How to Repost a Story on Instagram (Tagged or Not)

To repost a Story on Instagram when you are tagged in it, open the DM Instagram sends you, tap Add to your story, edit it if you want, and post. If you were not tagged, public Stories now show an Add to Story button too. For anything else, you have to screenshot or screen-record and credit the creator yourself.

That covers the how. The part most people skip is the why: every time a customer, fan or collaborator tags you, they hand you a free testimonial. Reposting it takes about ten seconds. This guide covers the exact taps for each situation, what to do when the button is missing, and how to turn mentions into a habit that builds trust.

How to repost a Story you are tagged in

This is the cleanest route because Instagram built it for exactly this case. The original stays linked to the creator, they get credit, and you do not touch a screenshot.

1. Open your DMs. When someone tags you in a Story, Instagram sends you a message in your inbox. It usually sits near the top.
2. Find the mention. You will see a preview of their Story with the line saying they mentioned you.
3. Tap Add to your story. It is a button on the message itself. This opens the Story editor with their slide already placed.
4. Edit if you like. Resize it, add a short line of text, a sticker, a poll, or a thank-you. Keep the original readable.
5. Pick your audience. Post to Your Story or send it to Close Friends only.
6. Tap Share. The slide goes live for 24 hours with the original creator's tag attached.

Another way in. If you cannot find the DM, tap the heart icon at the top right, open the mentions listed under Stories about you, pick the Story and choose Add to your story. Same result, different door.

How to repost a public Story you are not tagged in

For years, this was the annoying part. No tag meant no button, so people screenshotted. That changed. Starting around December 2025, Instagram rolled out an Add to Story button on public Stories, so you can reshare without being tagged. It arrives in batches, so you may not see it on your account yet.

1. Open the Story from a public account.
2. Look for Add to Story. If your account has the update, the button appears on the Story.
3. Tap it. The Story editor opens with the slide in place.
4. Edit and post. The original creator's username is attached automatically.

Two limits matter here. Only public accounts can be reshared this way, and any public account can switch it off. The setting is called Allow Sharing to Story in Story settings. If it is off, there is no button, and that is the creator's call to make.

When there is no button: screenshot or screen recording

If the button is missing, you can still repost the old way. It works, but it is a fallback, and it comes with manners.

• Photo Story: take a screenshot, crop it, and add it to a new Story.
• Video Story: screen-record while it plays, trim the clip, and upload it.
• Always tag the creator. Add their @handle as a mention so they see it and get the credit.
• Ask first when it matters. A quick DM saying you would love to share it takes ten seconds and avoids awkward moments.

A screenshot also loses quality and strips the link back to the original, which is one more reason to prefer the native button when you have it.

Why the Add to your story button is missing

When the button does not show up, it is almost always one of these.

• The account is private. You cannot reshare Stories from a private account you do not follow, and a private account's tag to you may not carry the button the same way.
• The Story expired or was deleted. Stories last 24 hours. Once the original is gone, so is the option.
• The creator turned sharing off. They switched off Allow Sharing to Story, so the button never appears.
• You were not actually tagged. Someone may have written your name without the @ mention. Only a real mention triggers the DM.
• The update has not reached you. Resharing public Stories rolled out in stages. Update the app and check again in a few days.
• You are on an old app version. Update from the App Store or Google Play.

If you are tagged but never got a DM, check Message requests too. Mentions from accounts you do not follow can land there.

Why reposting mentions is free social proof

Think about what a tagged Story actually is. A real person, with a real face and a real audience, chose to show your product, service or work to their followers without being paid. That is a testimonial you did not have to write, film or ask for.

Reposting it does three things at once.

• It shows proof in your own feed. A new visitor who watches your Stories sees customers using what you sell. That lands harder than your own claim.
• It rewards the person who tagged you. They get a public thank-you and a fresh burst of attention on their handle. People who feel seen tag you again.
• It teaches your audience how to get featured. When followers see that tagging you gets a repost, more of them do it.

This works for creators too, not only shops. If a brand, another creator or a fan account tags you in a Story about your video, your course or your link, sharing it tells your audience who vouches for you.

How to make reposting a habit

The only real cost is remembering. Mentions expire in 24 hours, so a casual approach means you miss most of them. A simple routine fixes that.

1. Check mentions once or twice a day. Open your DMs and the heart icon. It takes under a minute.
2. Repost within the day. The original disappears after 24 hours, and so does your chance to use the native button.
3. Add one line. A short thank-you or a sticker makes it feel like you, not a repost machine.
4. Save the best ones to a Highlight. Create a Highlight called Customers or Love and add each reposted slide. Stories vanish, Highlights stay.
5. Reply to the person. A two-word DM turns a one-off tag into a relationship.

Dos and don'ts for reposting other people's content

The native reshare is the low-risk way to do this, because it stays inside Instagram's own features, keeps the creator's handle attached and expires with the Story. Going beyond that is where problems start.

• Do use the Add to your story button whenever it is available.
• Do keep the creator's tag visible and untouched.
• Do ask in a DM before using anything in a post, an ad or on your website, and keep the reply.
• Do be specific when you ask. Consent to a Story is not consent to an ad.
• Don't pull the media out of Instagram and post it to your feed without permission.
• Don't crop out the watermark or the handle.
• Don't repost anything that shows other people, a child, or sensitive details without checking first.

Most of the legal guidance in this area comes from marketing blogs rather than lawyers, and rules differ by country. If you plan to use customer content in paid ads, get written permission and check with someone qualified.

What to post around the repost

A repost on its own is a nice gesture. A repost with a next step is a funnel. The slide right after the testimonial is the one that matters.

• A link sticker to the exact product, booking page or guide they were talking about.
• A poll or question sticker such as Have you tried it? to turn viewers into replies.
• A short caption saying what they got, in plain words. No hype.

If you have several places you want people to go, a single link page keeps the Story clean. A link-in-bio page lets one tap lead to your shop, booking link or guide, and shows you which one people clicked. That way the proof you just reposted has somewhere useful to send people.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long. The original is gone after 24 hours. Repost the same day.
• Covering the original. Stickers piled over their content make the slide unreadable and look careless.
• Reposting everything. A feed that is all testimonials reads as desperate. Pick the best two or three a week.
• Never thanking the person. If you repost and say nothing, you waste the relationship part.
• Using a screenshot when the button exists. You lose quality and the link back to the creator.

Quick answer

Tagged: open the DM, tap Add to your story, post. Not tagged: look for Add to Story on public Stories. No button: screenshot or screen-record, then tag the creator. Whichever route you use, do it within a day, keep their handle on it, and save the best ones to a Highlight so the proof stays on your profile after the Story is gone.