How to Tag Someone on Instagram Reels

Tagging people in your Instagram Reels is one of the easiest ways to boost your reach, spark engagement, and build a stronger community on the platform. This guide breaks down exactly how to tag other accounts - both before and after you publish - and walks through the strategies behind when and why you should do it to get the best results for your brand.

Why Tagging on Reels is Your Secret Weapon for Growth

Before jumping into the step-by-step instructions, it helps to understand why tagging is so much more than just a label. When done right, tagging functionality is a powerful lever for organic growth. Here’s how it works in your favor.

• Increases Your Reach: When you tag an account in your Reel, it doesn't just notify them, it also makes your content eligible to appear in the "Tagged" tab on their profile. Anyone visiting their profile can discover your video there, directing relevant new viewers your way.
• Boosts Engagement: Tagging sends a direct notification to the account you’ve featured. This simple act dramatically increases the chances they will like, comment on, or even share your Reel to their own Stories, which can create a viral ripple effect.
• Fosters Community and Collaboration: Tagging is the currency of community on Instagram. Whether you’re shouting out a customer who shared a great photo, crediting a creator for an idea, or featuring a business partner, tags build goodwill and strengthen relationships. They show you’re engaged and paying attention to others in your niche.
• Builds Social Proof: When you feature and tag real customers or collaborate with respected creators, you’re providing authentic social proof. It's an unspoken endorsement that tells viewers your brand is trusted and valued by others.

How to Tag Someone on an Instagram Reel: A Practical Walkthrough

Instagram gives you a couple of different opportunities to add tags to your Reel. You can do it right before you hit publish or go back and add them later. Here's a look at both methods.

Method 1: Tagging Accounts Before Publishing Your Reel

This is the most common workflow. Tagging as part of your publishing process ensures everyone is notified the moment your content goes live.

1. Create and Edit Your Reel: Start by recording your video clips or uploading them from your camera roll. Add your music, text overlays, captions, stickers, and any other creative elements you want in the Reel editor.
2. Move to the Final Share Screen: Once your video is ready, tap the "Next" button in the bottom right corner. This will take you to the final screen where you write your caption, choose a cover image, and adjust your settings.
3. Select "Tag People": About halfway down the screen, you’ll see the option to "Tag people". It's usually located just below the space where you write your caption. Tap on it.
4. Choose Between Tagging and Inviting a Collaborator: At the top of the next screen, you'll see two options: "Add Tag" and "Invite collaborator". For now, make sure you’re on the "Add Tag" screen (it’s the default). We'll cover the difference in more detail a bit later.
5. Search and Select Accounts: Tap anywhere on the video preview. A search bar will appear with the prompt "Search for people." Start typing the username of the person or brand you want to tag. As you type, a list of accounts will show up. Tap the correct one to add the tag. You can drag the tag to reposition it anywhere on your video. Repeat this step for every account you want to tag (you can add up to 20).
6. Confirm and Share: Once you’ve added all your tags, tap the blue "Done" button in the top right corner. You'll be taken back to the main share screen, where you can now see the names of the people you’ve tagged listed next to the "Tag people" option. When you're ready, hit "Share" to publish your Reel.

Method 2: Tagging Someone After You've Already Published a Reel

Forgot to tag someone? No problem. Or maybe you want to add people to an older Reel that has started gaining new traction. Here’s how to do it.

1. Navigate to Your Published Reel: Open the Instagram app and go to your profile. Tap the Reels tab (the clapperboard icon) and find the video you want to edit.
2. Open the Options Menu: Tap on the Reel to open it in the full-screen viewer. Look for the three dots icon (...) located on the right side of the screen (on iPhone) or the bottom corner (on Android).
3. Select "Edit": A menu will pop up with several options. Tap "Edit."
4. Find "Tag People": On the "Edit" screen, you'll see a small grey icon and the text "Tag people" overlaid on the bottom-left corner of your video cover. Tap it.
5. Add or Edit Tags: You’ll be taken to the same tagging screen you saw before publishing. Here, you can tap on anyone you previously tagged to remove them, or tap a new empty spot on the video to search for and add new accounts.
6. Save Your Changes: After you’ve finished making your changes, tap "Done." The accounts you added will be notified, and the new tags will be live instantly.

Tagging vs. Inviting a Collaborator: Which One Should You Use?

One of the biggest points of confusion for creators on the tagging screen is the difference between an ordinary tag and an invitation to collaborate. Using the right one is important, as they serve very different strategic purposes.

When to Use a Tag

Use a standard tag when you want to mention or give credit to someone. This is your go-to option for:

• Featuring user-generated content (UGC) from a customer.
• Giving credit to a videographer, makeup artist, or another creative who helped with the Reel.
• Shouting out a brand whose product appears in your video.
• Mentioning people who are physically visible in your Reel.

A tag is a one-way action. The post appears in their "Tagged" tab, but it remains solely on your profile grid. Their involvement is acknowledged without making them a co-owner of the content.

When to Invite a Collaborator

Use the collaborator feature for genuine partnerships where you and another account have co-created the content. When you invite a collaborator and they accept:

• The Reel appears on both of your profile grids. It's not a share, it’s an original post for both accounts.
• The Reel shares its analytics. You both see the same view count, likes, comments, and shares, which are pooled together.
• The Reel is displayed to a portion of each account's followers, massively increasing its potential reach.

Because this is a much deeper level of partnership, always get permission from an account before you send a collaborator invite. A surprise invite is generally considered bad form.

Strategic Tagging: Best Practices to Get the Most Out of Your Tags

Now that you know the mechanics, let's refine your approach. A smart tagging strategy goes beyond just knowing which buttons to press. Here are some tips to get the maximum value from every tag.

• Be Relevant and Authentic: Only tag accounts that are directly present in or related to the video. Tagging 20 unrelated celebrity or mega-influencer accounts in the hope of getting views is considered spam. This practice can hurt your credibility and even lead Instagram to limit the reach of your content.
• Double Up with an @Mention in the Caption: The on-video tag shows up on someone's profile tab, but an @mention in the caption serves a different purpose. It creates an easy, clickable link for viewers to check out the account, and it also sends a notification. Using both the tag and the @mention is a great way to cover all your bases.
• Focus on Quality, Not Quantity: Just because you can add up to 20 tags doesn't mean you should. A Reel plastered with tags looks cluttered and can come across as desperate. Focus on tagging the 3–5 most relevant and important accounts.
• Prioritize User-Generated Content (UGC): One of the best ways to build a fiercely loyal community is to feature your fans. When a customer posts about your product, reshare their Reel (or create your own using their content, with permission) and give them a prominent tag and @mention. This encourages others to post, creating a sustainable cycle of content for your brand.
• Proofread Every Username: It’s a simple thing, but a single typo in a username means the tag won’t work, the person won’t be notified, and you’ll miss out on the potential benefits. Triple-check the spelling before you hit share.
• Talk Before You Co-Post: Never, ever send a collaborator request without getting buy-in from the other creator first. A collaboration should be mutually beneficial and agreed upon in advance.

Final Thoughts

Mastering how to tag someone on Instagram Reels is a straightforward skill, but it unlocks powerful opportunities for network effects. By thoughtfully tagging relevant creators, customers, and partners - and knowing when to level up to a collaboration - you can turn every Reel into a chance to expand your reach and deepen your community connections.

As you get more strategic with collaborations and scale your video content, managing everything in one place becomes a must. At Postbase, we designed our platform for the way social media actually works today: focused on short-form video. Since we offer a clean visual calendar to plan your content and a unified inbox to manage all your comments and DMs, you can spend less time juggling apps and more time creating Reels that connect.