Good cross-promotion can lift up an entire destination. Here are 3 easy ways to use Instagram to get more visibility for the DMO and tourism partners.

I’m convinced that destination marketing can be much more powerful if everyone involved in town would ask themselves more frequently, “How can we work together better to lift each of us up and connect with visitors and customers?”

The “rising tide lifts all boats” quote is a cliché, but it is generally true.

Let’s talk about doing that with a social media platform that most DMOs and their partners use – Instagram. What are some easy ways to use Instagram for cross-promotion, even for you overloaded Mighty Teams of One or Two?

Collaborate with Instagram Collabs

A collab post on Instagram is a collaborative effort using the IG app (not desktop.)

One account creates a post and invites other accounts to the collab – to collaboratively publish it.

The post is then shown to followers across all the collab accounts, and shows up on each collaborator’s account profile grid.

It’s a great way to get in front of new audiences, leverage each other’s followers and pick up some new ones, and build community across a shared interest or niche.

Side note – this @ctvisit collab post does use music (heard on mobile, not desktop) even though it’s a single image. Some IG experts say that adding music can get your post more reach, because it makes the post eligible for the Reels tab.

Think up some Instagram collab ideas in your area.

Related blog post – How to do Instagram hashtag research for tourism marketing

Consider DMO collaborations with:

• State/province, county/parish, or regional tourism organizations
• Local tourism partners like attractions, hotels, and small businesses
• The Chamber of Commerce
• Main Street / downtown development accounts
• Nearby parks or preserves or historic sites
• Nearby scenic byways or historic highways
• Certainly any content creators, bloggers, or influencers you work with, including locals.

Quick Boost – Add Partner IG Posts to Your Instagram Story

I used to be a skeptic about Instagram Stories.

I rarely looked at them, so assumed that no one else looked at them, either. Then I reviewed my account analytics.

Boy, was I wrong.

Although they only run for 24 hours, Stories are a very good way to connect with current followers, spread breaking news and updates, and get fun engagement using the many available interactive features.

Their eye-catching placement at the top of follower feeds – see the colorful Story bubbles screenshotted at the beginning of this blog post – keeps you visually top of mind.

You can put a link in a Story, too, and save it as a Highlight on your account grid, to get past the 24 hour disappearance issue (which was copied from Snapchat.)

Side note – This is why you MUST get out of your own head sometimes, and realize that other people’s preferences may be very different from your own. Let the data tell you what’s true, not only your personal experience or gut feelings.

Related blog post – Turn Instagram Stories into Pinterest Pins, and Instagram Reels into YouTube Shorts

Take advantage of all this by frequently adding relevant, quality partner IG posts to your account’s Story, particularly if you are an account with lots of followers and engagement that can boost smaller accounts.

To do this, look for the “paper airplane” icon at the bottom of all IG posts, click it, then click “Add to story.” Dress it up a little with the interactive tools before posting, when you can.

New to Instagram – Reposts or Shares In-App

Until last month (August 2025) you could not share someone else’s Instagram post from your IG account without using a third-party app.

Instagram just introduced a repost feature, so now you can share.

Reposts will go out to your followers’ feeds, and to a separate tab on your account profile (only seen on mobile, not desktop.) There’s a little thought bubble where you can put a comment before you repost.

Reposts don’t show on your main IG account grid, only under the repost tab on your account profile in the IG app.

Related blog post – 7 destination cross-promotion ideas 

They last as long as any regular IG post, not 24 hours like a Story. All views and engagement are credited to the original post.

I will be interested to see how freely these reposts are used, and whether they start to replace sharing to Stories, or if people simply share both ways.

If you aren’t already using these Instagram features for cross-promotion, I encourage you to give one or all of them a try. Let me know how it goes, down in the comments!