A repost is the act of sharing another user's social media content through your own account - making it visible to your audience with attribution to the original creator. Reposting functions differently across platforms: Twitter/X has native retweets; TikTok has stitches and duets; Instagram has Story shares. In influencer marketing, reposting is a core tactic for brands to amplify user-generated content (UGC), acknowledge creator partnerships, and build community by showcasing real people using their products.
What is a Repost?
A repost distributes content originally created by someone else through your channel while retaining attribution to the original author. The mechanics vary by platform:
X (Twitter) - Retweet / Quote Tweet: The original post is fully redistributed to the reposter's followers. Quote tweets add commentary. Oldest and most native repost mechanic in social media.
TikTok - Repost button: Introduced 2022; shares the original video to the reposter's followers' feeds. Does not add commentary. Also: Stitch (clip + react) and Duet (side-by-side) are creative repost formats.
Instagram - Story share: A post can be shared to your Stories via the paper plane icon, displaying the original post with attribution. No native feed repost; third-party apps required for feed reposts.
LinkedIn - Repost / Share: Content can be reposted with or without commentary to a user's own followers.
Reposting in Brand Influencer Strategy
For brands and influencer marketing practitioners, reposting is a primary UGC amplification mechanism:
Brand account reposts of creator content. When an influencer posts content featuring a brand's products, the brand reposts it to their own channel - extending the content's reach and signalling that the brand endorses the creator's work. This provides free brand-channel content, demonstrates social proof to the brand's own followers, and acknowledges the creator publicly.
UGC curation and reposting. Brands running hashtag campaigns or product gifting programs collect and repost the best UGC from customers and creators - building a social proof content stream sourced from real product users. A brand account populated with genuine customer content is inherently more trustworthy than one populated solely with polished brand productions.
Creator-to-creator reposting. Influencers repost content from creators they admire, collaborate with, or want to introduce to their audience. Each repost extends both creators' reach and reinforces niche community bonds.
Repost Best Practices
Always attribute clearly. Include the original creator's handle in the caption or Story frame. On platforms without automatic attribution, add "@username via [platform]" manually.
Request permission for feed reposts. A brief DM ("May we repost your photo to our Instagram feed?") is professional courtesy and legally prudent for commercial content use.
Don't over-rely on reposts. A brand account that exclusively reposts without producing original content provides no differentiated value. Reposts should complement - not replace - original brand content.
Monitor repost performance. Track whether reposts of creator content out-perform original brand posts in reach and engagement - a useful signal about audience preference for authentic, human-led content vs. brand-produced content.
Repost vs. Regram
On Instagram specifically, "repost" and "regram" are used interchangeably. "Regram" is an Instagram-specific portmanteau; "repost" is the platform-neutral term. For cross-platform content strategies, "repost" is the preferred term.
