Short answer: A collab lets two or more accounts share one reel. Before you publish, tap Tag people, then Invite collaborators, pick the account and tap Done. When they accept, their username appears on the reel, it shows on their profile and it is shared with their followers.
What an Instagram collab does
Instagram calls the feature Collabs and documents it for reels. The creator of the original reel invites another account as a collaborator. If that account accepts, its username is added to the reel, the reel is shared with its followers and it shows on its profile.
Accounts that accept can see all the likes and comments on the reel. For a business, that means a partner, a supplier or a creator can bring your reel to their audience while it stays one post with one set of comments. We found no separate help article for photo posts, so this guide follows the one for reels.
How to invite a collaborator to your reel
- Create your reel in the Instagram app as usual.
- Before you publish it, tap Tag people.
- Tap Invite collaborators.
- Search for the account you want to add and tap it.
- Tap Done in the top right.
- Publish the reel.
- Wait for the other account to accept the invite in its messages.
The invited account gets a message. To accept, it taps Messages, opens the conversation with the invite, taps the invite, taps Review to watch the reel and then taps Accept, or Decline. You can add more than one collaborator to a reel.
Who you can invite depends on your privacy settings. A public account can invite public or private accounts. A private account can invite either kind, but only accounts that follow it, and if a public account accepts, the reel is shared publicly through that collaborator. When a private account accepts, its username shows on the reel, but people who want to follow it still have to send a request.
Collab, tag or repost
| Option | Reaches the other account’s followers | How it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Collab | Yes, the reel is shared with them once they accept | Their username is on the reel and they’re listed as a creator |
| Tag or mention | No | A tagged photo or video goes to their profile unless they approve tags by hand |
| Repost | Your followers may see your repost in their feeds | In the Reposts tab of your profile, for public reels and posts only |
Our own summary of the Instagram Help Center pages on collaborating on reels and on reposting, read on November 6, 2026.
A collab needs an accepted invite, while a tag doesn’t. You can mention other accounts in your stories, but you can’t add collaborators to stories. Reposting may not be available to everyone yet, and you can only repost content from its original creator, never a repost.
Who controls a collab reel
The person who created the reel is the primary creator. The collaborator can leave at any time and the creator can remove the collaborator at any time, and if either one blocks the other, the collab ends. In every one of those cases the reel stays on the original creator’s profile.
Only the original creator can delete the reel, and it then disappears from the collaborator’s profile too. If the original creator switches to a private account, only their followers can see the reel. If they deactivate their account, the reel disappears from both profiles, and it comes back if they reactivate it. If the reel goes against the Community Standards, Instagram removes it and may act on the creator and the collaborators.
To remove a collaborator after publishing, find the reel, tap Options, then Manage, Edit and Tag people, and tap Remove next to the account. Tap Done, follow the on-screen instructions and tap Done again.
How a business can use collabs
This part is our advice, not Instagram’s. Settle who creates and publishes the reel before you start, since that account is the only one that can delete it. Look for partners whose followers would want what you sell, and plan a reel that speaks to both audiences.
For the reel itself, see how to make one in our Instagram reels guide. To compare its reach with your other reels a few days later, use the steps in our Instagram insights guide. Insights need a professional account, which our business account guide for Instagram walks through.
Before you publish a collab
- You agreed with your partner on who publishes the reel.
- The collaborator was invited through Tag people before publishing.
- The other account knows to accept the invite in its messages.
- If your account is private, the collaborator follows you.
- The reel makes sense to both audiences.
- You checked the reach in your insights a few days later.
RememberInvite collaborators from Tag people before you publish. Once they accept, the reel shows on their profile and goes to their followers, but only the original creator can delete it.
Our social media management service plans, designs and posts content for Facebook, Instagram and TikTok in English and Spanish, collabs included. Send us a WhatsApp message or use the form.
Quick answers about Instagram collabs
How do I invite someone to collab on an Instagram reel?
Before you publish the reel, tap Tag people, then Invite collaborators. Search for the account, tap it and tap Done. The other account gets a message and has to accept before its username appears on the reel.
Can a private account make a collab?
Yes, but a private account can only invite accounts that follow it. If a public account accepts that invite, Instagram says the reel will be shared publicly through the public collaborator.
Who can delete a collab reel?
Only the original creator can delete the reel, and it then disappears from the collaborator’s profile too. The collaborator can only remove themselves, and the reel stays on the original creator’s profile.
What is the difference between a collab and a tag?
A collab reel is shared with the collaborator’s followers and lists them as a creator, once they accept. A tag or mention doesn’t share the photo or video with their followers and doesn’t list them as a creator.
Can I add collaborators to an Instagram story?
No. Instagram says you can mention other accounts in your stories, but you can’t add collaborators to them. Collabs are for reels, where you can also add more than one collaborator.
Sources
Sources from the Instagram Help Center, read on November 6, 2026: Collaborate with others on Instagram reels. Repost a reel or a post on Instagram.