Reels are a popular short-form video feature on Instagram that allows users to create and share 15-60 second multi-clip videos on the platform. Much like TikTok, reels have become a creative outlet for users to make fun and engaging videos using a variety of interactive tools and effects.
One commonly asked question about reels is whether you can tag other users in them, like you can in photos and regular videos on Instagram. The answer is yes, tagging people in reels is possible and can be a great way to share your reel with friends, collaborate on content, or get additional exposure from being tagged by influencer accounts.
How to tag someone in a reel
Tagging someone in a reel is a simple process:
– When creating or editing a reel, tap the “Tag People” button on the bottom left of the screen.
– Start typing the username of the person you want to tag. Their profile photo and username will pop up for you to select.
– Tap the “Done” button when you’ve finished tagging everyone you want.
You can tag both private and public accounts in your reels. The tagged person will receive a notification that they were tagged in your reel.
The tag will appear as a clickable @ mention when watching the reel and take viewers directly to the tagged account’s profile when clicked.
Who can see tagged accounts in a reel?
When you tag someone in a reel, it will be visible to anyone who views that reel. Even if your Instagram account is set to private, anyone who can see the reel will also be able to see the tagged accounts.
So if you tag a friend in your reel, their username will be visible to all of your followers as well as anyone else who watches the reel. The reel will also be visible on the tagged person’s profile under the tagged posts section.
You can’t limit the visibility of tags in reels to only certain groups of people. So tagging is best done thoughtfully and only with accounts you intentionally want to be associated with the reel.
Why tag people in reels?
There are a few key reasons you may want to use tagging in your reels:
– Increased visibility: Tagging relevant or popular accounts can help expose your reel to new audiences who follow or engage with those accounts. This can help your reel be discovered by more potential viewers.
– Collaborations: If you collaborate with a friend or influencer on a reel, tagging each other makes it easy to cross-promote the content and highlight your partnership.
– Crediting creators: Tagging artists, musicians, photographers, etc. whose work you’ve incorporated into your reel is a best practice to give them credit.
– Engagement: Tagging someone familiar like a friend can make them more likely to watch, like, comment and share your reel to support you.
– Brand partnerships: Companies may ask influencers they partner with to tag their brand in sponsored content reels to increase visibility.
Overall, when used intentionally, tagging accounts in reels can extend your reach, strengthen connections, and show appreciation for those involved in your content.
Can you untag yourself from a reel?
Sometimes you may be tagged in a reel you don’t want to be associated with. The good news is you can untag yourself from a reel if you’ve been tagged by someone else. Here’s how:
– Go to your profile and tap on the photo/video icon at the top of your grid.
– Tap on the reel you’re tagged in from the menu to open it.
– Tap on your tagged name in the reel to open a pop-up menu.
– Tap on “Remove me from post” to untag yourself.
This will remove the tag so your username no longer appears or links to your profile when people view the reel. However, it doesn’t delete or remove the reel itself.
If you don’t want a reel you’re tagged in to appear on your profile at all, you can also:
– Go to your profile and tap the 3 line menu in the top right.
– Tap “Settings” then “Privacy” then “Tagged posts.”
– Toggle “Manual approval” on. This means you have to approve a post before it can appear in the tagged posts section of your profile.
Using these options, you can untag yourself from any reels you don’t want to be featured in as part of your profile or in your tagged posts.
Best practices for tagging in reels
To use tagging most effectively in your reels, keep these tips in mind:
– Be selective – Only tag a few accounts that are highly relevant to maximize visibility. Don’t over-tag.
– Ask first – If possible, get permission from an account before tagging them.
– Tag in moderation – Avoid tagging tons of unrelated accounts solely to try to get extra views. This can look spammy.
– Credit creators – Remember to tag any creators/artists you borrowed content from.
– Engage meaningfully – Tag accounts you have an authentic connection with when it aligns with the reel. Don’t just tag celebrities without reason.
– Tag thoughtfully – Be aware tagged accounts will be publicly visible to all who see the reel.
– Review notifications – Keep tabs on tags you receive so you’re aware of all content you’re featured in.
Following proper reel tagging etiquette will lead to good experiences for you, the accounts you tag, and your audience. Avoid overly promotional or irrelevant tags.
Can you tag locations or products in reels?
In addition to tagging other accounts, reels also allow you to:
– Tag Locations – Pin a location sticker to your reel to tag a place. This shows viewers where it was filmed.
– Tag Products – Use the product tag sticker to tag clothes, accessories, or other products featured in your reel.
Tagging locations and products can make your reel more discoverable to those searching those places and items on Instagram. Shoppable tags also allow viewers to see where they can purchase products they like in your reel.
However, you can only tag public Instagram accounts in the tagging people function for reels. You cannot tag private accounts, phone numbers, email addresses or other non-Instagram profiles.
Do tags in reels increase reach?
Tags can be a way to expand the visibility of your reel beyond just your own following. When you tag larger accounts, your reel may be displayed on their profile under “Tagged” and can gain exposure to their audience.
However, tags should not be viewed as a primary reach-driving strategy. They do not guarantee increased visibility on their own. A reel’s overall quality, relevance, captions, hashtags and entertainment value matter much more for the Instagram algorithm than just tagging accounts.
While tagging might expose your reel to some new potential viewers, it likely will not drastically boost your reach or views unless done very selectively and strategically. The algorithm aims to show your content to the right audience interested in it, not just anyone you tag.
So focus first on creating amazing reels people want to watch, engage with, and share. View tagging as a secondary supplementary tactic, not the main factor that will make your reel go viral. Good content that provides value will get rewarded on its own merit.
Can you tag people multiple times in a reel?
No, Instagram only allows you to tag each account once per reel in the “Tag People” section. If you try to tag the same account again, it will not add a duplicate tag.
However, you can mention accounts an unlimited number of times throughout the caption of your reel. This allows you to call out accounts you have an affiliation with or want to credit multiple times if needed.
For example, if you collaborated on a reel with 3 friends, you could tag each friend’s account once in the tag people section. But then in your caption you could say:
“Such an amazing time working on this reel with @friend1 @friend2 and @friend3!”
This keeps each account tagged only once to avoid spamming tags, while still allowing you to mention them as much as you want in the caption copy.
The limit is designed to keep the official tags area clean and avoid tag spamming which can look bad. The caption gives you flexibility to add additional relevant mentions.
Can you tag banned accounts or accounts that don’t follow you?
Instagram does limit certain types of accounts you can tag in your reels:
– Banned accounts: Any account banned from Instagram for policy violations cannot be tagged. The tag will fail to go through.
– Private accounts: You can only tag public accounts since private profiles restrict who can see their content and profile.
– Users who don’t follow you: You can tag anyone as long as their account is public, even if they don’t follow you back. However, you may want to get their permission first or tag them sparingly.
So you have full capability to tag any public account on Instagram in your reels. But best practices are to avoid tagging banned accounts, be thoughtful tagging private profiles without permission, and tag non-followers only if relevant.
Do hashtags work for exposure in reels?
Yes, relevant hashtags can be very effective for helping your reels get discovered by new audiences on Instagram. Here are some tips for maximizing hashtag use in reels:
– Research relevant hashtags in your niche and use a mix of popular and more targeted ones. Avoid huge generic tags.
– Put hashtags in the caption below your reel title/description, not in a stand-alone comment to keep them grouped.
– Use enough hashtags (typically 15-20) to tap into many keyword searches but don’t go drastically overboard.
– Make hashtags contextual to the specific reel content so they attract an interested audience likely to engage.
– Try niche trends and challenges popular on reels like #dancetrends, #cookinghacks, #travelreels etc.
– Use a tool like Display Purposes to analyze top performing hashtags and identify ones ideal for reaching your target market.
– Test new hashtags and analyze over time which ones perform best at driving views, likes and comments.
With strategic use of relevant hashtags, you can expand your visibility and get your reels in front of fresh Instagram audiences. This gives you an added boost alongside your existing follower base.
Should you tag people for likes and comments?
Some users tag friends, influencers, brands, celebrities, and strangers in their reels solely to try to entice engagement through likes, comments and shares. However, this is generally not recommended:
– **It can look spammy and inorganic.** Tagging accounts without context often appears as a ploy just to attract attention rather than a meaningful tag.
– **You risk annoying accounts you tag.** Most people don’t want to be tagged in unrelated content just for fake engagement. They want authentic connections.
– **It won’t fool the algorithm.** Instagram wants to show your reel to users who actually want to see it. Arbitrary tags won’t suddenly make it go viral.
– **You can gain followers who aren’t truly interested.** Getting empty followers who never engage with your other content has minimal value. It’s better to attract accounts genuinely interested in your work.
Instead, focus on creating content your target audience loves rather than trying to manipulate engagement. Tag thoughtfully, strategically and sparingly. Prioritize organic reach through an engaged community over inflated vanity metrics.
Conclusion
Tagging on reels can be a fun way to interact with other users, promote your collaborations, and potentially gain some additional visibility on Instagram. But it must be done carefully and intentionally to be effective. Spam tagging often has the opposite desired effect.
Use tags to authentically connect with accounts you have a relationship with or who are highly relevant to the reel. But don’t rely on them as your only reach strategy. Well-produced, valuable content that resonates will help your reels organically find their ideal audience.
Focus first on honing your creative skills and understanding your niche. With strategic tags as just one piece of your overall approach, you can build an engaged reels presence that helps take your Instagram channel to the next level.