To create and maintain a popular online social media campaign, it is important to consistently post top-quality, innovative, and intriguing content. Instagram Story takeovers are a great strategy to add to your social media toolbox.
An Instagram takeover is when a user or brand takes control of another user’s Instagram account for a specific period to post their own content.
It’s a win-win strategy because both brands or people get exposure and can expand your company’s Instagram account with fresh and engaging posts with user-generated content. The hosted account can also tap into a new audience.
Are you looking to boost your Instagram following and engage with a new audience? Consider hosting an Instagram takeover on your account! As a digital marketing agency, we know the importance of consistently posting high-quality content on social media channels. Instagram takeovers are a great addition to your social media toolbox for a successful Instagram account takeover.
To put it simply for now before I go into further detail on examples and the ins and outs of an IG story takeover let’s look at what it is.
Get ready to give your brand a major boost with Instagram story takeovers! These takeovers will not only increase your organic awareness and engagement, but they'll also drive conversions and inject some major energy into your Instagram account.
Did I say It’s a total win win…
There is no doubt about it the boost of excitement among your Instagram followers is a great way to give your Instagram account a shot of energy and momentum.
When you host an Instagram story takeover its thrilling! It rejuvenates your social media campaign for your business or brand that otherwise could be getting a bit humdrum by just by introducing a fresh perspective from anyone. It could be a star, an influencer, an employee or just a fan anybody really.
So What Is an Instagram Story Takeover Really About?
In a nutshell, an Instagram Story takeover is when you give someone an influencer, brand, customer, team member, follower or a fan or anyone for that matter a temporary total control of your Instagram app account. What they will do is simply share content, engage and give a fresh perspective behind you, your business or brand. Its highly effective and engaging not to mention fun!
Yes, you will need to share your login credentials but it’s worth it….
Who Can You Choose To Take Over Your Instagram Story?
Depending on how much of a risk-taker you are, you can choose a celebrity, influencer, customers, partners or one of your employees to take over your brand’s Instagram account and to post on their own personal social media accounts. For example, an employee can organize a “behind-the-scenes” Story to show your target audience what the job involves. When an employee takes over the account, you can figure out any problems, which must be dealt with before you externalize the takeover. It’ll help streamline the process. But the further away you move from what’s familiar to you, the more you should restrict permissions on your account during takeovers.
Here is a bit of media to watch on an Instagram story in the news.
Why Does It Work?
An Instagram story takeover effectiveness comes down to the age-old art of storytelling. And online content creation is not different it just has led to a new method of interactivity.
It takes talent and skill to capture a story within a timeframe of 10 seconds. But those who manage to summarize their story and message make a powerful positive influence on their target audience and their brand.
Instagram Story Takeover Ideas. So Where to Start
Who Can You Work Together With For An Instagram Takeover?
To connect with other brands, you can send a direct message to the marketing department, a cold call or email, or just try to reach out with the contact form on the company’s website. But you should make sure that the businesses or influencer you reach out to fits your message and brand image. To sign a collaboration deal, you should prove that you can generate high results through innovative Stories.
Here are the six instagram takeover guidelines and examples:
1.) Choose your guest poster
When choosing the right fit, you should consider the fact that takeovers should provide a 50/50 value exchange for your business and the other party. The poster can be a person or another brand. Consider a: Company or brand, Business partner, Industry Influencer, Team member, Employee, Customer, or Community member when choosing your guest poster.
2.) Set the ground rules
Establishing clear goals and expectations is crucial when planning an Instagram takeover, especially if it is a full account takeover. To ensure a successful takeover, consider including the following information in your guidelines: length of the takeover, type of content, frequency of Instagram posts, any required or suggested hashtags, and any off-limit topics. Additionally, decide whether you will be hosting a full or partial account takeover. By following these steps, you can ensure a smooth and successful Instagram takeover.
3.) Generate buzz
It’s a good idea to promote the takeover beforehand, especially if you have a big-name influencer. You should introduce your guest poster before, so your followers aren’t confused during the takeover.
4.) Launch and monitor
To ensure the success of your Instagram takeover, it is important to have a team member dedicated to managing comments, feedback, and posting to other social media channels. While it can be more authentic to have the guest poster respond to comments, it is crucial to have someone else managing the account in case of any negative feedback or questions. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth and successful Instagram takeover.
5.) Wrap it up and analyze
Be sure to make it clear to your followers once the takeover has ended. Once it is over with, analyzing metrics such as views, likes, comments, direct messages, mentions, etc. will give you an understanding of how successful the takeover was.
6.) Rinse, revise and repeat
When used properly, Instagram takeovers are a great marketing opportunity as it is a chance to establish business partnerships while giving your followers fun content.
Here is some more info on Instagram Takeovers, read about how to create your own Instagram takeover strategy
Apply Our 7-Step Cheat Sheet (Instagram Takeover Template) For Instagram Stories Takeovers
Step 1) Establish Permissions
Before launching an Instagram takeover, it is important to establish account permissions. Decide whether you will allow full access to your account or if you prefer to confirm each post before it goes live.
There are several options for setting permissions. If you trust the guest poster, you can disclose your Instagram password. Even if the Instagram story content is already created, you must add tags at the time of publishing when posting an Instagram Story or to your Instagram feed.
If you go Live on Instagram, you can also organize a joint Live session. In addition to the standard setup provided by Instagram, you can also use a third-party program to manage access efficiently from start to finish or automate the approval process.
Step 2) Align Goals and Targets
To increase your takeover’s success, your business goals should match those of the takeover person. It’s a win-win scenario. For example, if you own an consultancy business, you could organize a takeover with one of the industry leaders who share your brand’s goals and values.
Users will interact with the respective leader and use the takeover’s specific hashtag to engage in conversations. The strategy works because it’s mutually beneficial. And it’s a highly interactive approach, which adds more value to your account than standard posts.
Step 3) Promotion to Attract Interest
When it comes to promoting your takeover, you should have an opening post and a closing post. This way, you’ll define the beginning and finish of your takeover event. And if you’re only including your Stories in the takeover, you could use other content options for its promotion. You could start endorsing the takeover a week before it starts. It’ll build anticipation and increase engagement.
But you can also promote your takeover by posting videos on your Insta grid. Or leverage the capabilities of Instagram Live and direct messaging. Also, with Instagram ads, you can push your promotion passed your followers. And you should create a branded hashtag so people can easily identify your takeover.
Step 4) Showcase a Normal Day in Your Life
If you decide to showcase a day in your life, you should show users what it’s like to be you, don’t just tell them. Introduce yourself in the first post and use your Instagram handle. When you start posting, you can include interviews, offer tips as evidence of your expertise, and welcome questions from your followers.
For example, you can start your Story by showing what time you wake up in the morning to start hustling. By providing real information such as the unglamorous side of being an entrepreneur, you’ll increase the Story’s engagement rates. That’s because authenticity strengthens your brand’s connection to your target audience.
Step 5) Create a Unique Experience
Considering that around 300 million Stories are posted on Instagram every day, to achieve increased engagement rates, you should create unique experiences for your followers. For example, you could shoot Stories in exceptional locations such as ice caves or blue lagoons, to give your videos a unique style, which the brand’s audience would appreciate. Use the photos and videos you’ve created and set up intriguing Stories to announce the launch of the product you’re promoting.
Step 6) Use Instagram’s Tools
You can increase reach and engagement by being creative with Instagram hashtags and “@” handles. To reach a larger audience during your Story, you should use geotags, around six hashtags, and tag people so you’re sure they see the posts. And, to make the Story entertaining, you can use a variety of filters for selfies and videos, organize a poll, add emojis, and produce top-quality Instagram story content to establish a strong connection with your prospects.
Step 7 ) End It with a Bang!
Once you reach the end of your Story takeover, you should include a call-to-action. For the best results, you should use an innovative strategy. For example, you can ask your followers to continue the Story themselves and organize a competition for the best ending. And if you can access the Swipe Up Instagram feature, you can include a link to your profile or website.
Also, because you took over another business’s account, you should provide the owner with relevant data concerning the event such as the number of views and screenshots, how many people watched the Stories during the takeover, and the percentage of increase in new followers.
The Wrap Up
If you test different techniques of Instagram Stories takeovers, you can pinpoint trends and monitor performance rates, which will help you create winning strategies. Successful Instagram Stories include a mix of top-quality content, exciting interaction. And they’re an innovative method to grow your accounts reach and engagement rates. As a surprise factor, you can invite a celebrity for an interview during one of your Stories. You should always be open to providing new and unique experiences for your target audience.
