How to Mention People in an Instagram Story

Tagging someone in your Instagram Story is more than just a link - it's one of the most effective ways to increase your reach, foster community, and create interactive content that gets noticed. This guide will walk you through exactly how to mention people in your Instagram Story, from the basic steps to the strategic reasons why this simple action can have such a big impact on your brand's growth.

How to Mention Someone in an Instagram Story: The Two Main Methods

There are two primary ways to add a mention to your Instagram Story: using the dedicated "@MENTION" sticker or using the standard Text Tool. Both accomplish the same goal - tagging another account - but they offer different visual styles and opportunities for creativity.

Method 1: Using the @Mention Sticker

The @Mention sticker is the most straightforward and visually prominent way to tag an account. It’s designed to stand out and clearly signal to viewers that you're shouting someone out. Follow these steps to use it:

1. Create Your Story: Open Instagram and swipe right or tap the plus icon in the top left to open the Story camera. Take a new photo or video, or select one from your camera roll.
2. Open the Sticker Tray: Once your background is ready, tap the sticker icon (the square smiley face) at the top of the screen. This will open up all of Instagram's interactive Story features.
3. Select the @MENTION Sticker: Find and tap the sticker labeled "@MENTION."
4. Search and Select the User: Start typing the username of the person or brand you want to tag. Instagram will automatically suggest accounts as you type. Tap the correct profile picture and username from the list to select them.
5. Customize the Sticker: Once you’ve selected an account, the mention sticker will appear on your Story. You can tap the sticker to cycle through different color and style options - from a subtle semi-transparent look to a bold, rainbow-colored one.
6. Place and Resize: Drag the sticker to position it anywhere on your screen. Use two fingers to pinch or expand to make it smaller or larger.
7. Publish Your Story: When you're happy with the placement and style, share it to your Story as usual.

The person or brand you mention will receive a direct notification, along with a handy "Add this to your story" button, making it seamless for them to reshare your content.

Method 2: Using the Text Tool

If you prefer a more integrated or creatively controlled look, using the text tool is your best bet. This method lets you weave the mention directly into your captions or design elements with full control over fonts and colors, making it feel less like a sticker and more a part of the original content.

1. Create Your Story: Just as before, open the Story editor with a photo or video.
2. Open the Text Tool: Tap the "Aa" icon in the top right corner to bring up the keyboard.
3. Type the @ Symbol: Begin your mention by typing the "@" symbol. As you start typing the username, a list of suggested accounts will appear right above your keyboard.
4. Select the Account: It's important to tap the correct account from the suggestions. Simply typing their handle won't create a clickable link. Once you select it from the list, the text will become underlined, confirming the tag is active.
5. Customize Your Text: Now comes the creative part. You can change the font, adjust the color, add a background, or even use animation effects, just like any other text in your Story. This allows the mention to perfectly match your brand aesthetic.
6. Place and Resize: Position and resize the text box anywhere you'd like.
7. Publish Your Story: Share it! Just like with the sticker method, the tagged account will get a notification and the option to reshare.

Beyond the Basics: The Strategic Power of a Story Mention

Knowing how to mention someone is just the first step. Understanding why it’s such a powerful tool is what separates casual posting from strategic content marketing. When used thoughtfully, mentions are a cornerstone of organic social media growth.

Expand Your Reach Through Reshares

This is the most immediate and significant benefit. When you mention an account, an "Add to Your Story" button appears in their DMs. With a single tap, they can repost your Story to their own audience. This essentially works as a free endorsement, putting your brand, product, or content in front of a new set of eyes. Whether you're tagging a happy customer, a collaborating brand, or an influencer enjoying your product, their reshare acts as powerful social proof.

Example: A local coffee shop reposts a beautifully lit photo a customer took of their latte, making sure to mention the customer. The delighted customer reshares the Story, and now all of their local followers see which coffee shop they love - driving potential foot traffic.

Build Community and Strengthen Relationships

Social media is about being social. A mention is a digital nod, a virtual high-five. Tagging a follower, a brand you admire, or a business partner makes them feel seen and appreciated. This simple act of acknowledgment helps build goodwill and strengthen the relationship, turning passive followers into a loyal community. People love to be recognized, and it’s an easy, no-cost way to make a positive impression.

Example: A fitness trainer shares a transformation photo from a client and tags them in the Story, celebrating their hard work. The client feels proud and supported, reinforcing their loyalty to the trainer's program.

Credit Creators and Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-Generated Content (UGC) is marketing gold. When your customers and fans create content featuring your brand, resharing it is a fantastic way to fill your content calendar with authentic material. However, it's essential to give proper credit. Always mention the original creator. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also encourages other people to post about you, hoping for a similar shout-out and exposure.

Creative Tactics and A Few Tricks of the Trade

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start incorporating mentions in more creative ways. Here are a few popular techniques used by expert social media managers.

The "Invisible" Mention Technique

Sometimes you want someone to get a notification and be able to reshare your story, but you don't want their @username cluttering your carefully designed visual. The invisible mention is the perfect solution for this.

How to do it:

1. Use either the @Mention sticker or Text tool to tag the account.
2. Use two fingers to pinch the tag and shrink it down as small as it will go.
3. Drag the tiny mention tag off-screen or hide it behind another element, like a GIF, a larger sticker, or an image.

The tag is still there and completely functional - the user will still get the reshare notification - but it's hidden from view, keeping your Story's aesthetic clean and professional.

Tagging Multiple People in One Story

Instagram allows you to mention up to 10 accounts in a single story. This is useful when you're highlighting a group of people, like speakers at an event, team members, or customers featured in a roundup. However, 10 mention stickers would be an eyesore.

Instead, use the Text Tool. You can type out a clean list of the usernames, making sure to select each one from the pop-up to activate the tag. This keeps the design organized and avoids visual clutter while still ensuring everyone gets notified.

What to Do When Mentions Don't Work

Occasionally, you might run into an issue where your mention doesn't work as expected. Here’s a quick troubleshooting guide for common problems.

• Symptom: You can't find the user when searching.
  Cause & Solution: First, double-check the spelling of the username - even one character off will prevent it from appearing. If it's still not showing up, the person may have changed their username, or more commonly, they may have blocked your account.
• Symptom: The person you tagged didn't get a notification.
  Cause & Solution: This is most often due to their privacy settings. Instagram users can choose to disable notifications for mentions or limit who can mention them (e.g., only people they follow). There's nothing you can do on your end for this, it's a setting they have to change themselves.
• Symptom: They didn't see the "Add to Your Story" button.
  Cause & Solution: This function has a few limitations. If you have a private account, only your followers will see the story, and the resharing function may be restricted for people who don't follow you. Additionally, the tag won’t work properly on an account that is private - people can't reshare what their own audience won't be able to see.

Final Thoughts

Understanding how to mention people in an Instagram story is a foundational skill for anyone using the platform for growth. By going beyond simply tagging an account and thinking strategically about why you're doing it, you can consistently expand your reach, foster a strong community, and populate your feed with authentic, engaging content.

Of course, a big part of a successful social strategy is consistency, and that means having a reliable workflow for planning and publishing your content. At an early stage of our business, we found ourselves spending too much time trying to manage social media in real-time. That’s why we built Postbase, with a visual, drag-and-drop calendar designed for today’s formats. It lets us plan and schedule all our content - including our Stories - days or weeks in advance, so we never miss an opportunity to engage with our audience and can focus on the bigger picture.