Close

15 June 2017

Instagram Takeover – What is One and How Do You Run One?

The value of Instagram Takeovers is HUGE! Here’s how you go about it.

What is an Instagram Takeover?

An Instagram takeover simply put, is the collaboration between you and another user whereby you appear on each other’s stories. You don’t need their login details or anything to do it, instead it’s as easy as sending them a video or photo to the host account for them to upload. Now when you think of the opportunities to partner in this way, a 50-50 relationship with somebody or brand that strategically aligns with yours, then suddenly you open yourself to a new audience with interests that align with yours. These audiences are not cold leads. Instead they are more willing to listen to your message as it has been endorsed by the account owner – which is somebody they already trust.

Instagram Takeover

So how do you run an Instagram Takeover?

1. Find the right account that aligns with your brand

  • This approach is for partnering with somebody unaware of your brand – they maybe an influencer who appeals with your audience and vice versa. Start with searching Hashtags that are on topic and manually read through the bios of the profiles that are returned. If you see someone that fits then Direct Message (DM) them and outline the opportunity of working together. Remember, this opportunity must be genuinely beneficial to them. They aren’t simply going to allow you access to their hard-earnt fan base just because you ask nicely! So, be sure to outline the partnership benefits for them very clearly and early in the DM.
  • Now maybe you have fans already or frequent buyers that have the possibility of becoming advocates for your brand. These are people that constantly engage with your brand and have some clout on social media. Collaborating with such fans creates an appreciation with them and grows audiences in a natural way. You could create a form that ask a few simple questions to make sure you are reaching the right type of person for this partnership, so for example….
  1. Name
  2. Age
  3. Location
  4. Ideas for the takeover
  5. When is convenient for you to do this?
  6. What’s your social media profile? We’d love to check out your vibe!

2. Set editorial guideline and expectations from the get go

Before you restrain someone too much when taking over a story on your account, remember that the strategy’s beauty is that it provides a fresh voice and perspective to your Instagram account. So, with that being said, allowing some freedom is advisable. However, if your brand does have some guidelines e.g. maybe certain language or dress is not acceptable, then make this clear from the start. You may also wish to state that you reserve the right on what eventually will be posted.

3. Sharing the content for the Takeover

OK so you’ve identified, contacted and agreed to a Takeover and all expectations have been underlined. Now you’ll want to share the assets (photo’s and/or videos). It’s advisable not to give out your login details to your account in order for someone to get access to your content. In fact, there is no reason to do this as there are some great ways to collaborate safely. Here’s a few suggestions;

  • Planoly is an Instagram management tool offering plans starting at $7/month. Planoly allows you plan your stories within the 24-hour time frame with tools to help you order and schedule the posts. You can add the person you want to collaborate with as a team member on your account during the takeover. This allows you to easily share assets all from one safe central hub.
  • Dropbox allows you a simple way for your Takeover partner to upload their assets to a safe place before posting.
  • Lastly Trello allows you to share content and story board also. They have a basic package starting from $9.99 per user/month and like Planoly, it offers a safe centralized place for communication, creating and collaborating all Takeover tasks

4. Promote the Takeover

Lastly, a major component of a Takeover being a success is to make sure that you both plan to promote the event. Make sure that they promote the Takeover on their account and drive social media traffic to the event. Also, be sure that you and your Takeover partner are available to engage with people who may write comments during the story.

To sum up

An Instagram Takeover is a fun venture that offers a great opportunity for growing a fan base and injecting new and fresh ideas into your community. Whilst it should be a strategy that breeds creativity be sure that this still aligns with your brand values and guidelines so that the experience sits natively within the rest of your content. Have fun!