Have you ever come across a tweet you wanted a friend or follower to see? Did you wish you could easily notify them or include them in the conversation? Well that‘s exactly what Twitter‘s tagging feature allows you to do!
Tagging gives you an simple way to connect with other users. By mentioning their username with the "@" symbol, they get an alert drawing their attention to your tweet. It helps you expand the reach of your messages, spark engagement, and grow your following.
In this complete guide, we‘ll explore what exactly tagging is, why it‘s valuable, and how to use it effectively across Twitter. Whether you just signed up for an account or have been tweeting for years, you may uncover new ways to utilize tags in your strategy.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
Part 1: What is Tagging and Why Does it Matter?
Part 2: A Brief History of Twitter Tagging
Part 3: How to Tag Someone in a Tweet
Part 4: Tagging Users in Photos
Part 5: Managing Tag Notifications and Permissions
Part 6: Tagging Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices
Let‘s get started!
What is Tagging and Why Does it Matter?
Put simply, a Twitter tag allows you to mention another user in your tweet by including their @handle. This could be:
- A friend you want to share something with
- A celebrity or influencer you admire
- A potential customer or client
- Really anyone with a Twitter account
When you tag someone, it has several potential benefits:
- They receive a notification alerting them of your tweet
- Increased visibility and reach for your tweets
- Starting conversations and connections with others
- Driving traffic – if you tag someone popular, their followers may view your tweet
- Showing appreciation for someone‘s content by tagging them in a retweet
Tags also use up your precious 280 characters. So make sure it‘s worth it!
Now that we know why tagging is valuable, let‘s look back at how the feature came to exist.
A Brief History of Twitter Tagging
Twitter launched all the way back in March 2006 as a simple microblogging service for sharing text-based updates. The 140 character limit made it challenging to directly reference other users.
| Year | Tagging Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Twitter introduces the "@" symbol to tag other users |
| 2010 | Tagged users begin receiving notifications |
| 2015 | Photo tagging launches, allowing users to tag others in images |
| 2017 | Character limit expands to 280, giving more room for tags |
| 2021 | Over 300 million monthly active Twitter users now connecting with tags |
As we can observe from the growth in active users, tagging has become an essential part of engaging on Twitter over the past decade.
Next let‘s walk through exactly how to tag someone in the most popular use case – within a tweet.
How to Tag Someone in a Tweet
Tagging another user in a standard tweet is quite straightforward. But the process looks slightly different on desktop vs. mobile.
Let‘s cover both.
On Desktop:
Ready to tag a friend or follower on desktop? Just follow these simple steps:
- Pull up Twitter and log into your account
- Locate the Compose Tweet box at the top
- This is where you create your tweet
- Type out your tweet as normal
- Remember you only have 280 characters maximum
- Insert the @ symbol anywhere in your tweet
- This signals you are tagging someone
- Begin typing the username of the person you want to tag
- A dropdown will appear suggesting accounts – select the right one
- Preview your tweet with the tag
- Hit Tweet when ready to post!
See, I told you it was straightforward.
Let‘s try an example together:
I‘m sipping my morning coffee and want to let my friend @LisaJ know about this amazing vanilla roast from @LocalCoffeeShop 😋
The tagging functionality works the same on mobile too! Now let‘s replicate the process using the Twitter app on our phones instead.
On Mobile:
Tagging someone on mobile Twitter requires just an extra step to pull up the composer. Follow along below:
- Open the Twitter app and login
- Tap your profile icon in the top left
- Press the feather icon with a + sign
- This is the composer button
- The New Tweet screen then opens
- Write out your tweet and insert the @ symbol to tag people
- Select the username from the suggestions
- Triple check your tweet with tags looks good
- Hit the Tweet button to post it live!
And we‘re all set. Nice and easy, right?
Tagging can be used in many more creative ways too. Up next, let‘s explore how to tag someone in an image.
Tagging Users in Photos
Similar to other social platforms like Instagram or Facebook, Twitter allows you to tag people in photos within a tweet.
Most folks don‘t even realize you can do this. Now you‘ll be able to tag your friends in hilarious memes and more.
Here is the quick process:
- Begin composing a new tweet
- Click the media icon to upload an image
- Select a photo from your computer to attach
- Underneath the image locate Tag people
- Search for and select a username to tag
- Preview it looks good
- Tweet your image out as normal!
The user tagged will again receive an @ notification that you included them in a post. This is a fun way to share event, family, or pet pics with your connections.
Next up – what controls these tag notifications plus manages permissions? Let‘s explore.
Managing Tag Notifications and Permissions
A core part of the tagging experience is the notification that users receive when @mentioned in a tweet. But what exactly triggers this and can you adjust the permissions?
Great questions! Let‘s break it down:
Tag Notifications
By default, anytime someone tags your @handle in their tweet, you will receive an alert. This appears in your notifications tab on desktop and mobile.
The notification means someone brought your attention to a tweet. So you can engage with it by liking, retweeting or replying.
Tag Permissions
Within your Twitter privacy settings, you control who can tag you in tweets plus photos. Options include:
- Allow anyone to tag – Most open version where all users can include your @handle
- Only allow followers to tag – Limits tags just to your followers
- Turn off all tagging – Disables both tweet and photo tags completely
Adjust based on your preferences! Anonymous accounts spamming you? Go followers-only.
We‘ve explored the foundations. Now let‘s switch gears to applying this with some best practices for tagging success!
Tagging Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices
Let‘s wrap up with bite-sized tips to level up your tagging game:
🔥 Tag influencers & leaders in your niche to ride their coattails
🔥 Thank someone for their help or content by tagging in a retweet
🔥 Use emerging hashtags along with your tags to compound exposure
🔥 Buy a Promoted Tweet with tagging to reach more potential followers
🔥 Find friends through @ suggestions – explore similar accounts to connect with
🔥 Tag client prospects and partners to keep top of mind
🔥 Limit spam tags by adjusting permissions to followers-only
Key Takeaways
And there you have it – everything you need to know about tagging on Twitter!
Here are the core takeaways:
✔️ Use the @ symbol to tag someone in tweets & images
✔️ Tagging helps you engage audiences and notify others
✔️ Photo tags mirror capabilities across social platforms
✔️ Manage tag permissions in privacy settings
✔️ Combine with hashtags and retweets to expand reach
Next time you publish an interesting tweet, consider who else might enjoy it too – then tag them!
What new ways will you apply tagging in your Twitter strategy? Let me know in the replies!
