Embedding an Instagram post and embedding an Instagram feed in WordPress are two very different things. A post is a single piece of content, whereas a feed is a live, continuously updated stream of everything you publish on Instagram. Embedding that feed in WordPress requires a different approach.

WordPress doesn't natively support embedding an Instagram feed. It does support placing individual posts on a page using Instagram's embed feature. 

So if you are looking to display a dynamic feed on your WordPress site, you'll need to go beyond what WordPress ships. This article outlines the two main ways to add an Instagram feed to your website.

Why Embed an Instagram Feed in WordPress?

An embedded feed serves a different purpose than an embedded post, and it's worth clarifying why.

A single embedded post is a reference that’s useful when you're writing content that mentions a specific thing you shared on Instagram. For example, you could embed a product launch post in an announcement article.

A feed, on the other hand, is a living section of your site that communicates ongoing activity on your Instagram account. If you were a wedding photographer, for example, your Instagram feed would show prospective clients your most recent work without you having to maintain a separate gallery. 

This distinction makes it clear that the value of an embedded feed isn't any single post but the cumulative impression of an active, engaged presence that keeps visitors on your site longer.

Ways to Embed an Instagram Feed in WordPress

There are two available options:

• Instagram's native embed tool
• An Instagram feed plugin

Instagram's Native Embed Tool

As previously mentioned, Instagram provides an embed tool for sharing individual posts on external sites. It isn’t the ideal option for building a feed because it isn’t dynamic.

If you need to add posts from your Instagram account individually to your site to create a static feed, the steps are as follows:

• Go to the desktop browser version of the Instagram app.
• Open the specific post you want to embed.
• Select Embed from the post menu.
• Copy the HTML code and paste it into a Custom HTML block in WordPress.

If you do this for all the posts you want to add to your site, the result will be single posts rendered in Instagram's default card style. It doesn't connect to your account, pull in new content, or meaningfully represent your feed.

Trying to build a feed experience using this tool means manually adding a new embed every time you post to Instagram. This approach quickly becomes impractical if you post more than once or twice a week.

Also, you have no way to create any sort of visual consistency, as individual embeds each carry their own styling and don't form a cohesive grid or layout.

Using an Instagram Feed Plugin

The correct tool for embedding an Instagram feed is a dedicated plugin. It connects to Instagram's API, pulls your content into WordPress, and renders it as a designed, structured feed that updates automatically.

The practical implications for how you manage your site are significant:

• A feed embedded in a website sidebar stays current through every season, promotion, and campaign without manual updates.
• A feed on a homepage hero section gives first-time visitors an immediate visual impression of your brand's Instagram presence.
• A feed on a dedicated social page creates a gallery-style archive of your Instagram content that grows automatically over time.

Instagram feed plugins also solve the visual coherence problem that manual embeds can't. With a plugin, you’re building a styled layout you can control, rather than rendering isolated Instagram UI cards.

Elevated Instagram Feed

Elevated Instagram Feed is purpose-built to embed a complete Instagram feed in WordPress, rather than individual, isolated posts.

After connecting your Instagram account, the plugin renders your feed in whichever layout style that you choose (grid, slider, or mosaic), wherever you decide to place it on your site. 

Design controls allow you to set column count, image sizing, hover behavior, and spacing so the feed integrates with your site's visual language rather than clashing with it.

The feed refreshes automatically as you post new content, so the embedded section always reflects your current Instagram activity with no further action on your end after setup.

Final Thoughts

Embedding an Instagram feed in WordPress requires a dedicated tool to make the embed dynamic and visually appealing on the website.

While Instagram's native embed can handle one-off post embeds, it isn’t the right tool for adding a live, structured, automatically updating feed. Using a dedicated Instagram feed plugin that connects to your Instagram account and manages the feed display is the only way to achieve that properly.

Elevated Instagram Feed handles the full scope of feed embedding, including account connection, layout configuration, and ongoing content refresh.

For a comparison of available options, see our roundup of the best Instagram feed plugins for WordPress.