How to Mention on LinkedIn

Using the @mention feature on LinkedIn is one of the quickest ways to boost your content's reach and start a meaningful conversation, but only if you use it the right way. Tagging people or companies notifies them directly, pulls them into your post, and makes your content visible to their networks, creating a powerful ripple effect. This guide will show you exactly how to mention on LinkedIn, covering the tactical steps, the strategic etiquette, and the best practices to turn a simple tag into a serious networking tool.

Why Mentions on LinkedIn Are So Powerful

Before getting into the step-by-step, it’s helpful to understand why this feature is such a game-changer for professional networking and brand building. When done correctly, tagging someone on LinkedIn can achieve several goals at once:

• It Increases Visibility and Reach: When you mention a person or a company, your post has a chance to be seen by their followers, not just your own. This instantly expands your potential audience beyond your immediate network.
• It Boosts Engagement: A mention is a direct notification. The person tagged is prompted to check out your post, making them far more likely to comment, share, or react. This initial engagement signals to the LinkedIn algorithm that your content is valuable, pushing it out to more people.
• It Builds Relationships and Shows Appreciation: Tagging a colleague to praise their work, an influencer whose article you enjoyed, or a company you admire is a public form of recognition. It’s a small gesture that goes a long way in building professional goodwill and strengthening connections.
• It Gives Proper Credit: If you're sharing someone else's idea, quoting their work, or posting a photo from an event they organized, mentioning them is the professional way to give credit where credit is due.

The Fundamentals: How to Tag a Person or Company

The technical part of mentioning is straightforward. Whether you're writing a post, drafting an article, or leaving a comment, the process is the same. Let’s break it down.

How to Mention an Individual User

Simply type the "@" symbol, then begin typing the person's name directly after it, with no space. A dropdown menu will appear with suggestions from your network.

1. Type the @ symbol.
2. Start typing the person’s first and last name (e.g., @JaneDoe).
3. As you type, a list of profiles will pop up. Select the correct person from the list.
4. Once you've selected them, their name will appear as a clickable blue link in your text. You can even backspace and remove their last name for a more conversational feel (e.g., "Great insight from @Jane!").

Pro Tip: You must be a 1st-degree connection for a name to reliably appear in the dropdown. If you're trying to tag someone you aren't connected with, follow them first or type their full, exact name as it appears on their profile to see if they populate.

How to Mention a Company Page

Tagging a company is just as simple as tagging a person. The same process applies.

1. Type the @ symbol.
2. Begin typing the company's name (e.g., @Postbase).
3. A list of company pages will appear. Choose the correct one.
4. The company's name will then appear as a clickable blue link. This notifies the page administrators of your post and creates a backlink to their page.

Where You Can Use Mentions on LinkedIn

You have several opportunities to use mentions across the platform. Here are the most common places:

• Posts: The most frequent place to use mentions is in the main body of a post on your feed. This is perfect for sharing insights and tagging the people or companies involved.
• Comments: Use mentions in comments to pull others into a conversation. If someone asks a question you know a connection can answer, you can tag them in a reply to bring them into the thread.
• Articles: When writing a long-form article on LinkedIn, you can mention sources, contributors, and companies to add credibility and generate traffic.
• Images: When uploading a photo, you can also tag people who are in the picture, similar to how you would on other social platforms. Click on the photo after you upload it and see the option to tag connections.

LinkedIn Tagging Etiquette: The Dos and Don'ts

Knowing how to mention someone is easy. Knowing when and why is what separates a savvy networker from a spammer. Abusing the mention feature is a fast way to get ignored or even blocked. Here are the fundamental rules of good tagging etiquette.

The Dos: What You Should Do

✅ Do an "Ego Bait" Mention (The Right Way)

Everyone enjoys being recognized for their expertise. If you've read a fantastic article or watched an insightful video from an industry leader, share it and mention the creator. But don't just share the link, add your own thoughts. For example:

"Just finished reading this piece by @JohnSmith on the future of AI in marketing. His point about hyper-personalization was brilliant. It makes you think about how we can apply these concepts to our client work. Highly recommend the read!"

This is effective because you're adding value to the conversation, not just shouting their name.

✅ Do Tag to Give Sincere Credit

This is the most common and appreciated use of a mention. Tag team members after a successful project launch, a speaker after a great webinar, or an event organizer for putting together a fantastic conference.

"So proud of what our team accomplished this quarter! A huge thank you to @SarahChen, @MikeRivera, and the entire marketing team at @ExampleCorp for their hard work on the #NewProductLaunch."

✅ Do Ask Relevant Questions

If you're writing about a topic and know of an expert in your network, you can tactfully tag them to invite their opinion. This must be an authentic question, not a thinly veiled attempt at getting their attention.

"We're wrestling with the best way to measure community engagement. I know this is your sweet spot, @EmilyCarter - curious if you have any preferred metrics you stand by?"

The Don'ts: Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't Tag-Spam for Views

This is the cardinal sin of LinkedIn mentioning. Never post something and then tag a list of 20 popular influencers who have absolutely no connection to your content. It looks desperate, it's annoying for the people tagged, and their audience will see right through it. Your post instantly loses credibility.

❌ Don't Be Vague

Avoid mentioning someone without providing context. Just dropping someone's name into a post with a generic "thoughts? @RandomPerson" feels lazy and puts the burden on them to figure out why they were tagged.

❌ Don't Tag Negatively or To Start an Argument

Never mention someone to call them out, publicly criticize their work, or pull them into a dispute. LinkedIn is a professional network. If you have a disagreement, handle it privately. Public call-outs are a short-term-attention, long-term-failure strategy.

❌ Don’t Tag the Same People Over and Over

Even if your connections are supportive, don't overdo it. If you tag the same group of people in every single post you write, you become "that person" in their notifications. Mix it up and only tag when it’s truly relevant to the individual.

Advanced Strategies for Impactful Mentions

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start using mentions more strategically to achieve specific goals.

Strategy 1: Event Follow-Ups

After attending a conference, webinar, or networking event, write a summary post of your key takeaways. In the post, tag the speakers, the event organizers, and maybe even a few new people you connected with during the event. This reignites the conversation and solidifies those new relationships.

Example: "Still buzzing from #MarketingWeek2024! The keynote from @KeynoteSpeaker was inspiring, and the session on content strategy by @PanelistGuru offered so many actionable ideas. Great connecting with @NewConnection1 and @NewConnection2. Thanks to @EventCompany for a stellar event!"

Strategy 2: Showcasing Collaboration

When working on a cross-functional project or with an external partner, use a mention to highlight the collaborative effort. This not only builds goodwill with your collaborators but also shows your network that you're a team player.

Example: "Launching our new website was a massive team effort. Couldn't have done it without the incredible design work from our partners at @CreativeAgency, especially @LeadDesigner. Your team brought our vision to life!"

Strategy 3: Amplifying Customer and Employee Stories

Social proof is powerful. If a customer or employee gives your company a glowing review or mentions you in a positive post, ask for their permission to re-share it. When you do, be sure to tag them.

Example: "We love seeing our tools helping teams succeed! Thanks for the kind words, @HappyCustomer. We're so glad that our platform is making a difference for @YourCompanyName. Your success is our success."

Final Thoughts

Mastering how to mention on LinkedIn is a simple skill with an outsized impact on your networking and content strategy. By moving beyond random tags and adopting a thoughtful approach, you can increase your visibility, foster genuine connections, and build a stronger professional brand.

Starting conversations with mentions is one thing, managing them is another. As your LinkedIn presence grows, keeping track of notifications, comments, and DMs across multiple platforms can feel like a full-time job. We ran into this problem all the time, which is why we built a unified social inbox into Postbase. It lets you see and reply to every engagement from one clean dashboard, so you never miss a chance to connect with the people you’ve tagged.