If you want to have an online presence that’s on par with the leading brands in your industry, you must never ignore Instagram stories. Every platform has its unique features, and Instagram is no exception. This feature-packed platform offers the opportunity to share your posts to an ever-growing audience in an engaging manner.
That said, you know the importance of using the Instagram Story feature, but why should you tag someone in your Instagram stories? Here are the two most important reasons:
- It’s a good idea to tag someone if your post contains a photo or video of them. Viewers will be able to go through their profiles and learn more about them, as well as follow them if they choose.
- If the content you’re sharing is relevant to them in some manner, you might want to tag them. They’ll be notified that they’ve been tagged so that they won’t miss it.
Instagram stories have brought an opportunity for people to showcase their lifestyle, products, and services in a fun way. It also builds connections between Instagram users, brands, and their customers, especially with the possibility of tags.
Want to know how to tag people in your stories correctly? All the answers you need are in this post.
In a tag vs. @mention dilemma?
Should you simply tag people or @mention them? The two terms are very popular. However, many people, especially new users, don’t know their differences. Thankfully, we are here to clear out your confusion.
When it comes to Instagram stories, there is no difference between the two. Anytime you mention someone in your story, you are also tagging them. Simple!
However, when making a feed post, the two differ. Immediately after you tag someone to a photo, they receive a notification about it. You can view the people tagged in a photo by tapping on the photo once.
Apart from this, when you tag someone in your photo, the photo automatically saves in the tagged photos section of their profile. As such, anyone who visits the person’s profile can view the photo. Note, however, that the tagged person can remove themselves if they don’t like the post you’ve tagged them in.
To tag someone to your post, tap the “Tag photo” field under Caption and type in their username.
Regarding mentions in feed posts, you can only @mention someone in the caption or the comment section. Unlike tags, @mentions don’t appear on the photo when tapped. Also, the people you mention in your feed post will receive a notification about it. But the photo is not saved on their feed.
Note that: Instagram stories allow you to only tag or mention up to 10 people or places per photo or video. This is irrespective of the types of content you upload to your stories.
For feed posts, you can only Tag up to 20 people or places per photo and Mention only 10 per photo.
Also, you cannot tag people, businesses, or products that don’t appear in the photo. You may also need to take permission from people before tagging them.
How to tag someone in an Instagram Story
- Open your Instagram app.
- Click on the “+” button at the top right corner of your screen and select Story or swipe right from anywhere in the feed.
- Take or select a photo or video from your gallery and then tap on the “Aa” icon.
- Type @ followed immediately by the username, then choose the person or business you would like to mention.
- Click on Done, then tap Send to or the “>” icon.
- Click on Your story and then tap Done or Share. You are good to go!
Extra tips:
- Instagram features many beautiful text styles. These will help you customize your mentions and possibly rake in more double taps. Presently, there are nine of them. You’ll find the text styles right above the keyboard. Horizontally scroll through the styles and tap on your choice.
- If you’re very particular about making your text beautiful, you’ll find more settings at the top of the screen to help you achieve this. Examples are text alignment, color, text background, and spacing.
- You can also use the mention sticker. Click on the smiley face icon at the top of the screen, right after the “Aa” icon. Tap the “@Mention” option, and type in the username of the person you wish to tag. Then, click on their profile once it appears. You can change the appearance of the sticker by tapping on it and making a choice.
- With social media tools like Later, Hootsuite and Planoly, you can schedule your Instagram stories to air at your convenience.
FAQs for Instagram Story tags
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What appears when I mention someone in my Instagram story?
When you mention someone, their Instagram handle will appear on your story, and people can visit their profile when they tap on it. If their account is private, only their followers or those they approve can view their profile.
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How will people know when I have mentioned them?
When you mention or tag someone in your story, they will get a push notification about it. Also, they will get a direct message that contains a preview of your story from you. This preview will only last for 24 hours in the message.
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What happens when I mention a non-follower?
If you mention someone who doesn’t follow you, it will appear in their inbox as a message request.
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What is the limit for mentions on Instagram Story?
As stated earlier, you can only mention ten people per photo or video in your story. You may not be able to mention someone if they have changed who can mention them in their privacy settings.
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How can I control my mentions?
You can choose who can mention you via your privacy settings from the Instagram app.
Note that you cannot remove your Instagram handle from someone’s story once they tag you. However, you can report their story.
Benefits of tagging on Instagram Stories.
- Boosts Engagement: When you tag people or brands on your stories, they will most likely respond to their notification and come over to engage your post. You will get more Instagram views, likes, comments, and shares.
- Brand exposure: When people you tag in your stories engage by sharing your stories, it creates a chance for your page to get more exposure.
- Give credits: It is important as a brand to give credits, especially when you post user-generated content. It gives your brand a credible and authentic face.
- Build a community for your brand: While hanging out with friends at your favorite restaurant, you can take a quick photo of your fun time for your followers. Part of building a community is keeping them informed about the places you visit, the products you use, and other brands you work with. You can do this through tags or mentions.
- Boost sales: With product tags, you can make sales through your stories. Your customers will easily see product descriptions and prices and make a buying decision. According to Omnicore, 58% of Instagram users claim to have become more interested in a product after seeing it in Stories. Another 50% of them say they have visited a website to buy a product/service as a result of seeing it in Stories.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to tag people on Instagram Stories, It will almost seem like a crime not to put it to use. The benefits are right around the corner, and no doubt your brand will grow when you use them.
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Cristian Negroni. The photo in the body of the article has been done by Cotton.
