Embedding Instagram mentions on your website is a powerful way to showcase authentic customer experiences, which is extremely helpful for businesses such as e-commerce brands looking to show social proof to online shoppers and drive sales.
Plus, this method is free marketing since customers love creating UGC about their favorite products online, and every mention is an opportunity. When you showcase them, you boost your credibility and encourage more customers to engage with your brand.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to embed Instagram mentions via the official method and a third-party tool like EmbedSocial that simplifies the process.
Ready to turn your customer shoutouts into your brand’s secret weapon? Let’s dive in.
Turn Instagram Mentions Into Sales
Embed Instagram mentions and boost trust with real user-generated content.
Why embed Instagram mentions on your website?
Instagram mentions are a form of user-generated content that transforms your website into a dynamic showcase of customer love. You can imagine the benefits of this for e-commerce brands, as it’s a shortcut to social proof and engagement.
When customers see real people using your products, they trust your brand more, which impacts sales and engagement, making mentions invaluable assets.
Here are some benefits of embedding Instagram mentions on your website:
- Increases social proof – customers feel more confident when they see others using your product, as your embedded social presence is hard proof of quality;
- Boosts engagement – your customers are more likely to interact with your website when they see familiar Instagram posts;
- Drives sales – seeing real-life product use can push potential customers to purchase since UGC affects the consumer decision-making process;
- Encourages more mentions – featuring Instagram posts motivates other customers to tag your brand for a chance to be showcased;
- Improves SEO performance – embedding fresh UGC signals to search engines that your website is active and engaging, which boosts your local SEO rankings.
As you can see, getting mentions on Instagram and embedding them creates an ongoing cycle of engagement and trust that directly benefits your business.
How to embed Instagram mentions on your website: The official method?
Instagram offers a native option for embedding posts, but it has some limitations. While you can embed individual posts, there’s no official method for automatically pulling in mentions. Still, it’s a simple way to manually showcase specific content.
To embed an Instagram post follow these steps:
1. Go to the Instagram post you want to embed
Check your notifications or your campaign hashtag to find mentions. For instance, Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins campaign is still collecting hashtagged posts:
2. Access Instagram’s ‘Embed’ feature
Click on the three dots (•••) in the top-right corner of the post and select ‘Embed’ from the dropdown menu to access Instagram’s native ‘Embed’ function:
3. Embed the post in your website builder
Copy the code provided, open your website’s builder UI, add a custom HTML code wherever you want on the page, paste the code, and save your changes:
4. Check whether the post is live on the page
Once you are done, reload your page and check whether the results are what you were looking for. This is how the post would appear on a WordPress website:
This method is useful for embedding specific mentions, but it doesn’t allow for dynamic updates. Plus, you need to manually add each new mention you get.
Not to mention that you don’t get to choose how the embedded single post appears, as you only get one design.
For brands looking for a hands-off approach and all of the above, a third-party tool like EmbedSocial automates the process and always keeps your feed fresh.
How to embed Instagram feed mentions using EmbedSocial?
To overcome the limitations of the official method, which only allows you to embed one post at a time, you should try out a third-party solution like EmbedSocial.
The process to embed Instagram feed mentions using EmbedSocial is fairly straightforward, and it includes the following steps:
Step 1: Create your EmbedSocial account and log in
First things first, you must sign up for an EmbedSocial account (free, trial, or paid) and log into it with your username and password to access the tools you need:
Step 2: Add your Instagram mentions as a source
Next up, you have to navigate to the ‘Sources’ tab (left-side ribbon) → ‘Add new source’ (top-right corner):
Then, you will have to click on ‘Instagram’ to get access to the ‘@Mentions posts’:
Step 3: Choose a template for your widget
The fun starts now! First, you get to choose one of our pre-built widget templates, which you can customize later, or press ‘Start from scratch’ to build your own:
Step 4: Customize your widget look
You can choose from various customization knobs and toggles during this step, from the style of the Instagram gallery to the sections it includes and its number of columns. I recommend you check out all the tabs in the left-hand ribbon:
Step 5: Copy the ‘Embed’ code and paste it into your website
The last step is all about sharing your widget on your website. You must start by navigating to the ‘Embed’ tab (left-hand side) and tapping ‘Copy code’:
Then, you have to open your website builder, navigate to the page where you want the widget to appear, add a custom HTML block, and paste the widget:
When you embed Instagram feed with mentions, it’ll look similar to this:
Learn more about embedding an Instagram feed in a WordPress site.
Before completing the above procedure, you must connect your Facebook account to EmbedSocial since that’s a requirement from Instagram’s API.
Complete this process via the ‘Social Accounts’ tab where you have to tap ‘Add new account’ → ‘Connect with Facebook’ and follow the prompts:
If you need further assistance, check out this help page.
EmbedSocial Instagram mentions widget features
Now that you have your EmbedSocial up and running, remember that it comes with plenty of features and benefits that the official method doesn’t include:
- Auto-updating feed – your widget will automatically pull any new post containing mentions of your Instagram account and update itself;
- Various customization options – unlike the native option, EmbedSocial gives you the freedom to fully adapt your widget look to your branding;
- Integration with other platforms – in addition to Instagram, you can pull content from Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms;
- Mobile responsive widgets – our widgets will fit any device size, and we have the best Instagram widgets anywhere;
- Over 30 Instagram templates – instead of creating a widget from scratch, you can choose one of our 30+ Instagram templates and further customize them;
- Advanced moderation features – you can fully control what type of Instagram content the widget is displaying via advanced filtering options;
- Embed Instagram posts of all kinds – in addition to mentions, you can display Instagram feed of a business or personal account, hashtag posts, and Stories.
Depending on the product tier you get, you’ll have more freedom to create the perfect widget for your UGC e-commerce marketing campaign. Even though our free Instagram widget lets you showcase your content, there are valuable paid features.
For instance, the paid plans give you access to many other content sources, apart from Instagram and Google. Also, the customization options are unavailable in the FREE tier, or product tagging to create the perfect ‘Shop My Feed’ widget.
How to setup a shoppable Instagram mentions widget
Once you start pulling the user-generated content, the robust widget editor will provide you with moderation features to pick the UGC that mostly fits your brand. This content furthermore can be enriched by tagging the photos with the actuall products that the customer has mentioned. Here are the steps on how to make a shoppable Instagram widget with EmbedSocial:
- In the editor, click on Links;
- for each photo you want to tag, just click on Tag products;
- Next, click on the photo area that shows the product and provide the checkout link, product name, and price;
- Once you do this, just save the changes and embed the widget on your website.
See the demo of Shop my feed widget
That said, our most advanced features, such as rights management, advanced analytics, and API access, are only available in the top-tier plans.
Alternative ways to embed Instagram mentions manually
If you prefer more control over the embedding process, there are alternative manual methods to display Instagram mentions on your website. These methods require a bit of coding knowledge but they can be flexible when designing the perfect feed for you.
One approach is to use Instagram’s API to pull mentions into your site. By writing custom code, you can fetch posts where your brand is tagged and display them dynamically. However, using the API requires technical expertise.
Another option is to manually create an HTML grid of embedded photos. You can embed individual posts and arrange them in a grid or gallery. That said, this method requires regular updates since the posts won’t refresh automatically.
These manual methods give you control, but they’re time-consuming and can be tricky for non-developers. That’s why tools like EmbedSocial are super useful, as they simplify this process by automating the feed while offering design flexibility.
7 best practices for embedding Instagram mentions for e-commerce brands
Here’s what to keep in mind when embedding Instagram mentions to ensure your website looks professional and enhances your website’s performance:
Use responsive design
Ensure that your Instagram feed looks great across all devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones, since a responsive design automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, providing a seamless user experience no matter how visitors access your site.
Update mentions regularly
Keep your Instagram mentions up-to-date by regularly refreshing the feed with the latest customer posts. After all, stale content makes your brand look inactive, so frequently showcasing fresh mentions maintains relevance and keeps your audience engaged.
Showcase high-quality images
Select Instagram posts that feature clear, high-resolution images. These visuals represent your brand, so only highlight the best ones. For instance, choose well-lit, visually appealing posts that are more likely to grab attention and leave a positive impression.
Optimize for speed
Embedding Instagram mentions shouldn’t slow down your website. Implement lazy loading or caching to ensure the feed loads efficiently. You know that a fast website enhances the user experience, which can improve engagement and even SEO rankings.
Place mentions strategically
Embed your Instagram mentions in places where they’ll have the most impact. Consider featuring them near product pages, testimonials, or calls-to-action. This strategic placement reinforces social proof when visitors are making purchase decisions.
Stay on-brand
Customize the appearance of your embedded mentions so they match your brand’s colors, fonts, and style. Remember: Consistent branding creates a professional look and helps visitors easily identify your brand across different platforms.
Moderate the feed
Last but not least, ensure that the Instagram posts displayed are positive and relevant to your audience. Manually moderating the feed can prevent inappropriate or off-brand content from being shown, ensuring your website maintains a polished image.
How to encourage customers to mention your brand on Instagram?
Encouraging customers to mention your brand on Instagram or asking for incentivized reviews is key to building a steady stream of user-generated content.
Here are some simple strategies to motivate your audience:
- Offer incentives—provide discounts, freebies, or entries into a contest when customers tag your brand;
- Create a branded hashtag—develop a unique and memorable hashtag that encourages users to share their experiences;
- Feature customer posts—showcase tagged posts on your website or social media, giving customers recognition for their shoutouts;
- Engage with mentions—like, comment, and reshare customer posts to show that you value their mentions;
- Run Instagram challenges—organize fun challenges or campaigns that require users to mention your brand for participation;
- Offer social shoutouts—promise to give shoutouts to customers who tag your brand, giving them extra visibility;
- Partner with influencers—collaborate with influencers who encourage their followers to mention your brand in their posts.
By using these strategies, you’ll inspire more customers to engage with your brand on Instagram or any other social network, thus driving further mentions.
Conclusion: Instagram mentions bring your e-commerce brand into the spotlight!
Ultimately, if you want a powerful way to harness customer love and turn it into marketing gold, embedding social media mentions on your website is one of the best. It builds trust, drives engagement, and boosts sales for your e-commerce brand.
Whether you use Instagram’s native embedding feature or a tool like EmbedSocial, adding mentions to your site keeps your brand top of mind for potential customers. So, take advantage of this free UGC and showcase your happy customers!
Just take a look at these 10 Instagram feed examples to see for yourself!
Ready to start embedding Instagram mentions? Give EmbedSocial a try and streamline the process right away!
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FAQs on embedding Instagram mentions
What is the best way to embed Instagram mentions?
The best way to embed Instagram mentions is through a tool like EmbedSocial, as it offers an easy, automated process for pulling mentions directly from Instagram and embedding them on your website. It also offers customization options and automatic updates to keep your feed fresh.
How often does the feed update?
With tools like EmbedSocial, your Instagram mentions feed can update automatically as new mentions come in. That said, the update frequency depends on your registered product tier. For instance, if you are using the FREE tier, your feed will update in 24 hours. That said, if you sign up for the top tier, your feed will update in around 30 minutes.
Can I customize the design of the mentions feed?
Yes, you can fully customize the design of your Instagram mentions feed with platforms like EmbedSocial. You can adjust your layout, colors, icons, and even which posts are displayed to match your website’s branding. This helps create a cohesive, on-brand experience for visitors.
How do I see my mentions on Instagram?
To see your mentions on Instagram, simply go to the ‘Notifications’ section (the heart icon) in your Instagram app. This will include all the recent posts and stories where your brand was tagged. From there, you can engage with customers who have mentioned your brand.