Easy methods to Host an Instagram Takeover in 7 Steps

Instagram has a formidable 1 billion month-to-month energetic customers—that’s thousands and thousands of individuals logging in every day. It’s clearly a fantastic place to attach with potential clients, notably youthful shoppers (latest knowledge exhibits almost 62% of Instagram customers are aged 18-34).

Whereas there are a lot of methods to advertise your model on the platform, together with operating adverts and sponsoring posts, probably the most efficient (and typically free) methods to develop your viewers is by internet hosting an Instagram takeover.

What’s an Instagram takeover?

A singular advertising tactic for your small business, an Instagram takeover is while you companion with somebody to take over your account for a short while, whether or not it’s someday or a number of. The host declares themselves to your viewers and proceeds to put up updates all through the required time. This host of the Instagram takeover will be an worker, an influencer, a enterprise or an business professional.

Takeovers assist improve engagement and attain on Instagram. They provide your viewers a singular perspective of your small business. They will additionally assist elevate your model, showcasing key merchandise or differentiators to present clients and new audiences.

Typically takeovers are extra about elevating different individuals than merely selling your model. An excellent instance of that is when the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) had their March Resident Scholar, Dr. Katherine Mills, take over their account for a day.

Dr. Mills posted to the ASA account all through the day, highlighting conferences with ASA management and politicians throughout a visit to Washington, DC advocating for the doctor anesthesiologists and protected take care of sufferers.

How do Instagram takeovers work?

With an Instagram takeover, you’re handing over the proverbial keys of your account over to a visitor for a specified time, whether or not it’s for someday or a number of days. That particular person (or enterprise) posts their very own content material in your account. If this makes you nervous, don’t fear—we’ll clarify how takeovers work (together with how one can defend your self from dangers) and supply some recommendations on how to verify your takeover is profitable.

How do companies profit from Instagram takeovers?

Instagram takeovers are a contemporary method to generate buzz about your model or merchandise. They supply many advantages to companies, together with the chance to collaborate with common influencers or content material creators who’re related to your viewers.

Listed here are a few of our favourite advantages of Instagram takeovers:

The power to achieve a brand new viewers

When an influencer with a big following takes over your account, you might have the potential to achieve new audiences. Influencers will notify their followers of the takeover by posting an Instagram Story or put up to go over to your account to comply with alongside. Takeovers assist construct your followers on Instagram, as among the visitor host’s followers will probably begin following and interacting with you because of this. This profit can final lengthy after the preliminary takeover has ended.

The chance to construct belief and credibility

Partnering with a visitor host helps set up belief with their followers. This partnership offers your organization credibility with a brand new viewers who could not learn about you or your small business. It lends social proof since individuals belief the suggestions of others. When an influencer promotes your model on their very own web page—and their followers see that content material—you’re extra more likely to earn the belief of these people.

Partaking with an worker or business insider offers you credibility with your personal followers, notably when that particular person is an professional of their subject.

Elevated engagement together with your posts and account

Instagram takeovers present a compelling method to encourage extra engagement in your posts. In case you’re collaborating with somebody who has an energetic, loyal following, you may count on to see extra Instagram likes, feedback and shares in your content material. This elevated engagement may also assist improve your attain as a result of Instagram’s algorithm favors posts with excessive engagement.

A behind-the-scenes have a look at your small business

Takeovers on Instagram give your followers a glimpse below the hood of your small business. They assist showcase an genuine facet of your small business and may spotlight your organization tradition, services or products.

For instance, let’s say you personal a bakery. You would do an Instagram takeover with one in every of your pastry cooks and have them present your followers how they make a few of your hottest desserts.

Extra visitors and gross sales for you

By growing your model’s attain and engagement, Instagram takeovers may also result in extra visitors and gross sales for your small business. In case you’re selling a brand new services or products, an influencer takeover might help get the phrase out.

Make it simple in your followers to navigate to your web site by coordinating your and your visitor host’s Instagram hyperlink in bio instruments. It’s also possible to use hashtags to extend publicity and discovery (extra on that under).

Easy methods to run an efficient Instagram takeover in 7 steps

Take a while to plan your technique, establish your excellent visitor hosts who align together with your model and values, and promote your occasion will make it easier to get probably the most out of your Instagram takeover. The next steps are targeted on serving to you propose the proper takeover.

1. Set up your takeover objectives and KPIs

Earlier than you begin in search of visitor hosts, it’s essential to determine your objectives for the takeover. What do you need to obtain (e.g., model consciousness, follower progress, improved put up engagement, buyer leads, and so on.)?

Be certain to determine some KPIs (key efficiency indicators) so you may measure the takeover marketing campaign’s efficiency. These might embrace:

• The variety of new followers you achieve through the takeover
• The quantity of engagement in your posts
• The variety of web site clicks or gross sales you generate

The objectives needs to be clear to everybody concerned within the takeover, so posts will be tailor-made that can assist you obtain them.

2. Select a takeover host

While you’re planning your takeover, establish a number that is sensible in your model. They need to have the same audience and be revered of their subject. Contemplate the next when choosing your host:

• Influencers: Instagram influencers usually, however not at all times, have numerous followers. Their followers view them as specialists of their area of interest. Collaborating with an influencer places your model in entrance of their loyal viewers. Influencer posts, paired with hashtags, may also foster engagement and curiosity.
• Clients: Giving a buyer the keys to your account supplies social proof and is an efficient method to showcase your merchandise. The shopper’s voice is a robust one. It fosters a sense of group and demonstrates that your small business values buyer enter.
• Staff: Worker takeovers could make manufacturers appear extra relatable. A takeover offers your workers some recognition and divulges the human facet of your small business. The sort of worker advocacy supplies a singular look into your small business.
• Trade leaders and specialists: Contemplate doing a takeover with an business luminary, somebody who affords helpful information about your area of interest. Consultants can present content material to your followers whereas reinforcing your organization’s management.
• Companies: Partnering with one other enterprise—notably one with a firmly established buyer base—can elevate your model in your business and introduce your small business or merchandise to a brand new viewers.

3. Choose a sort of takeover

There’s a couple of method to execute a profitable Instagram takeover. It’s essential to be inventive, but in addition to align your takeover to your particular objectives. Listed here are three widespread approaches to think about:

• Instagram put up takeovers: The sort of takeover usually includes having your visitor host take over your organization’s Instagram account for a hard and fast time period and put up content material associated to your business, services or products to your feed. It’s a simple strategy to a takeover that may be very efficient in selling your model.
• Instagram Story takeovers: A Story takeover includes having your visitor host share a sequence of photographs or movies to your organization’s Instagram Tales. These behind-the-scenes, action-oriented methods generate participating content material whereas giving your followers a sneak peek of one thing particular to your small business.
• Dwell video takeovers: Dwell video takeovers generate pleasure and construct anticipation for an occasion or announcement (e.g., a brand new product launch.) It’s also possible to use dwell video to host Q&As, bulletins or interviews.

4. Define Instagram takeover tips

When you’ve chosen your visitor host and sort of takeover, it’s time to create some tips. It will assist make sure the visitor’s posts are aligned together with your model voice and objectives. Your tips ought to reply the next questions:

• What kind of content material shall be included within the takeover?
• How lengthy will the takeover final?
• Will the content material be pre-planned or spontaneous?
• Who will approve the content material earlier than it’s posted?
• What are the necessities for posting content material?

Don’t be too restrictive. Set your expectations, however enable the visitor host sufficient freedom to be inventive and use their very own voice.

5. Set permissions to your account

Now it’s time to offer your visitor host entry to your account. A technique to do that is to offer the password to the visitor host (simply be certain that that is somebody you may belief).

If the visitor host is an influencer, they’ll probably have their very own Instagram Enterprise Account. Join their account together with your

Enterprise Account via the Instagram settings. It will enable them to put up content material to your feed as in the event that they had been posting from their very own account.

It’s also possible to give visitor hosts entry to your Instagram account by including them as a contributor to your Meta Enterprise Supervisor. Meta supplies detailed directions for the way to do that by way of their Assist Heart.

Alternatively, you may streamline permissions administration by implementing an approval course of with a social media administration platform like Sprout Social. With a message approval workflow, you may collaborate successfully with companions and company on tone and content material.

6. Select a branded hashtag

You may promote your takeover forward of time utilizing Instagram hashtags. Any branded hashtags related to the takeover needs to be simple to recollect, particular and related.

Branded hashtags assist your followers maintain observe of the takeover and see associated posts in a single place. It’s also possible to promote the hashtag to encourage your followers to make use of it when posting in regards to the takeover to extend publicity and discovery.

7. Finalize the small print and launch

The ultimate step includes a number of key particulars together with selecting when to put up. We’ve put collectively some finest practices about when to put up on social media to offer you a place to begin. Nevertheless, you must also overview your account analytics to see what occasions have traditionally been finest for you.

This must also be the time to find out if you’d like a full account or semi-account takeover:

• Full account takeover: The visitor host has full management of your account for an agreed-upon timeframe (e.g., a day, 6 hours, a weekend).
• Semi-account takeover: The visitor host can put up to your feed, however you keep some management over different facets of the account. For instance, you may approve all content material earlier than it’s posted or schedule posts forward of time. Social media administration platforms like Sprout make it simple to plan and schedule Instagram posts.

You’re able to launch, however there’s another factor…

Selling your Instagram takeover

Along with your takeover able to launch, it’s time to start out selling it on Instagram and past. It will assist guarantee your followers are conscious of the Instagram takeover and get them excited in regards to the content material to come back.

Earlier than the day: Tease the takeover on Instagram and your different social media channels. Ship an electronic mail to your subscribers. Request the visitor host put up in regards to the takeover to their followers and group. It’s also possible to announce the takeover in your web site.

On the day of: Put up a photograph or video in your Instagram feed or Story to announce the beginning of the takeover and introduce the host. Be certain to make use of the takeover hashtag. The visitor host can repost this content material to their followers as properly.

After the day: Recap the takeover in your web site and share highlights on social media. You may even create an Instagram Tales Spotlight reel with one of the best posts from the takeover (your visitor host will probably need to do that too).

And, after all, you should definitely thank your host.

Measure your takeover’s success

After the mud settles, overview your takeover’s efficiency and consider metrics towards the established KPIs. Take a while to know what labored and what didn’t so you may optimize your takeover technique for subsequent time. Listed here are a number of key metrics to measure:

• Variety of new followers: Maintain observe of what number of new followers you gained through the takeover interval and evaluate this quantity to your common charge of progress.
• Put up engagement: Assessment your put up engagement (Likes, feedback, shares) to see if it elevated versus what’s typical in your account.
• Hashtag utilization and mentions: Assessment how usually your hashtag was used and see if you happen to can spot any patterns. Additionally, test for any new mentions of your model.
• Web site visitors: Examine your web site analytics to see if visitors elevated or visitors patterns modified.
• Web site conversions/signups: Did you see a spike in gross sales or a rise in conversion (e.g., e-newsletter signups)?

A social media administration software like Sprout can simplify marketing campaign measurement related to an Instagram takeover. Sprout supplies dashboard-style Instagram analytics that allow you to simply see put up efficiency, hashtag utilization, viewers engagement and extra.

Examples of Instagram takeovers

Now that you understand how to execute an Instagram takeover, try some examples from manufacturers which have achieved it properly.

Samantha Pollino’s Hamilton Musical takeover

In Could 2019, Samantha Pollino hosted an Instagram Story takeover on the official Hamilton Musical Instagram account. Pollino performed Lady 2 within the Phillip Firm manufacturing of the present. She did the takeover when the present was in Dallas, posting Story movies all through the day of behind-the-scenes footage. She used Story components, including hashtags, Instagram handles, stickers and music to her posts. She additionally engaged with followers—for instance, inviting them to ask questions which she promised to reply on Twitter.

Pollino has slightly below 21,000 followers on Instagram, so it is a nice instance of how an insider with a modest following can produce some participating and distinctive content material.

Penn Admissions scholar takeover

In 2019, the College of Pennsylvania Admissions division gave one in every of their scholar ambassador’s the keys to their Instagram Tales for a day. She recorded her day on campus as a UPenn scholar: strolling to class with buddies, having fun with a meal within the cafeteria and attending class. She even recorded one in every of her professors writing on a chalkboard.

The takeover supplies a short, however impactful, glimpse into the lifetime of a scholar at Penn, full with some compelling footage of the campus, lecture rooms and scholar areas.

Jessica Capshaw’s three hundredth episode takeover for Gray’s Anatomy

Many could know Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Roberts within the long-running ABC present Gray’s Anatomy. Capshaw took over the present’s official Instagram Tales to have fun the milestone three hundredth episode. This gave the present’s followers and followers a singular glimpse into the present’s manufacturing.

Capshaw’s posts included cameos from fellow solid members, a short highlight of the hair and make-up trailer, pictures of the solid and crew gathering in a eating space and plenty of extra insider treats.

Launch and handle Instagram takeovers with Sprout

Instagram takeovers present a robust method for companies to combine up their account’s content material, improve engagement and attain new audiences. Sprout is the proper software that can assist you plan, execute and measure your Instagram takeover. With Sprout, you may simply see put up efficiency, hashtag utilization and viewers engagement.

Obtain our Instagram for Manufacturers information and learn to construct a complete high-impact Instagram advertising technique.