The benefits of brands partnering with celebrities to carry their messaging further has been at the forefront of branded marketing for decades. And now, finally, Instagram has unveiled "Collabs," a tool that allows simultaneous posting of content on both a brand's page and the celebrities page allowing for both audiences to be served the content at the same time. It feels like this tool is something the platform should have offered all along but alas, hindsight is 20/20.
“Collabs” works for both Instagram feed posts and reels and allows for both the brand and the influencer to co-author the post. In short, for brands, this is an entirely new way to reach new audiences faster and more efficiently. Each post also combines the shared views, likes and comments from both the brand post and the influencer post allowing you to leverage and engage with each other's communities.
But here’s the trick to making it perform well: you must ensure that the content is an authentic fit for the branded page and the influencer page. An authentic alliance between the two is a goal for all branded content but it’s especially important in the case of “Collabs.”
This works particularly well with educational content that drives positive change or with brand awareness for new products and features. Posts that have exciting updates or big announcements, such as a tour kickoff, new partnership or new product launch can truly benefit from utilizing “Collabs.”
So how does it work? First, you need to check and see if your brand page has access to “Collabs.” It’s rolling out across Instagram currently but not everyone has access to the feature yet. Once you do, you’ll be able to send requests to collaborate on feeds and reels to influencers. Then, you will simply upload your content and tag and invite your collaborator, who will receive a notification to approve the post. Once approved, it can go live right away and you can watch the post’s engagement climb! It’s as simple as that!
Our client, Optimo Cigars, recently found success using Instagram Collabs to co-post with legendary rapper Jadakiss as part of their "Step Up Your Game: Biggie Inspires" series. See the content on Optimo's Instagram page HERE.
BONUS:
Instagram also now allows for posting from your desktop, instead of only on mobile, and you can also schedule Instagram Lives for the first time ever.