With over a billion active users every month, Instagram is one of the biggest platforms for a brand to build a relationship with its customers. In fact, we at InVideo also leverage our Instagram channel to make video creation easier for our audience.
If you want to:
- Increase brand awareness and recognition
- Grow your Instagram followers
- Find new customers
- Boost sales
- Create a community
Then this guide to Instagram promotions is for you.
In this blog, you’ll learn exactly how the Instagram promotion feature works and we will also show you how to create thumb-stopping videos to promote your brand using InVideo’s online editor. Make sure to check out our Instagram channel to get an understanding of how these videos can help elevate your brand’s online presence.
Here’s what we will be covering:
(1) What are Instagram Promotions?
(2) How do Instagram Promotions work?
(3) Best practices to promote Instagram posts
(4) Types of posts to promote on Instagram
(5) Bonus - How to create thumb-stopping IG videos to promote your brand
Let’s get started!
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Instagram Promotions is a feature that allows you to convert regular Instagram posts, stories or highlights into sponsored ones for a fee. Such posts typically look similar to organic feed posts or stories, but can be identified by the “Sponsored” tag that appears below the Instagram handle.
You can also add a call to action that’s clickable for feed posts or has a swipe-up option for stories. You can set a budget and the duration of the promotion, and choose your target audience for your boosted post based on factors such as location, demographic, interests. Many businesses use Instagram Promotions to make their content more visible and reach a wider audience than what their current following is.
While both features are used to increase brand visibility and engagement, here are the key differences between Instagram Promotions and Instagram Ads.
Instagram Promotions can only be used to boost the visibility of an existing post or story on your feed via the Instagram app. This is similar to the “Boost Post” feature on Facebook.
Instagram Ads must be created and posted from Facebook Ad Manager.
Instagram Promotions allows you to select your target audience based on age, location and broad interests.
Instagram Ads offer more detailed options to refine your target audience, with multiple sub-categories under behaviours, interests and other demographics.
In this section, we’ll cover exactly how to promote an Instagram post and an Instagram story. Before we begin, keep in mind the Instagram promotions feature is only available to business accounts. So, if you don’t already have a business account, create one before proceeding.
You can also convert your existing Instagram account into a business account with the following steps:
Step 1: Log onto the Instagram app and go to your profile by tapping on the profile icon on the bottom right.
Step 2: Click on the three bars on the top right.
Next, click on “Settings”.
Step 3: Click on “Account” and scroll to the bottom of the page. Then click “Switch to professional account” and follow the prompts to finish setting up your business account.
You can select any post from your feed to promote, but the best strategy is to choose from among your top performing posts. Then, follow the steps below:
Log onto the Instagram app and go to your Instagram profile by tapping on the profile icon on the bottom right. Then tap on “Promotions”.
The app will automatically suggest one of your top performing posts to promote. You can go with this suggestion, or tap “Choose a post” to select a post of your choice from your feed. Once you’ve chosen the post you wish to promote, click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) at the top right corner to proceed.
Select your goal from the options listed.
If you want people to see more of your content and follow you, select “More Profile Visits”.
If you wish to direct people to your website, select “More Website Visits”. You will then be given the option to add your website URL and an appropriate call to action to your post.
If your business provides a service and you wish to generate more enquiries from potential customers through direct messages, select “More Messages”.
Then, click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) at the top right corner to proceed to the next step.
Next, select your target audience for your promoted post. If you choose “Automatic”, your post will be targeted at people who match the profiles of your current followers.
Alternatively, you can customise your target audience based on location, age, gender and interests by selecting the “Create Your Own” option.
When you’re done, click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) at the top right corner to proceed.
Toggle the sliders to choose the amount of money you wish to spend to promote your post (Budget) and the length of time the promotion will run (Duration). Click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) at the top right corner to proceed.
In this final step, you will be able to review your post. If your business account has not been linked to a Facebook business page, you will have to add a payment method in the “Payment” section before you’re able to proceed. Next, select “Create Promotion” and you’re done!
Once you’ve created a promotion, your post will be labelled as “Under review”. You will receive a notification in your Activity Feed once your promotion has been approved by Instagram. Once the promotion begins running, you can use the Promotions button on your post to view insights into how it is performing.
You can promote active stories and stories that have been featured in your highlights or archived. However, keep in mind that you can use only certain tappable elements such as hashtags, mentions, polls and location tags. Stories with GIFs, emojis, music and other such elements are not eligible for Instagram promotions.
Follow the steps below:
Log onto the Instagram app. Tap on your profile picture to access your story. Then tap on the three dots on the bottom right and select “Promote”.
If you wish to promote an older or archived Instagram story, go to your profile and tap on the three bars on the top right. Select “Archive” from the drop down menu to access your archived stories.
Select your goal from the options listed. You can choose whether you’d like to generate more profile visits, direct people to your website or encourage more enquiries from potential customers through direct messages.
Click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) at the top right corner to proceed to the next step.
Next, select your target audience for your promoted story. If you choose “Automatic”, your post will be targeted at people who match the profiles of your current followers. You can also customise your target audience based on location, age, gender and interests by selecting “Create Your Own”. When you’re done, click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) in the top right corner to proceed.
Toggle the sliders to select the amount of money you wish to spend to promote your Instagram story(Budget) and the length of time the promotion will run (Duration). Next, click the ➔ icon (Android) or “Next” (iOS) in the top right corner.
In this final step, you will be able to review your Instagram Story promotion.
If your business account has not been linked to a Facebook business page, you will have to add a payment method in the “Payment” section before you’re able to proceed. Next, select “Create Promotion” to complete the process.
Your Instagram Story promotion will run once it has been reviewed and approved by Instagram. The active story on your profile will disappear after 24 hours. However, it will still run as a promoted story for the duration that you have set.
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Now that you know how to promote a post or story on Instagram, here’s a look at some actionable strategies to make the most out of your Instagram promotions.
On social media, you’re competing against a barrage of content for a user’s attention.
You have only a few seconds to grab a customer’s attention—if they cannot relate to your content, they will just scroll past your post without a second thought. This is why it’s vital for your Instagram feed to be relevant to both your brand and your target customers. Etsy is a great example of how to tailor your content to your buyer’s persona. The brand appeals to crafters, those interested in home decor, and DIY-ers by showcasing a mix of art, craft and home improvement tutorials, eye-catching items purchasable from its website, and interviews with Etsy sellers that create a personal connection with the audience.
When selecting an Instagram post from your feed to promote, choose one that is already doing well with your audience. Such posts have a greater chance of benefiting from a wider reach and grabbing the attention of more users. The Instagram Insights feature, which is accessible from your business profile, can help you identify past posts that have got the most engagement, and give you an understanding of what kind of content works for your audience demographics.
Sponsored posts similar to content that has performed well in the past are more likely to do well.
When promoting a post, include a CTA directing users to take a particular action such as purchasing your products, visiting your website, or sending in queries via direct message. This can increase conversions from the post.
Instagram offers an automatic audience targeting function that promotes a post to users who fit the demographics of your current followers. However, customising each metric manually allows greater control over who will see your post. You can determine your target audience based on location, age, gender and interests by selecting the “Create Your Own” option. This is also useful when you wish to reach a new audience whose demographics may differ from that of your followers.
Instagram’s algorithm favours accounts that post consistently—at least once each day.
The more consistently you update your feed, the more likely you are to gain organic reach, which will also help your sponsored posts perform well. As you post more content, it’s also important to analyse their performance to determine what kind of content works best with your followers. You can also experiment with publishing posts at different times to figure out the ideal time to post for maximum engagement.
When you’re starting out, promote a few different types of posts and analyse their engagement. This will help you identify the type of promoted posts that are most likely to give you the best response. For example, you might experiment with different aesthetics, such as a standalone image post, a video post or a text-based post to see what gets your audience’s attention.
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If you’re looking for inspiration to get started, we’ve got you! Read on for some ideas on the best kind of Instagram posts to promote to grow your business.
If your goal is to boost sales, consider promoting an Instagram post that showcases your best selling products or one that introduces a new product launch. Remember to use clear, eye-catching images to make your products the focus of your post. You could also use some of InVideo’s product templates to create a scroll-stopping video in minutes. Finally, include a CTA with a clickable link directing users to make a purchase or visit your website to view more.
Check out this example of a completely customisable product post template for a beverage brand that can be an ideal fit for promotions signup here.
According to statistics from Instagram, 50% of users are more interested in a brand after seeing an ad for it on Instagram. Promoting posts that introduce your business and its services can help familiarise potential new customers with your company and build brand recognition. If you’re looking to create an eye-catching promo video for your brand, InVideo has tons of templates plus a super intuitive video editor to help you get started.
This template advertising a beauty product delivery service is a great example of how you can create a snappy, engaging video to let customers know more about your brand.
Check it out here or browse through more brand promo video templates here.
Posts announcing an event or a sale are a no brainer when it comes to Instagram promotions. This will help get the word out and could increase your chances of having people sign up for your event or purchase items that are on sale. It’s important to add a clear CTA indicating where users can sign up, buy tickets or view the products that are on sale. Don’t forget to add important details such as the time, date and venue in your post. For example, this Fall clothing sale template informs viewers about the event and includes a CTA at the end.
Click here to use this template or choose from over 200 sales templates here.
People tend to trust brands recommended by others, and who doesn’t love a freebie? Leverage this by running a contest or giveaway on your Instagram feed and asking your existing follower base to tag a friend in order to be eligible for the prize.
This can be a good way to grow your following for free. You can also increase engagement by asking your followers to like, save or share your post.
The freelancing platform Upwork, for instance, held a contest asking followers to share their freelancing success stories using the hashtag #UpworkSuccess, with a $1000 visa gift card as the prize. The entries not only helped create audience engagement but also served as positive testimonials to the company's services.
The Instagram Stories feature allows you to post vertical images and videos (of up to 15 seconds). You can also add links that users can view by swiping up on a story, a useful tool since feed posts do not support clickable links. Unlike Instagram posts, which can get buried in your feed, they appear at the top of every user’s Instagram home page. While feed posts are shown based on an algorithm, Stories are shown chronologically, which means they can be leveraged for top of the mind recall.
Since each Story only stays on your profile for 24 hours, you have the freedom to experiment with different kinds of content and don’t have to worry about sticking to a particular aesthetic. You can use Instagram Stories to promote posts from your feed, share behind-the-scenes action with customers, interact with users through polls and question stickers, and much more. If you want to save your Stories for longer, you can add them to your profile as Highlights.
Did you know one-third of the most viewed Instagram Stories are from businesses? With Instagram Story templates from InVideo, you can create some unique, eye-catching Stories for your brand even if you’re a complete beginner. If you need further inspiration, we’ve put together 51 Instagram Story ideas to get started with.
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Tying up with influencers to promote your brand can give you access to a wider reach, open up your business to new followers, boost brand recognition, and generate sales.
Promoting Instagram posts featuring influencer collaborations could help you reach an even wider audience and get more engagement from users who might be familiar with the influencer and therefore be prompted to click on your post.
However, when choosing an influencer to collaborate with, remember, it’s not just about the follower count. It’s also important to work with somebody whose values are in sync with those of your brand and whose followers match the demographics of your target customers.
For example, H&M recently collaborated with models and body positivity advocates Nouri Hassan and Paloma Elsesser to promote their new range of swimwear under their #ComeBackStronger campaign.
Now that you know how to promote an Instagram post or story, we’re also going to show you how to create awesome, scroll-stopping videos to share. With the super intuitive, and easy to use video editor from InVideo, you can add text, choose from a media library of 8M+ royalty-free video clips, royalty-free music and sound-effects, and edit your video in minutes, even if you’re a complete beginner!
Just follow the steps below.
Log onto Invideo.io. Select “Premade Templates” to choose from our library of 5000+ handcrafted templates and customise them for your brand. If you wish to start from scratch, select “Blank Canvas”.
Next, scroll down to choose your video’s aspect ratio. Wide (16:9) and Square (1:1) are ideal for feed posts while Vertical (9:16) is a good option for Instagram stories.
If you selected “Premade Templates”, scroll down and click on a template of your choice. Then click “Use this template” to start editing.
If you selected “Blank Canvas”, click “Make a video” to begin editing your video.
You can edit the existing text in the template and customise the images and colour palette by selecting the corresponding options on the “Layers” panel on the right.
Click on the “Video” or “Image” icons on the left to add more stock photos and footage to your video if you wish. If you want to upload your own photos or videos, click “Uploads”.
Add music from the InVideo audio library by selecting the “Music” icon on the left. You can also choose to retain the music that comes built-in with the template as indicated in the bottom scene panel.
When you are happy with the results, click on the “Download & Share” button on the top right to save your video.
That’s it! You’re all set with the best strategies to promote your Instagram account.
If you’re serious about growing on Instagram and creating engaging videos, sign up for a free account on InVideo and access over 5000+ templates that allow you to make thumb-stopping videos in minutes!
For more expert tips on how to ace Instagram marketing for your business, check out our ultimate guide to leveraging Instagram to grow your business here.
It’s time to rethink how to promote your Instagram account.
Why now? Because the platform’s rapid evolution and growth mean that what worked in the past isn’t going to score you the same sort of engagement today.
Based on recent Instagram stats, the visual space is becoming more and more crowded with brands fighting tooth and nail for more customers.
As a result, it quite literally pays for brands to have as many tactics as possible to promote Instagram to their target audience.
In this guide, we’ve broken down 13 totally actionable ways to do exactly that. From optimizing your posts and profile to rethinking your approach to content promotion, any combination of these tips are fair game when it comes to Instagram promotion.
There’s no shortage of Instagram content you can publish to fill up your feed.
Customer photos.
Memes. Bite-sized videos.
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s available to you.
To figure out what performs the best among your audience, you’re going to need to experiment. That means ramping up your content production and posting more frequently.
Publishing to Instagram at least once a day is within the platform’s best practices. Heck, major brands like TopShop and H&M post up to three times per day (if not more often).
As you roll out more content, it’s crucial to squeeze more engagement out of your following by understanding the best times to post on Instagram.
And speaking of which, that’s also why Instagram Stories are so valuable. Off-the-cuff content via Stories essentially allows you to “skip the line” and appear front-and-center in people’s feeds. Not only that, but you can freely post Story after Story without worrying about spamming your fans.
The takeaway here is that Instagram moves much quicker than it did a year or two ago in terms of content.
Brands should ramp up if they want to keep up. To create content that your audience will love, make sure you have a comprehensive strategy in place and are using data to create more successful content. Download our Instagram marketing strategy guide to learn more.
The effort it takes to snag the perfect snapshot and craft a clever caption isn’t something that should go to waste.
Cross-posting your content to other social platforms is a no-brainer to get even more of an ROI out of your Instagram presence.
For example, you can promote your Instagram content across the likes of Facebook and Twitter to maximize your content’s reach.
Although cross-promotion is a smart move, bear in mind that each social platform has its own best practices. For example, Instagram tends to go heavier on the hashtags while you might want to craft a slightly different description for images posted to Facebook.
Sound time-consuming? It doesn’t have to be.
Sprout Social’s Asset Library enables you to store images, videos and text in a centralized location for use across multiple social networks. Quickly find, edit and publish directly from the Asset Library to deliver engaging posts that are tailored to whatever network you’re using.
And don’t forget to make your job even easier by using scheduling and publishing tools.
Ana Laura Montaño González
Community Manager
Sprout’s Optimal Send Times simplifies things further by scheduling content to post at the times most likely to generate engagement from your audience.
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Although Instagram is a place to score sales, it is still first and foremost a place to share experiences.
The popularity of selfies on Instagram speaks for itself, as does customer photos and pictures of people using products in real-world settings.
Much of the appeal of Instagram is that brands are capable of advertising in a more human way without bombarding followers with messages that scream “BUY NOW!”
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A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks)
And on a related note, this is exactly why user-generated content such as customer photos are such a goldmine for brands. Not only do folks on the ‘gram love it when brands shout them out, but customer photos represent marketing firepower that proves that people dig your products.
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A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks)
But in order to spot and curate user-generated content for your feed, you’re going to need to understand how hashtags can help you promote your Instagram.
And that leads us to our next point.
Brands both big and small should create a hashtag to encourage sharing and promotion on behalf of their followers. Doing so doesn’t have to be rocket science, either.
For example, Ernie Ball displays their #iplayslinky and #colorsofrocknroll hashtags loud and clear in their bio.
In turn, they use the tag to promote their own posts in addition to thousands of loyal fans promoting the brand organically.
See how that works?
Beyond your own hashtags, you should try to promote your Instagram using more general, community hashtags specific to your industry such as #6strings (music) or #unicornhair (beauty). Tacking on extra tags essentially makes your posts searchable by tag-followers and instantly increases your reach.
As noted in our guide detailing how to use hashtags across every social network, engagement peaks at approximately nine hashtags. Although you can certainly use less (or more), the takeaway here is that you should at the very least add something.
Don’t forget to take advantage of hashtag analytics tools. Sprout lets you track and analyze hashtag performance to find out what’s resonating with audiences and optimize usage.
And with Sprout’s Advanced Listening, you can move beyond quantitative data to find qualitative insights related to hashtags, allowing you to fully understand campaign performance and measure share of voice. Additionally, you can identify related hashtags to dive deeper into the brand-relevant conversations consumers are having on social.
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Tagging is a surprisingly effective way to promote your Instagram.
And no, we’re not just talking about hashtags.
For example, you can tag other brands and accounts in hopes of a shout-out yourself. Given that notifications ping anyone who receives them, relevant tags are a subtle way to encourage promotion.
Likewise, it’s both courtesy and within Instagram’s best practices to tag anyone you might be regramming.
Chances are they’ll be thrilled to be featured in your feed and will share the news with their own followers.
Don’t forget to tag locations, too! For example, if you have a physical location for your business or regularly attends events, location-specific posts allow you to explore new potential fans and followers.
When it comes to ads, what better billboards than your own customers?
Featuring Instagram content on-site is a brilliant way to increase conversions. Why? Because when people see purchased products in real-world settings, they know that the brand in question has satisfied customers. Consumers can better visualize and understand a product for themselves when they see it “in the wild.”
Thus the rise of lookbooks and brands featuring user-generated content on product pages. For example, Casper uses an Instagram slideshow on-site to show off their satisfied sleepers.
Of course, this all circles back to the need to promote your Instagram hashtag.
In addition to their Instagram bio, #TopShopStyle is plastered across the brand’s site and marketing emails to increase their tag’s exposure. The end result is more user-generated content and people promoting TopShop organically.
Creativity counts on Instagram.
Having some sort of niche or theme is a great way to both inspire your Instagram content and make yourself stand out from the crowd.
For example, Yeti is known for its feed full of high-res photos of the outdoors featuring adventures enjoying their products.
Meanwhile, oVertone boasts a bold color-coded feed based on whichever shade of their product their currently promoting.
If you’re stumped as to what your creative trademark should be, don’t sweat it. There are tons of Instagram apps (such as VSCO) which can help you add some creative flair to your photos. By using consistent gradients, colors and filters, you can make your feed feel more, well, you.
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A post shared by VSCO (@vsco)
As we mentioned earlier, Instagram benefits from being a platform where brands can essentially publish ads without shoving them in their followers’ faces.
Enter the rise of influencer marketing.
Simply put, influencer marketing entails a paid relationship with another Instagram account with a sizeable, engaged follower count. Influencers’ audiences should ideally mirror your own or allow you to tap into a new sect of users that you’re trying to reach.
Influencers are akin to ads in the sense that the relationship does indeed cost money. However, finding the right influencer can be an incredibly cost-effective way to both sell products and grow your following.
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A post shared by HELEN BERKUN (@helen_berkun)
Brands can spot influencers through hashtags and manual searching, or you can try Instagram analytics tools such as Tapinfluence or search an in-depth database related to your business.
Remember: when identifying influencers, just make sure they have a following that actually engages with their content. Engagement rate calculators such as this one from Phlanx can help give you peace of mind about any influencers in question.
This is a simple tip but is definitely something worth mentioning. And it relates to that other kind of Instagram promotion – the one with fun giveaways or sale items and can be incredibly valuable for your brand when done well.
So when you promote your Instagram in these instances, it’s crucial to present your content as must-see.
Instagram thrives on anything and everything “new.” Anything you can do to create a sense of hype is a major point in your favor.
For example, check out how Glossier hypes up their much-requested eye cream by surprising their followers a day before it drops.
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A post shared by Glossier (@glossier)
Uniqlo publishes hype-heavy Instagram promotions and content, including calls-to-action for followers to check out their exclusive merch.
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A post shared by UNIQLO Global (@uniqlo)
Pinup Girl also does a great job of highlighting why their products rock and allows their brand voice to shine through in the process.
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A post shared by Pinup Girl Clothing (@pinupgirlclothing)
As a rule of thumb, think “so what” before you hit “publish” for your promotions on Instagram. Doing so will ultimately encourage you to write more compelling captions.
10. Run a contest or giveawayHere’s some food for thought: brands that run contests grow their followings 70% faster than those that don’t.
You might notice that many brands’ contest and giveaway-related posts receive insane amounts of engagement and that’s no accident. Done correctly, social media contests can result in followers and fans although they can also attract freebie-chasers. We recommend running a one-time contest promotion on Instagram to test the waters and determine whether or not contests are something you want to try for the long-term.
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A post shared by Birchbox US (@birchbox)
As you work through how to promote Instagram to new fans and followers, “looking the part” is essential.
This also applies to brands looking to attract more attention organically.
Let’s take a look at what makes an optimized Instagram profile. The good news is that there aren’t too many moving pieces of your profile itself to worry about.
Orlando’s East End Market is a prime example of a simple yet optimized profile. For starters, their username “eastendmkt” is short and sweet, all the while easy to find for locals searching for it.
Their bio also ticks the boxes of an optimized profile, including a clear profile picture, compelling bio, branding hashtag and trackable URL.
Everything about this Instagram bio lets us know what to expect from their feed and likewise that we’re in the right place.
They also feature their email and phone number which is something to consider if you’re running a business account. East End also regularly tags other businesses and events to expand their profile’s reach. Oh, and not to mention their awesome visual content that their local followers love.
Stories are by far Instagram’s most popular feature.
Used by over 500 million users daily, brands should take advantage of Stories as often as possible when promoting on Instagram. For many businesses, this means publishing user-generated photos and behind-the-scenes content. The beauty of Stories is that you don’t have to worry as much about your visuals being polished or “perfect.”
That said, creativity still counts when it comes to Stories. Among Instagram’s latest features, Stories are always at the center of them.
For example, new interactive stickers such as the new Quiz sticker represent fresh ways that brands can engage with followers for a more unique and interactive type of Instagram promo.
Keeping up with Instagram means staying active and on top of its latest features. If you’re regularly publishing to Stories and watching what other brands are doing, you’ll always be in-the-know.
Last but not least, don’t neglect the potential of paid promotion on Instagram.
After all, social media at large is becoming increasingly pay-to-play. As part of Facebook’s insanely in-depth ad platform, you can use Instagram’s eye-popping ad options to win over new customers.
There are plenty of Instagram success stories out there including this example from Dunkin which cleverly uses both Stories and video to grab the attention of users.
First familiarize yourself with today’s Instagram ad specs, then make sure you have the tools necessary to see how your paid efforts stack up against your organic Instagram presence.
Allison Gates
Creative Manager
Sprout’s paid tools for Instagram empower you to gain insight into the ROI of your overall strategy or compare the performance of individual campaigns to optimize appropriately. Easily highlight your top campaigns by video views, conversions, impressions, engagement and more.
And with that, we wrap up our guide!
Instagram offers brands plenty of routes for content discovery and connection with audiences. Make sure you’re covering the essential best practices with these guides:
When it comes to Instagram promotion, you have plenty of tactics to experiment with.
And hey, that’s a good thing.
Making sure that your feed stands out means understanding the platform’s best practices and evolving alongside Instagram itself. Sticking to the tips above, or developing new Instagram post ideas can help you maximize your engagement as you promote your Instagram to new followers and customers. Start a free trial of Sprout Social to test out our Instagram tools hands-on.
Good afternoon! Lyudmila is in touch, a marketer at Altcraft. Instagram already has 1.3 billion users, photo and video content service is one of the top social networks in the world and continues to grow. Instagram brings money to brands and bloggers - it is the most effective platform for influencer marketing in 2020-2021. Bloggers earn up to $10,000 from one advertising post. Brands increase the audience, increase loyalty and sales - 90% of Instagram users are subscribed to commercial accounts.
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Instagram is a rapidly changing social network with unpredictable algorithms.
There is huge competition here, but the question of how to promote Instagram for brands and bloggers remains relevant. We tell you what will work and what will not work in 2022: how to promote a blog on Instagram using free and paid promotion methods.
Before the start of promotion
nine0011It is useless to start development without strategy and account preparation. Therefore, first:
What's important:
Example. Instagram sees: only 10 out of 1000 subscribers watch your content. The social network understands that the content is uninteresting and stops showing it. Subscribers by themselves are not an indicator of the success of an account, it is important to involve the audience. nine0038
Free promotion methods
Reels
Reels is a short video format (15-30 seconds) that Instagram launched worldwide in the summer of 2021.
The social network also promised to promote the video format. Therefore, now Reels is the most effective way to promote your account for free. Social media gives Reels an outside reach. If stories and posts work for an existing audience (although posts also sometimes get into recommendations), then Reels has more opportunities. Getting a million views for an account with a couple of thousand subscribers is real. nine0003
Another advantage of Reels for promotion is the lifetime. Stories disappear after 24 hours, the post is shown for a couple of days, and Reels “spins” even after a while. Also, one video in Reels can “pull” others along with it: the social network sees that a particular video is interesting to the audience and shows the previously created ones.
Examples of Reels
Commenting
Don't confuse this method with spam comments for everyone. Popular, but meaningless, remains automatic commenting. With this method, there are situations when the inscription “what a beautiful photo” appears under the mourning post with a candle, or there are off-topic comments.
You shouldn't do that. nine0003
Unsuccessful automatic commenting
How to gain followers on Instagram through comments:
Hashtags
Promotion with the help of hashtags is a legal promotion method that is unlikely to give huge coverage, but it will still attract some part of the audience. Instagram has a separate search for hashtags and a subscription to them.
Which hashtags to set for promotion:
An example of thematic hashtags
How many hashtags should I put? There is no single answer. Instagram allows you to add up to 30. But such a “canvas” does not always work. Irrelevant hashtags will reduce reach and minimize the effect of relevant ones. Therefore, experiment and do not copy the same hashtags from post to post - this is inefficient. Another social network may think that you are a robot and block your account. nine0003
Cross-promo
This method will not fit the query "How to promote instagram from scratch".
An account for cross-promotion or mutual PR should already have an audience.
What we do next:
An example of a successful cross-promo is a sportswear brand account launching a marathon of fast workouts with a fitness trainer.
Promotion on other platforms
If you are actively running another channel (Youtube, Yandex.Zen and others), invite the audience to subscribe to your Instagram.
Important! Users need to understand why they need another account of yours. It is unlikely that subscribers are interested in watching the same content. Work with different formats and themes. nine0130
An example of such a promotion method from a blogger with a promoted Youtube channel with expert information.
The girl offers to subscribe to her Instagram, where she shares her personal.
Instagram promotion on the blogger's Youtube channel
User Content
Works for brands and individuals who want to promote their account.
An option for a brand is to invite users to post a photo with their product and a special hashtag. Then the brand reposts these publications to its page. nine0003
For personal accounts, tag brands. Then there is a chance that the Instagram page will be reposted to the brand account. It turns out win-win - the user gets more coverage, and the brand gets more content.
Location
Adding locations to the account description and posts to Instagram promotion is an additional way. This is especially true for local businesses and events. Just put a location and wait for thousands of subscribers will not work.
Paid promotion methods
Targeted advertising
Instagram's official advertising is an opportunity to reach an audience with specific interests.
If the algorithms themselves decide who to show your Reels or post to, then in advertising you set the audience yourself. Instagram offers to advertise in the feed, stories and Reels.
Examples of targeted advertising on Instagram: in the feed and in stories
Advertising is set up on Instagram itself or through the Facebook advertising account (if the account is linked to the page). For advertising on Instagram, goals are available: visiting an account, a website and increasing engagement - more messages. The audience can be selected automatically or configured, but the criteria are limited. nine0003
Setting up an advertising campaign on Instagram
There are more opportunities to designate an audience in the Facebook advertising account.
Possible goals of an advertising campaign in the Facebook advertising account
The downside of advertising on the social network is an impressive list of restrictions that are constantly changing.
For violation of the rules, advertising is stopped, and sometimes the account is blocked without explanation.
Advertising with influencers
Influence marketing remains trending in 2022 as the blogging market grows. Therefore, Instagram promotion through opinion leaders is still relevant. Advertising among bloggers, famous personalities and experts is more trustworthy and is perceived as a recommendation of a familiar person. Advertising options for influencers: native (does not look like advertising) or direct.
Advertising with bloggers
How not to promote on Instagram
If to the question: “How to promote an account on Instagram”, someone offers cheating and giveaways, then run. Gray methods of promotion will not only not be useful, but will also destroy your account. Read about them and forget. nine0003
Giveaway
Giveaways are influencer contests in which you need to subscribe to the page and all giveaway sponsors in order to participate in the prize draw.
Subscription is a prerequisite for the draw. This is how sponsors gain a new audience, but after the draw:
Even during a giveaway, the gathered audience is ballast. Prize users are not involved in the content. For Instagram algorithms, this is a sign of irrelevant content.
Cheat bots and comments
Instead of live subscribers, you get fake accounts - bots that create the appearance, but in fact "drown" the account. For algorithms, the more subscribers, the more engagement should be. If the subscribers are bots, there is no activity from them. Instagram sees an uninteresting account and does not show it not only in recommendations, but also to subscribers.
The social network also fights against bots and suspicious activity, bans accounts that are engaged in cheating. nine0003
Activity chats
They create the illusion of involvement, show social networks and other subscribers interest in the account. These are groups where users gather who like, comment on posts and watch each other's stories. The main disadvantage of the method is an irrelevant audience. If this method is still possible in an account from scratch, then after growth it will most likely harm - you will not see real involvement and interest in the content, so you will not understand how to improve it.
The essence of the methods is subscribing to multiple accounts that can be the target audience or/and likes to posts by different people. The goal is to draw attention to your account: the user will replace your activity and subscribe in response. But the methods are no longer relevant: users do not respond, but Instagram punishes for such promotion.
The social network has a limit of subscriptions, unsubscribes, likes, comments, marks, and even the number of publications. For suspicious activity, the user receives a ban. If you resort to the help of automated third-party services, the risks of losing your account forever increase. nine0003
Summary
Start promoting your Instagram account by creating a strategy and profile packaging: a clear description and location designation.
The most promising free way to promote Instagram is to shoot Reels. Combine it with other methods: commenting, cross-promotion with accounts of similar subjects, use user-generated content and advertise your Instagram on other platforms.
Put thematic hashtags under publications and geolocations if the account is tied to a territory - these are additional free promotion methods. nine0003
To reach a larger audience, launch targeted ads or reach out to influencers who will remain a popular paid promotion channel in 2022.
Do not use gray methods of promotion: giveaways, activity chats, promotion, mass following and mass liking. Promote legal methods - this is a reliable and proven way.
Instagram is one of the top social networks in the world and already has 1.3 billion users. The popular service continues to grow and bring money to advertisers, and bloggers along with them, as it has been recognized as the most effective platform for influencer marketing in 2020-2021. nine0003
A blogger can earn up to $10,000 on one advertising post. Why are brands willing to pay so high for influencer services? Because it works: there is a constant expansion of the audience, Instagram users have high loyalty - 90% of them subscribe to commercial accounts. Still, Instagram algorithms are unpredictable: due to significant competition, promotion in this social network is always a topical issue for companies and bloggers.
In this article, we will talk about free and paid promotion methods on Instagram that will be effective in 2022.
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Before we start discussing how to promote on Instagram, let's talk about preparation. So, first of all, you need to do the following:
Create a profile. The more competent and detailed the Instagram profile is, the better it works for you. Make sure that the profile name matches the subject of the account; write a detailed description (USP, benefits). If your business is related to the offline sphere or you are limited geographically, indicate the location. Place links to the site or other materials in your profile. Think about easy navigation: up-to-date information should always be at hand so that the visitor does not “get lost” on your page. nine0003
Delete inactive subscribers. "Dead souls" in the account should not be. These are users who do not react to your content in any way and thus harm the statistics. Instagram calculates the percentage of user engagement: if a post has been viewed by 10 people out of 1000, then the social network will regard the material as uninteresting and stop showing it.
Create a business account to get detailed statistics and analyze subscribers' response to content. nine0003
Plan a development strategy. Development is impossible without a clear plan. Once you have set your desired goals, you can develop a step-by-step strategy to achieve them. A content plan with planned publications, Reels and stories will help a lot. Consistency and regularity is the key to successful promotion.
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Let's start with paid promotion methods on Instagram that will be effective in 2022. The most promising areas include targeted advertising and influence marketing.
Targeted advertising allows you to attract an audience with specific interests. Standard Instagram mechanisms decide for themselves who to show your content to, while targeting allows you to set up the audience that the customer needs.
On Instagram, you can advertise in the feed, Stories, or Reels. nine0003
You can set up such advertising through Instagram itself or using the Facebook advertising account. If the setting is done through Instagram, then you need to set a goal: increasing the number of visits to the site / profile or increasing messages (in fact, increasing the engagement rate). The criteria for setting up an audience with this method is limited.
As for setting up targeted advertising through Facebook, this method does not have the above disadvantage: there are much more opportunities for audience segmentation. nine0003
A common drawback of all social networks is a weighty list of restrictions on advertising, and quite flexible. For violations of the rules, advertising is usually stopped, and in some cases, the account can be blocked.
Influence marketing (promotion through influencers) is one of the main trends in 2022. This type of marketing attracts with its unobtrusiveness: the blogger communicates with subscribers in their usual language, their recommendations are perceived by them loyally (like the advice of an old friend).
A well-known person or an expert can act as an influencer. The choice of influencer depends on the product being advertised. In influence marketing, direct advertising or native (veiled) advertising can be used. nine0003
The top looks like this:
In the summer of 2021, Instagram introduced short video content to the world Reels (15-30 seconds). At the same time, the social network has taken a course to support video content, due to which Reels is currently the most popular format for free promotion on Instagram. The huge advantage of the tool is that Reels goes beyond the boundaries of the existing audience. Posts rarely get recommended, Stories spin for current followers, and Reels can get several hundred views for an account with 1,000+ friends. nine0003
Also, the lifetime of Reels provides additional opportunities for advertising, unlike stories that live only 24 hours, and posts - several days. New Reels videos can pull in previously created ones: if Instagram identifies a video that is of interest to the audience, it will show early content.
Commenting on should be targeted and deliberate. It is better to choose a friendly and relaxed communication style, do not engage in self-promotion. To gain followers on Instagram through commenting, communication under the content of personal accounts of both ordinary users and bloggers or entire brands will help. Non-promoted users are more likely to notice you and go to your page. As for “advanced” accounts, don’t expect a subscription from them, but other subscribers will surely appreciate an interesting comment. nine0003
This promotion method has nothing to do with spam commenting. Automatic commenting is also recognized as ineffective: comments are often out of place. At best, they cause laughter, and at worst, irritation and anger.
Hashtags are not used as the main promotion tool, but they still bring an additional audience. The service has a search for hashtags and the ability to subscribe to them. On Instagram, you can add up to 30 hashtags to a post, but this number rarely has a significant effect.
It is better to pay attention not to quantity, but to quality: put thematic hashtags that are most relevant to your topic, or localized - when it comes to a product with a clear reference to the location. nine0003
Post subject, photo and hashtag must match. This is necessary so that the Instagram algorithms correctly recognize the topic of the post and show it to the right audience. It is better not to use high frequency hashtags (over 500k) as they reduce the chances of your content being unique. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the relevance of hashtags - outdated ones do not work.
When working with this tool, an experimental approach is encouraged: do not copy the same hashtags to all your posts - try different options and evaluate the effect. nine0003
Cross-promo belongs to the category of cooperation and mutual PR. This method is not suitable for promoting an account from scratch. Some audience is required for the partner to agree to share content with you.
An account with a similar theme and the same number of subscribers can act as a partner. For example, a sportswear brand might partner with a fitness trainer.
Together, partners launch live broadcasts or joint marathons, exchange guest articles and other creatives. nine0003
None of your channels must be lost. Invite the Yandex.Zen or YouTube audience to join your Instagram account. It is important that content on different sites is not completely duplicated - users do not need to subscribe to you on different sites in order to watch the same thing. Consider different formats and themes for different channels.
Many bloggers promote YouTube channels where they provide expert information on a particular subject. At the same time, they maintain a page on Instagram, where they talk about personal things. Often subscribers are interested in all possible resources from their idols. nine0003
User-generated content works effectively for both brands and individual users.
Companies offer customers to publish materials (photos, stories) where a branded product is visible, and put a special hashtag. Then they repost such posts on their page.
Individuals promoting Instagram for personal use tag brands, hoping brands will repost the post. User-generated content allows users to get a large reach, and brands get free quality content. nine0003
Locations , like hashtags, are auxiliary methods of promotion and are relevant for local businesses and events. By themselves, locations do not bring a large number of subscribers.
Gray promotion schemes can literally destroy your business, so it's better to know your enemies by sight. What methods can not be used when promoting on Instagram:
Giveaway (gives) are contests from influencers backed by sponsors. To participate in the prize draw, you must fulfill a number of conditions, often - subscribe to all sponsors.
Giveaways are recognized as an inefficient way of promotion, because after the competition, “bounty hunters” either start unsubscribing en masse or settle down as a passive audience. In turn, Instagram, seeing such a massive unsubscribe and further assessing the low engagement of account subscribers, reduce profile reach. nine0003
Instagram is actively fighting against cheating comments and with the “inanimate” audience. It's simple: the more subscribers, the higher the engagement should be, and you should not expect activity from bots. An uninteresting account recognized in this way is hidden by Instagram not only from recommendations, but also from subscribers. The ship is literally sinking.
activity chats are manually created groups where users actively simulate: liking, commenting on each other, viewing Stories. For users uninitiated in fraud, an illusion is created that the account is of real interest. However, the illusion remains an illusion: an irrelevant audience accumulates here and real engagement indicators are distorted.
