Instagram photos aren't "posted" to WordPress directly, as you would with a blog entry.

There's no cross-platform publish button, nor is there any integration with Instagram in the WordPress editor. Generally speaking, there is no official way to move content from one platform to another.

To get photos that exist on Instagram to appear on your WordPress site, you can do one of two things, depending on how you want the photos to appear and how much ongoing effort you're willing to put into maintaining them.

This article covers the two viable solutions for posting an Instagram photo on WordPress.

Why Display Instagram Photos on WordPress?

Creators and business owners who primarily publish visual content on Instagram often face a constant tension between where their content lives and where potential customers are looking.

For example, if a ceramics maker spends time photographing a new piece, editing it, writing a caption, and posting it to Instagram, that same photo almost never makes it to the website. This is because getting it there requires a separate set of steps that can feel redundant after already posting to Instagram.

The website ends up as a static representation of the business, slowly falling behind the Instagram account. So when a visitor visits both platforms, they get two different impressions: one of an active, visually prolific maker from Instagram, and another of a business that hasn't updated its website gallery in months.

Getting Instagram photos into WordPress closes that gap without adding to the content-creation workload. The photos you're already producing and posting automatically become website content.

Ways to Get Instagram Photos onto WordPress

Two main approaches exist:

• Using Instagram's embed feature
• Using an Instagram feed plugin

Using Instagram's Embed Feature

Instagram lets you embed individual photos on external websites. In a desktop browser, open the photo you want to display, click the three-dot icon, and select Embed. Copy the generated HTML and paste it into a Custom HTML block in the WordPress editor.

On your site’s frontend, you will see the photo rendered as an Instagram post card, complete with the caption and like count as of the time of embedding.

This works well for a specific editorial use case where the embed serves as a reference. In that context, it is exactly the right tool.

However, what it doesn't do is create any kind of ongoing presence. Your WordPress site has no way to know when you post new content to Instagram after that point. If you want the next photo displayed on your site, you have to repeat the entire process manually, which quickly becomes completely unmanageable.

Using an Instagram Feed Plugin

An Instagram feed plugin approaches the problem structurally rather than post-by-post. It authorizes a connection to your Instagram account, then uses that connection to pull your photos into WordPress and display them as a feed or gallery.

The plugin also handles display in a way that individual embeds fundamentally can't. It presents photos in a cohesive, styled layout that blends much better with a site’s aesthetic, rather than as a sequence of standalone Instagram cards.

Elevated Instagram Feed

Elevated Instagram Feed creates a direct pathway from your Instagram account to your WordPress site, displaying your photos in a clean, configurable layout that updates automatically with each new post.

Once your account is connected, photos are pulled through immediately and displayed in your chosen layout. 

The plugin gives you control over how images are presented, including the sizing, spacing, number of columns, and hover effects. This way, the result fits naturally within your site's design rather than feeling imported.

The feed updates automatically as you continue posting on Instagram, making it a one-time setup rather than a recurring task.

Final Thoughts

Getting Instagram photos into WordPress isn't a native feature of either platform, so it requires a deliberate approach to get them there. The embed tool that Instagram natively provides handles embedding single photos in specific content contexts, but it doesn't solve the broader challenge of keeping your WordPress site updated with your most recent Instagram photos.

A plugin solves that challenge by connecting directly to Instagram and automating the data transfer. The photos you post to Instagram become website content without any additional handling.

Elevated Instagram Feed is a practical choice for anyone who wants their WordPress site to reflect their Instagram photography activity without turning it into a manual maintenance task.

For more options of plugins for posting a feed of Instagram photos on WordPress, see our roundup of the best Instagram feed plugins for WordPress.