Instagram User Tagging – How to Tag Users on Instagram

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Tagging brands and influencers on Instagram can increase likes and comments and result in more shares for your posts, which means more distribution for your content! In fact, Media monitoring company Mention, found that each user tag can increase likes by between .5 and one per tag and increase comments by even more.

When you tag customers and followers in posts, it can help build brand loyalty – it’s a great way to say thank you to your fans.  Tagging users can even result in a more pleasant Instagram feed experience, as Instagram learns which other accounts are important to you.

Since 72% of Instagrammer posts do not utilize user tagging, effective implementation of user tagging is a way for you to stand out!

So, how does it work, and how can you plan Instagram user tagging to increase engagement on your own account?

How Instagram User Tagging Works

Maybe you’ve @mentioned users in your captions on Instagram. This triggers a notification for that user, and can increase engagement as it draws their attention to the post. User tagging goes a step (or two) further.

When you tag someone in Instagram, they’ll get a special notification. user tagging notification When they visit their profile, the new tagged photo is added to a special spot on their profile:

Screenshot of tagged photos on your Instagram profile

Chances are, they’re going to click through on that post and check it out!

Screenshot of an image on Instagram with user tags

How Tag Users on Instagram

NEW! If you are using Tailwind to auto post to Instagram, you can now add user tags when you schedule! Since you can also tag locations in your scheduled Instagram posts, there’s no longer any need to go in and edit your post after it goes live! We’ll even autofill when you start typing the username – so no need to worry about misspelling! You can add up to 20 users per post. At this time, user and location tagging work for single photo posts only.

Here’s how to tag users on Instagram with Tailwind auto post:

  1. Create your post in Tailwind as usual.
  2. Click on the new “tag” button.
  3. Start typing the Instagram handle of the user you wish to tag or select from a list of recently-tagged users.
  4. Click “Done” and schedule!

That’s it!

Effective Use of Instagram User Tagging

Though user tagging on Instagram can be an extremely powerful tactic for growing engagement and increasing customer and follower loyalty, there are some important dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

DO: Tag ONLY relevant users. Almost nothing on Instagram feels as desperate as when someone tags you in a photo that has nothing to do with you. The tagged user can feel manipulated into looking at the post – and for good reason. Only tag when it makes sense to do so and is in the best interest of the user.

DON’T embarrass anyone: Even if the tag seems relevant, if your business is in any way sensitive – say, you sell a weight-loss product or a mental health service – consider whether or not someone WANTS to be tagged in that post. Since others can see photos they are tagged in just by visiting their profiles, be aware and when in doubt, leave it out. Again, make sure that tagging will benefit the user too. And never use user tagging to force attention on a promotional post.

DO give a heads up if you are reposting other people’s content on Instagram. It IS good practice to tag them in the post. However, you should already have asked for permission to regram so that the tag isn’t an UNWELCOME surprise.

DO: Use tagging to say a sincere “thank you” to your employees, influencers, and followers in a truly sincere manner. They’ll likely thank you in return!

DON’T try to tag a private profile. The tag won’t work and, if using autopost, your post will fail. They want to remain private and Instagram will make sure they do!

That’s it! When you use Instagram user tagging for genuine conversation and as a benefit to your followers, influencers, and others, user tagging can do wonders for your Instagram success. Who will your first tagged user be? Why not try it now!?

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