# What is a collab post on Instagram? Canonical: https://postmesh.app/glossary/collab-post By PostMesh team. Published 2026-10-31; updated 2026-10-31. A collab post is an Instagram post or reel co-authored by two or more accounts using Instagram Collabs. Once a collaborator accepts the invite, the post shows both usernames, appears on both profiles and is shared with both sets of followers. ## What a collab post is A collab post is one post with more than one author. Instagram calls the feature Collabs. The person who creates the post invites another account as a collaborator; if they accept, their username is added to the post, the post appears on their profile too, and it's shared with their followers as well as yours. It's a single post, so the likes and comments are shared as well, and Instagram says everyone who accepts can see all of them. Collabs work on feed posts and on [reels](/glossary/reel). Meta's August 2023 announcement also named carousels, so a multi-image [carousel post](/glossary/carousel-post) can be a collab. Stories can't: Instagram's help page says you can mention other accounts in stories but can't add collaborators to them. People use the phrase loosely, too. "Let's do a collab" can mean any joint project between two creators, from a shared video to a product launch. On Instagram specifically, a collab post means this co-authored format. ## How a collab post is different from tagging Tagging and collaborating look similar but do different things. Instagram's help center lays out three differences. A tag doesn't share the post with the tagged person's followers; a collab does. A tag can land on your profile automatically unless you approve tags manually; a collab only does after you accept. And a tag never lists you as an author; a collab does. **Tag or mention** - Not shared with your followers - May appear on your profile automatically - You're not listed as an author - Works in stories **Collab** - Shared with your followers - Appears on your profile only after you accept - You're listed as an author - Not available for stories *From Instagram's help pages on collaborative posts and reels.* ## How many collaborators can you add? Instagram's help page on collaborative posts says you can add up to 5 collaborators to a post. Its page on collaborative reels says only that you can add multiple collaborators, without giving a number. The limit has gone up over time: when Meta expanded Collabs on August 11, 2023, its newsroom post said you could invite up to three friends to co-author a feed post, carousel or reel. - Aug 11, 2023: Meta says you can invite up to three collaborators to a feed post, carousel or reel - Today: Instagram's help center says up to 5 collaborators on a post, and multiple on a reel *Limits change. Check the Invite collaborator screen for what your account allows today.* ## How to make a collab post You add collaborators while you're creating the post, before it goes live. Instagram's iPhone steps: 1. Create your post or reel as usual and get to the final screen 2. Tap Tag people 3. Tap Invite collaborator 4. Search for the account and tap it 5. Tap Done, then share the post *The other account gets the invite as a message and has to accept it.* Until the other account accepts, the post lives only on your profile. Write the [caption](/glossary/caption) with both audiences in mind, since it will show on both profiles. If you're planning a collab with someone, agree on the caption, the cover image and the posting time in advance, so neither of you is surprised when it goes live. ## How to accept, decline or leave a collab Instagram sends the invite as a message. To accept, tap Messages, open the conversation with the invite, tap the collaboration invite, tap Review, then tap Accept. Once you accept, the post shows on your profile and goes to your followers. To decline, follow the same path and tap Decline instead of Accept. Since a collab only reaches your profile after you accept, declining leaves your profile as it was, and the post carries on as a normal post on the creator's account. You can leave later. On a collaborative reel, open it, tap Options in the bottom right, then Stop sharing, and confirm. The creator can also remove you at any time. Either way, the post stays on the original creator's profile; it only disappears from yours. Because the invite arrives in your inbox, check your message requests if someone says they sent one; see our entry on [DMs](/glossary/dm) for how requests work. If you're the creator and need to take someone off a post that's already live, Instagram's steps are: open the post, tap Options in the top right, tap Edit, tap Tag people, tap Remove next to the collaborator's name, then tap Done and follow the prompts. The post stays on your profile and disappears from theirs. ## Who owns a collab post Collab posts aren't equal partnerships under the hood. Instagram calls the person who created the post the primary creator, and most of the control stays with them. **What the original creator controls** - [ ] Only they can delete the post, which removes it from every collaborator's profile - [ ] They can remove a collaborator at any time - [ ] If they deactivate their account, the post disappears for everyone until they reactivate - [ ] If they make their account private, only their followers can see the post - [ ] If either side blocks the other, the collab ends but the post stays on the creator's profile *From Instagram's help page on collaborative posts.* That matters for brands and creators. If a brand invites a creator, the brand owns the post, and the creator can't delete it, only leave it. If you need the post on your profile for the long run, be the one who creates it, or agree in writing who will. Instagram also says that if a collab breaks its Community Standards, it can act against the original creator and the collaborators, and accounts that have broken its guidelines may lose access to Collabs. ## Collabs and private accounts Who you can invite follows your privacy setting. A public account can invite public or private accounts. A private account can invite public or private accounts too, but only ones that follow it. There's a catch Instagram warns about the first time: if a public account accepts a private account's invite, the post becomes visible publicly through the public collaborator. When a private account joins a collab, its username shows on the post, but people still have to send a request to follow it. ## When a collab post makes sense - Two creators who made something together and want both audiences to see it. - A brand and a creator on a paid partnership, where the post should live on both profiles. - A venue and a performer announcing the same event. - Friends posting a group trip without each uploading the same photos. - A nonprofit and a supporter sharing a campaign. The appeal is reach without a second upload. Instagram shares an accepted collab with each collaborator's followers, so one post reaches several audiences at once, and the conversation from all of them gathers under the same post instead of splitting across copies. It's one reason a brand working with a [micro-influencer](/glossary/micro-influencer) might invite them as a collaborator rather than have each account upload its own copy, which would split likes and comments across two separate posts. The trade-off is control: everything about the post, from the caption to whether it stays up, sits with whoever created it. Collabs don't replace disclosure. If a collab is paid, it's still a [sponsored post](/glossary/sponsored-post) and needs the right label. And because the likes and comments are shared, a collab can make an account's numbers look different from its usual posts, which is worth remembering when you compare [engagement rate](/glossary/engagement-rate) across posts. Our [guide to engagement rate](/blog/social-media-engagement-rate) explains the common formulas. ## How to plan a collab post Most collab problems come from two people assuming different things. A short agreement before anyone taps Share avoids nearly all of them. Settle these points in a message first: - Who creates the post. That account becomes the primary creator and keeps control, including deletion. - The final caption, hashtags and any mentions, since they'll show on every collaborator's profile. - The media: which photos or clips, in what order, and who supplies them. - When it goes live, so both accounts can be around to reply to comments in the first hours. - Whether it's paid, and if so, the disclosure it needs. - How long it stays up, and what happens if either side wants to leave later. A few illustrative messages you might send or see around a collab: - "Sent you the collab invite, accept when you get a sec." - "Can you post it from your account and add me as a collaborator?" - "Collab with @bakery_example drops Friday at noon." - "I declined the collab because the caption had the wrong date." ## Questions ### How many people can you collab with on Instagram? Instagram's help page says you can add up to 5 collaborators to a post. Its reels page says you can add multiple collaborators without stating a number. ### Can you add a collaborator after posting? Instagram's help pages describe inviting collaborators before you publish and removing them after. They don't describe adding a new collaborator to a live post, so plan collaborators before you share. ### Who gets the likes on a collab post? It's one post, so the likes and comments are shared. Instagram says accounts that accept the invite can see all likes and comments on the post. ### Can you do a collab on a story? No. Instagram says you can mention accounts in stories, but you can't add collaborators to them. ### What happens if the original creator deletes a collab post? It disappears from every collaborator's profile too. Only the original creator can delete it. ### Can a private account make a collab post? Yes. A private account can invite accounts that follow it. If a public account accepts, the post becomes visible publicly through that account. ## Related terms - [Reel](https://postmesh.app/glossary/reel) - [Carousel post](https://postmesh.app/glossary/carousel-post) - [Sponsored post](https://postmesh.app/glossary/sponsored-post) - [Caption](https://postmesh.app/glossary/caption) - [Engagement rate](https://postmesh.app/glossary/engagement-rate) - [DM](https://postmesh.app/glossary/dm) ## Sources - [Instagram Help Center: Create collaborative posts on Instagram](https://help.instagram.com/5861247717337470) - [Instagram Help Center: Collaborate with others on Instagram reels](https://help.instagram.com/3526836317546926) - [Meta Newsroom: New Ways to Create With Music and Collaborate With Friends on Instagram (August 11, 2023)](https://about.fb.com/news/2023/08/music-and-collabs-on-instagram/)