Instagram Collab Posts are one of the platform's most powerful — and underused — features for brands and creators looking to expand their reach. When you create a Collab Post, the same post appears on both your feed and your collaborator's feed simultaneously. Both accounts are listed as co-authors, both audiences see the content, and all likes, comments, and shares are pooled together — which means the engagement counts are combined, not split.
This guide explains what Collab Posts are, when to use them, and exactly how to set one up from start to finish.
Why It Matters
Traditional tagging or cross-posting puts one account's content in front of one account's audience. Collab Posts fundamentally change this dynamic. When a brand and an influencer co-author a post, the influencer's followers see the brand's content in their feed organically — without it being a tagged mention or a reposted story. The brand's followers see the same content on the brand's profile. Both parties benefit from a single piece of content.
For businesses, this is one of the cleanest ways to execute influencer marketing, brand partnerships, product launches with vendors or stockists, and event collaborations. It eliminates the need to create separate posts for each party and keeps all the social proof (likes and comments) on one unified post.
What You Need Before You Start
Both accounts must be Instagram Business or Creator accounts, or at minimum public accounts. Collab Posts work on both feed posts and Reels. Instagram Stories do not support Collab Posts, but you can tag people in stories separately. You must be the one who creates the post — you send the Collab invite; the other person accepts. You can only invite one collaborator per post. The collaborator must accept the invite before the post is published on their profile.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Instagram and Start a New Post
Open the Instagram app on your mobile device. Tap the + icon to create a new post. Select a photo or video from your camera roll, or record/capture new content. Edit the image or video as desired — apply filters, crop, or trim.
Step 2: Write Your Caption and Add Details
Proceed to the final screen where you add your caption. Write your post caption as you normally would, including any hashtags or mentions you want to include.
Step 3: Find the "Tag People" Option
On the same screen, look for the Tag people section. Tap it. You will see two options in newer versions of Instagram: Add tag (for regular photo tags) and Invite collaborator. Tap Invite collaborator.
Step 4: Search for Your Collaborator
A search box will appear. Type the username of the account you want to collaborate with. Select the correct account from the search results. Note that you can only add one collaborator per post.
Step 5: Review the Post Details
Return to the post creation screen. You will see the collaborator's username listed in the collaboration section. Review everything — caption, tags, location, and collaborator — before moving on.
Step 6: Publish the Post
Tap Share to publish the post. The post will immediately appear on your profile. However, it will not appear on your collaborator's profile yet — it will only appear there after they accept the collaboration invite.
Step 7: Collaborator Accepts the Invite
Your collaborator will receive a notification in their Instagram DMs (in the "Requests" or "Pending" section). They need to open the invite, preview the post, and tap Accept to have it added to their feed. If they decline, the post stays on your feed but is not shared on theirs.
It is good practice to let your collaborator know in advance that you are sending an invite so they can accept it promptly and the post goes live on both profiles at the right time.
Step 8: Monitor Combined Engagement
Once the collaboration is accepted and live, go to the post and tap View insights. The insights will show the combined engagement — likes, comments, saves, and reach — from both profiles. This combined view is one of the most useful aspects of Collab Posts for measuring the partnership's impact.
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
I do not see the "Invite collaborator" option. This may mean your Instagram app is not updated to a version that supports Collab Posts. Update your app via the App Store or Google Play and try again. Also ensure both your account and the collaborator's account are not set to private (some features are limited for private accounts).
I sent the invite but the collaborator cannot find it. Tell them to check their Instagram DMs under the Message Requests or Pending folder. Collab invite notifications sometimes land there rather than in the primary inbox.
The collaborator accepted but the post is not showing on their profile. This is occasionally a caching or delay issue. Ask them to refresh their profile. If the post still does not appear after a few minutes, have them check whether they received any error message when accepting.
Can I remove a collaborator after the post is published? Yes. Go to the post, tap the three dots, and select Edit. From there you can remove the collaborator tag. If you remove the collaborator, the post will be removed from their feed and will only remain on yours. The engagement accumulated up to that point may be affected.
Tips to Get the Most Out of Collab Posts
Coordinate the timing in advance. Agree with your collaborator on exactly when the post will go live and when they should accept the invite. Last-minute delays — where the post is live on your profile but not theirs yet — can undermine the campaign impact.
Use Collab Posts for influencer partnerships. If you are a brand working with an influencer, a Collab Post is more impactful than simply asking them to tag you. The post appears natively in your feed with both of you as co-authors, lending credibility to both parties and consolidating all engagement.
Create content that works for both audiences. Because the post will appear in front of two different audiences simultaneously, make sure the content is relevant and compelling to both. Avoid highly niche content that only one audience will understand or appreciate.
Discuss content rights beforehand. A Collab Post means both parties are listed as co-authors. Agree in advance on who owns the content, what happens if one party wants to delete it, and whether the other party can independently post the same content elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Collab Posts appear on both accounts' feeds permanently?
Yes, once the collaborator accepts the invite, the post appears on both profiles and remains there until one party removes it (by deleting their version or removing the collaboration). If the original poster deletes the post, it is removed from both profiles. If the collaborator removes it from their profile, it remains only on the original poster's profile.
Can I set up a Collab Post on a scheduled post?
Instagram's native scheduling tools do not support Collab Posts at the time of this guide. However, some third-party tools are developing this functionality. For now, Collab Posts must be created and sent for collaboration in real time through the Instagram app.
Does the collaborator need to follow me to accept a Collab invite?
No. The collaborator does not need to follow you to receive or accept a Collab Post invite. The invite is sent via DM request, which they can view from any account, regardless of whether they follow you.
Can business accounts collaborate with personal accounts?
Yes. Collab Posts are supported between any combination of account types — personal, Business, and Creator — as long as the accounts are public or both parties follow each other.