How to Tag a Company on Instagram

Tagging a company on Instagram is more than just a quick tap, it’s a powerful tool for boosting your visibility, building industry connections, and getting your content discovered. This guide breaks down exactly how to tag brands in your posts, Stories, and Reels, along with the strategies that turn a simple tag into a meaningful opportunity for growth.

Why Tagging Companies on Instagram Actually Matters

Before jumping into the step-by-step instructions, it’s worth understanding why this is such an important tactic. Tagging is an active strategy, not a passive one. When done correctly, it sets off a chain reaction that can significantly benefit your account.

Get Discovered by Your Favorite Brands

Every brand of a certain size has a social media manager whose job includes monitoring tags and mentions. When you tag a brand, your content appears in their "Tagged Photos" tab. This puts your work directly in front of the people responsible for the brand’s social presence. It’s the easiest, most organic way to get on their radar without sending a cold DM or email. That coffee shop you love? The software tool that genuinely helps your business? Tagging them is your first handshake.

Boost Your Reach Through User-Generated Content (UGC)

Brands are always on the lookout for high-quality user-generated content (UGC) to reshare on their own channels. Why? Because content from real customers is authentic, relatable, and acts as powerful social proof. A single reshare from a brand with a large following can send a surge of new, engaged followers your way. By tagging them, you’re essentially raising your hand and saying, “Hey, I have great content you might want to use!”

Build Genuine Branded Relationships

Consistently tagging brands you use and admire is a fantastic, low-pressure way to build professional relationships. Social media is, after all, social. Showing organic support for a product or service can be the starting point for future collaborations, partnerships, or even affiliate opportunities. It shows that your admiration is authentic, not just a one-off attempt to get their attention.

Give Authentic Credit and Build Audience Trust

On a fundamental level, tagging a brand is about giving credit where credit is due. Whether you’re showcasing the location of your photo, the clothes you’re wearing, or the tools you used to create something, crediting the company provides value to your audience. It helps them discover new things and shows that your recommendations are genuine, which builds trust and authority with your followers.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Tagging Brands

Instagram gives you several ways to tag a company, each serving a slightly different purpose. Whether you’re posting to your feed, sharing a quick Story, or uploading a Reel, here’s exactly how to do it.

How to Tag a Company in an Instagram Feed Post (Photo or Video)

Tagging a brand directly on the photo or video in your feed is the most common method. This adds the post to the "tagged" section of the company’s profile, making it a permanent flag for their team to see.

• Step 1: Start a new post by tapping the plus icon (+) at the bottom of the screen and selecting your photo or video.
• Step 2: Add your filters and edits, then tap "Next."
• Step 3: On the final screen before publishing (where you write your caption), tap on "Tag People."
• Step 4: Tap anywhere on your photo or video. A search bar will appear.
• Step 5: Start typing the company's Instagram handle (their username, e.g., @postbase). Select the correct one from the list that appears.
• Step 6: You'll see the tag appear on your media. You can drag it to position it correctly. Tap "Done" in the top right corner.
• Step 7: Finish writing your caption and tap "Share." The company is now tagged.

How to Mention a Company in Your Caption

While not a direct tag on the media, mentioning a brand in your caption is also valuable. The company gets a notification, and it makes it incredibly easy for your followers to tap through and check out their profile.

Tagging vs. Mentioning: What's the Difference?

A tag places a clickable label directly on your photo or video and adds it to the brand’s 'Tagged' tab. A mention is simply including the company’s handle (e.g., @companyname) in your caption or comment. For maximum visibility, it’s best practice to do both: tag them in the photo and mention them in the caption.

To mention a brand, simply type the "@" symbol followed by their username directly in your caption. For example: "I’ve been loving my daily planners from @fieldnotesbrand!" As you type, a list of accounts will pop up, so make sure you pick the right one.

How to Tag a Company in an Instagram Story

Instagram Stories are a temporary but highly visible way to tag a brand, and reshares on stories have their own unique flair. When a company is tagged properly in a Story, they get a notification and a button to directly "Add This to Your Story." This is the easiest way to get your content reshared.

• Step 1: Swipe right from your feed or tap your profile picture to open the Story camera.
• Step 2: Take a photo, record a video, or select a piece of content from your camera roll.
• Step 3: Tap the Sticker icon (it looks like a smiling square) at the top of the screen.
• Step 4: Select the "@MENTION" sticker from the options.
• Step 5: Start typing the company’s Instagram handle. Select the correct account from the search results.
• Step 6: You can resize, rotate, and drag the sticker to place it wherever you like. Tapping on the sticker often changes its color scheme or style, too! Post your story to finish.

Alternatively, you can just tap the text tool ("Aa"), type the "@", and start typing the company’s name. This works the same way but gives you less design flexibility than the dedicated sticker.

How to Tag a Company in an Instagram Reel

Tagging in Reels is just as important as it is for feed posts, especially since Reels are the engine for organic reach on Instagram right now. The process is almost identical to a feed post.

• Step 1: Record or upload your video clip and go through the editing process (adding audio, text, etc.). Tap "Next" to proceed.
• Step 2: On the final publishing screen (just like a feed post), look for the "Tag People" option.
• Step 3: Tap the "+ Invite collaborator" or simply tag the account. Start typing the company's handle, select it from the list, and you're good to go.
• Step 4: Finish writing your caption and tap "Share." Now your Reel will appear in the tagged section on their profile.

Advanced Tagging: The "Paid Partnership" Label Explained

As you grow, you might transition from shouting out brands you love to being paid to do so. This is where a specific type of tag comes into play: the Paid Partnership label.

What is the Paid Partnership Label?

The "Paid Partnership" label appears directly under your username on a post, Story, or Reel. It's a transparency tool designed to clearly disclose when content is sponsored. It signals to your audience that you have a commercial relationship with the brand for that specific piece of content.

When Should You Use It?

This label is essential for any content where you've received payment (money or free products) in exchange for the post. It’s not just good practice - in many countries, including the US, it’s a legal requirement from bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to disclose paid endorsements.

To use it, look for "Advanced Settings" on the final publishing screen. From there, you can toggle on the "Add Paid Partnership Label" and tag your brand partner. This also benefits the brand, as it gives them permission to see the post’s analytics and creates an ad using your content.

Tagging Best Practices (The Dos and Don’ts)

Getting the technical steps right is just the start. Following these simple practices will improve your results.

Do: Keep It Super Relevant

Only tag businesses that are directly featured in or related to your content. Are you wearing a specific shirt? Tag the brand. Are you at a local restaurant? Tag them. Irrelevant tags are perceived as spam, both by the brand and by other users.

Do: Double-Check the Username

This sounds simple, but it’s a common mistake! Many companies have similar handles, or their official handle isn't what you'd expect. A quick search on Instagram can confirm you're tagging the correct, active account.

Don't: Spam Tag Unrelated Brands

Piling 20 irrelevant brand tags onto a single post in the hopes of getting more eyeballs is a well-known spam tactic. It won't get you noticed by the right people, it annoys the brands you tag, and it makes your post look desperate. Focus on quality, not quantity.

Don't: Forget Smaller, Local Companies

While tagging big global brands is great, don't forget the small and local businesses. They often have more dedicated social media teams who are thrilled to see UGC and are much more likely to engage with and reshare your content. Supporting them is good for your content and good for your community.

Final Thoughts

Tagging a company on Instagram may seem like a small action, but it’s a foundational skill for anyone looking to grow an account, build brand relationships, and get their content seen. By thoughtfully and consistently tagging the products, services, and locations you feature, you actively turn your posts into conversations and opportunities.

Managing all these moving pieces can be tricky, especially when you’re active across multiple platforms. We built Postbase to streamline this entire process. Instead of jumping between apps, our visual planning calendar helps you schedule content weeks ahead, and our unified inbox brings all your DMs and comments from every platform into one clean view. It’s a modern, reliable way to manage a great social media presence without the usual overwhelm.