Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today, with 2 billion monthly active users. It gives a golden opportunity to brands and creators to present their content to their target audience, spread brand awareness, build connections, boost engagement, and foster long-lasting relationships. However, as the platform is mushrooming with new creators and brands, the essence of staying ahead and using innovative strategies has become more crucial. According to the statistics, around 50% of Instagram users follow at least one business brand, and its presence on Instagram affects their buying decisions significantly. Whether you are a creator, brand, or influencer, using the right marketing strategies helps you increase brand exposure and drive engagement to your profile. Instagram Shoutout is one of the most trending Instagram strategies that help you outshine your competitors and maintain a robust Instagram presence while increasing followers. However, many people are still not fully aware of Instagram shoutouts and their usage. So, in this blog, we will shed light on what Instagram shoutouts are, the types of Instagram shoutouts, and how to get them to skyrocket your Instagram presence and achieve success.
What is an Instagram Shoutout?
Instagram shoutout is an effective advertising method that can also be called word of mouth in typical marketing words. In this, one Instagram user promotes another user (brand or creator) on their own profile. In simple words, suppose “A” user added a story or published a post of the product/profile/service of user “B”; this is called an Instagram shoutout. This basically means user A is promoting the product or profile of user B and suggests their own audience to check that. This helps User B to get traffic from User A and increase their Instagram likes and followers.
Types of Instagram Shoutouts
There are three primary types of Instagram shoutouts:
Paid Shoutouts
As the name suggests, paid shoutouts mean when one user promotes another user’s product, service or profile in return for some money, free products, free access to their service or some other monetary or non-monetary benefit.
S4S (Shoutouts for Shoutouts)
It is a simple trade that can be called an exchange of services. In this, two Instagram users give shoutouts to each other’s Instagram page. Basically, one user agrees to give a shoutout if the other user also agrees to do the same. This works best for the creators or brands of similar niches or industries.
Voluntary Shoutouts
It is like an organic shoutout when someone is actually impressed with your content and gives you a shoutout without expecting anything in return. It is the best and most reliable form of shoutout, as someone is actually praising your content without any purpose or motive.
How to Get Shoutouts on Instagram?
Instagram shoutouts are an easy way to expand your audience base and enhance your presence on Instagram in the form of likes, comments and followers. The higher the engagement, the better the brand presence. Here is a complete guide on how to get shoutouts on Instagram:
Define your Goals and Target Audience
Before finding Instagram users to talk about shoutouts, it’s crucial to define your goals, like what exactly you want to achieve with the shoutouts. Whether you want to boost likes, comments, or followers, increase traffic, drive sales, enhance brand awareness, or anything else. Besides that, research your target audience deeply and understand their tastes, preferences, likes, dislikes, etc., to reach the right creators for shoutouts. Ensure that the followers of the creator align with your target audience.
Research and Choose Niche-Specific Creators
The biggest mistake most people make while using the Instagram shoutout strategy is choosing the wrong creators. For example, it’s not valuable to ask for a shoutout from a fashion influencer if you yourself are a food blogger or a brand selling tech products. Therefore, researching and choosing the creators that align with your niche and content is essential. You can conduct hashtag searches or use apps like Buzzsumo to find the shoutout pages that accept such collaborations. However, make sure to check their Instagram profile carefully to ensure that your collaborator is compatible to work with. While going through their profile, check the following things:
· Number of followers
· Profile content, tone and feel
· Their engagement (Likes, Comments, Views and Shares)
· Type of engagement (Organic or paid)
Engage and Build Relationships before Pitching
Once you find a reliable account that posts similar content to yours, engage with them and build genuine relationships before pitching for a shoutout. To do that, follow their Instagram profile, watch and reply to their stories, like and comment on their posts, subscribe to their blog, etc. Don’t indulge in generic comments like ‘Nice”, “Great”, etc. Rather than that, post comments that add value like giving them personalized compliments by praising their work, art, products, services, or anything they post and bringing relevant discussion topics. You can even ask them some questions in the comment section or DMs to grab their attention and make them believe that you are actually interested in their content.
Start a Conversation with a Thoughtful Message
Once you establish the connection and build a relationship, start the conversation on DMs or Email using a proper greeting, a thoughtful message, and a professional pitch. To do that, avoid sending direct messages like “Interested in Shoutouts” or “S4S please”, etc., as everyone’s DMs are already filled with such spammy messages. Therefore, to stand out from the crowd, prepare a professional pitch and add what exactly you want and what you are offering in return. Mention the details like your account information, goals, theme, content type, shoutout type, duration, hashtags, payment method if applicable, etc. If you are asking for a paid shoutout, clearly state what you will offer in return – money, freebies, vouchers, or something else. Create an impactful and creative pitch that motivates them to visit your profile, check your content, and make a positive decision in your favor.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that Instagram shoutout is one of the best influencer marketing strategies that help you build trust with new audiences, gain a competitive edge, boost engagement and drive sales. We have discussed everything in detail, from the types of shoutouts to how to get the shoutouts properly. However, if you aim to get organic shoutouts, make sure that the content you publish is of high quality that impresses the other creators and gives them a reason to promote it without any pitch.