As an Instagram user, you know that tagging is a key feature for connecting with other users and building your brand. But what do you do when Instagram tagging isn‘t working?
In this in-depth guide, we‘ll explore the top reasons why you might be having trouble tagging on Instagram, and provide expert tips and solutions for getting your tags back on track.
What Is Instagram Tagging and Why Is It Important?
Instagram "tagging" refers to the act of including another user‘s handle (@username) in your post caption, comments, or directly on the photo/video itself. When you tag someone, it creates a clickable link to their profile and notifies them that they‘ve been mentioned in your content.
Tagging serves several essential functions on Instagram:
Attribution: Tagging allows you to give credit to other users who appear in or contributed to your content, which is important for building relationships and showing appreciation.
Notification: When you tag someone, they receive a notification alerting them that you‘ve mentioned them. This increases the chances that they will see and engage with your post.
Discoverability: Tagged posts appear in a dedicated "Photos of You" section on the tagged user‘s profile (unless they have this feature disabled). This helps expose your content to a wider audience and can lead to new followers.
Engagement: Posts with tags typically see higher engagement rates than those without. In fact, posts with at least one tag have a 12.6% higher engagement rate than those with no tags, according to a study by Sprout Social.
Campaign Tracking: Branded hashtags and user tags are often used together to track Instagram campaigns and user-generated content. By encouraging followers to use a specific tag, brands can easily collect and analyze campaign results.
But what happens when your Instagram tags suddenly stop working? It can be frustrating and confusing, especially if you rely on tagging for your Instagram marketing strategy.
Don‘t worry – in most cases, there‘s a simple explanation and solution. Let‘s break down the top reasons for Instagram tagging failure and how to fix them.
Top 5 Reasons Why Instagram Tagging Isn‘t Working
1. Privacy Settings
The most common reason why your Instagram tags aren‘t showing up or are quickly disappearing is due to the privacy settings of the user you‘re trying to tag.
Under "Settings" > "Privacy" > "Tags", Instagram users have three options for controlling whether and how they can be tagged in other people‘s posts:
Add Automatically: This setting allows anyone to tag the user, and the tag will appear instantly on their profile without needing approval.
Add Manually: With this setting enabled, the user must manually approve any tags before they will appear on their profile. If they don‘t approve the tag, it won‘t show up.
Off: This option completely disables tagging for the user. If someone tries to tag them, the tag will simply disappear.
If you‘ve tagged someone and noticed the tag doesn‘t "stick", it‘s likely that the user has their tags set to either "Add Manually" or "Off". In this case, there‘s nothing you can do on your end to force the tag to appear. The best solution is to reach out to the user directly and ask them to adjust their privacy settings or approve your tag.
2. New Account Limits
Instagram has measures in place to prevent spam and abuse, especially from brand new accounts. If you just created your account, you may notice that certain actions, like tagging, are limited or don‘t work at all.
This is a normal security precaution, and the restrictions are usually lifted after a short waiting period (typically a few days to a few weeks). During this time, focus on engaging authentically with other users by liking, commenting, and posting quality content. Once Instagram establishes that you‘re a real user and not a bot, your tagging privileges should be restored.
3. Tagging Limits
To prevent spammy behavior, Instagram has a limit on the number of tags you can include in a single post. Currently, the limit is 20 unique tags per post (not per image or video).
This means that even if you‘re posting a carousel with 10 images, you can still only tag a maximum of 20 individual users. If you try to include more than 20 tags, you may encounter an error message or the tags may simply not save.
If you have more than 20 people you want to tag in a single post, consider spreading them out across multiple comments rather than trying to cram them all into the post itself.
4. Following Requirements
While Instagram‘s default privacy settings allow anyone to tag anyone else, users have the option to change their settings to only allow tags from accounts they personally follow.
So, if you‘re trying to tag someone and their handle isn‘t appearing in the search results, or the tag disappears after posting, it could be because they have this stricter privacy setting enabled and you‘re not (yet) following each other.
Luckily, this is an easy fix – simply visit the user‘s profile and tap the "Follow" button. In most cases, this should immediately allow you to tag them going forward. If not, the user may have tagging disabled entirely (see Reason #1).
5. Bugs and Glitches
Like any complex software, Instagram is prone to the occasional bug or technical issue that can temporarily disrupt features like tagging.
This is especially common after a new version of the app is released, as unexpected conflicts and errors can occur. If you‘ve ruled out the other potential causes on this list and are still having trouble with tagging, you may be dealing with a glitch.
Some common Instagram tagging glitches include:
- Tags not appearing in search: Even if you‘re following the user, their handle doesn‘t show up as a tagging option when you start typing.
- Tags disappearing after posting: You‘ve successfully added a tag to your post, but when you check back later, the tag has vanished.
- Tagging disabled entirely: The option to tag people is completely missing or grayed out in the app.
If you suspect a bug is to blame for your tagging woes, first try fully closing and restarting the Instagram app. If that doesn‘t work, you can report the issue directly to Instagram by going to your profile > Settings > Help > Report a Problem.
In most cases, widespread bugs are identified and resolved fairly quickly by Instagram‘s developers. Keep an eye on Instagram‘s official @instagram account or the Instagram Help Center for updates and announcements.
How to Fix Instagram Tagging Issues
Now that we‘ve covered the main reasons why Instagram tagging can break, let‘s recap some of the best troubleshooting tips and solutions:
Check your privacy settings: Make sure your own account‘s tagging privacy settings are set to "Add Automatically" to avoid tags getting stuck in approval limbo.
Follow first, tag second: If the user you want to tag has strict privacy settings, follow their account before attempting to tag them. This will ensure you meet their criteria for approved taggers.
Stay within the limit: Before posting, do a quick count to ensure you haven‘t exceeded 20 tags. If necessary, move extra tags to the comments.
Be patient with a new account: There‘s no way to bypass the "probationary period" for new accounts, so focus on authentic engagement and wait for full features to be unlocked.
Try closing and restarting: If you suspect a bug or glitch, sometimes fully quitting and relaunching the Instagram app can resolve temporary issues.
Report to Instagram: If you‘ve tried everything and tagging still isn‘t working, use the "Report a Problem" feature in your account settings to alert Instagram to the issue. The more details you can provide, the better.
The Future of Instagram Tagging
Tagging has been a core Instagram feature for years, but as the platform continues to evolve, it‘s likely that we‘ll see changes and updates to how tagging works.
For example, Instagram has been testing a new feature called "Collab" that allows users to co-author posts and share likes/comments/views with each other. This could potentially replace or augment the current tagging system for partnered content.
We may also see more granular privacy controls around tagging, such as the ability to approve or reject individual tags rather than a blanket setting. This would give users more control over their tagged content without having to completely disable the feature.
As an Instagram user and marketer, it‘s important to stay on top of these changes and adjust your tagging strategy accordingly. But no matter what the future holds, one thing is certain: tagging will remain a powerful tool for building community, driving engagement, and expanding your reach on Instagram.
Key Takeaways
- Instagram tagging allows you to connect with other users, give attribution, and increase your content‘s discoverability and engagement.
- Common reasons for tagging issues include recipient privacy settings, new account limits, exceeding the 20-tag limit, not following the recipient, and temporary bugs/glitches.
- To troubleshoot tagging problems, check your own privacy settings, follow before tagging, stay within the limit, be patient with new accounts, restart the app, and report ongoing issues to Instagram.
- As Instagram evolves, we may see changes to how tagging works, but it will remain an essential tool for businesses and creators on the platform.
By understanding the ins and outs of Instagram tagging, you can optimize your content strategy, build stronger relationships with your audience and peers, and achieve your goals on this powerful social media platform.