How to Share a Reel on Instagram

Sharing an Instagram Reel feels easy, but getting it in front of the right audience involves a lot more than just tapping the Share button. Understanding your options - from posting to your Feed and Story to sharing in DMs and inviting collaborators - can make the difference between a Reel that disappears and one that goes viral. This guide walks you through every way to share an Instagram Reel, complete with step-by-step instructions and strategic advice to maximize your reach.

Sharing a Reel Natively: The Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you've crafted the perfect video or just have a quick clip to upload, the process of sharing your own Reel is straightforward. The real strategy lies in the choices you make on the final share screen.

Step 1: Creating or Uploading Your Reel

First, you need content. You can get started in two main ways:

• From the Instagram Home Screen: Tap the plus sign (+) at the bottom center of your screen, then select 'Reel' from the options. This opens the Reels camera, where you can record new clips, set timers, and use effects in real time.
• From Your Camera Roll: If you've already recorded and edited your video in a different app, tap the plus sign (+) and then 'Reel.' In the bottom left corner, tap the picture icon to open your phone's gallery and select the video you want to upload.

Step 2: Editing Your Video

Once your clips are loaded into the Reels editor, it’s time to polish your video. This is where you can add the elements that make Reels so engaging. On the right-hand side, you’ll see icons to:

• Add audio: Access Instagram's vast library of trending songs and sounds. Using a popular audio clip can significantly boost your Reel's visibility.
• Add text: Overlay text to explain your content, add context, or create captions that appear and disappear in sync with your video.
• Apply Effects and AR Filters: Browse trending effects or search for specific styles to change the look and feel of your footage.
• Use Stickers: Engage your audience with interactive stickers like polls, quizzes, or sliders.

When you’re happy with a clip, tap 'Next' to move to the preview screen. Get everything in order, trim clips, and proceed to the final step.

Step 3: Navigating the Final Share Screen

This screen is your mission control center. Each option here has a direct impact on how your Reel will be discovered. Let's break it down.

Write a Catchy Caption

Your caption should do three things: grab attention, provide context, and include a call-to-action (CTA). Ask a question, tell a short story, or encourage viewers to comment or save the post. Don't forget to include relevant hashtags - a mix of broad, niche, and trending hashtags can expand your reach beyond your existing followers.

To Feed or Not to Feed? The "Also share to Feed" Toggle

This is arguably the most important decision on this screen. When turned on, your Reel will appear on your main profile grid alongside your regular photo posts. Here’s the breakdown:

• Leave it ON (Recommended): Sharing to your feed gives your Reel an initial burst of visibility with your current followers. It tells the algorithm that your content is new and ready for engagement, which can help it get picked up and shown to a wider audience on the Reels tab and Explore page.
• Turn it OFF: If you're very particular about your profile's grid aesthetic and don't want videos cluttering it, you can toggle this off. However, your Reel will only appear in the Reels tab on your profile, and its initial reach will likely be far lower.

Pro-Tip: A great strategy is to share the Reel to your feed for the initial engagement boost and then remove it from your profile grid a few days later. We'll cover exactly how to do that below.

Tag People and Invite Collaborators

Tapping 'Tag people' allows you to do two powerful things:

1. Tag Accounts: Just like a regular post, you can tag other users who appear in the video or whom you want to credit. They’ll get a notification, which can lead to a share or comment.
2. Invite Collaborator: This is a game-changer. When you invite another account to be a collaborator, and they accept, the Reel appears on both of your profiles. You'll share view counts, likes, and comments. This is a fantastic way for brands, creators, and partners to double their reach without any extra effort.

Add a Location and Topics

Adding a location tag helps your Reel surface in searches for that specific place. It’s useful for travel creators, local businesses, or anyone showcasing a specific spot.

You can also 'Add Topics' to give Instagram more context about your content. Select up to three relevant topics (e.g., 'Fashion,' 'Cooking,' 'Dogs') to help the algorithm show your Reel to users who have shown interest in those categories.

More Than the Feed: Other Ways to Share Reels

Once a Reel is live, its journey isn't over. You can continue to share it in various ways to keep the momentum going or to send it to specific people. This applies to both your own Reels and amazing content you find from other creators.

Sharing Reels to Your Instagram Story

Sharing a Reel to your Story is an excellent way to re-promote your own content or highlight a video from another creator. It gives your most engaged followers - the ones who watch your stories - another chance to see the content.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Navigate to the Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane icon (the Share button) located on the right side of the screen.
3. From the menu, select "Add to story."
4. The Reel will appear in the Story editor. Here you can resize it, reposition it, and add text, GIFs, or other mention stickers on top.
5. Tap 'Your Story' to publish. Viewers can tap on the Reel in your story to be taken directly to the video and its audio page.

When sharing someone else’s content, it’s great etiquette to use the @mention sticker to tag the original creator. This gives them a notification and an easy way to reshare your Story to their own audience.

Sharing Reels in Direct Messages (DMs)

Found a funny, inspiring, or incredibly relevant Reel you want to share privately with a friend, client, or group? Sending it via DM is simple.

Here are the steps:

1. Find the Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane (Share) icon.
3. Your most frequent contacts will appear at the top. You can tap on their profile picture or use the search bar to find anyone you follow.
4. Select one or more people to send it to.
5. You can add an optional message to provide context before hitting 'Send.'

Sharing Reels Externally (Outside of Instagram)

Sometimes you need to share a Reel outside of the Instagram app - in an email newsletter, a Slack channel, or a simple text message. You have two main options for this:

1. Share Link: Tap the Share button and look for the 'Share' option with a generic share icon (this varies slightly between iOS and Android). This will open your phone’s native share sheet, allowing you to send the Reel directly to apps like WhatsApp, Messages, or Mail.
2. Copy Link: Alternatively, tap 'Copy Link.' This action saves the direct URL of the Reel to your clipboard, allowing you to paste it anywhere you like.

Strategic Sharing: Tips to Get Your Reels Seen

Knowing how to use the share functions is only half the battle. Using them strategically is what drives growth and engagement.

The "Share to Feed, Remove from Grid" Method

If you love the initial discovery burst from sharing to your feed but want to maintain a curated photo grid, here's the best of both worlds:

1. Publish your Reel with the 'Also share to Feed' option toggled ON.
2. Let it collect views and engagement for a day or even a week.
3. Once the initial momentum has slowed, go to your profile page and tap on the Reel in your grid.
4. Tap the three dots (...) icon to open the menu.
5. Select "Remove from Profile Grid."

The Reel will disappear from your main grid but remain live in your Reels-only tab, and it won't lose any of the likes or comments it has already accumulated.

Find the Perfect Time to Post

Sharing a Reel when your audience is most active gives it the best possible start. To find your unique peak times, check your Professional Dashboard.

• Go to your profile and tap 'Professional Dashboard.'
• Under 'Account Insights,' tap 'See All.'
• Tap on 'Total followers' and scroll down to the bottom to find the section for 'Most Active Times,' which shows your audience activity by day and hour.

Use this data to schedule your Reels to go live during these high-traffic windows.

Final Thoughts

Sharing an Instagram Reel goes far beyond a single click. It involves a whole toolkit of features designed to boost engagement and reach. By mastering how to share your video on your feed, in your stories, and with collaborators, you can turn every piece of content into a powerful growth opportunity.

While mastering these native features boosts immediate performance, building a brand on social media hinges on consistency. At Postbase, we designed our visual content calendar to help creators and marketers plan Reels, TikToks, and other social content far in advance. Our platform allows you to upload a video once, customize captions and hashtags for each network, and schedule everything to go live at your audience's peak active times - so you stay consistent without the stress.