The new Collab feature on Instagram makes it possible to share authorship of posts with another account. Let’s check out how it works.
The Collab feature came to Instagram a couple of months ago, and you have probably seen in it in your feed already. Instead of a single account listed as the author of a post, you might have seen one like this, with two authors listed.
What is the Instagram collab feature used for?
Designed to cut duplicate content and allow creators more power to collaborate with other accounts, it requires both authors to agree on the collab. Once both agree, the post is displayed in the feed of both accounts’ followers and lands in the Profile Grid of both accounts as well.
Like tagging someone in your photo, you can collab with more than one other author (up to 20), but unlike tagging, the post is shown in the Profile Grid, not the tagged tab.
I see this as being a great tool to use for styled shoots, where there are lots of professionals collaborating, especially if they have audiences in common (e.g. a group of wedding industry suppliers). Everyone can get in on the same post without their followers being flooded with duplicate images from the shoot.
You could also use it (as I have done in my example here) to share a post with your blog or business account, from your personal account. Loyal fans who follow both accounts won’t get double-ups.
How to create a Collab joint post
So here’s how to make a Collab post.
- Hit the + to start a new post as per usual.
- When you get to the caption step, tap Tag people.
- Click Invite collaborator to find your co-author.
- Follow the prompts to finish and publish the post as normal.
Your collaborator will now get an invitation to accept your post as a Collab, and if they accept, it’ll be shared to both yours and their followers.
How to accept an Instagram collab invite
If someone else invites you as a collaborator, all you need to do is click Review on the invitation, and then Accept or Reject it. Remember, if you accept, the post will show up in your Profile Grid as if you’d written it yourself.
Collab posts can also be made from Reels, so have a play with that and see what you can create. I think this is a great addition to Instagram and makes for a much tidier, official process for sharing credit with other authors on your posts.
Hi there!
Have you ever added a collaborator after posting your post to Instagram?
I haven’t tried Bethany – I don’t think it’s possible to edit after something is posted though, is it? Delete or archive might be the only options… that may hold true for adding collaborators too.
Hi! I’m not sure if it’s possible to add 3 authors under one post. Most collaboration post I ever saw was posted on 2 different accounts only. But as you’ve written there, it’s up to 20 accounts.
I tried adding 2 other accounts in one video—so 3 authors in total. but the result was that it only detected 2 accounts as the main authors, and 1 account was only tagged. Do you have any idea whether it’s possible to make a post shown on the 3 authors’ feeds?
Hi Iana – you, it looks like you’re right. I can definitely tag multiple people but it only sends a collaborate invite to one person (for me when I tested just now it was the first account I put down as a collaborator). I am guessing by the 20 account limit Instagram means how many you can tag (including one collaborator). Thanks for pointing this out.
Hi! What happens if I collaborate with someone using my public account and then I decide to private my account after? Will that collaborated post be inactive or deleted because both of mine and my collaborator’s accounts are now private?
Hi Kait, sorry for delay in replying – I’m not sure how this would work. My instinct says that it would be only visible to people who could see your posts – i.e. people who you have let follow your private account (and the account of the collaborator). I couldn’t find an answer for you online either. If you try it, let us know what you find out!
How Do I collab with multiple accounts, after choosing account as collab it says edit collab not add
Hi Brandon, we discovered that you can only collab with one but can tag up to 20 – see Iana’s comment above.
Weird! I have a Creator account and the “invite collaborator” button doesn’t show up – but I can tag other accounts on my posts.