New Instagram Stories tool lets you quickly feature Story mentions from other users

Initially spotted by social commentator Matt Navarra, the new option features an @ symbol that only appears if your account has current mentions in other users’ public Stories. The feature will show you the total count of Story mentions available to add to your Stories.

Why we care

For business accounts that promote user-generated content (UGC) in the form of Story content (think: public shout outs, product testimonials), the new Mentions tool brings those efforts to one dedicated place in Create mode.

Before, the only way to re-post Story content from a mention was through direct message, where an account gets notified any time it’s mentioned in a public user’s Story. Now, social managers can easily sort through all mentions to more efficiently determine which content to post. For marketers who haven’t fully leaned into Story content, now might be time to consider it as the platform continues adding more features and capabilities to the successful format.

More on the news

• Instagram confirmed it is exploring more ways for brands to amplify content from influencers – and tools like the new Mentions feature show a clear step in that direction.
• In September, Instagram reported 500 million accounts use Stories on its platform, with one-third of the most viewed Stories coming from businesses, and one in five Stories generating a direct message from viewers.