Stories are perhaps the most exciting and evergreen feature of Instagram, mainly because it’s both creative and interactive in nature. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t post for months on end but uploads stories every day, we wouldn’t blame you.
The arrival of the Highlights feature has only accelerated the active participation of all Instagrammers. Lately, more and more of our readers have been coming to us with queries about the scope of reposting on private Instagram stories.
In this blog, we’ll attempt to answer these questions – and more – to help you navigate your way through the platform. Stay tuned till the end!
If I Mention Someone on My Close Friends Instagram Story, Can They Repost it?
Let’s start by clarifying your query first, and will then talk more about Instagram stories. You were wondering whether someone could repost your Closed Friends story or not, if you had mentioned them in it, right?
Well, the answer to your question is: No. They will be able to do no such thing.
And here’s the reason behind that:
The major – and only – difference between regular and Closed Friends stories is that you have the utmost control over the viewership of the latter. After all, the whole point of sharing a Closed Friends story is to share it only with your close friends and no one else.
Now, regardless of who you mention in your Closed Friends story – and whether or not they’re included in that list – the control of who sees it will still rest with you.
The only way of ensuring that is to prohibit the further sharing of said story, which is why Instagram doesn’t allow even the tagged users to repost a Closed Friends story.
And in case you were wondering, the same thing would happen if the tables turned. If someone chooses to mention you in their Closed Friends story, you won’t be able to repost it either.
What happens when I mention someone to my Instagram story?
Now that we’ve provided you with the answer to the scope of others being able to share your Closed Friends story by being tagged in it, we’re ready to move ahead. The next question several readers have been asking us is about mentioning people in their regular Instagram stories.
There are two conditions applicable here, so we’ll talk in-depth about both below:
If they follow me back?
When you mention someone who follows you back in your Instagram story, they’ll receive a notification about it in their DMs section, directly in your chat, with a preview of the story attached there.
They’ll also find an Add to My Story button following the preview, which is a convenient shortcut for reposting it.
If they don’t follow me back?
Mentioning people who don’t follow you back in your story can be tricky; not for you to mention them, no, but for them to see it.
You see, in this case, the notification of your mention – alongside the preview of the story – will both appear in their Message requests folder.
And because not many Instagrammers spend a lot of time on this folder, there’s a likelihood that they might not see it within 24 hours. Furthermore, if you happen to have a private Instagram account, they won’t even be notified about their mention in your story.
Can I mention someone in my Instagram story after it is uploaded? (A step-by-step guide)
Were you in a rush to upload your story on Instagram and forgot to mention your friends, who were in it, in the process? Well, you better be prepared to be admonished by them if they were looking forward to reposting it.
But then, deleting the story and re-uploading is also going to look peculiar to those who have already seen it – or reacted/replied to it. So, what would be the best course of action for you here?
We’re glad you asked, because Instagram has now launched a feature to solve this problem once and for all; by adding the Add Mention option to stories.
This option allows users to mention others in a story after it has been posted. The mention might not be visible to other users, but the tagged users will be notified about it in their DMs and will also be able to repost it to their own stories if they wish to.
To use this feature, launch the Instagram mobile app on your smartphone, and on the Home tab, go to the top left corner of the Stories bar.
You’ll find your own profile picture thumbnail here. If you’ve posted a story within the last 24 hours, there’d be a (pink or grey) circle outlining the thumbnail.
Give it a tap, and your story will appear on the screen. Now, look at its bottom-most section. You’ll spot a number of icons arranged there, with the rightmost one being an ellipsis – and More written under it. Tap on it.
As soon as you do, a menu will scroll up the screen with multiple options listed on it. The fifth place on this list is occupied by the Add Mention option.
Select this option, and you’ll be taken to another menu with all your followers listed on it. There’s also a search bar on the top, which you can use to find the user you want to mention more quickly.
Find their name, tap on the empty circle next to it, and finally, click the blue Add button at the bottom.
Right above the Add button, you’ll find this option:
Let people you mention add this to their story?
There’d be a toggle switch next to it. If you want the user to be able to repost your story, turn the toggle switch on, and your job is done!
The bottom line
With this, we’ve reached the end of our blog. Let’s quickly revisit everything we’ve learned so far.
Our focus of discussion today revolved around the Closed Friends story on Instagram. We discussed the scope of reposting these stories by those who were mentioned in it, only to find out there was none.
Then, we moved on to talking about mentioning those who follow you back – and those who don’t – in your Instagram story. If you have more questions about Instagram stories, share them with us in the comments section below!
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