Looking to supercharge the results of your branded content? Then, it’s time to start using Instagram Collabs!
In one effortless tap, you can boost your content’s reach and engagement and gain access to another account’s audience without reposting your content.
That’s right, Instagram Collabs allows your post to natively appear in another account’s feed, helping you and your collaborators to drive likes, shares, comments, and views to the same post.
It sounds like the stuff dream Instagram collaborations are made of, right? Let’s jump into how you can start using this new Instagram feature and how to maximize the results of your next collab on Instagram!
What is an Instagram Collab Post?
Instagram Collabs is a feature by Meta (a.k.a. The team from Facebook). It allows you to invite another account to collaborate on a Feed post or an Instagram Reel.
Think of it like co-authoring a book. Both of your handles will appear on the post, and it’s shown on both profiles.
The result?
You get to reap the rewards of pushing out a single piece of content to two audiences without having to repost. All the likes, shares, and comments appear on the same post, allowing you to engage with each other’s communities and double your reach instantly.
That’s some powerful stuff!
Why You Should Use The Instagram Collab Feature?
In short, here are a stack of reasons why you should be adding Instagram Collab to your social media strategy in 2024 (and beyond):
- Instagram Collabs improve brand partnership transparency and allow audiences to see the other accounts you’re teaming up with easily.
- Instagram Collabs are an exciting new way for creators, brands, and influencers to unite and tap into each other’s engaged audiences.
- Instagram Collabs removes the need to repost content and avoids duplicate content.
- Instagram Collabs gives full credit to everyone involved while improving the reach, brand awareness, and engagement of every piece of Instagram collab content you share.
How to Create an Instagram Collab Post
Not sure how to add a collab tag to your next Instagram post? Use our step-by-step guide and get it done in under 30 seconds.
Step 1: Create a Feed Post or Reel
Currently, you can only use the collab feature on normal feed posts and Reels.
To get started, create a post-in-app as normal or wait for Plann to send you a push notification when it’s time to hit “Publish.”
Step 2: Write Your Caption
On the “New Post” screen, write your caption or copy and paste it from your Plann post scheduler.
Add your hashtags, post location, and tap on “Tag People.”
Step 3: Invite a Collaborator
On the “Tag People” page, tap “Invite Collaborator.”
Search for the user’s handle and tap on their profile.
Tap “Done.”
Step 4: Publish Your First Instagram Collab Post
Once you tap “Share,” the collaborator will get a notification asking them to accept an Instagram Collab invite. Once it’s done, the post will appear on their profile, and you’ll start gaining collective views, likes, and shares.
How to Accept an Instagram Collabs Request
If someone sends you an Instagram collaboration request, it will show up in your DMs as a message. To accept the invite, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Tap on the conversation from your Chats list.
- Step 2: Tap on the collaboration invite.
- Step 3: Tap “Review” the post and tap on either “Accept” or “Decline”.
Voila! Your first (of hopefully many) Instagram Collabs post is live.
4 Instagram Collab Post Ideas for 2024 and Beyond
The Instagram collab feature opens up a new world of opportunities for brands, creators and influencers.
So, let’s dive into how you can use the Instagram collab feature to boost engagement and grow your audience.
1. Influencer Campaigns
While you’ll still need to add the paid partnership label to your branded content on Instagram, the Collabs feature helps iron out some of the kinks with influencer campaigns.
Instead of brands having to repost content by an influencer, the content is automatically added to their profile. It allows you to increase brand awareness and leverage both communities to improve campaign results.
Plus, it gives you total transparency over the campaign results in your own Instagram Insights (rather than relying on creators and influencers sharing their post results manually with you).
2. Promoting a Collaboration
Do you run a podcast? What about a YouTube channel or a weekly podcast show?
If you do, you likely have guests coming on occasionally to share their knowledge with your audience.
The Instagram collabs feature offers an exciting new way to promote the collaboration. You can make a Feed or Reel post teasing the upcoming episode, and instead of tagging your guest, you can make them a collaborator.
This way, you’ll both reach other audiences and create hype for the show. It also opens the doors to brainstorm some new Instagram feed ideas to accompany this feature. For example, you can collaborate on Reels in person, use clips from your long-form content, or collaborate on a carousel post featuring advice from each of you.
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3. Collab on Instagram with Brand Giveaways
It’s no secret that brand giveaways are one of the best ways to gain followers and increase engagement on Instagram.
But instead of doing your next giveaway solo, why not team up with another brand or creator in your niche?
Turn on the collaboration feature to boost the results further. Plus, you won’t need to coordinate a time for everyone to post the giveaway simultaneously.
Only one account needs to hit “Share,” and the other simply accepts the collab request. It’s that easy!
Plus, it gives your giveaways an additional layer of trust and transparency and will drive stronger entries and results for all involved, too.
4. Promote Your Product Launches or Your Other Instagram Accounts
Are you launching a new product in collaboration with another brand?
Get the most out of your campaign with a series of collab posts. It will go much further than a single post and introduce your brand to their audience and vice versa.
Hello, new followers and brand awareness!
Another way you can use this idea is if you have a personal brand and separate business Instagram accounts.
For example, business coach Erin May Henry tags her creative studio whenever she talks about that part of her business on Instagram. It builds visibility for her other brand and amplifies her reach when promoting packages available at the studio.
If Erin only relied on her “Chillpreneur” account and tagged it in her Instagram Stories (like we all did in the past), it wouldn’t have the same impact. She would still only reach a small portion of her followers who watch her Stories.
With collab posts, Erin can reach her current follower base, promote her new business, and attract a whole new audience at the same time.
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Instagram Collab Posts: Frequently Asked Questions
Can private accounts participate in Instagram collab posts?
Yes, private accounts can participate in Instagram collab posts. However, the visibility of the Collab post will be restricted to the followers of the private account and the public or followers of the collaborating account.
How many Instagram users can you invite to a collab post?
When Instagram first rolled out the feature in 2021, you could only collab with up to two accounts. Fast forward to 2024, and you can invite up to six accounts to collaborate on a post.
How are Instagram collab posts different from tagging or mentions?
Collabs posts are distinct from tagging or mentions, allowing two users to share ownership of a single post. When you create a Collab post, it appears on both users’ profiles and feeds, showing the combined engagement metrics. Tagging and mentions, on the other hand, simply reference another user without sharing the post on their profile.
Can you create collab posts on the desktop Instagram app?
No, currently, you cannot create Collab posts on the desktop Instagram app. This feature is available only on the mobile app.
Can I boost a Collab post on Instagram?
Yes, you can boost a Collab post on Instagram. To use this feature, you’ll need to make sure both accounts have professional or business profiles and have the option to promote posts enabled.
Start Plann’ing Your Instagram Collaboration Posts
Ready to use Instagram collab posts to boost your brand visibility and engagement?
Great!
The next step is creating and maintaining a consistent content calendar. After all, if you’re using collaboration posts to grow your follower base, you need to make sure you’re serving valuable content on a regular basis.
Sign up for a free 7-day trial of Plann today and strategize, plan, create and schedule all your Instagram posts from one easy-to-use dashboard.
