A simple habit that costs nothing and can genuinely grow your business
Tagging is one of those small things that’s easy to overlook – but get it right and it can do a surprising amount of work for your visibility, your relationships and your bookings.
Here’s everything I’ve learned about doing it well.
Why Tagging Actually Matters
When you tag relevant accounts in your posts – your photographer, a venue, a collaborator, a product you love – you create a small bridge between two audiences. Their followers see you. Your followers see them. Everyone benefits.
Whenever a client tags me in their post, I always like it, comment and share it to my stories – which boosts their reach into my audience too. It’s a small thing that costs nothing and genuinely helps.
It also benefits both of us in a quieter, longer-term way. Letting their audience know I was their photographer means that anyone who notices might end up enquiring about their own brand photography. I’ve genuinely had bookings come in years later from a simple photo credit.
Tagged posts also tend to perform better – they’re more likely to appear in relevant searches and reach people who are actually interested in what you do.
Tagging Builds Real Relationships
This isn’t just about reach. Done properly, tagging is a genuine way to build trust and goodwill within your industry and community.
When someone has given their time freely – a model call, a collaboration, a favour – I think it matters even more to acknowledge that publicly. If I offer a “freebie” for any reason, I always ask that my business is tagged and credited in return. It’s a small price for hours of work, and yet it doesn’t always happen.
I always send one polite reminder if it’s forgotten, though I try not to nag if it happens repeatedly. I don’t think it’s usually intentional – but seeing your work used without credit is always a little disheartening, and it can quietly affect whether you’d want to collaborate again in future.
I never expect paying clients to tag me, but when they do, it’s always lovely to see. They understand it helps us both. And I make a point of tagging relevant accounts in my own posts too – I genuinely want to help the businesses I work with succeed, and a little extra visibility costs me nothing to give.
“Collaboration is a multilane highway, going in all directions. If there isn’t reciprocity, it fails, and it’s unsatisfying.” – Jeffrey Wright
Tag Thoughtfully, Not Constantly
A word of caution though – tagging only works if it’s genuine and relevant. Nobody appreciates being tagged in something that has nothing to do with them, hoping they’ll share it out of obligation.
Think instead about what your own audience actually wants to see. I regularly share places I love to eat, independent brands I rate and recipes I’ve tried. If I’m talking about somewhere brilliant I’ve discovered, I’ll tag them – partly because it’s the right thing to do, and partly because it saves me fielding a dozen “where is this?!” comments later.
When I posted that photo, the café thanked me and shared it to their own stories. I gained two new followers, and two of mine told me they were planning a visit based on the recommendation. Small, simple, genuinely useful for everyone involved.
One More Thing — Make Sure People Can Actually See It
This sounds obvious, but it trips people up more than you’d think: if you’re tagging someone, the whole point is for people to see it. A credit buried in the comments, three replies deep, isn’t really a credit at all.
If you want someone to know you’re crediting them – and you want their potential new followers to find them easily – put it where it’s visible. In the caption itself, and ideally as an actual tag on the image too. A tag on the image alone isn’t always obvious to people scrolling past, so the caption is the one that really counts. A simple ‘Photo by @bex.photo’ takes two seconds and does the job properly.
The Golden Rule
There’s one thing you should never, ever do: assume that because someone has tagged you in a photo, you’re free to repost it – even with a credit to the original photographer.
Always ask first.
Without permission, that’s not just bad etiquette – it’s a breach of Instagram’s own terms and conditions, and potentially copyright infringement. If someone asks me nicely in advance, I’m generally happy to say yes. The key word is asking.
The Quick Version – Tagging Dos & Don’ts
Do tag relevant accounts directly in your posts, not just mentioned in passing.
Do credit collaborators clearly in the caption – a simple “Photo by @[handle]” is all it takes.
Do ask before reposting someone else’s images to your own feed, even if you think permission is implied.
Do share any posts you love to your stories – it’s always welcome and a lovely way to support someone, and it links straight back to the original post.
Don’t repost images to your main feed without permission. Ever.
Don’t hide credits in the comments where nobody will find them. If it’s worth crediting, it’s worth being seen.
The Bigger Picture
Tagging is a small habit, but combined with genuinely good brand photography, it can quietly transform your visibility over time. Consistent, authentic, thoughtfully-tagged content builds trust – and trust is what gets you noticed by exactly the right people.
It costs nothing. It takes seconds. And it’s one of the easiest ways to be a genuinely good citizen of your business community while growing your own.
Want photography worth tagging? Let’s have a natter.
