How to Allow Mentions on Instagram

Letting others tag you in their Instagram content is one of the best ways to build community and find authentic content about your brand. Controlling exactly who can mention you - and where - is simple once you know which settings to adjust. This guide will walk you through setting up your permissions and give you practical strategies for turning those mentions into real growth.

What Are Instagram Mentions and Why Should You Allow Them?

An Instagram mention is when another user includes your username, formatted as "@yourusername," in their posts, captions, comments, or Stories. When this happens, you receive a notification, and the mention acts as a live link directly to your profile. It's more than just a tag, it's a direct invitation for their audience to check you out.

So, why is this so important for creators and brands? Allowing mentions is a foundational part of an organic social media growth strategy. Here's what it does for you:

• Builds Social Proof: When real people mention your brand or products, it acts as a powerful, authentic endorsement. It's the digital version of word-of-mouth marketing, showing potential followers that you're trusted by others.
• Amplifies User-Generated Content (UGC): Mentions are how you discover and collect UGC. Someone posting a picture with your product and mentioning your account is giving you high-quality marketing material for free. By allowing and encouraging these tags, you build a library of authentic content you can reshare.
• Increases Reach and Discovery: Every mention exposes your profile to a new audience - the followers of the account that tagged you. If they share compelling content featuring you, their audience is likely to click through to your profile, resulting in new followers, engagement, and potential customers.
• Fosters Community and Engagement: Interacting with mentions shows you're listening to your audience. When you acknowledge, like, comment on, or reshare a mention, you make that person feel seen and appreciated. This simple act strengthens their loyalty and encourages them and others to keep engaging with your brand.

Ultimately, allowing mentions opens up a two-way conversation between you and your audience, turning passive followers into active participants in your brand's story.

How to Allow Mentions on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

By default, Instagram allows everyone to mention you. However, if your settings were changed previously or you want to customize your preferences, it's good to know exactly where to find and manage these options. Here's how to set your main mention permissions.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open Your Instagram Profile: Launch the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to go to your profile page.
2. Access the Settings Menu: Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner to open the main menu.
3. Navigate to "Settings and Privacy": Tap on the first option, which is typically "Settings and privacy".
4. Find "Tags and Mentions": Scroll down to the "How others can interact with you" section and tap on "Tags and mentions".
5. Choose Who Can Mention You: In this screen, you'll see a section called "WHO CAN @MENTION YOU." Here, you have three options to choose from:

• Allow mentions from everyone: This is a powerful setting for growth that lets you have more opportunities to discover who's talking about your brand and reach a larger audience.
• Allow mentions from people you follow: Setting it to "People You Follow" gives you a degree of privacy that is helpful if privacy is your priority.
• Don't allow mentions: Completely disables others from mentioning your account.

For most brands, creators, and businesses, the recommended setting is "Allow mentions from everyone." This maximizes your visibility and your ability to collect user-generated content.

Customizing Where and How People Mention You

Your general mention settings are straightforward, but it's also helpful to understand how mentions and tags work across different Instagram features. Sometimes, managing tag permissions is just as important as managing mention permissions.

Clearing Up the Confusion: Tags vs. Mentions

First, let's quickly clarify the difference between being tagged and being mentioned.

• A mention (@username) happens in a text field, like a caption, a comment, or text on a Story.
• A tag happens directly on a piece of media. Someone can tag your account in their photo or video Reel. This content then shows up in the "Tagged" tab on your profile (unless you hide it).

You can manage individual tag approvals in the same place you set your mention permissions. On the "Tags and mentions" screen, under "WHO CAN TAG YOU," you have a choice:

• Allow tags from everyone or Allow tags from people you follow keeps things open.
• The most useful setting here is "Manually approve tags." When enabled, you'll receive a notification any time someone tags you. The post won't appear on your profile's tagged tab until you physically approve it, which is ideal for preventing spammers from tagging your account, especially with scam giveaways. This feature provides complete control over how people interact with your brand's account and how it is presented to your followers.

Mentions in Instagram Stories

One of the most valuable places to be mentioned is in someone's Story. When a user mentions you, you get notified via direct message, and a button appears that says "Add to your story."

This is a huge opportunity. By clicking that button, you can immediately reshare their Story to your own followers. This is the simplest way to highlight UGC, thank a customer, or share praise from your community. The permissions for who can mention you in Stories is controlled by the general mention setting you configured above ("Allow mentions from everyone" expands your reach).

Strategy Over Settings: Best Practices for Engaging with Mentions

Changing your settings is just the first step. The real value comes from how you engage with the mentions you receive. Each one is an opportunity to strengthen a relationship and amplify your brand.

1. Acknowledge Every Relevant Mention

At a minimum, "like" the post or comment where you are mentioned. This small gesture shows you're paying attention. For a better mention, leave a genuine comment. Instead of a generic "Thanks!", try something specific like, "This looks amazing! So glad you enjoyed it." This kind of personalized interaction goes a long way.

2. Reshare the Best User-Generated Content

If someone mentions you in a high-quality Story or post, ask for the owner's permission to reshare it beyond simply through your own Story. You should ask for the owner's permission to download their post so that you can reuse it by posting on your account. UGC serves as powerful, authentic marketing content and social proof that your business is trustworthy.

3. Turn Mentions into Conversations

A mention can be the start of a conversation. If someone asks a question about your product in their caption when mentioning you, answer them right there. If they are an ideal audience, follow them from your brand account and engage with their post. In doing so, you'll build a deeper connection and turn your audience from casual mentioners into loyal brand advocates.

Troubleshooting Common Mention Issues

Running into problems? If someone is telling you they're unable to mention your account, here are a few things to check.

• Check Your Mention Settings: The most common culprit. Go back through the steps above and make sure your settings are not on "Don't allow mentions." Set it to "Allow mentions from everyone" to fix most issues.
• Double-Check Your Username: Simple, but it happens. Make sure the other person is spelling your Instagram handle correctly, with no typos. If you recently changed your username, old @mentions will no longer work.
• Are You a Private Account? If your account is private, only your followers can see your content. Someone who doesn't follow you can still technically @mention your username, but their followers won't be able to click through to your profile, defeating the purpose. For businesses and creators, a public account is highly helpful.
• Blocked or Restricted Accounts: If you've blocked an account, they cannot mention you. Similarly, if they have blocked you, they won't be able to find your account to mention it. Restrictions may also impact how notifications appear.

Final Thoughts

Allowing and managing your Instagram mentions is more than just a technical setting - it's a core component of building a thriving community. By opening the door for your audience to tag you and actively engaging with that content, you create a powerful cycle of social proof, user-generated content, and genuine connection that fuels organic growth.

As your account grows, keeping track of every mention, comment, and DM can become overwhelming. That positive engagement is a great problem to have, but it can quickly lead to missed opportunities if you're constantly switching between apps. At Postbase, we designed our unified inbox to solve this exact issue. By bringing all your conversations from every platform into one clean dashboard, we make it simple to see everything, reply to fans, and manage your community without the chaos.