How to Add a Location on Instagram

Adding a location to your Instagram is one of the simplest and most effective ways to boost your content's visibility and reach a more relevant audience. This guide provides everything you need to know, from adding a location tag to any post to creating a brand-new custom location for your business and using this feature to fuel your brand's growth.

Why Location Tags Are a Game-Changer for Growth

You might see location tagging as just another small step before hitting the "Share" button, but it's a powerful marketing tool hiding in plain sight. When you add a location, you aren't just telling people where you are, you're plugging your content directly into a searchable, geo-specific feed that new customers, clients, and community members are actively browsing.

Here's a breakdown of the strategic benefits:

• Skyrocket Your Discoverability: When you tag a location, your post appears on that location's specific page. Anyone who searches for that place - be it a city, a neighborhood cafe, a park, or a popular event venue - can see your photo, Story, or Reel. It puts your brand in front of a warm audience that is already interested in that specific place. Think of it as free, targeted advertising.
• Connect with Your Local Community: For brick-and-mortar businesses like shops, restaurants, or studios, location tagging is non-negotiable. It helps local customers find you, check out your vibe from other user-generated content at your tagged location, and get directions straight from the app. It makes your brand a real place, not just an online profile.
• Boost Engagement Rates: Posts with a tagged location tend to see higher engagement than those without. It instantly adds context to your content, making it more relatable and authentic. Someone who lives near the store you tagged or has visited there before feels a connection and is more likely to like, comment, or start following you.
• Find User-Generated Content (UGC): By having an official location tag for your business, you create a hub for anyone posting from your spot. You can click on your location tag to see every public post shared from there. This is a goldmine of candid, authentic content from real customers that you can reshare (with permission, of course) for powerful social proof.

How to Add a Location to Any Type of Instagram Post

Instagram lets you add location tags to virtually every content type, but the process varies slightly for each. Here are the simple step-by-step instructions for Feed posts, Stories, and Reels.

For Feed Posts (Photos &, Videos)

This is the most common way people use location tags. You add it during the final step before publishing.

1. Create your post as you normally would: upload your photo or video, add filters, and edit it. Tap "Next."
2. On the final screen where you write your caption and tag people, tap on the "Add Location" option.
3. A search bar and a list of suggested locations based on your GPS will appear. Start typing the name of the place you want to tag. Be as specific as possible (e.g., "The Sweet Spot Bakery" instead of just "Chicago").
4. Select the correct location from the list. You'll see it appear above your photo/video.
5. Finish writing your caption and tap "Share." Your post will now appear with the location tag at the top, right below your username.

For Instagram Stories

In Stories, location tags are an interactive sticker that gives you more creative control over how it looks and where it appears on the screen.

1. Open the Instagram Stories camera and either take a photo, record a video, or upload one from your gallery.
2. Tap the Sticker icon (the smiley face in a square) at the top of the screen.
3. Select the "Location" sticker from the options.
4. Just like with feed posts, a search bar and a list of nearby places will pop up. Search for and select your desired location.
5. The sticker will now appear on your Story. You can tap it to cycle through different color variations. You can also pinch to resize it and drag it anywhere on the screen to best fit your content's aesthetic.

Pro Tip: Viewers can tap this sticker in your Story to see all public posts and Stories tagged with that location, giving you another avenue for discovery.

For Instagram Reels

Adding a location to a Reel works almost identically to how you'd add one to a regular feed post, helping your short-form video show up for both location-based and interest-based searches.

1. Record or upload and edit your Reel. After adding music, text, and effects, tap "Next."
2. On the final share screen (where you write your caption and choose a cover image), find and tap the "Add Location" option.
3. Search for your business, an event, or a relevant landmark and select it from the list.
4. Once selected, just complete the rest of your post details and tap "Share."

Creating a Custom Location Tag for Your Brand

What if your brand-new business, pop-up shop, or special event location doesn't show up in the search results? This is a common hurdle, especially since Instagram removed the in-app feature to create custom locations years ago. The good news is you can still do it - you just need to use the Facebook mobile app.

Since Meta owns both platforms, a new location created on Facebook will eventually become available on Instagram. It might take a few minutes or even a day to sync, but this is the currently accepted and working method.

Here's exactly how to do it:

1. Enable Location Services: First, go into your phone's settings and make sure your Location Services are enabled for the Facebook app. This is required for the "Check In" feature to work correctly.
2. Open Facebook and "Check In": From the Facebook mobile app (this won't work on a desktop), start a new post by tapping on "What's on your mind?" Below the text box, tap the "Check In" button.
3. Search for Your Location: In the search bar at the top, type the exact name of your new custom location. Be careful with spelling and capitalization, as this is how it will appear on Instagram. Don't hit search, just let the results load automatically.
4. Add Your New Place: Scroll all the way to the bottom of the search results. If your location doesn't exist, you should see a blue button with a plus icon that says "Add [Your Location Name]." Tap it.
5. Choose a Category: You'll be prompted to choose a category that best describes your business or location (e.g., restaurant, local business, event venue). Be as accurate as you can.
6. Specify the Physical Address: On the next screen, you can add a precise street address, or if it's a broader area like a park, you can select "I'm currently here" to use your GPS coordinates. For a business, entering the full, correct address is always the best practice.
7. Create the Location: Once all the information is correct, tap "Save" or "Create" in the top right corner. You don't actually have to finish making the Facebook post, just a check-in is enough for the new location to be created.
8. Wait and Test on Instagram: The location is now added to Facebook's database. It needs a little time to sync over to Instagram. Close and reopen your Instagram app, wait about 15–30 minutes, and then try creating a new post to see if you can now search for and find your custom location.

Strategic Tips for Using Locations Like a Pro

Adding a location is easy, but using it strategically can really move the needle on your social media goals. Here's how to graduate from just tagging your spot to making every geotag count:

1. Use the Tag Page as a Content Hub

Regularly click on your own business's location tag to see a live feed of public content shared by your customers. This is incredibly valuable for a few reasons:

• Find Authentic UGC: You get a constant stream of authentic posts from people enjoying your product or service. Reach out and ask for permission to reshare their content - it acts as a powerful, real-world testimonial.
• Gather Audience Insights: See firsthand who your customers are and how they're interacting with your brand. What do they like to photograph? What parts of your business get them excited? These are invaluable insights for content planning.

2. 'Grambomb' a Relevant Location

Not every post has to be tagged with your exact business address. Is your brand attending a popular industry conference, a local festival, or a trade show? Tag the event venue! People following that event are your ideal audience. This puts your content right in their discovery feed. If you're an online business, you can tag locations relevant to your niche - a fitness wear brand might tag popular hiking trails or gyms, while a publisher might tag famous bookstores or libraries.

3. Tag Your Suppliers and Partners

Build goodwill and cross-promote by tagging the location of other local businesses you collaborate with. If you're a cafe serving pastries from a local bakery, tag the bakery's location when you post about their pastries. It's a simple way to strengthen community ties and expose your profile to another business's audience.

4. Fix a Bad Instagram Location Tag

Do you already have a location tag, but the pin is in the wrong place or the name has a typo? Don't panic. The only way to fix it is through Facebook. Go to your Business Page on a desktop, find the official location in your "About" section, and click "Edit Page Info." From there, you can adjust the address on the map tool. To suggest a name change or merge duplicate locations, find the incorrect "Check-In" location on Facebook, click the three dots and use the "Suggest Edits" feature to report the problem.

Final Thoughts

Instagram's location feature is one of the most underutilized growth tools available on the platform. It transforms your post from a standalone piece of content into an interactive entry point for new followers and customers, searchable by anyone interested in the places you care about. From adding tags to posts and stories to creating a brand-new custom location for your business, taking a few moments to tag thoughtfully can make all the difference.

All of these strategic details - captions, hashtags, and of course, locations - are precisely why so many of us struggle to keep pace with social. Thinking through these elements for every single post takes time. We were tired of wrestling with clunky, outdated management tools that made simple things feel complicated, so we built Postbase from the ground up to solve it. Our visual calendar lets you plan and see all your content at a glance, making sure every detail is perfect days or weeks in advance so there's no last-minute scrambling.