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How to Share a Post to a Story on Instagram: A Comprehensive Guide

Want to give a shout-out to a friend’s killer content or highlight your own best post? Sharing a post to your Instagram Story is a snap. Here’s how to do it: Simply tap the paper airplane icon (the share button) located beneath the post you want to share, then select “Add post to your story.” Customize your Story with text, stickers, and more, and hit “Send To” to publish it for your followers.

Mastering the Art of Instagram Story Sharing

Sharing posts to your Instagram Stories is a crucial way to boost engagement, amplify content, and cross-promote effectively. It’s a simple process that offers significant benefits. Whether you’re a seasoned influencer or just starting out, mastering this technique is essential. Let’s delve into the details.

The Step-by-Step Breakdown

The core process, as mentioned, is straightforward. But let’s break it down even further:

Find the Post: Scroll through your feed or navigate to a user’s profile to locate the post you want to share. This could be your own content, a friend’s post, or something from an account you follow.
Tap the Share Icon: Look for the paper airplane icon (also known as the Direct Message icon) located directly below the post, typically on the left-hand side. Tap this icon.
Select “Add Post to Your Story”: A menu will pop up with several options. Choose the option that says “Add post to your story.” This will open the post within a Story editor.
Customize Your Story: Now comes the fun part! The post will appear in your Story editor. You can:
- Resize and Reposition: Tap and drag the post to move it around the screen. Pinch to zoom in or out and adjust its size.
- Add Text: Use the text tool (the “Aa” icon) to add captions, commentary, or tag other users.
- Add Stickers: Browse the sticker library (accessed by tapping the sticker icon) to add emojis, GIFs, polls, questions, locations, and more.
- Change the Background: Tap on the screen behind the post to change the background color or add a custom background image.
- Draw: Use the drawing tool to add doodles, arrows, or highlight specific elements of the post.
Send to Your Story: Once you’re happy with your creation, tap the “Send To” button in the bottom right corner.
Choose Your Audience: You’ll be presented with options to share your Story:
- Your Story: This publishes the Story to your main Story, visible to all your followers (unless you have a “Close Friends” list).
- Close Friends: This publishes the Story only to your “Close Friends” list.
- Send as a Direct Message: You can also send the Story directly to specific users.
Tap “Share”: Finally, tap the “Share” button next to “Your Story” (or “Close Friends,” depending on your choice) to publish the Story.

Why Share Posts to Stories? The Strategic Advantage

Beyond just being a feature, sharing posts to Stories offers several key advantages:

Increased Visibility: Stories are prominently displayed at the top of the Instagram app, making them highly visible to your followers. Sharing a post to your Story ensures more people see it than if it were just sitting in your feed.
Drive Engagement: Stories are inherently interactive. Adding polls, questions, or quizzes related to the shared post can significantly boost engagement.
Cross-Promotion: If you’re sharing someone else’s post, it gives them exposure to your audience, and vice versa. This is a great way to build relationships and grow your network.
Add Context: Stories allow you to add commentary and context to the shared post. You can explain why you’re sharing it, highlight specific aspects, or ask questions to spark conversation.
Keep Your Feed Fresh: If you don’t have original content to post on a particular day, sharing a relevant post to your Story is a great way to keep your presence active and engaging.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Here are a few common issues and how to fix them:

“Add post to your story” option not showing: The account that posted the content might have disabled the ability for others to share their posts to stories. Nothing you can do about it except ask them to change their settings.
Story looks blurry: This can happen if the original post is low resolution or if you zoom in too much on the post within the Story editor. Try to find a higher-resolution version of the post or avoid excessive zooming.
Stickers or text not displaying correctly: This can be a temporary glitch. Try closing and reopening the Instagram app.
Story doesn’t publish: Check your internet connection and ensure you have the latest version of the Instagram app installed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about sharing posts to Instagram Stories to further clarify the process and address potential concerns:

1. Can I share private accounts’ posts to my story?

No. You can only share posts from public accounts that have enabled the sharing feature. If an account is private, you won’t see the “Add post to your story” option.

2. How do I know if someone has shared my post to their story?

Instagram will notify you when someone shares your post to their story. You’ll see a notification in your Activity feed, letting you know who shared it.

3. Can I share a story to another story?

No, you can only share posts (images and videos from the feed) to stories. You can, however, take a screenshot or screen recording of a story and then share that as a new story.

4. Is there a limit to how many times I can share a post to my story?

No, there isn’t a specific limit. You can share the same post to your story multiple times, though it might become repetitive for your followers.

5. Can I schedule posts to be shared to my story in the future?

No, Instagram doesn’t offer a native feature to schedule story posts. You can, however, use third-party apps designed for social media scheduling to achieve this. But always research the app and ensure it’s reputable.

6. Can I share Reels to my story?

Yes, the process is the same as sharing a regular post. Tap the share icon on the Reel and select “Add reel to your story.”

7. Can I share posts from my computer to my story?

While you can browse Instagram on your computer, the feature to share posts to stories is primarily available on the mobile app. You would need to download the picture or video on your computer, send it to your phone, and then share the picture or video to your story.

8. What happens if the original post is deleted after I share it to my story?

If the original post is deleted, it will disappear from your story as well. Your story will still be visible, but the shared post will be removed.

9. Can I share posts from Instagram Lite to my story?

The functionality of Instagram Lite can be limited compared to the full version of the app. You may not be able to share posts to stories on Instagram Lite.

10. How can I prevent others from sharing my posts to their stories?

Go to your Instagram Settings > Privacy > Story. Under the “Sharing” section, toggle off the “Allow Resharing to Stories” option.

11. Can I share a Carousel post (multiple images/videos) to my story?

Yes, when you tap the share icon on a carousel post, it shares the whole carousel to your story. Viewers can swipe through the multiple images/videos directly from your story.

12. Is there a way to customize the background color of a shared post in my story?

Yes! Tap on the screen in an area that’s not the post itself. This cycles through different background colors and patterns, allowing you to customize the look and feel. Experiment to find what works best with the shared post.

By understanding the nuances of sharing posts to Instagram Stories, you can significantly enhance your social media strategy and unlock new levels of engagement. Happy sharing!