Influencers and brands have leveraged the benefits of collaboration for years on the Instagram platform, but in 2021 Instagram made it even easier to create collaborative content.
With the new Collabs feature, you can reach wider audiences, upping your clout and gaining followers while sharing your followers with your partner. Influencer marketing is a multi-billion dollar business, and analysts project it to grow as more companies access this cost-effective advertising method and increase brand awareness.
In 2023, Instagram collaborations are an essential tool in your marketing toolbox. Here’s how to create collaborations, even if you’ve never tried this method before.
Learn how to use Instagram’s new collabs tool and why this method is a tried-and-true go-to for influencers and small brands.
How to Use Instagram’s Collabs Tool
Although brands and influencers have collaborated for years on Instagram, the new Collabs option makes it easier for anyone to start using this method, even if you haven’t built up many followers. And the steps to creating a collaboration are simple.
Create the Content
It’s probably best in most cases to talk to your collab partner ahead of time and decide what kind of content you’ll be working on. You might also be creating this content with your partner in person. However, it is possible to create content and then send it to another person.
Types of Collaboration
People use many types of collaboration to establish partnerships and get better engagement. Some of the ways people collaborate include:
- With gifting, a model might receive an item of clothing. They might receive it free, at a reduced cost, or even receive compensation for it. Then they create content unboxing the item or demonstrating how it looks or fits.
- In a partnership, someone accepts payment to promote or demonstrate a product or service. Sometimes the content might be a mashup of an influencer’s typical style with the new product.
- Instagram takeovers are a popular way to collaborate. A celebrity might have control of a brand’s Instagram, posting about their day or a special cause. Often the takeover lasts a day and can include adding a Live, several posts, or collaborating on their Stories.
- Guest posts are another way that people collaborate and access a wider audience, but not as extensively as a takeover would be.
Setting Up the Collabs Post
After you’ve created the content, upload your post. Then, touch the ‘Tag People’ option and look on the lower right part of the screen. Click ‘Invite a Collaborator,’ and you’ll get to a search screen. Type in the collaborator’s name, select the right one, then click ‘Next.’
On this next screen, you can write a short note about the collaboration. If you didn’t create this content with your collaborator and you’re seeking to establish a collab, be detailed about the description and what the benefits of the collaboration are. The best collabs are the ones where everyone benefits. Once you’ve written your description, click ‘Submit.’
What Happens Next
Using this method of collaboration, your message will arrive in their DMs, and the content won’t post unless they accept the collaboration. This method only allows you to collaborate with one account at a time per request. If you’re on the receiving end of a Collabs request, look over the description and the content and decide if you want to collab. If you do, hit ‘Accept.’
Who Can Collaborate on Instagram?
Anyone on Instagram can collaborate. However, most people want to collaborate to establish a mutually beneficial relationship. If you’ve never collaborated before, or if you’ve tried and haven’t been able to establish a collab yet, you can do a few things to increase your chances of success.
How to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Collab
Remember, in a collab, you’re offering some benefit to the other party in exchange for some benefit to you. If you’re just sending messages asking for a free product but can’t offer much in return, chances are the brands you’re messaging won’t agree to a collab.
Fortunately, there are some concrete things you can do to make your own brand and account more attractive.
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1. Create a clear aesthetic and engaging content
If you are just starting out, then you might need to spend some time working on your account and brand presence. As you add content and followers, a service like Like4like can help you gain the Likes you need to boost your position in the algorithms. Better algorithmic performance can bring you more followers, and followers are important for seeking out those crucial collabs.
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2. Seek partnerships out
When you’re a new brand or still building your following, you may send out collab requests that don’t go anywhere. While a lower follower count doesn’t prevent you from collaborating, it can make it more challenging to find successful collabs.
However, once you hit 10,000 followers or more, you can start seeking out collaborations with others with a greater chance of success. And when you explain to related brands or influencers why you’re a great collab, don’t forget to show off your great engagement numbers.
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3. Tailor your offer to each partner
Offering the same thing to every potential partner isn’t always a practical approach. Consider what you’re hoping to get from the potential partner, and match your offer to fit them. Consider their aesthetic, product, audience, or vibe.
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4. Find the ones that align with your brand
It doesn’t make sense to simply collaborate with anyone and everyone just to get traffic to your site. Ultimately, your collaboration should align with your brand, including any causes or issues that are important to you. An increasing number of people on social media are more willing to spend—or withhold—their dollars based on how well they trust a brand or believe it to be authentic.
Final Thoughts on Collabs
Growing your audience and increasing engagement takes a lot of hard work, and most brands don’t zoom to the top overnight. However, there are plenty of techniques that you can use that will pay off if you are consistent and strategic. Collaborating with other brands or brand ambassadors is a great and often low-cost way to expand your reach and mine a broader cross-section of people who are already primed to be more interested in what you offer.
