How to Share Someone's Instagram Reel to a Facebook Story

Ever spot an Instagram Reel so perfectly crafted, so funny, or so inspiring that you immediately wanted to share it with your Facebook audience? You’re not alone. Sharing a brilliant Reel to your Facebook Story is a fantastic way to spread great content, but the process isn't always obvious. This guide breaks down exactly how to share someone else's Instagram Reel to your Facebook Story, step by step. We'll also cover the strategic reasons behind it and what to do if you hit a snag.

Why Share Instagram Reels to Your Facebook Story?

Cross-posting content from one platform to another is more than just a time-saver, it’s a smart strategy for anyone looking to build their brand or engagement. When you share an Instagram Reel to your Facebook Story, you’re tapping into some powerful benefits that can amplify your message and grow your audience organically.

Maximize Your Reach and Get More Eyeballs on Your Content

Not everyone who follows you on Facebook also follows you on Instagram, and vice versa. By sharing a Reel to your Facebook Story, you expose that piece of content to a potentially brand-new audience. Facebook Stories sit right at the top of the mobile app, giving your shared content prime real estate. Think of it as getting a second chance at an impression. A viewer might miss the Reel in their crowded Instagram feed but catch it instantly when they open Facebook. This is a simple way to extend the lifespan and visibility of excellent content, whether it's yours or someone else's that aligns with your brand.

Boost Engagement Across Both Platforms

Reels are designed from the ground up to be highly engaging. They are short, entertaining, and algorithmically favored for their ability to capture attention. When you share this high-impact content on Facebook, you're importing that engagement potential. A viewer might watch on Facebook, then click through to the original creator's Instagram profile to see more, follow them, or engage with the original post. You can also supercharge the shared Reel within your Facebook Story by adding interactive elements like polls, quizzes, or question stickers, prompting your Facebook audience to interact in a way they couldn't on the original Instagram post.

Make Content Repurposing Effortless

Smart social media management is all about working smarter, not harder. Content repurposing is a key part of that philosophy. Instead of feeling pressured to create entirely new, unique content for every single platform, sharing Reels allows you to leverage existing gems. Spot a Reel that delivers a quick tip relevant to your industry? Share it. Find a hilarious video that reflects your brand's personality? Share it. This approach fills gaps in your content calendar, maintains an active presence on Facebook Stories, and saves you the valuable time and creative energy you would have spent producing something from scratch.

Before You Start: A Quick Checklist

Before you get started, there are a few prerequisites and things to keep in mind. Sorting these out first will prevent frustration and make the sharing process go smoothly.

• Your Accounts Must Be Linked: This is the most important step. For this to work seamlessly, your Facebook and Instagram accounts need to be connected through Meta's Accounts Center. To check, open Instagram, go to your Profile &rarr, Settings and Privacy &rarr, Accounts Center. If you see both your Facebook and Instagram profiles listed there, you're good to go. If not, follow the prompts to add the other account.
• You Can Only Share from Public Accounts: You cannot share a Reel to your Story if the account that originally posted it is set to private. This is a privacy feature to protect the content of users who don't want it publicly circulated. If you hit the share button on a Reel from a private account, the "Add to Story" option simply won't appear.
• Watch Out for Copyrighted Audio: Many Reels go viral because they use popular, trending audio or music. However, due to licensing restrictions, that audio might not carry over when you share the Reel to your Facebook Story. In these cases, the video will play silently. Don't worry, this isn't a bug. You can use it as an opportunity to add your own commentary, context via text, or select a new track from Facebook's own music library in the Story editor.
• Always Give Credit: Giving credit to the original creator is non-negotiable. Luckily, when you use the built-in share feature, Instagram and Facebook automatically embed a link back to the original Reel and its creator. It’s still good practice to double-check that this attribution is clear, and if you want to be extra supportive, add a text mention tagging the creator's handle directly in your Story.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Sharing an Instagram Reel on Your Facebook Story

Once you’ve verified your accounts are linked and you've found a public Reel you love, the process itself only takes a few taps. Here’s exactly how to do it.

1. Find the Reel You Want to Share

Open Instagram and scroll through your feed, the Reels tab, or an individual profile until you find the video you want to share.

2. Tap the Share Icon

Below the comment and like buttons on the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll see the share icon, which looks like a paper airplane. Tap it. This will open up the sharing menu.

3. Select "Add Reel to Your Story"

In the menu that appears, you’ll see an option at the bottom left that says "Add to story." Tap this. This action will take the Reel you've selected and transfer it directly into the Instagram Story editor.

4. Customize Your Story

Now you'll see the Reel playing inside the Story editor. It will appear by default in the center of the screen, with the creator's username and the Reel title clearly visible. This is your chance to add your own spin. You can:

• Resize and Reposition: Use two fingers to pinch, zoom, rotate, and move the Reel anywhere on the screen.
• Add Text: Tap the "Aa" icon to add text overlays. You can give context, add your own witty comment, or ask your audience a question about the video.
• Include Stickers and GIFs: Use the sticker icon to add polls, quizzes, sliders, or search for relevant GIFs to make your Story more visually engaging.

5. Choose to Share to Facebook

Once you’re happy with your customizations, look at the bottom of the screen. You should see a "Your Story" button and, next to it, an option for "Close Friends." There might also be an arrow or "Share" button. Tap on the arrow or the sharing flow. You'll see options for where to post your Story. Your linked Facebook account should appear as a sharing option. Make sure it's selected. Meta frequently updates this interface, but the main idea is to find the step that lets you choose content destinations beyond just your Instagram Story.

6. Publish Your Story

With Facebook selected as a destination, hit the final "Share" button. Your customizable Story - with the embedded Reel - will now be published simultaneously to your Instagram Story and your Facebook Story for all your followers to see.

Troubleshooting: I Don’t See the Option to Share to Facebook

Things don't always work as expected. If you've followed the steps above but can’t find the option to share to Facebook, don't worry. It's usually due to one of a few common issues that are easy to fix.

Make Sure Your Accounts Are Properly Linked

This is the number one reason for sharing issues. A buggy connection or an incomplete setup will prevent the share option from appearing. Go back to Instagram's Accounts Center (Settings and Privacy &rarr, Accounts Center) and double-check that both your profiles are connected. You may even want to try unlinking and relinking your Facebook account to refresh the connection.

Enable Cross-Profile Sharing

Inside the Accounts Center, there's a specific setting for managing how content is shared. Look for Sharing across profiles. Tap on it and select your Instagram account. From there, you can choose to automatically share your Instagram Stories to your Facebook Story. Turning this on will essentially make sharing your default setting, simplifying the process for future posts.

Update Your Instagram and Facebook Apps

Features can become unavailable or buggy if you're running an old version of an app. Head to the App Store (for iOS) or Google Play Store (for Android) and check if there are any available updates for either your Instagram or Facebook app. A quick update often restores missing functionality.

The Creator May Have Disabled Resharing

Just as private accounts can't be shared, public creators also have the ability to disable resharing of their Reels. If a creator turns this setting off for their content, there is unfortunately nothing you can do. The feature will be unavailable for that specific Reel. In this case, your only option is to respect their choice and find another piece of content to share.

Final Thoughts

Sharing an Instagram Reel to your Facebook Story is a quick, effective way to repurpose great content, reach a wider audience, and keep your profiles active. With your accounts properly linked, it only takes a few taps to get a high-performing video in front of a whole new set of eyes and open a new avenue for engagement.

Keeping a consistent, vibrant presence across multiple platforms like Instagram and Facebook requires more than just sharing, it demands solid planning and failsafe scheduling. At Postbase, we designed our platform specifically to solve this problem for content creators and marketers. Our visual calendar enables you to map out your content weeks ahead, while our intuitive scheduler seamlessly publishes your Reels, Stories, and videos across all your accounts. Instead of jumping between apps or second-guessing if a scheduled post actually went live, we focused on delivering a reliable, modern tool that streamlines social media management. You can try Postbase to feel the difference a tool built for today's social media landscape can make.