3. Before adding any platform-specific elements like text, polls, or stickers, look for the download icon at the top of the editing screen (it looks like a down-facing arrow). Tap it.
4. The video will be saved to your phone's camera roll without the Instagram watermark and logo.
5. Now, you can continue with the posting process on Instagram. Once your Reel is live, you have the clean video file ready to upload to TikTok.

A Quick Tip: If you use Instagram's text-to-speech feature, its audio will be saved with the video using this method. However, on-screen text added in Instagram will not be saved. This is actually a good thing! It gives you a clean slate to add native text in TikTok, which looks more natural on that platform anyway.

Method 2: Use a Third-Party Tool (The Post-Posting Method)

What if you already posted the Reel and forgot to save it? Or maybe you want to repost an older Reel from your archive. In this case, you'll need to use a third-party tool designed to download Instagram videos.

While there are many websites and apps for this (a quick search for "Instagram Reel downloader" will give you plenty), the process is generally the same:

1. Open the Instagram app and navigate to the Reel you want to download.
2. Tap the paper airplane (Share) icon at the bottom of the right-hand menu.
3. Select "Copy Link" from the options.
4. Open your web browser and navigate to a reputable Instagram video downloader website (like Snapinsta or iGram).
5. Paste the link into the downloader's text box and hit the download button.
6. The tool will process the video and provide you with a watermark-free version to save to your device.

A Friendly Warning: Be discerning when using these external sites. Use ones that don't ask for your password or personal information. Be prepared for pop-up ads, and never download any extra software or extensions they might try to push on you. The "pre-posting" method is always the most secure choice.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Reposting the Reel on TikTok

Once you have your clean video file, the magic happens. Reposting isn't just about uploading, it's about optimizing. Here's how to do it right.

Step 1: Upload Your Video to TikTok

This part is simple. Open TikTok, tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom to open the camera, and then tap the "Upload" button on the bottom right. Select your watermark-free video from your camera roll.

Step 2: Swap or Enhance the Audio

Your video might have original audio or a sound you added on Instagram. While you can keep it, you have a massive opportunity for better reach by using one of TikTok's trending sounds.

• Tap "Add sound" at the top of the editing screen.
• From here, you can browse TikTok's "Commercial Sounds" library to find a trending track that fits the vibe of your video. Trending sounds are often boosted by the algorithm.
• Once you add a new sound, you can adjust the volume. If your original video has important talking or sound effects, tap "Volume" and lower the "Added sound" so it acts as background music, while keeping "Original sound" loud. Or, you can mute your original audio completely and let the new sound take center stage.

Step 3: Add Native On-Screen Text

Even if you liked your text placement on Instagram, it's best to recreate it natively within TikTok. TikTok's fonts, colors, and text styles are part of the platform's visual identity.

Tap the "Text" (Aa) icon to add new text overlays. Time the text to appear and disappear using the "Set duration" feature. This is also your chance to place text safely inside TikTok's "safe zones" - the areas that aren't covered by the caption, username, or engagement buttons on the sides.

Step 4: Craft a TikTok-Native Caption and Hashtags

Do not simply copy and paste your Instagram caption. The caption culture is very different.

• Keep it Shorter: TikTok captions are often punchier and more direct. Lead with a strong hook or a question to encourage comments.
• Rewrite Your Call-to-Action: On Instagram, you might ask users to "click the link in bio." On TikTok, a better CTA is "Follow for more!" or "Let me know your favorite tip in the comments!"
• Rethink Your Hashtags: Ditch the Instagram strategy of using 20-30 hashtags. On TikTok, 3-5 well-chosen hashtags are more effective. Use 1-2 massive tags (like #fyp or #xyzbca), 1-2 broad industry tags (like #socialmediamarketing), and 1-2 niche, community-specific tags (like #contentcreationtips).

Step 5: Post or Schedule It

You're ready! You can either hit "Post" to publish it immediately or save it as a draft to post later. When you post, keep an eye on your new video, and make sure to reply to comments to fuel engagement in the first few hours, which can help give it a boost from the algorithm.

Mistakes to Avoid When Cross-Posting

Steering clear of these common pitfalls will make your repurposing strategy much more effective.

• Using an Instagram Sound That's Not Popular on TikTok: The song that was trending on Reels last week might be old news on TikTok. Always check for a trending TikTok native sound.
• Ignoring TikTok-Specific Trends: Sometimes, you can give an old Reel new life by relating it to a current TikTok trend. Can you add a trending text overlay or voiceover to your old video to make it relevant again?
• Leaving in Instagram-Specific References: If your video mentions "link in bio" or uses an Instagram-specific Poll sticker, that's a dead giveaway it's a repost. Edit those moments out or re-film short segments if necessary.
• Thinking the Work is Done After Posting: A successful TikTok strategy involves community management. Don't just post and ghost. Engage with comments, thank people for sharing, and be part of the conversation.

Final Thoughts.

Reposting your Instagram Reels to TikTok is more than just a time-saving hack, it's a strategic way to grow your brand and connect with a wider audience on their preferred platform. By ditching the watermark, embracing TikTok-native features like sounds and text, and tailoring your captions, you turn a simple repost into a powerful piece of native content.

Managing all this content creation, scheduling, and community engagement across multiple platforms can quickly become overwhelming. At Postbase, we built our platform specifically to solve this problem for creators and marketers. You can visually plan your video content for Reels, TikToks, and Shorts in one beautiful calendar, schedule them reliably, and handle all your comments and DMs in a single inbox. We designed it for the video-first world we live in now, making your cross-platform strategy feel effortless instead of chaotic.