How to Allow People to Tag You on Instagram

Wondering how to let others tag you in their Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels? You're in the right place. Allowing people to tag your account is one of the most effective, organic ways to boost your visibility and build a community around your brand. This guide walks you through exactly how to adjust your settings to allow tags, how to manage the content you’re tagged in, and why doing so is a game-changer for your growth on the platform.

Why Encouraging Tags is a Non-Negotiable for Growth

Before we get into the technical steps, let's quickly cover why this feature is so important. When someone tags your account, they're not just giving you a shout-out, they're creating a direct clickable link to your profile for their entire audience to see. Think of every tag as a personal recommendation.

Here’s what that means for you:

• Access to User-Generated Content (UGC): Tags are your gateway to authentic content created by real customers and fans. UGC is incredibly powerful social proof that you can reshare (with permission, of course) to showcase your product or brand in real-life situations.
• Increased Visibility and Reach: When a user tags you in their post, their followers can discover your profile with a single tap. It exposes your brand to new, relevant audiences you might not have reached otherwise.
• Building Community: Encouraging tags creates a two-way street. It makes your followers feel seen and valued, transforming them from passive observers into active participants in your brand’s story. This interaction is the foundation of a strong, loyal community.
• Trust and Authenticity: Posts from real people are often seen as more trustworthy than branded advertisements. When someone tags you, they’re vouching for you, which builds credibility much more effectively than self-promotion.

In short, allowing tags turns your audience into an organic marketing force. Now, let’s make sure your settings are configured to make it happen.

How to Allow People to Tag You on Instagram: The Step-by-Step Guide

Your ability to be tagged is controlled within your privacy settings. Instagram gives you granular control over who can tag you and how those tagged posts appear on your profile. Here's how to set it up.

Step 1: Navigate to Your Privacy Settings

First things first, open the Instagram app and go to your profile page. From there, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top right corner.
2. Scroll down and tap on "Settings and privacy."
3. Scroll down to the "How others can interact with you" section and tap on "Tags and mentions."

This is your control center for all things related to tags and mentions. You’ll see a few options here that are important to understand.

Step 2: Choose Who Can Tag You

At the top of the "Tags and mentions" screen, you'll find the core settings for controlling who has permission to tag your account. You have three choices:

• Allow tags from everyone: This is the recommended setting for most businesses, creators, and public figures. It allows any Instagram user to tag you in their photo or video posts. This maximizes your potential for visibility and UGC.
• Allow tags from people you follow: This option restricts tags to only the accounts you follow. It’s a good choice if you want more control and prefer to keep your tagged content limited to a trusted circle.
• Don't allow tags: This option completely disables the ability for anyone to tag you in a photo or video. For brands and creators looking to grow, this is not recommended, as it shuts down a primary channel for community interaction and organic marketing.

For growth, select "Allow tags from everyone." This opens the door for customers, fans, and collaborators to connect with your brand.

Note: These settings apply to tags in photos and videos (Reels included) that appear in the feed. They do not prevent people from mentioning your handle (@yourusername) in comments, captions, or Stories.

Gaining Full Control: How to Manually Approve Tagged Photos

Allowing everyone to tag you is great for reach, but it can also lead to spam or being tagged in content that doesn’t align with your brand image. The good news? You don't have to let every tagged photo automatically appear on your profile.

By enabling manual tag approval, you can review every post you're tagged in and decide which ones to display in the "Tagged" tab on your profile. This gives you the best of both worlds: maximum visibility and complete control over your brand's image.

How to Turn On Manual Tag Approval:

1. Go back to the "Tags and mentions" settings menu.
2. Under the "How you manage tags" section, tap on "Manually approve tags."
3. Toggle on the switch for "Tag Controls."

Once this is activated, any time someone tags you in a post, you’ll receive a notification. The post will not appear on your profile's "Tagged" tab until you approve it. All your pending tagged photos will be found on this screen, waiting for your review.

How to Review, Approve, or Hide Tagged Posts

When you have pending tags, you can manage them in a few simple taps.

1. Go to the "Manually approve tags" screen. A list of posts awaiting your approval will be displayed.
2. Tap on a post to view it.
3. From here, you have a few options:
   • Add: Tapping "Add" will make the photo or video appear publicly in the "Tagged" section of your Instagram profile.
   • Hide: Tapping "Hide" will prevent the post from appearing on your profile. The tag will still exist, but it won't be associated with your profile grid.
   • Remove Me from Post: If you want to remove the tag entirely, you can open the photo itself, tap the three dots in the corner, select "Tag options," and then "Remove me from post." This is useful for spam or inappropriate content.

You can also manage existing tagged photos directly from your profile. Just navigate to the "Tagged" tab (the icon of a person in a tag), tap on a post you want to manage, tap the photo to reveal the tags, tap on your username, and select "Hide from my profile."

Strategies for Encouraging More People to Tag You

Now that your settings are optimized, it's time to be proactive. You can't just wait for tags to happen, you need to encourage them. Here are some proven strategies to get more users to tag your account.

1. Run a User-Generated Content (UGC) Campaign

This is a classic for a reason. Actively ask your audience to share content featuring your product, service, or brand. Create a unique hashtag to go along with it and offer an incentive, like a chance to be featured on your page, a prize, or a discount. Example prompt: "Show us how you style our new collection! Tag @YourBrand and use #YourBrandStyle for a chance to be featured."

2. Create an "Instagrammable" Moment

If you have a physical location like a store, coffee shop, or studio, create a space designed for photos. This could be a neon sign with a catchy phrase, a beautiful mural, or a well-decorated corner. People love sharing visually interesting experiences, and a designated photo spot makes it easy and fun for them to create content and tag you in the process.

3. Add a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Sometimes, the easiest way to get what you want is to simply ask for it. Add a simple call-to-action to your Instagram bio, captions, or even on your product packaging. Something like "Loving your purchase? Share a pic and tag us @YourBrand!" is a gentle nudge that reminds happy customers to share their experience.

4. Feature Your Community's Content Regularly

When you feature someone's photo or Story on your page (always with credit!), it does two things. First, it makes that person feel incredibly valued. Second, it shows the rest of your audience that you're paying attention and that they have a real chance of being spotlighted. This social incentive is a powerful motivator for others to start tagging you in their own high-quality content.

5. Engage Actively with Every Tag

Don't let a tag be a one-sided interaction. When someone tags you, make sure to engage with their post. At a minimum, leave a like. Better yet, leave a thoughtful comment thanking them for sharing. This simple act of acknowledgment reinforces the behavior and makes your followers more likely to tag you again in the future.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to allow and manage tags on Instagram is a fundamental skill for building a vibrant brand on the platform. By opening the door to user-generated content and actively managing what appears on your profile, you tap into one of the most powerful forms of organic marketing available today. These tags build social proof, expand your reach, and create a genuine community around what you do.

As your strategy takes off and you get more tags, mentions, and messages, keeping up with all the engagement can become a challenge. We built Postbase to solve this exact problem. Our unified inbox gathers all your comments and DMs from across your social platforms, including Instagram, in one simple, organized view. This means you can respond to your community quickly, without constantly switching between apps, and never miss an opportunity to build a stronger connection with your audience.