Instagram Collab Post: How to Invite a Collaborator
Invite up to 5 collaborators while you create a post and it becomes an Instagram collab post: one post with more than one author. Each account that accepts gets its username on the post, sees the post shared with its followers and on its profile, and can see all of its likes and comments. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram
Two things shape the rest: invites work only in the app, and Instagram only documents sending one before you publish. Once the post is live, only its creator can delete it. Collab posts are one of the posting options in our guide to how to use Instagram.
Table of Contents
- What is an Instagram collab post?
- How to do a collab post on Instagram
- How many collaborators can you add to a post?
- How to accept a collab invite
- How to remove a collaborator or yourself
- Can you collab on a story or boost collab posts?
- FAQ
What is an Instagram collab post?
It’s a post Instagram treats as co-authored. The account that creates it is the primary creator, each collaborator who accepts is listed as an author, and the post is shared with the collaborators’ followers as well as the creator’s. That’s what separates a Collab from a tag:
| What happens | Collab | Tag or mention |
|---|---|---|
| Shared with the other account’s followers | Yes | No |
| The other account has to accept first | Yes | No. A tagged photo or video is added to their profile automatically, unless they approve tags manually |
| The other account is listed as an author | Yes | No |
| Works in Stories | No | Mentions do |
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram ("How are Collabs different from tagging or mentions?").
That shared reach is the point of a collab: one post in front of every author’s audience. For the wider picture, see how to grow Instagram followers organically.
How to do a collab post on Instagram
Invite the collaborator while you create the post, before you publish: tap Tag people, then Invite collaborator, search for the account, tap it and tap Done. The invite is one step inside the normal posting flow, so if that flow is new to you, start with how to post on Instagram. Collabs work in the iPhone and Android apps only; the computer version of Instagram’s article says the feature isn’t available on computers.
On iPhone:
- Before you publish your post, tap Tag people.
- Tap Invite collaborator.
- Search for the account you want to add as a collaborator, then tap the account.
- Tap Done (iPhone and iPad) or the check mark Done (Android).
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram.
Instagram’s Android steps are the same. On a reel, the button reads Invite collaborators. To take someone off before you publish, tap Tag people, then Remove next to their name, then Done.
Send the invite before you tap Share. Instagram’s Collab article covers inviting collaborators while you create a post and removing them after publishing, but it gives no steps for adding a collaborator to a post that’s already shared.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram ("Managing collaborative posts").
Who can you invite?
Public accounts can invite public or private accounts. Private accounts can invite either kind too, but only accounts that follow them, and if a public account accepts, the post is shared publicly through that collaborator. When a private account accepts, people who want to follow it still have to send a request. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram
Why can’t I add a collaborator?
Each of these comes from Instagram’s Collab article:
- You’re on a computer. Collab invites are app-only.
- Your account is private and the account you’re inviting doesn’t follow you.
- It’s a story. Stories take mentions, not collaborators.
- The post is already shared. The article has no steps for adding a collaborator afterwards.
- The post already has 5 collaborators. That’s the maximum.
- Your account may not have access. Instagram says accounts that have gone against its guidelines may not have access to Collabs.
How many collaborators can you add to a post?
Up to 5. Instagram’s Collab article says “You can add up to 5 collaborators to your post,” and the person who created the post stays its primary creator, so one post can carry your account plus five others. For reels, Instagram’s reels collaboration article says only that you can add “multiple collaborators” and gives no number. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram
Counting photos rather than people? That’s a different limit, covered in how many photos you can post on Instagram.
How to accept a collab invite
Invites arrive as a message: open Messages, tap the chat with the invite, tap the invite, tap Review, then tap Accept. To turn it down, follow the same steps and tap Decline instead.
On iPhone:
- Tap Messages at the bottom.
- Tap the conversation from your Chats list where you've received the invite.
- Tap the collaboration invite.
- Tap Review.
- Tap Accept.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram.
The Android steps are the same. Once you accept, your username is added to the post, the post is shared with your followers and it shows on your profile.
How to remove a collaborator or yourself
The creator removes a collaborator by editing the post’s tags; a collaborator leaves with Stop sharing. Both routes start from Options in the top right of the post.
On iPhone:
- Creator: find the post, tap Options in the top right, tap Edit, tap Tag people, tap Remove on the right of the collaborator's name, tap Done, follow the on-screen instructions, then tap Done.
- Collaborator: find the post, tap Options in the top right, tap Stop sharing, follow the on-screen instructions, then tap Stop sharing.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram.
The Android steps are the same. On a reel, the creator’s route is Options in the bottom right, then Manage, Edit, Tag people and Remove.
Who owns a collab post?
The creator. Only the original creator can delete the post, and deleting it removes it from the collaborator’s profile as well. If either account blocks the other, the collaboration ends but the post stays on the creator’s profile. If the creator deactivates their account, the post disappears from both profiles and comes back on both if they reactivate; if the creator switches to private, only their followers can see it. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram
Can you collab on a story or boost collab posts?
Not on a story, and Instagram doesn’t say for boosting. Its Collab article is direct about Stories: “You can mention other accounts in your stories. You can’t add collaborators to your stories.” A mention doesn’t share anything with that account’s followers the way a Collab does. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram
Sharing a feed post to your story is a separate feature with its own rules; see how to share an Instagram post to your story.
On boosting, Instagram’s boosting help covers boosting feed posts, reels and stories from a professional account, and you must be over 16 to create ads on Instagram. Neither that help nor Instagram’s two Collab articles say whether a Collab post can be boosted, so we don’t give an answer Instagram hasn’t. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Boost a post on Instagram (no Collab rule found)Not verified
Planning a collab ahead has limits too. Instagram’s scheduling article lists collaborative posts among the posts its in-app scheduler can’t schedule (Instagram Help Center: How to create and manage scheduled posts and Reels on Instagram, verified 30 September 2026). Our guide to how to schedule Instagram posts covers what it can schedule.
See what Outfeed AI can schedule on Instagram
FAQ
How do you do a collab post on Instagram?
In the Instagram app, before you publish the post, tap Tag people, tap Invite collaborator, search for the account, tap it, then tap Done. The account receives the invite as a message and is added to the post if it accepts. Collab invites work in the iPhone and Android apps; Instagram says the feature isn’t available on computers.
How many collaborators can you add to an Instagram post?
Up to 5. Instagram’s Collab article says you can add up to 5 collaborators to your post, and the person who created the post remains its primary creator. For reels, Instagram’s article says only that you can add multiple collaborators.
Can you add a collaborator after posting on Instagram?
Instagram doesn’t document it. Its Collab article covers inviting collaborators while you create a post, and removing a collaborator or yourself after publishing, but it gives no steps for adding a collaborator to a post that’s already shared. Send the invite before you publish.
Can you boost collab posts on Instagram?
Instagram doesn’t say. Its boosting help covers boosting feed posts, reels and stories from a professional account, and you must be over 16 to create ads on Instagram, but neither that help nor Instagram’s Collab articles mention boosting a Collab post.
How do I remove myself from a collab post on Instagram?
Find the post, tap Options in the top right, tap Stop sharing, follow the on-screen instructions, then tap Stop sharing. Only the original creator can delete the post itself.