To cite an Instagram post, you generally need the account holder’s name, the username in brackets, the date the post was published, the first words of the caption as a stand-in title, the platform name, and the post URL. The exact order and punctuation depend on whether you’re writing in APA, MLA, or Chicago style, so this guide walks through all three, plus the trickier cases like Stories, Reels, and anonymous accounts.
How to Cite an Instagram Post in APA Style
APA (7th edition) treats an Instagram upload as an online image or video, so the reference-list entry follows the same author-date pattern as any other social media citation. Use the account holder’s real last name and first initial if it’s known, followed by the username in square brackets. If only a username is available, treat the username as the author.
Reference-list formula:
Lastname, F. M. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Photograph or Video]. Instagram. URL
Example:
NatGeo [@natgeo]. (2024, March 12). A pod of orcas breaches the surface off the coast of Norway [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/example/
For the in-text citation, use the author’s last name (or the bracketed username if no real name is given) and the year, just as you would for any other APA source.
In-text example: (NatGeo, 2024) or National Geographic (@natgeo, 2024) if you’re introducing the source in your sentence.
Read the full rule set on the official APA Style Instagram references page, or build the entry automatically with our APA citation generator.
How to Cite an Instagram Post in MLA Style
MLA (9th edition) treats Instagram posts as “a work published on a website,” crediting the poster’s name, the text of the entry (in quotation marks), the platform as the container, and the date it was posted.
Works-cited formula:
Lastname, First Name [@username]. “Text of Post up to the First Few Words.” Instagram, Day Month Year, URL.
Example:
National Geographic [@natgeo]. “A pod of orcas breaches the surface off the coast of Norway.” Instagram, 12 Mar. 2024, www.instagram.com/p/example/.
The in-text citation uses only the author’s last name in parentheses, matching the first word of the works-cited entry.
In-text example: (National Geographic) or (@natgeo) if that’s how the entry begins.
See the official MLA Style Center guide to citing Instagram for additional formatting notes, or generate a formatted entry with our MLA citation generator.
How to Cite an Instagram Post in Chicago Style
Chicago (17th edition) usually handles social media updates as a note-and-bibliography or author-date entry, and it allows you to skip a formal bibliography entry if the update is mentioned only in passing, referencing it fully in the text or a footnote instead.
Bibliography formula (notes-bibliography style):
Lastname, Firstname [@username]. “Text of Post.” Instagram photograph or video, Month Day, Year. URL.
Example:
National Geographic [@natgeo]. “A pod of orcas breaches the surface off the coast of Norway.” Instagram photograph, March 12, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/p/example/.
For a footnote or endnote, list the same information in note form the first time you cite the post, then use a shortened form for any later reference.
For the full rule set, see the Chicago-based formatting guidance in the Purdue OWL Chicago web sources guide.
Citing Instagram Stories, Reels, and Videos
Stories, Reels, and video posts follow the same basic formulas above, with two adjustments. If you’re referencing a Reel specifically, treat it the same as a video entry; the same logic applies to a YouTube video citation, since both platforms host embedded video content the same way in a reference list.
| Content type | What changes |
|---|---|
| Reel or video post | Replace [Photograph] with [Video] in APA, or note it as “Instagram video” in Chicago. |
| Story (24-hour content) | Note when you viewed it, since Stories disappear. Note “Instagram story, no longer available” if you cannot re-access the URL. |
| Carousel/multi-photo upload | Reference the caption of the whole entry, not each individual photo. |
| Brand or organization account | Use the organization’s full name as the author instead of a personal name. |
Because a Story typically vanishes after 24 hours, most style guides recommend citing it as a personal communication or, if it must appear in a reference list, noting when you accessed it since the URL will no longer resolve for your reader. If the upload is mainly a photograph rather than a caption-driven update, the same bracket-and-timestamp logic used for citing an image applies to the photo itself.
Common Mistakes When Citing Instagram Posts
Skipping the username in brackets. Even when you know the poster’s real name, APA and Chicago both expect the bracketed @username alongside it so readers can locate the account.
Linking to the homepage instead of the post URL. Always link directly to the specific entry, not just instagram.com or the profile page.
Truncating the caption incorrectly. APA caps the caption-as-title at the first 20 words; cutting it shorter or longer breaks the format.
Mixing styles within one paper. A works-cited entry written in MLA punctuation dropped into an APA reference list (or vice versa) is one of the most common formatting slips instructors flag; pick one style and apply it consistently across every source in the paper.
For more formatting rules on electronic and social media sources generally, the Purdue OWL electronic sources reference list guide is a reliable cross-check. The formatting logic for citations carries over to similar platforms, so see our broader guide to citing social media sources.
Before you drop the entry into your works-cited or reference list, run through this checklist:
- Account holder’s name included, real name if known, otherwise the username
- The @username in square brackets
- The date the post was published
- The first words of the caption as a stand-in title (20 words in APA)
- The platform name, Instagram
- The direct post URL, not the homepage or profile link
FAQ
Do I need to cite an Instagram post if I only paraphrase it?
Yes. Any idea, image, or claim you take from a specific entry needs a citation, whether you quote it directly or paraphrase it in your own terms.
What if the Instagram post has no visible date?
Use “n.d.” (no date) in APA, or note when you accessed the entry in MLA and Chicago, since the platform doesn’t always display a visible timestamp on every device.
How do I cite an Instagram post with no listed author?
Use the account’s username as the author in place of a personal name, formatted the same way across APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Can I cite a private Instagram account?
Only if your reader can access it too. For a source only you can see, most instructors prefer you cite it as a personal communication instead of a public reference-list entry.
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Terry is a Chicago-based writer and editor who creates practical, student-friendly guides on essay writing, research, and citation styles (APA, MLA, and Chicago). He’s spent 15+ years editing educational content and building clear examples that help readers apply rules without guessing. When he’s not revising drafts, he’s usually turning messy notes into clean outlines and hunting down the one detail everyone skips.