Grow Creator Field Notes

How to Link 2 Reels on Instagram

Instagram added native Reel-linking in August 2025, so a "Watch next" button carries viewers Part 1 → Part 2. It works retroactively on series you already posted.

Instagram has a built-in way to link Reels into a series. When you post a Reel, tap "Link a Reel" on the caption screen — or open the "•••" menu on a Reel you already shared — and choose the video to connect. Viewers then see a "Watch next" button that carries them straight to the next part, so they never have to scroll or search for Part 2.

Key takeaways

• Instagram added a native Reels-linking feature (announced August 2025) so creators can chain related Reels — Part 1 → Part 2 → Part 3 — into a followable series.
• You link a new Reel from the caption screen ("Link a Reel"), and an already-published Reel from its "•••" overflow menu.
• Viewers get a "Watch next"-style button on the linked Reel that jumps them to the next entry with one tap.
• Each Reel connects to one next Reel, so you build a series by linking them in a chain rather than all at once.
• Linking is a retention play: it turns a single strong hook into two or three watches, which is exactly the kind of watch-time signal the Reels algorithm rewards.

Can you actually link two Reels on Instagram?

Yes — natively, since 2025. Instagram rolled out a "Link a Reel" feature that lets creators connect related Reels into a series, so a viewer who finishes one part can tap through to the next. It's the same idea TikTok popularised with multi-part posts, and Instagram described it as one of its most-requested creator tools.

Before this feature, "linking" two Reels meant workarounds — pointing to Part 2 in a pinned comment or the caption, or grouping clips into a profile playlist. Those still help (more on them below), but the native link is cleaner because it puts a tappable button right on the video.

How to link two Reels on Instagram (new Reel)

Use this when you're posting the second (or next) part of a series and want it to point back to — or forward to — another Reel you've made.

1. Record or upload your Reel and edit it as usual, then continue to the final sharing screen.
2. On the caption screen, look for the "Link a Reel" option among the sharing controls and tap it.
3. Choose the Reel you want to connect from your existing posts.
4. Optionally add a short label — something like "Part 2" or "Watch next" — so viewers know what they're tapping toward.
5. Tap Share. Your Reels are now linked, and the connected video shows a button that leads to the next part.

How to link a Reel you already posted

You don't have to re-upload anything to connect older Reels — you can link them after the fact.

1. Open the published Reel you want to connect.
2. Tap the "•••" (three-dot) overflow menu in the corner.
3. Choose the option to link a Reel (or edit an existing link), then pick the video to connect.
4. Save. The "Watch next" button appears for viewers from then on.

This is handy for series you built before the feature existed: go back to Part 1, link it to Part 2, then link Part 2 to Part 3, and so on.

How the linked-Reels button works for viewers

Once two Reels are linked, the viewer sees a button on the Reel — positioned toward the lower-left of the screen — that takes them to the next entry in the series. One tap and they're watching the follow-up, instead of scrolling away into everyone else's content. That single tap is the whole point: it keeps a viewer inside your content for a second video, which lengthens the session you get from one good hook.

Because each Reel links forward to one other Reel, a three-part series is really three separate links: 1→2, 2→3. Plan the order before you post so each part hands off cleanly to the next.

Workarounds if you don't have the feature yet

Instagram features roll out gradually, and older app versions may not show "Link a Reel." If you don't see it, update the app first. Until it reaches you, these still work to connect parts:

• Pin a comment on Part 1 that says where to find Part 2, and vice versa.
• Name it in the caption ("Part 1 of 3") and add all parts to a profile playlist so they're grouped in one place.
• Use a consistent series title and cover so the parts are visually recognisable in your grid and in Search.

These are weaker than a tappable button, but they cost nothing and they prime viewers to look for the next part.

When linking Reels actually pays off

Linking is most powerful when each part earns its own watch. A cliffhanger that resolves in Part 2, a tutorial split into setup and payoff, or a "story so far / what happened next" pairing all give viewers a reason to tap through. If Part 1 doesn't hook people, linking won't rescue it — they'll swipe away before they ever see the button.

That's the piece worth checking before you post. Reel IQ scores how clearly your Reel lands its hook and holds attention, so you can tell whether Part 1 is strong enough to carry viewers into Part 2 — and tighten the opening if it isn't. Pair that with a clear format plan: our guide to choosing between an Instagram Story and a Reel helps you decide which idea belongs in a discoverable, linkable series in the first place.

A series also lifts the metrics linking is meant to help. If you want more people finishing and sharing each part, see how to increase sends on Instagram Reels and what a healthy Reels completion rate looks like — completion and shares are what turn a linked series into reach. And if you're repurposing long videos into parts, turning YouTube content into Reels pairs naturally with a linked series. To see which of your Reels are strong enough to anchor a series, Channel X-Ray reads your recent posts and names the pattern in your best performers.

Sources

• TechCrunch — Instagram now lets creators link multiple reels in a series (announcement, caption-screen and overflow-menu mechanics, viewer button placement).
• Social Media Today — Instagram adds Reels linking for multipart content (feature framing and creator use cases).
• Instagram Help Center — Reels (official guidance on creating and managing Reels).

Canonical: https://growcreator.pro/blog/how-to-link-2-reels-on-instagram

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