📋 Available on: Startup, Growth, Enterprise, Agency, and Custom plans
Archive captures user-generated content from Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The criteria for capture differ by platform and content type. This article explains exactly how each type is detected and the limitations to be aware of.
Instagram Stories
Stories are captured when a creator @mentions your connected Instagram account in the Story and that mention triggers a direct message (DM) to your account.
How to verify a Story can be tracked: check your Instagram Direct Messages. If a DM was generated by the @mention, the Story can be captured.
Reshared Stories are captured under the same rule (DM must be triggered).
What Stories Archive cannot capture:
Story mentions that don't generate a DM to your account, even if the Story appears in Instagram features like "Stories About You".
Stories from creators tracked only by hashtag (hashtags inside Stories are not detectable). To capture a creator's Stories beyond mentions, add the creator as a "Tagged Only" or "All Content" source.
Reshared Reels or Feed posts within Stories without an explicit @mention.
📋 Key point: The DM notification is the trigger that allows Archive to capture a Story mention. No DM means no Story capture, regardless of how the Story tagged you.
Instagram Feed Posts
Feed posts (single images, videos, and carousels) are captured through two independent detection methods:
@mention — your connected Instagram account is tagged on the post itself or in the caption.
Hashtag — a hashtag you're tracking appears anywhere in the post, including the caption and comments.
Feed posts that have been reposted as Stories are not captured under the original creator unless the Story itself includes an explicit @mention.
Instagram Reels
Reels are captured when:
Your connected Instagram account is @mentioned in the Reel post or caption.
Reels are not captured from:
Mentions in the comments section.
Reels reposted as Stories without an explicit @mention.
If a specific creator's Reels are not being detected through mentions, add the creator directly as a source. Mentions in captions only work when your Instagram account is connected to Archive.
TikTok Videos
TikTok videos are captured through two independent detection methods. They are not tied to any "version" of the integration — both methods work in parallel for every workspace.
@mention — your TikTok handle is tagged in the video caption or description.
Hashtag — a hashtag you're tracking appears in the video. Hashtag detection runs as its own search and is independent of any @mention; a video can be captured by hashtag even if no @mention is present, and vice versa.
TikTok detection coverage is high but not 100% — some matching videos may be missed by either method due to platform-side gaps. For reliable capture of a specific creator, add them directly as a TikTok source.
YouTube Videos
YouTube content is captured through two methods:
Channel tracking — add YouTube channels directly to your workspace using Quick Add. Archive monitors uploads from those channels going forward.
Tracked terms — Archive searches YouTube for the key phrases configured for your workspace and pulls matching videos.
For full details on how YouTube tracking works, see YouTube Content Tracking in Archive.
Private Accounts
Instagram Private Accounts
From private Instagram accounts, Archive can only capture Stories, and only when:
Your Instagram account is connected to Archive,
The private creator @mentions your brand in the Story, and
You follow that account (so the Story is visible to you).
Feed posts and Reels from private Instagram accounts cannot be captured because Archive's content search runs outside your account.
TikTok Private Accounts
Archive can only track posts from a private TikTok account when there is mutual following:
The private account follows you, and
You follow them back.
If they don't follow you, Archive cannot capture their videos even if you follow them.
Non-Verified Mention Sources
If your brand is tracked through a non-verified mention source (i.e., your brand's social account is not directly connected to Archive), capture is limited to:
Posts that explicitly @tag your brand handle.
Non-verified sources cannot capture:
Posts that mention the brand only in the caption text without a tag.
Story mentions.
Story Tags vs Story Tagging by Your Brand
Archive captures Stories where your brand is the tagged account. It does not capture Stories that your brand posts tagging other creators — that is your own content, on your own account, and is not pulled into Archive's standard capture pipeline. To capture content posted by your brand, add your brand's profile as an "All Content" source.
Mobile:
Web:
General Limitations
Hashtag detection is not 100%. Platform-side gaps mean a small portion of matching content may not surface. For reliable capture of a specific creator, add them directly as a source.
Detection starts after connection. Content capture begins once your account connection is complete and your tracked terms and sources are in place.
Common Questions
Does TikTok hashtag detection depend on the integration version?
No. There is no "v1" vs "v2" distinction that affects hashtag tracking. Hashtag detection is its own search method and runs independently for every workspace, regardless of how the brand is connected.
Why isn't a specific Story showing up?
The Story mention must trigger a DM to your connected Instagram account. If no DM was sent (for example, because of the creator's privacy settings, or because the Story appears in "Stories About You" without a true tag), Archive cannot capture it.
Why aren't Reels with my hashtag showing up?
Reels are detected through @mentions, not through hashtags. To capture a creator's Reels that don't tag your brand, add the creator directly as a source.
Are Feed post mentions in the caption captured?
Yes — Feed post mentions in the caption are captured when your Instagram account is connected to Archive.