A regram is the act of reposting another user's Instagram photo or content to your own Instagram feed or Stories - essentially the Instagram equivalent of a retweet on Twitter. The term is a portmanteau of "re" (repost) and "gram" (Instagram). In influencer marketing, regraming is primarily used by brands to amplify user-generated content (UGC) and creator posts - showcasing customer and creator advocacy on the brand's own channel.
What is a Regram?
Instagram does not have a native built-in repost feature for feed posts (unlike TikTok which introduced stitching and duets, or Twitter's retweet). Regraming therefore requires third-party apps or manual methods:
- Third-party apps (Repost for Instagram, Later, etc.) that allow saving and reposting a post with attribution
- Screenshot and repost - saving the image, adding attribution text or the original creator's handle in the caption, and reposting manually
- Stories regram - Instagram allows native sharing of any public feed post directly to your Stories by tapping the paper plane icon, preserving the original post attribution
The Stories share method is the most native and easiest - content shared this way displays the original poster's handle and links back to the original post.
Regram in Influencer Marketing Strategy
UGC amplification on brand channels. When an influencer or customer posts content featuring a brand's product, the brand can regram that content to their own account - showcasing real-world advocacy to their own audience. This demonstrates genuine product love more authentically than produced brand content.
Creator portfolio signal. Being regrammed by a major brand is a credibility signal for smaller creators - their content was selected by the brand as showcase-worthy. Many nano and micro-influencers actively pursue brand regraming as a form of organic validation and reach extension.
Community celebration. Brands use regraming (particularly on Stories) to celebrate their creator and customer community - "reposting from @creator, love this look" - reinforcing the brand-community relationship and encouraging more organic posts.
Regram Permission and Attribution
Regraming without permission or attribution is both ethically problematic and legally risky:
- Always credit the original creator with an @mention in the caption or a visible credit overlay
- Obtain permission for feed regrams - a direct message asking "may we repost your photo?" is the correct protocol, and most creators appreciate the ask
- Stories shares via the native Instagram share button automatically attribute the original creator and are generally considered implicitly permitted for public content
For brands building a UGC strategy, creating clear submission guidelines ("tag us with #BrandHashtag to be featured") establishes an implicit permission agreement within community norms.
Regram as a Seeding and Outreach Tactic
Some brands use regraming strategically in influencer seeding campaigns:
1. Send product to a creator (gifting/seeding)
2. Creator posts content organically using the product
3. Brand regrames the post to their channel
4. The regram tags the creator, notifying them and exposing the brand to the creator's followers
This creates a two-way amplification loop: the creator's content reaches the brand's audience, and the brand's regram brings the creator's name to the brand's followers - beneficial for both parties.
