How to See How Many Shares on an Instagram Post

You’ve crafted the perfect Instagram post, the likes are rolling in, and the comments are buzzing, but you’re left wondering about a more potent, often invisible metric: shares. Seeing how many people liked your content is simple, but understanding how many found it valuable enough to send to a friend or share with their own audience is the real measure of impact. This guide will walk you through exactly how to find the number of shares on your Instagram posts and, more importantly, how to use that data to create even better content.

First Things First: You Need a Professional Account

Before you can see detailed insights like shares and saves, you need to switch your Instagram profile to a Professional account. If you’re already using one, you can skip to the next section. If you’re still on a Personal account, making the switch is free, reversible, and only takes a minute. It’s the gatekeeper to all the data you need to grow your brand.

There are two types of Professional accounts: Creator and Business. For most individuals, influencers, public figures, and content producers, the Creator account is the best fit. For brands, retailers, local businesses, and service providers, the Business account is ideal. Functionally, they both provide the insights we need for this tutorial.

How to Switch to a Professional Account:

1. Open the Instagram app and go to your profile page.
2. Tap the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings and privacy from the menu.
4. Scroll down to the "For professionals" section and tap on Account type and tools.
5. Tap Switch to professional account.
6. Follow the on-screen prompts. Instagram will ask you to select a category that best describes what you do (e.g., Artist, Blogger, Digital Creator). Choose the one that fits you best and decide if you want to display it on your profile.
7. Confirm your choice, and you’re all set! You've now unlocked Instagram Insights.

How to Check Shares on an Instagram Feed Post

With a Professional account activated, finding your share count is straightforward. It’s important to know that Instagram’s terminology can be a little confusing. Within Post Insights, the "share" metric is technically represented by a paper airplane icon and is primarily counted when a user sends your post to someone via Direct Message (DM).

Step-by-Step Guide to Viewing Post Insights:

1. Navigate to the specific feed post (photo or video) you want to analyze.
2. Below the image and an excerpt of your caption, you'll see a button that says View insights. Tap it.
3. This will open up a detailed performance screen for that specific post.

On the insights screen, you'll see a breakdown of key engagement metrics. Look for these icons:

• The Heart icon represents Likes.
• The Speech Bubble icon represents Comments.
• The Paper Airplane icon represents Shares (primarily DMs).
• The Bookmark icon represents Saves (also called Collections).

The number next to the paper airplane icon is your share count. This tells you how many times users have hit that share button and sent your post directly to another user or group chat. This is a powerful form of word-of-mouth marketing, as it’s a direct, personal recommendation from one person to another.

A quick note: Unfortunately, Instagram does not show you a list of who shared your post via DM, it only gives you the total number.

What About Shares to Instagram Stories?

Here’s where it gets a little different. When someone shares your feed post to their own Instagram Story, it contributes massively to your reach, but tracking it isn't contained in that same paper airplane "share" metric. This action is tracked a bit differently, especially for Reels.

For Regular Feed Posts and Photos:

Currently, for a standard photo or video post, Instagram doesn't provide a single, clean number in Post Insights that tallies up how many times it has been shared to Stories. The best way to track an estimate of these is through notifications. If a public account shares your post to their Story and tags you (which automatically happens unless they manually remove the tag), you'll receive a notification and a DM with a preview. This is an imperfect system for getting an exact count, but it gives you a qualitative sense of how many people are resharing your content this way.

For Instagram Reels: A Clearer Picture

Instagram gives Reels preferential treatment in its insights, which is great news for video creators. Reels insights have a specific metric called "Reshares." This number specifically tracks how many times your Reel has been shared to someone else's Story.

How to find Reel Reshares:

1. Go to the Reel you want to analyze.
2. Tap the three dots (...) in the bottom-right corner.
3. Select View insights from the menu.
4. Here, you'll see the standard Likes, Comments, DMs, and Saves. You'll also see an additional metric: Reshares. This is your total count of shares to Stories for that Reel.

This direct metric makes it much easier to identify which of your Reels successfully convinces viewers to share it publicly with their own audience, a huge driver for reaching new followers.

From Data to Action: How to Get More Shares

Simply knowing your share count is just the first step. The real magic happens when you analyze that data to understand why certain posts get shared more than others. Use your insights to build a content strategy designed for sharability.

Here are some actionable strategies to increase your shares:

1. Identify Your Most-Shared Content Pillars

Go through your top 10-15 posts with the highest share counts. Lay them all out and look for patterns. Is there a recurring theme?

• Is it educational? Posts that teach someone something new - like quick tutorials, "how-to" carousel guides, or valuable tips - are highly shareable because they provide direct utility.
• Is it relatable? Memes, funny anecdotes, or posts that capture a shared human experience often get sent with a "this is so us" message. This content builds community and connection.
• Is it inspirational? Powerful quotes, success stories, or motivational content can inspire people to share a dose of positivity with their friends.
• Is it newsworthy or timely? Content that taps into current events, industry news, or trending topics can become a go-to source that people share to keep others informed.

Once you identify your sharable content pillars, intentionally build more posts around them.

2. Create Content Specifically Designed for Saves & Shares

Don’t just post and hope for shares, build your content with sharing in mind.

• Infographics & Checklists: These are visual goldmines. They condense complicated information into an easy-to-digest and highly practical format. Someone might share a "10 Step Morning Routine Checklist" with a friend who is trying to be more productive.
• Quote Graphics: Turn powerful, resonant quotes into visually appealing graphics. People love to share quotes that align with their own values or feelings on their Stories.
• Mini-Tutorials in Carousels: Break down a process into simple, numbered steps in a carousel. This format is not only easy to follow but also easy to save for later and share with others who might find it useful.

3. Use Explicit Calls to Action (CTAs)

Sometimes, the easiest way to get an action is to ask for it. Don't be afraid to guide your audience. A gentle nudge can significantly boost your share metrics.

Some examples of share-focused CTAs:

• "Share this with someone who needs to hear it today."
• "Send this to a friend who would love this tip!"
• "Tag your workout buddy in the comments and share this to your story."
• "Know someone planning a trip? Share this guide with them!"

Integrate these into your captions or even as text on the final slide of a carousel or the end of a video. It feels natural and gives your followers a clear way to engage.

4. Stay on Top of Conversations

When someone shares your content, especially if they tag you in a Story, take a second to respond! Send a quick DM saying thanks or even reshare their Story to your own. Acknowledging your audience's support strengthens your community and encourages them and others to share your work in the future.

Final Thoughts

Checking how many shares your Instagram posts get is a simple process once you have a professional account, but the real benefit comes from using those insights to shape your content strategy. By understanding what resonates with your audience enough for them to pass it along, you can stop guessing what works and start creating content that fuels organic growth and deeper community connection.

Tracking the performance of individual posts is important, but a true view of what's working often involves seeing the bigger picture across all your social platforms. At Postbase, we built our analytics dashboard to cut through the noise and give you a clean, unified view of your key metrics. This lets you quickly see which content pillars drive the most engagement on Instagram, TikTok, and beyond, so you can spend less time digging through data and more time creating content you know will get shared.