Who to Tag on Instagram To Get Noticed

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Karen Lin

Instagram Tips | Sep 18, 2023

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Funny Instagram hashtags are a dime a dozen. Tagging on Instagram is a bolder approach than a hashtag. It can deliver bigger rewards if you know how to do it right. Doing it right, in this case, means knowing who to tag on Instagram to get noticed more by your target audience and to get more followers and likes. Here’s the scoop on tagging best practices to give your brand and content the right kind of attention. 

Phone screen displaying a grid of photos on Instagram.

Why It Matters To Know Who to Tag on Instagram

Tagging is a roundabout way of getting other people’s followers to notice you, or to make your presence known to individuals searching in a particular location. It matters to know who to tag on Instagram to get noticed if you want to become more visible. Learning how to reach out on Instagram will help you to gather more views from your target audience or market.

Keep in mind that tagging is different from mentioning, and you should also know why tagging someone on Instagram is better than mentioning them. Here’s a rundown of the advantages of tagging on Instagram:

  1. Tagging makes your post visible to a wider audience, i.e., the followers of the accounts you tag. It’s a great way to get discovered and get real Instagram followers.
  2. Tagging encourages engagement from the accounts you tag, as well as engagement from their respective followers.
  3. Every Instagram account has a Tagged tab on its profile page. This tab contains all the posts they’re tagged in and serves as a simulated collection of user-generated content (for the tagged account) and “featured” accounts (for the accounts that do the tagging).
  4. When an account is tagged, it shows up in a separate notification — which ensures that the tagged account sees your content. Tagged posts automatically appear on the tagged account’s profile by default (users may opt to change this default setting). 
  5. If you have an IG store, you can use product tags to make it convenient for users to find out more about your products and/or make a purchase. 
  6. When you tag a location in your post, your account and content will be seen by any Instagram user who’s searching in that location.
A group of women posing for a photo on top of a hill for multiple tagging on Instagram.

Instagram Tagging Best Practices

Tagging on Instagram allows you to build a highly engaged community by connecting with people and their followers through relevant posts. When done properly, you can create “spaces” that stimulate friendly, informative, or fun conversations for yourself, the users you’re directly connected with, and the users they’re connected with. Flex your social listening skills to discover the popular sentiments of your target audience and curate your content.

When you know who to tag on Instagram to get noticed, you should also learn how to do it right to get the best possible results. Learning how often you should post, the best time to post on Instagram, and when to post on IG on Saturday is vital for visibility. Here are the best practices you should keep in mind when tagging on Instagram.

Photo showing who to tag on Instagram to get noticed by more users.
  • Whenever necessary, practice common courtesy and ask before you tag. This usually applies when you want to tag a follower, customer, or another business on your post.
  • When you share user-generated content, a follower’s post, or another brand’s content, tag the owner of the post. You hit two birds with one stone with this strategy: you give credit where credit is due, and you make yourself visible to the tagged account’s followers.
  • Knowing who to tag on Instagram to get noticed is especially advantageous when you’re attending an event. You can take tons of photos of the event and its attendees, and then tag the event, the event location, and the attendees in your photos. Again, ask for permission before tagging, or give those concerned a proper heads-up to manually approve tags.
  • If you have an actual brick-and-mortar place of business, always geo-tag your posts. If you don’t have a physical store, you can tag the nearest known landmark or your general area.
  • Whether you have a private or business Instagram account, you can create posts that feature some of the brands you use and tag them. Remember that tagged Instagram posts don’t always have to be about promoting your brand, but they will always help boost your visibility all the same.
  • Don’t spam users with irrelevant tags. Make sure that your post is relevant to the Instagram page you’re tagging, i.e., they’re in the post or they’ll find the post interesting. Fix Instagram tagging by not adding random tags to accounts.

Conversely, encourage your followers/customers to tag you in their photos or videos when they post about your brand or product/service. You should also ask them to always tag your location every time they visit your physical store.

White painted circle on concrete with the words “You are here” and a pair of shoes in the foreground to demonstrate location tagging on Instagram.

Who to Tag on Instagram To Get Noticed for Followers and Likes

Aside from knowing who to tag on Instagram to get noticed within your communities, you can also tag certain Instagram accounts to get your profile or content featured on these pages. Here are tips to help you identify who to tag on Instagram for followers and likes.

Who to Tag on Instagram for Followers and Likes: Industry Movers and Shakers

To identify who to tag on Instagram for followers and likes, just look up the movers and shakers in your industry. For example, you can tag the official Instagram account in your photos if you have a photography account on the platform. Other photography feature accounts whose massive audience base you can tap into by tagging them are beautifuldestinations and justgoshoot.

For anything related to food, you can tag love_food, buzzfeedfood, and foodandwine. How do you find these industry bigwigs? Just do a search using keywords relevant to your industry and browse through the top results. Or check out accounts similar to yours to find out which profiles they frequently tag.

Who to Tag on Instagram for Likes and New Followers: Influencers

Influencers are the most popular answer to the question, “Who to tag on Instagram for free likes and new followers?” Tagging an influencer who works within your niche or industry, however, involves some sort of Instagram collaboration. Whether you want an influencer to feature your brand or product in a video campaign, create an Insta contest with your product, or collaborate with them for an Instagram app takeover, you’ll be able to tag them in all posts that are related to your partnership. The influencer marketing campaign itself will already give your reach and visibility an immense boost with free Instagram likes. Learn how to make a reel on Instagram to stay current, then don’t forget to tag your featured Influencer. Tagging your influencer in all related posts will serve you best by keeping your campaign front and center in people’s feeds for its entire duration and even after.

Black DSLR camera for an influencer collaboration on Instagram.

Tag Travel Locations

If you’re traveling, this is also a good opportunity to create content in unique settings or interesting backdrops for your regular feed and your Instagram reels and to tag your account in a different location so that more people can discover you. When it comes to location tagging, your Instagram profile is who you should always tag on Instagram to get noticed by anybody who’s searching within the same vicinity.

Woman standing on top of a canyon for posting and tagging on Instagram.

Final Thoughts: Be Well Informed on Who to Tag on Instagram to Get Noticed for All the Right Reasons

Knowing who to tag on Instagram to get noticed opens the door to a performing stage where you can showcase the best that you have to offer massive and new audiences. Tagged Instagram photos provide another way to promote your business or your personal brand image. If you have yet to try the Instagram notes app feature, you can also share quick written note updates that appear where your followers view their direct messages. These work differently than tags, but they are an evolved feature to interact on the platform in new ways. Simply tagging the right IG user accounts can give you the exposure you need to grow your account. You’ll know how to get more followers on Instagram and build a stronger community for your brand. 


For lasting and rewarding growth, you can also rely on the extensive experience and know-how of an Instagram growth strategy expert — a company like Path Social. Check out our free Instagram tools like the hashtag generator and analyzer to get more views, more followers, and increase engagement on Instagram. Look into Instagram promotion and use ads on the platform. Reap the benefits of Path Social’s advanced and proprietary AI targeting algorithm and in-house team of social media specialists to accelerate and sustain organic Instagram growth. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!