How to Post an Instagram Photo on WordPress

You can’t post an Instagram photo to WordPress in the same way that you publish a blog post. There’s no button to send photos directly or automatically sync with the WordPress media library. There’s also no built-in import tool that connects the two platforms.

When people ask about posting Instagram photos on WordPress, they usually mean displaying them on their site in a visually engaging way. 

There are two main ways to do this, and each requires a different level of ongoing effort.

Why You Are Dealing with This Problem at All

Here is the scenario that usually brings most people to the question of how to post an Instagram photo on WordPress.

You’re active on Instagram, taking photos of your work, editing them, writing captions, and posting often. But your website still shows photos from months ago that you haven’t gotten around to updating.

The problem isn’t a lack of content on your end; it’s more of a workflow issue. Moving photos from Instagram to your website takes extra steps, and most people end up skipping them. 

As a result, your website doesn’t show the true quality or amount of your visual work.

Two Ways to Post Instagram Photos on WordPress

Instagram’s Embed Tool

Instagram lets you embed individual photos on any website, including WordPress sites. To do this, open the photo you want to embed on Instagram on your computer, click the three dots, and choose Embed. Then copy the HTML code and paste it into a Custom HTML block in WordPress.

The photo will appear on your website’s page in Instagram’s card format, including the caption, your account name, and the time it was posted.

This method of posting Instagram photos is useful if you want to reference a specific photo in a blog post or article. 

However, it doesn’t help keep your website’s visual content up to date, as each embed only shows one photo at a time. This means that you have to repeat the process for every new photo. 

There’s no automation, and you end up with separate Instagram cards instead of a unified gallery that matches your site’s design.

Using an Instagram Feed Plugin

A plugin works differently. Rather than posting photos one by one, it connects to your Instagram account and automatically brings your content into WordPress, showing it in a styled, organized layout.

The Elevated Instagram Feed plugin, for example, connects your Instagram account directly to your site, allowing you to create a fully customized feed. 

Once you link your account, your photos appear in the layout you choose, such as a grid, slider, or mosaic. You can adjust the size, spacing, number of columns, and hover effects. 

The feed blends in with your site and doesn’t look like a social media import.

When you post new photos on Instagram, they automatically show up in the feed on your website. This keeps your site’s visual content up to date with your Instagram activity without any extra manual effort on your end.

The Practical Difference

If you post on Instagram three times a week, a plugin will automatically add those new photos to your website. With the embed method, you’d have to go back to Instagram each time, copy the embed code, and update your site manually.

For most WordPress site owners, the difference in the amount of work each method requires makes the decision easy.

Bringing It All Together

To post Instagram photos on WordPress, you need to use tools outside of what either platform offers by default. 

Instagram’s embed feature is good for adding single photos, but if you want your site to always show your latest Instagram posts, a plugin is the best option.

Elevated Instagram Feed makes it easy to automate posting Instagram photos to WordPress, keeping your WordPress site’s photos in sync with your Instagram account.

For other plugins that enable you to post Instagram photos to WordPress, see Best Instagram Feed Plugins for WordPress.