Instagram Takeover: Trusting Someone Else With Your Brand

When Instagram users see brands on the platform, they get a little skeptical. Of course, their content will say the best possible things about their products. That is why many brands have resorted to user-generated content (UGC) to increase their credibility. 

Some brands have taken it a step further, though. They hand over posting power to an influencer in what they call an Instagram takeover. This is ideally an influencer who has won over the brand’s target audience. It may sound a little weird, but social media channels must keep up with the times. There will always be a new way to promote content online. 

This may mean that creators handle the posting on social media accounts. The takeover content will be the type of content that shows everyone in a positive light.

Who knows? After reading, you might be preparing for your upcoming takeover. Read this article, and you learn everything you need to know about it.

What Is an Instagram Takeover? Should I Worry About This? 

You’ve heard of Instagram collaborations. But have you heard of an Instagram takeover? By the sound of it, it may sound a bit daunting. You might think it’s when Instagram takes your account from you. Don’t think it involves forcefully relinquishing the power over your account. No, it’s nothing like that. It’s a great opportunity to gain visibility for your brand. 

So, what is an Instagram takeover? It is essentially an arrangement with multiple possible characters at play. It could involve influencers, creators, and a well-known brand. Typically, an influencer could get permission to post on a brand’s Instagram page for a certain period. They will have the autonomy to pose whatever they like, hence the term “takeover.”

Depending on the creator and the arrangement, they post whatever they want on the feed. They could share stories, reels, or photos. The content could include the influencer using the brand products. This way, both parties have adequate promotion. 

The influencer may not have direct access to the account. In other words, they don’t have the login details for this well-established brand. Instead, they may send content to the brand to make it look like they are posting themselves. Either way, to the general public, it looks as though the influencer has taken over the account.

How Do Instagram Takeovers Work Out for the Parties Involved?

You might be wondering what the benefit is if you take over Instagram accounts. By the sound of it, it sounds like the influencer is giving free labor to a brand. It also sounds like the brand is losing out on a whole day of promotional content. Are they just giving the influencer access to their big follower base? How do Instagram takeovers work for each party?

We can guarantee that brands would not take part in a takeover if it didn’t benefit them in some way. Let’s talk about how this arrangement is a win-win for everyone involved.

They Can Mutually Expand Their Reach

This arrangement works well if both parties want to access the other’s follower bases. The influencer and the brand recognized that the other party gained the trust of a particular demographic of Instagram users. This is the demographic that the other party wants. 

When the influencer begins to appear on the brand’s page, they gain visibility before their dream target audience. They have now expanded their reach to these users. This allows the user to decide if they want to follow that influencer for themselves. 

At the same time, that influencer advertises the takeover on their page. Members of their following will want to see their content on the brand’s page. It would be great if the influencer advertises something new and different from their usual content. 

Mutual Credibility

This arrangement works best where both parties already have some respect in their fields. That way, when another person becomes involved in the brand, it reflects well on that person. We’ll explain. 

Imagine a brand choosing an influencer everyone knows as an expert in a particular field. That influencer’s endorsement does wonders for the reputation of that brand. Let’s examine this the other way around.

What if everyone has accepted that a brand is the best in its particular niche? When an influencer collaborates with that brand, people will think that the influencer knows what they are talking about. Even after the takeover ends, people will remember the endorsement.

How To Do an Instagram Takeover: A Guide for the Eager Influencer

By now, you see the clear benefits of taking over an Instagram account. You just need some clarification concerning how you do it. You’re at the right place. We can tell you how to do an Instagram takeover. Remember that only you truly know the nature of your brand. You can tweak this advice as you please.

1. Establish Takeover Goals

There are multiple benefits that you can gain when you take over Instagram accounts. Increasing your Instagram following is just a small part of it.

Do you want to access a different market? Your current market may be too young to bring financial benefits to you. You may want more followers in your local area. Taking over a local business and showcasing what they have could get you a localized following. 

You have to be very clear about what you want. The brand that you collaborate with will also want very defined things. Hopefully, you won’t have to compromise too much. You want your venture to be worthwhile, so you should ensure your values are straight.

2. Choose Who You Want To Collaborate With

Now that you know what you want, find a brand that can help you get it. It doesn’t have to be a brand with a huge following. It just needs to be a brand with a loyal fan base. Find a brand with a following that will trust whatever the brand endorses.

You must pitch to these brands and explain how the arrangement could be mutually beneficial. You could start by using an Instagram DM or an official email. You should make sure you are already following their page. This way, you can speak on how you can improve things.

3. Agree on the Instagram Takeover Guidelines 

The type of content that you put out to the brand’s followers is important. You want to make sure that they are receptive to your best content. Will they respond more to reels or carousel photos? The brand may have an idea of this. 

You should also ensure you have a customized hashtag for the campaign. It helps followers separate the takeover content from the regular content. This is in addition to the popular and niche hashtags, of course. 

Perhaps you should put the Instagram takeover guidelines in writing. Both parties should agree on the timelines for putting out the content. There should also be an understanding of the posting frequency and what to do in response to comments.

If there is a question regarding customer care, does the brand take back control? What happens when the influencer goes live and they ask questions? To ensure a smooth takeover, iron out all these fine details. You don’t want to wait until something actually happens. 

4. Tell Your Followers About the Takeover

Don’t forget about your page. For the brand to benefit from this arrangement, you must promote the takeover. Perhaps you could put joint posts up along with the brand so your followers are still in the loop.

Leading up to the takeover, create hype and curiosity around it. This way, you’re pushing attention to the brand even before the takeover begins. This could leave a really good impression on the brand and will reflect well on your brand.

How To Do Instagram Story Takeover: Let the Followers Help

You already know that Instagram stories only last 24 hours. Depending on the brands involved, this could mean that story posts don’t have to be as rigid as feed posts. You can have more fun with the content that you share here. 

Why not drum up as much engagement as possible? The best part about these stories is that you can ask the actual followers for ideas. There are tools on Instagram that you can use to get ideas from the followers. With these tools, we will show you how to do an Instagram story takeover.

Instagram Takeover Ideas for Stories

Have you heard of Instagram stickers? When you start to compose a story, you have the option to add some stickers. We’re not talking about the cute graphics. We are talking about the ones that encourage interaction with the stories. They are excellent Instagram takeover ideas for stories.

Polls

You can use the Instagram poll feature to get suggestions from your followers. Give them multiple options to choose from. They can choose their answer simply by tapping a response. Instagram tabulates the results for you. Use the most popular response to decide what you do while having access to the Instagram page.

We will give you an example. Maybe you are a food influencer. You want audience interaction in making recipes. You can give followers full control over the ingredients in each meal. You have to promise to eat the food at the end. This gives an element of suspense. Some people will commit to making the worst possible dish. Others will fight to make something edible in the end. 

Questions

If you’re feeling brave, leave the questioning opening. Instead of giving a list of possible responses, use the question sticker to open the floor completely. Let the followers tell you what they want to see you do. This will keep their attention during your takeover.

8 Instagram Takeover Questions You Could Ask

You want to talk to the brand’s followers like a friend. You don’t want to come off as a person doing a survey or a census. As an Instagram creator, you should bridge the gap between the brand and the followers. You can do this by asking some Instagram takeover questions in your stories. Here are eight suggestions for you:

1. Is there a product you don’t know how to use? 
2. Is there a product that is too expensive for you to take a risk on? I’ll try it for you.
3. Which product do you want to see my honest review for? 
4. Is there a product you are dying to see this brand restock?
5. Tell me what you want to hear my honest opinion about. Nothing is off-limits.
6. Let’s go shopping! What should I buy?
7. Tell me your best-rated and worst-rated items.
8. What are you excited to see you next season?

4 Instagram Takeover Examples You May Know Of 

You can find an Instagram takeover example in many fields. They exist in the fields of science or entrepreneurship just as much as they exist in the beauty industry. If you’re an influencer, don’t be afraid to shoot your shot. Your expertise in a particular area could mesh well with an existing brand. 

Here are four examples of social media platforms briefly relinquishing power, courtesy of Agora Pulse:

1. Teradata lets employees take over their accounts.
2. The John Innes Centre has earned respect in plant and microbiology research. They’ve let professionals in the field take over their accounts.
3. Manayunk lets local brands take turns posting on their IG account.
4. Anina Belle has taken over the @An_Organized_Life account.

An Instagram Takeover Template Is Not Enough

We hate to break it to you, but knowing all the steps to take over Instagram accounts is not enough. You are still going to have to be creative in some other way. To grow your following to the desired level, you will have to do more. That may entail using the services of a professional growth site. 

In this article, we outlined an excellent Instagram takeover template. But do you know what will bring you closer to success and Instagram? 
Our in-house Instagram influencers platform could help. Additionally, the propriety AI targeting algorithm we’ve perfected over the past decade will also help you significantly. Content creators love the results we guarantee them. You will, too! Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.