Instagram Collaborations: How to Create Posts that Boost Discoverability

What Is an Instagram Collab Post?

Instagram recently introduced a new feature called Collab posts, which enables two accounts to collaborate and share a Feed post or Reel. The original author has the power to invite another account to be a collaborator or co-author, and together, they can publish the post from both accounts.

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This feature encourages creative collaboration between accounts, while also holding tremendous potential when used in conjunction with businesses, brands, and content creators.

How Do Instagram Collabs Work?

According to Instagram, when two accounts collaborate on a post, here’s what to expect:

• The names of both accounts will be prominently displayed in the post header, giving credit where it’s due.
• The post will be visible on both feeds and to all the accounts’ followers combined, ensuring that both audiences can see and interact with the content.
• Views, likes, and comments generated by the post will be accumulated from both accounts.

Who Can Become a Collaborator?

Anyone can work together on Instagram — brands, creators, and regular people alike — whether they have a private or public account. And with Instagram’s latest update, you can invite and add up to 20 collaborators to your posts. 

What’s the Difference Between Tag and Collaboration?

The primary difference between Tag and Collaboration is that the latter is a more mutually beneficial interaction. 

Imagine your company partners with a well-known influencer. The influencer creates a post about your partnership and tags your business. However, only their account’s followers will see the post. For the influencer’s followers to access your content, they have to tap on the post and then follow the tag. This two-step process could be inconvenient for some.  

If you decide to repost the influencer’s post, you’ll duplicate the same content, essentially competing against yourself for user engagement.

On the other hand, if you collaborate through Instagram’s collaboration feature, both your username and the influencer’s will be displayed above the shared post, which means that you’ll both benefit from the collaboration. 

Why Use Instagram Collab Posts?

You can use the Instagram collab feature to:

• A. Increase discoverability
• B. Boost engagement
• C. Reduce duplicated content
• D. Provide the ultimate social proof
• E. Create content you don’t have to work on
• F. Combine forces with other brands
• G. Increase sales from Instagram shopping

A. Increase Discoverability

The Instagram Collab feature allows creators to tap into each other’s audiences, introducing their respective followers to new content. This boosted exposure can lead to increased followers, engagement, and, ultimately, an enhanced ability to be discovered by a wider audience of like-minded people.

For businesses, tapping into another user’s followers helps them present their products and services to potential buyers they would not be able to reach otherwise.

B. Boost Engagement

More users coming in contact with your content means that they are more likely to interact with it. Even if you and your collaborator share a similar target audience, chances are there’s a significant amount of their followers are different from yours. 

C. Reduce Duplicated Content

Co-authored content helps brands and creators to effortlessly distribute the same post, without the need for redundant reposts. 

What’s even better is that the shared analytics feature lets you assess the performance of the post or Reel without having to bother your collaborator for screenshots of insights. 

D. Provide the Ultimate Social Proof

In 2023, a trend that’s gaining a lot of traction is UGC (user-generated content), with millennials trusting UGC 50% more than the content generated by the brands. 

Genuine testimonials from real customers who vouch for your products and services hold great value in the eyes of potential customers. Moreover, UGC content is important for building a strong foundation of trust and promoting brand transparency between you and your followers.

E. Create Content You Don’t Have to Work On

Creating content is always a good idea, but it can also be refreshing to let someone else contribute to your social media calendar. 

Collaborations on Instagram alleviate the pressure of constantly having to brainstorm and create new posts from scratch. Your collaborator can provide ideas that might not have crossed your mind otherwise, which can lead to more fresh and diverse content.

F. Combine Forces With Other Brands

Brands have been partnering up in the physical realm for a long time, but with Instagram Collabs, they can accomplish even greater results in the digital world. 

When brands — especially smaller ones — pour their resources into creating joint promotional campaigns, they generate higher exposure levels, which can spark more engagement from their audiences.

G. Increase Sales from Instagram Shopping

If you’ve already started using shoppable posts, imagine the possibilities of combining that feature with a collaborative post! Not only can you take advantage of the benefits mentioned earlier but you also have a higher chance of converting those who stumble upon your posts into actual buyers.

How to Create a Collab Post on Instagram

If you’re ready to give Instagram co-authored posts a try, you might be wondering how to create one. Don’t worry, the process is fairly simple. 

Here is what you need to know before creating an Instagram collaboration post:

• You can only invite collaborators before you publish the post.
• The original author’s account settings will apply to the post since they’re the post’s primary author. 
• The person who initially created the post can make edits, but the collaborator cannot.
• Collaborators need to accept the invitation to share the post on their own feed.
• Collaborators can choose to stop sharing the post whenever they want.

Let’s break down the process of creating an Instagram collab!

How to Create an Instagram Collab Feed Post:

1. To start, launch the Instagram app and click on the plus sign located at the bottom of your screen. From there, select the Post option from the bottom right corner.
2. Next, pick what type of content you want to share on your post: a single picture, a collection of photos, or a video.
3. Once you have your content ready, add a caption to go along with it and tap on the Tag People option on the post details menu.
4. Now, it’s time to invite a collaborator to join your post. Simply tap on the Invite Collaborator button.
5. Type in the username of the person you want to collaborate with, and once their account pops up in the list, tap on it.
6. To ensure the collab tag is in the right spot, you can adjust its placement on the post by dragging it around. When you’re happy with it, hit Done.
7. Lastly, take a moment to make any additional settings for your post and when you’re done, tap on the Share button to make it go live.

Voila, you have just created your first Instagram collaborative post!

How to Create an Instagram Collab in Reels:

1. Launch the Instagram app and tap on the Create button in the top right corner of the screen. From the available options, select Reel.
2. You can either create a new reel or select a pre-existing video from your library to add to the collaboration.
3. Be sure to include a catchy caption to engage your audience. If you want to tag collaborators, tap on Tag People, enter their username in the search bar, and select their account.
4. Once you’re satisfied with everything, tap on Done.
5. Complete any additional settings or edits you wish to make to your Reel, and then press Share.

Congratulations! Your collaboration post is now published. As soon as you hit the Share button, your collaborator will receive an invite notification. If the account accepts, the post or reel will be visible in their feed, and their username will be prominently displayed next to yours.

How to Accept Invitations to a Collab Instagram Post

Here’s how to accept an Instagram collaboration invitation from another user:

1. Click on the notification you receive in your Activity Page. This will take you to the post, where you’ll see a message saying: “@user invited you to be a collaborator on their post.”
2. Look for the blue Review button next to the message and tap on it. A window with the option to either accept or decline the invitation will pop up.
3.  Choose Accept and you’re all set. You’ve successfully accepted the Instagram Collab request. From now on, you’ll be listed as a post-author. The post will also be visible on your profile and to your followers.

Collaborating Efficiently on Instagram: Using Management Tools

On Instagram, where content is king and collaborations hold immense potential, brands are often confronted with the challenge of managing multiple threads of communication, content approval, and team roles. 

This is where social media management tools like SocialBee shine, streamlining collaboration for effective content creation on platforms like Instagram.

Manage all your content creation, publishing, and collaborations efficiently from SocialBee.

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Here’s why you should consider SocialBee for your collaboration needs, for both your team and your partners:

• Efficiency: Imagine a scenario where a partner needs swift content approvals before a campaign launch. With features like internal notes and content approval, SocialBee reduces the review process to just a few minutes.
• Unified platform: If you’re a brand collaborating with an influencer for a month-long campaign. Instead of juggling content, notes, and cloud storage, performance analytics, everything – from content drafts to results – can be managed on a single dashboard.
• Workspaces: A digital agency representing multiple clients can easily blur lines between campaigns. Workspaces allow for compartmentalization, ensuring that the content for Brand A doesn’t mistakenly go live under Brand B’s profile.
• Roles & permissions: SocialBee’s hierarchical roles, from Owner to Contributor, ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities and has access to a specific set of permissions. 

Remember, a successful Instagram strategy isn’t just about content; it’s about cohesion. And with tools like SocialBee, brands find that sweet spot where efficiency meets teamwork.