Reposting photos on Instagram is one of those activities that have been going on for a long time but isn’t really happening as it should. As a result, many brands and community accounts get it wrong. So without further ado, this is how you should repost on Instagram correctly!
Why repost Instagram photos onto your own account?
Before we go into the how of reposting photos on Instagram, let’s firstly discuss: Why should you repost other people’s photo’s on your own Instagram account.
- If you need content but do not really have the time to create it all yourself, it might be easier to ask people for their existing content.
- It’s possible you’re not that good at taking photos, luckily other people are! Borrow their work instead.
- You want to showcase your product/service through other people’s eyes. This is often referred to as User Generated Content. Or UGC for short.
- It builds a good relationship with the original content creator. This way, you can add him or her to your community.
How to repost an Instagram post
Let’s get into how to repost. The different steps from finding a photo you like to publish to your Instagram for all your fans to see.
Step 1: Pick a photo you want to share on your own feed
There are a lot of ways to find photos you want to reshare on your Instagram. Sometimes they pop up in your feed, you find them on the discover page, or you actively look them up with a hashtag that’s relevant to what you are looking for.
However, you find the photo, finding the right one for your feed is essential. With the ‘save’ function on Instagram, you can keep the photo in a secret collection. Nice and handy!
Step 2: Contact the content creator and ask for permission
There are several ways you can use to contact the creator. The best one, in my opinion, is to send them an email. This way, you look serious about it and can provide valuable information about your goal with the photo.
If the account does not have an email address listed, you can always try to send a DM. This has a similar feel as an email and will help you to get the creator’s approval.
You can also try and comment on the photo you want to reshare. Nonetheless, if it’s a popular account, they might miss your comment, and it will go without a reply.
Give information like why you want to use that particular piece of content, what’s in it for the creator, and more.
A quick sidenote: The creator does not owe you any obligation to approve. It’s even possible they might ask for money for it. And that’s fair; they spend their time and skills to create the piece of content you are after. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth the price.
That being said, most of the time you will get a simple yes for free.
Step 3: Ask for the photo so you can upload it more easily to Instagram
There are plenty of apps you can use the regram a photo. However, the best way to regram a photo is by asking for the original one from the creator. Then, ask them to email it to you to upload it in the quality it deserves.
It’s also the best way to make sure you can repost to Instagram without an ugly watermark which some of the reposting apps apply.
Step 4: Don’t edit the photo!
This is probably the easiest step of the process, as you actually don’t have to do anything. If it’s a professionally crafted photo, there is nothing more painful to the photographer to see a filter applied. Or a weird crop.
Present the photo to your followers exactly as the creator intended it to be. Even cropping it counts as editing. So please keep the original format when uploading, and make sure Instagram doesn’t crop it either. 😉
If you do edit any photos, learn how to edit on your smartphone with these apps.
Step 5: give credit in the caption and tag in the photo
Whether you are allowed to repost it for free or are paying a licensing fee, it is polite (and lawful) to mention the creator in the caption. So don’t hide it in the hashtags too. Instead, please give it a nice and prominent place in the caption.
Often something easy as “📸by @Fredography” or “Photo by Fredography” goes a long way.
Tag the creator in the photo. This will allow the creator to see it in a tab on their profile. Thus, it’s easier for them to notice when your post has gone online and to share it in their stories proudly. Thus, giving your post extra reach.
Step 6: Enjoy your new content (and send a thank you)
Watch the likes and comments fill your notification tab, and send a quick thank you to the original creator. It’s polite, and will make sure that the next time you ask them for a favor, they will gladly help you out.
How to repost Instagram stories
You can repost a lot of different content to your stories on Instagram. IGtv, posts, and of course, other stories. So let’s tackle them all one by one.
How to repost Instagram posts on your story
Reposting a post to your stories allows people to tap on it and go straight to the original post. This works for both photo and video-based posts on Instagram.
It allows you to post a photo without infringing on any copyrights. Most people even like you sharing their posts as it gives them extra impressions.
How to repost a post to your story:
- Go to the post you like
- Next to the heart and speech bubble sign, you see a little airplane, press on that one.
- A pop-up comes up that allows you to send to people directly or ‘add post to your story.’
- The post automatically gets placed in the stories framework
- Replace the photo to your taste and add hashtags, mentions, and geo-locations
- Press ‘Send to’ and add it to your stories
By doing this you can promote your own post to your stories. But also promote other people’s work that you appreciate.
Reposting an IGtv to Instagram stories
When you are watching an IGtv video, you might suddenly realize: My followers want to see this too! So what to do to repost the IGtv video to your own Instagram stories.
- Tap the little ‘paper airplane’ at the bottom of the video (bottom left corner)
- Tap ‘add a video to your story on the pop-up
- Add hashtags, locations, and mentions to your taste.
- And press the ‘your story’ button in the bottom left corner.
Reposting an Instagram story to your own stories
Usually, if you are tagged in the stories, you can easily repost this to your own stories. Now, if there they didn’t tag you, it’s a bit trickier.
In that case, you will have to take a screenshot. But of course, you don’t want the name and ‘send message’ bars to be visible.
Before you take the screenshot, tap on the screen and hold. You will notice the bars will disappear.
You can then post that screenshot in your stories as you would do with other photos. Be sure the original poster is fine with you doing this.
FAQs about reposting on Instagram
The answer is yes. Even if they tag you, mention you, or even have your face in the photo, you should ask it.
This has to do with the copyright of the photographer. Always ask for permission first!
Yes, but only if you have permission. So ask for it. 😉
Yes, ask the person who posted (and created) the photo to send it to you by email. Otherwise, apps like repost are excellent too, but always ask for permission!
Technically, you can. But that doesn’t mean you should do it. Always ask for permission first!
There are many ways to ask for permission. The best one is to slide in the DMs and ask for it. You can even go as far as to ask them to email the photo to you. Just to be sure. 😉
Yes, as long as you have the permission of the original poster to do so. Instagram prefers new content, but this could also mean a new caption. So get creative!
Some apps will allow you to repost with a watermark. However, it’s easier and better to ask the original poster to email you the photo. Just slide in their DM’s!
Hold the screen to make the name and reply-function go away and then make a screenshot. Upload the screenshot in your stories. Be sure to ask and tag the original poster.
Yes you can, but be sure you have their permission.
Usually it means someone has reposted this photo from another account. They are not the original poster and creator of the photo, but want to share it on their account too.
Ask the original poster in DM or via email to send you the photo. This way you can upload it easily to Instagram and share their work on your account.
No, it only updates the caption and information of the post, but does not make a new one.
Use #Fredography on your Instagram photos too. I have a weekly segment in my Instagram stories where I highlight my favorite photos. By using #Fredography you have a chance to get featured too!
Disclaimer: There is none, I just really wanted to write this piece of content for you. <3
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