How do you tag friends on instagram


How to Tag Someone in an Instagram Post, Story, or Comment

  • You can tag someone on Instagram in four main ways. 
  • Instagram lets you tag someone in a new post, an existing post, a comment, or a story.  
  • This story is part of Business Insider's Guide to Instagram.

Social media is supposed to be "social" and on Instagram, tagging is one of the tools you can use to make it a more collective experience.

When you tag someone on Instagram, it usually triggers a notification for the person you tag (the exception being when a private account tags someone who isn't following them.) 

Here's everything you need to know to tag someone on Instagram.

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How to tag someone on Instagram

There are four ways to tag (or mention) people on the Instagram mobile app for iPhone or Android.

How to tag someone in a new Instagram post 

When you tag someone in a post, it will appear on their profile, in the "Photos and videos of you" section.

1. Open your Instagram app.

2. Create a new post by tapping the plus symbol, edit the photo then tap "Next."

3. After you've finished editing your photo, tap "Next" again.

4. Fill out your post as usual, but before you publish, tap "Tag People."

Press Tag People right below your caption. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

5. Tap the photo where you want the tag to appear, then enter the name or username of that person and tap to select them.

Select who you want to tag. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

6. Tap "Done" on your iPhone  or click the checkmark on your Android.

7. Tap "Share" and publish your post.

How to tag someone in an existing Instagram post

1. Open your Instagram app.

2. Toggle over to your profile and locate the post you want to tag someone in.

3. Tap the three dots above the photo or video and select "Edit."

Tap Edit to tag someone. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

4. Tap "Tag People" and enter their name or username, then tap to select the proper user.

Tap Tag People on the bottom left of the post. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

How to tag someone in a comment on Instagram

Technically speaking, you can't tag people in a comment. But you can mention their username and thereby get to the same result. Here's how.

1. Tap the speech bubble icon under a post to make a comment. 

2. Type out your message (if necessary) then type "@" and start entering the person's Instagram username.

Type out the username of the person you want to tag and click their name. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

3. Tap the proper username to tag them in your comment.

How to tag someone in an Instagram story

1. Tap the camera icon, located in the top-left side of your screen (or swipe right when viewing your feed).

2. Take a photo or video to create your story (or select one by tapping the thumbnail of your last photo in the bottom-left corner of the screen), then tap the "Aa" option in the top right corner.

Tap Aa in the top right corner when composing a story. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

3. Type "@" and then begin to enter their username and select the person you want to tag by tapping their username when it appears.

Type out the username of the person you want to tag and select them. Devon Delfino/Business Insider

Tagging someone in your story will create a link to that person's Instagram profile.

The person you tag in your story will both get a push notification and a direct message within the app showing them a preview of your story – and be aware that you're limited to 10 of these tags per photo or video story.

  • How to delete your Instagram account on an iPhone, or temporarily disable it

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Devon Delfino

Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.

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How and When to Tag People on Instagram

There is a very useful tool on Instagram - tagging. This simple feature allows you to tag people on Instagram in your post. They receive a notification and your post actually becomes a part of their profile. But for as beneficial as this feature is, some people either never use it (or don't know how to) or abuse it.

So to clear all that up, here are my best tips and advice for how and when to tag people on Instagram!

How to Tag People on Instagram

First of all, HOW to tag on Instagram.

It's actually very simple. During the upload process, just beneath where you've typed your caption, there is an option to Tag People. Simply tap this option and you'll be taken to a new screen where you can tap anywhere on the image to place a tag. This allows you to pick a person, thing, product, or specific area of the image. Once you tap the location, a little tag will appear that says "Who's This?" and a search bar will appear.

Simply start typing the name or username of the person or Instagram account, select them from the list of drop down options and their name will be populated into the tag.

You can also tap and drag the tag around if you want to reposition it on the image. Or tap it once, an "X" will appear and you can delete the tag.

To back out of the tagging screen, tap the "X". To confirm the tags, tap the checkmark. You'll be returned to the upload screen where the name(s) of those tagged appears next to "Tag People". Continue your upload process and you're all done!

If you want to tag someone after you have already uploaded and shared your post, go to that post, and tap on the 3-dot button below the image. Select "Edit" from the pop-up menu and you'll notice the little black tag in the bottom corner of the image that says "Tag People" next to it. Tap that tag and you'll be taken to the tagging screen as described above. Follow the same process of finding and selecting those users to be tagged in the image and tap the checkmark when complete. You'll be returned to the edit screen where you can make further edits, or tap the check mark to approve the changes and save the tagged names to your post.

Once you or another user has been tagged in a post, the tagged person will receive a notification that someone has tagged them in a post. You can view this notification in your regular Activity (notifications) feed. When you go the tagged person's profile, the little tag icon on the right of the four icon menu will be where the post is stored. You can see all images that you have been tagged in, or photos another user has been tagged in (by going to their profile), by clicking on this tag icon.

If you want to remove yourself from a tagged photo, check out this post (including other tricks on Instagram).

When to Tag People on Instagram

Now that we know how to tag people on Instagram. let's talk about some of the ways you can use this feature to your benefit.

When Socializing At Someplace or With Someone on Instagram

If you are at a business location that uses Instagram, you can tag that business on your posts. Or if you're socializing with someone who is on Instagram, you can tag them in your post. These are great ways to share the connection. When connecting with a business, this is beneficial to ensure they see your post and how you enjoy their location.

Something to consider, if you are at a concert, conference, or popular event, consider tagging people rather than @ mentioning them in the post (or do both). Because Instagram only provides a limited number of notifications on your activity feed, it's easy for @ mentions to get lost in the clutter. Tagging someone ensures they see the notification and the image in which you tagged them.

Tag the Company of the Product of Service in Your Post

If you want to reach out to your favorite brands, tag them in your posts that showcase their products or services. For example, if you just bought a new pair of designer shoes, tag the designer in the post of you wearing your awesome new shoes. If you attended a webinar with an industry expert host, tag the host in the image showing you watching the webinar.

While not everyone or every brand will respond, it is a good way to get on their radar. And if you get a response or shout out or regram from them, think of the additional reach and exposure that gives you!

Tag Your Business Partners or Affiliates

If you have others that you collaborate with in your business, tag them in your content on Instagram. If you are working on a project together, tag them in your post. If you have a post that showcases your products or services together, tag the other business in the post.

Be sure to share the love and promote the other companies and brands you associate with.

Contest Winners

If you run contests for your business, you can tag the winners in the post announcing the winners.

Shout Outs

If you want to give shout outs to customers, fans, or associates who deserve a little extra kudos, feel free to tag them in your related post.

Testimonials

If someone has given you a testimonial or recognition for a job well done, you can post that message or a thank you to them and tag them to be sure they see the notification.

Regramming

If you are regramming someone's content onto your Instagram account, tag the original user in the image so that they know you shared their content with your audience.

Answering Questions

If certain Instagram followers have asked you questions or were looking for something specific, you can tag them in the image where you post the answer, resource, or solution.

When to Avoid Tagging People on Instagram

Let's face it, there are plenty of times or reasons you can, and should, tag people on Instagram. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who take advantage of this tool and come across looking spammy. We don't want that!

Don't tag people in all your motivational posts. First of all, there's just no need. Unless you think it's relevant to them that day or at that time in their life. Doing this occasionally can work, but don't make this a habit.

Don't tag the same people all the time. If you're always tagging the same 10 people in every post, it looks desperate. Stop.

Don't tag people just to try and get more engagement on your posts. If they're following you, they want to see your content and will engage accordingly. If they aren't following you, there's probably a reason - so tagging them repeatedly isn't going to help that point.

 

Using the tag feature on Instagram can have a lot of benefits for both you as a user and you as business. Use this tool effectively to reach more targeted audiences, increase engagement, and forge relationships with your audience! Just don't overdo it and look spammy 😉

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How to tag people in your Instagram posts?

Help Center

Instagram features

Posting photos and videos

There are two ways to tag a person in your Instagram post. You can only tag people in your own posts.

How do I tag people before posting?

To tag a person before sharing a Reels photo, video, or carousel:

Instagram app for Android

Tap Tag people before posting.

Click on the person in the photo.

Enter the person's name or username, and then select it from the menu.

Click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Instagram App for iPhone

Before posting, tap Tag people.

Click on the person in the photo.

Enter the person's name or username, and then select it from the menu. nine0003

Click Done in the upper right corner of the screen.

instagram.com in browser on mobile

instagram.com in browser on desktop

Instagram Lite app for Android

How do I tag people after posting?

To tag people in a photo or video you've already shared:

Instagram app for Android

Click the or icon on your profile picture in the lower right corner of the screen to go to your profile.

Go to the publication, and then click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Select Edit.

Select Tag people and click on a person in the post.

Enter the person's name or username, and then select it from the menu.

Tap in the upper right corner of the screen and then again to confirm the action. nine0003

Instagram app for iPhone

Tap the or icon on your profile picture in the lower right corner of the screen to go to your profile.

Go to the publication, and then click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Select Edit.

Select Tag people and click on a person in the post.

Enter the person's name or username, and then select it from the menu.

Click Done in the upper right corner of the screen and confirm the action. nine0003

instagram.com in a browser on a computer

Instagram Lite app for Android

If you're tagging an author or business account, you can also specify a category for their profile. To do this, click Mark a category under the profile name.

If you can't tag a person, they may have disabled it in their privacy settings.

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✅ How to tag people in Instagram Stories, comments and photos - LiveDune Blog

Tag people on Instagram can be useful not only to participate in the contest, but also to promote your account.

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1. How to tag a person in a photo on Instagram
2. How to tag a person in a comment on Instagram
3. How to tag a person in a story on Instagram

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How to mark a person in the photo


to immediately answer the same The most popular question is that you can’t tag people in other people’s photos. On their posts, they most often tag either friends who are present in the photo, or brands whose products are also present in the photo. In both cases, your post will appear in the tagged account in the "Tagged" section. If the account that you mark as closed, then your photo will be seen only by those users who are subscribed to the marked account. nine0127

Thus, any user who logs into your friend's account, for example, can see your joint photo and go to your account. The reach is also given by the marks of friends and brands, but in the second case it is many times more. Even better, if you not only take a photo with the brand's products, but also write a review or rank the top products that you like. Then it is more likely that the brand will publish your post in their account and tag you.

Content that users create for other users is called UGC. You can read more about how UGC content works, what it is and why brands need it in the article “How UGC content works on social networks”. nine0003

To tag an account while posting, click "Tag users", select the area on the photo where you want to tag. For example, if you want to tag a brand of glasses in a photo, click on the glasses. After a new window will open with a search bar, find the desired account and select it.

If you want to tag an account in a post that has already been published, open the post, click the three dots in the upper right corner, and select "Edit" to edit the post. In the lower left corner, click on the little man. Then you know what to do. nine0003

If your post did not appear in the account that was tagged, it means that the account owner has enabled pre-moderation and manually adds tagging. Either he didn't approve of your mark, or he simply forgets to check for new marks. The switch to manual tagging was provoked by spammers who randomly tag accounts on contest and other posts.

How to tag a person on Instagram in the comments

Since it is impossible to tag a friend in a photo in other people's posts on Instagram, it is important to tag him in the comments. Thus, you can draw the attention of a friend to some kind of post, most often humorous. Or fulfill the condition of the contest - tag friends in the comments to the post. nine0003

To tag a friend in a comment on Instagram, open the desired post and type the account name followed by @, for example, @livedune. You can tag up to 5 accounts per comment. Users you tag will receive tag notifications.

Track mentions of your account to respond to user content in time.

View mentions

How to tag a person in your story on Instagram

The traffic in the Stories section is not inferior to the feed views, so many promotion mechanics have spread here as well.
For example, holding contests in which the user must screenshot something, post it in their Stories and tag the account of the contest organizer. Mutual PR with another account or the same UGC. There are two ways to tag in Instagram stories.

Method 1. Upload/take a photo/video to stories, click on "Aa" in the upper right corner. Type the name of the desired account through @ and select the desired account. nine0003

If an underline does not appear under the name, then the account name most likely made a mistake, and the mark will not be clickable.

Method 2. Almost the same as the first, only a separate “Mention” sticker is used for marking. You can change the background of the sticker, otherwise there are no differences.

10 accounts can be marked in one story. The tag is clickable and anyone viewing stories can go to the account you tag. The account that you tagged will receive a notification in Direct about the tagging and the opportunity to add this stories to yourself. nine0003

Instagram tags can be used to increase the organic reach of your account. For example, by marking accounts of brands whose products are present in the photo.

Or you can create several Instagram accounts for each product/service (if you don't have a website and a small number of products, otherwise you'll be tormented) and tag them in the main account. By the same principle, you can create a quest game, for example, as @gla_build_your_own did. This is a prime example of how you can use seemingly primitive functions on Instagram in a non-standard way. nine0003

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