In 2023, Instagram has evolved into a highly social platform where users tag dozens of friends and acquaintances in a single post. As Instagram continues to optimize for social interactions and connections between users, the platform has steadily increased the number of people you can tag in photos and videos.
Gone are the days of limiting tags to just a handful of your closest friends.
Now you can tag up to 50 other Instagram users in a single post, enabling you to share updates, photos from events, and life milestones with wider groups of friends, family, coworkers, and casual acquaintances.
For some, the expanded tagging capabilities make Instagram feel more like a social network where you can stay on top of what’s happening in the lives of a larger number of people you know.
For others, the changes feel like an erosion of what Instagram used to be – a platform for sharing artistic or stylized photos with your inner circle.
As with any major platform change, Instagram’s shift to expanded tagging and larger social networks has been polarizing.
Instagram Tagging Limits in 2023
As Instagram has evolved, the platform has implemented various restrictions around tagging to improve the user experience. In 2023, the following tagging limits apply:
You can tag up to 10 people per Instagram post. This includes photo posts, video posts, carousel posts, and Story posts. Instagram caps tagging at 10 people to reduce spam and ensure tags are used meaningfully to identify people actually in the content.
Tagging more than 10 people in a single post is considered tag spam by Instagram and violates their community guidelines. Repeatedly exceeding the tagging limit can result in your account being flagged as spam, or in severe cases, disabled.
To avoid issues, keep your tagging within the 10-person maximum.
Location tags and hashtags do not count toward the 10-tag limit. You can include as many location tags and hashtags as you like in addition to 10 people tags.
Location tags allow you to geotag your posts and make them more discoverable to people searching for that location. Hashtags also make your posts more searchable by topic or theme.
If needed for a group photo, consider creating a unique hashtag to identify everyone in the picture without exceeding the tagging limit. For example, “#junesmithwedding2022” allows anyone pictured to find the photo easily.
You can include this hashtag in your photo caption and ask people to use it when they share the picture on their own profiles.
In summary, Instagram limits tagging to 10 people per post to improve the user experience. Exceeding this maximum can result in account issues. However, location tags, hashtags, and unique group hashtags are unlimited, providing other options for identification and discoverability.
Be aware of these guidelines to get the most out of Instagram tagging and ensure your account remains in good standing.
Why Instagram Has Tagging Limits
Instagram has instituted limits on how many accounts can be tagged in a single post to curb abuse and spam on the platform. As of 2021, Instagram allows users to tag up to 20 other accounts in a post.
There are a few reasons why Instagram enforces tagging limits:
- Prevent spam and abuse. Restricting the number of tags helps prevent users from indiscriminately tagging hundreds of accounts to increase visibility and engagement, often for commercial gain. This hinders spam accounts and protects users from unwanted content and interactions.
- Improve experience. Excessive tagging can clutter the interface and degrade the user experience. Limits encourage more selective and purposeful tagging, leading to a cleaner look and better experience for viewers.
- Reduce notification overload. With hundreds of millions of users, even a small percentage of indiscriminate taggers could generate an enormous volume of notifications and disrupt the experience for many others. Limits help prevent notification spam and alert fatigue.
- Encourage meaningful interactions. Forcing users to be more judicious in their tagging promotes more genuine connections and interactions between accounts. Tagging limits motivate users to tag only accounts they have a real relationship with or interest in.
In summary, tagging limits on Instagram aim to cultivate a healthy, spam-free environment; improve the overall user experience; reduce notification overload; and encourage more meaningful interactions between accounts.
By restricting the potential for abuse, Instagram is working to maintain a platform focused on real connections and authentic sharing. With continued evolution, Instagram’s tagging limits strive to balance utility with experience.
How to Maximize Your Instagram Tags in 2023?
Choose Relevant Accounts to Tag
In 2023, Instagram will allow you to tag up to 30 accounts in a single post. To maximize the impact of your tags, carefully select accounts that is relevant to your content and audience. Tagging unrelated accounts is spammy and may be penalized by Instagram’s algorithm.
Engage With Those You Tag
Simply tagging accounts in your post is not enough. Be sure to also:
- Like and comment on the accounts you tag, especially in the days leading up to your post. Engage with their latest content to stay at the top of their minds.
- Send a quick message letting them know you tagged them and would appreciate it if they could like and share your post. Keep your request concise and genuine.
- Continue engaging with them after your post goes live. Like and comment on their posts, and share some of their updates to your Stories to show your appreciation.
Building authentic relationships and engaging with others on Instagram is key to gaining new followers and increasing post engagement. Put in the work to foster connections with accounts before simply tagging them in your posts.
Use Tags Strategically
With 30 tags permitted per post, it can be tempting to tag as many accounts as possible in hopes of increasing views and likes. However, using tags excessively and indiscriminately can backfire and be seen as spammy by Instagram and your followers.
With some experimenting, you’ll determine the optimal number and mix of accounts to tag in your Instagram posts to maximize visibility and engagement.
Be authentic, build real connections, and don’t overdo it, and your tagging strategy will evolve along with Instagram’s latest updates.
Tools to Help You Track Instagram Tags
Once you start tagging more people in your Instagram posts, it can become difficult to keep track of who you’ve tagged and who you haven’t. Luckily, there are tools available to help organize your Instagram tags.
Third-Party Apps
Apps like TagPro, Tag for Likes, and TagOram allow you to save groups of tags that you frequently use. You can organize tags into lists by topic, location, event, or however, you choose. When you’re ready to post, just select a tag list and the app will automatically insert all the tags into your post. These apps are available for both iOS and Android.
Spreadsheets
If you prefer a manual approach, creating a simple spreadsheet is an easy way to keep track of who you tag. Make columns for the person’s Instagram handle, name, category, or how you know them, the date you last tagged them, and any notes.
Notes Apps
Apps like Evernote, OneNote, and Simplenote are ideal for jotting down Instagram tag ideas. Add Instagram handles and any other details to each note as you think of them. When it’s time to post, refer to the appropriate note for tagging inspiration. The search features in these apps also make it easy to quickly find specific tags you’ve used before.
Utilizing tools to organize your Instagram tags will make the process much more efficient and help ensure you don’t leave anyone out or tag the same people constantly. With regular use, these tools can save you a lot of time and frustration, allowing you to focus on creating great content for your Instagram followers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as Instagram continues to evolve, it’s clear the platform is taking the social experience to new heights. While the company has made tagging more friends in posts easier over time, they are also working to prevent spam and keep the user experience positive.
The future of Instagram in 2023 and beyond will likely see additional improvements to make connecting with others even more seamless and impactful.
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For now, take advantage of the increased ability to stay in touch with more friends and family through Instagram by tagging them in your posts and stories.
Though the specific limits may change, Instagram’s focus on real connections will endure.