Product tags in Instagram Reels: a setup guide for Indian sellers
Let buyers tap a product in your Reel and land on its page with the price and Buy button. The catalogue, domain and approval steps, in plain words.
The Slaby team5 min read
On this page
Key takeaways
- A product tag lets a viewer tap the item in your Reel and open its page on your own store, with price, sizes and checkout, instead of sending a DM.
- You need four things: an Instagram professional account, a Facebook Page, a product catalogue in Meta Commerce Manager, and a verified website domain.
- Your catalogue can come from your store's product feed, a single URL that keeps prices and stock current without retyping anything.
- Meta reviews each account and enables Reels product links gradually, so start the setup now and keep sharing links in bio and Stories meanwhile.
Most Reels that sell end the same way: 'price?', 'link?', 'DM me'. Every one of those steps loses buyers. A product tag removes them. The viewer taps the item in your Reel and lands on that product's page on your own store, with the price, the sizes in stock and a Buy button.
Setting this up takes about half an hour of your time and then a few days of waiting for Meta. Nothing in it is technical if your store already publishes a product feed. This guide walks through it in order, with the mistakes that usually hold sellers up.
What you need before you start
| Instagram account | Business or Creator (professional) account | Settings → Account type and tools. Free to switch. |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Page | A Page for your business, connected to Instagram | Meta Business Suite → Settings → Accounts. |
| Your own website | Product pages with public prices, on a domain you own | For example www.yourstore.com rather than a shared address. |
| Product catalogue | Your products in Meta Commerce Manager | Easiest from a product feed URL that updates itself. |
Meta's eligibility rules and the Reels product-link feature change over time and roll out account by account. Check Commerce Manager for what your account can use today.
The setup, step by step
1. Copy your product feed URL
Slaby admin → Settings → Sales channels
Your store publishes its whole retail catalogue as one feed, for example https://www.yourstore.com/feeds/products.xml. It includes names, photos, retail prices, MRP, stock and colour variants, and it updates itself within a few hours of any change you make.
The card also tells you how many products are in the feed and why any are left out: hidden, no photo, or no retail price. Fix those first, because Meta cannot tag what is not in the feed.
2. Verify your domain with Meta
Meta Business Settings → Brand safety → Domains
Add your store's domain and choose the meta-tag method. Meta shows a short code; paste only that code into Slaby at Settings → Marketing & SEO → Meta (Facebook) domain verification code, save, and click Verify in Meta.
Meta verifies a domain you own. If your store still runs on a yourstore.slaby.in address, connect your own domain first, then verify that.
3. Create a catalogue from the feed
Meta Commerce Manager → Catalog → Data sources
Create an e-commerce catalogue, choose Data feed → Scheduled feed, paste your feed URL, set it to update daily and the currency to INR.
Within a few minutes your products appear under Items. If Meta lists issues, they are usually a missing photo or price on a few products.
4. Connect Instagram and apply for shopping
Meta Commerce Manager → Settings
Add your Instagram account and Facebook Page to the shop and submit for review. Meta checks the account against its commerce rules; approval usually takes a few days and arrives as an Instagram notification.
5. Tag products when you post
Instagram app → new Reel or post
On the sharing screen, tap Tag products and search by product name. Where Instagram offers 'Link a product' on Reels, you can paste the product's page address from your store instead, for example https://www.yourstore.com/p/blue-anarkali.
Use the same address everywhere. The product link you tag, the feed URL and the verified domain must all be the same address. A link on yourstore.slaby.in will not match a catalogue built on www.yourstore.com, and Instagram will say the product isn't available.
While Meta reviews you: links that already work
You don't have to wait for approval to send buyers to products. Product page links already work in the places Instagram allows links:
- Your bio link: your store's home page, or a collection for the current drop.
- Story link stickers: one product or collection per Story, so the sticker matches what the viewer just saw.
- DMs: paste the product link instead of typing the price, size and colour by hand. The preview shows the photo, title and price.
- Reel captions can't hold clickable links, so end the caption with 'link in bio' and keep the bio pointed at the same product or collection for the first day.
Three mistakes that hold sellers up
Wholesale-only prices. If your store shows prices only to approved trade buyers, there is no public price to share and the feed stays empty. Trade prices are never sent to Meta. Add a retail storefront if you also sell to consumers.
Products without photos or prices. They are left out of the feed, so they never reach the catalogue. The Sales channels card lists them; fix them and wait for the next daily update.
Expecting it on day one. Domain verification is quick; the shopping review is not. Start the setup well before a big drop or festival sale.
Common questions
Do I need a Facebook Page to tag products on Instagram?
Yes. Meta's shopping features work through a Facebook Page and a catalogue connected to your Instagram professional account. The Page can be simple; it just needs to exist and be connected.
Will my wholesale prices show on Instagram?
No. The feed carries only the retail price that any visitor to your store already sees. A store that hides prices from the public publishes no items at all.
How often does Instagram update my prices and stock?
Your feed reflects changes within a few hours, and Meta downloads it on the schedule you set, usually daily. You can also click Request update on the data source in Commerce Manager.
Why don't I see 'Link a product' on Reels?
Meta enables Reels product links gradually and only for eligible accounts. Tagging in posts and your shop still work, and Reels links appear once Meta turns them on for you.
Can I use the same feed for Google Shopping?
Yes. Google Merchant Center reads the same feed format. Claim the same domain there that you verified with Meta.
Read next
Instagram & Facebook Shop guide
Every screen and field, with troubleshooting.
Read the guideA shop link for your bio
One link that opens your whole catalogue.
See howConnect your own domain
Move from yourstore.slaby.in to yourstore.com.
Read the docsStop answering 'price?' in comments
Turn comment questions into orders.
Read the post- Reels
- Instagram Shopping
- small business
- India
Share this guide
More guides
All guidesDigital products
How to sell ebooks and digital products in India
Sell e-books, PDFs, courses, templates and music from your Instagram bio link: instant downloads, UPI payments to your own account and 0% commission.
7 min read
Instagram & WhatsApp
How to make a free online store in India
Make a free online store in India from your phone: no developer, no card, 0% commission. Step-by-step setup, what free includes and when to upgrade.
7 min read
Instagram & WhatsApp
Sizes and colours that don't confuse online buyers
Missing sizes, jumbled size rows and the wrong photo for a colour make a good store look careless. A simple set-up that keeps every product clear.
5 min read