How To Use Instagram Collab Posts To Boost Engagement

Instagram is a powerhouse for brands and creators to expand their reach, increase followers, and foster meaningful connections with their audiences. Collaborator posts have emerged as a game changer for brands and creators on Instagram to boost engagement and reach new audiences.

Instagram Collab posts can be more potent than a simple tag in a post, which benefits your brand and overall social media strategy.

This blog dives into:

• What an Instagram Collab post is. 
• Instagram Collab post benefits.
• How to make an Instagram Collab post. 
• Instagram Collab post ideas.
• Instagram Collab post examples.

What Is an Instagram Collab Post?

An Instagram Collab Post is when the creator of the original post invites another account as a collaborator — when the post is live on Instagram, it appears authored by more than one user. You can add up to three collaborators to any feed post or Reel. When the account accepts the invite, their username is added to the post, and the post appears on all profiles. You’ll share views, likes and comments, which allows the accepted Instagram Collab post to engage with each other’s communities. 

The invited collaborator account and the creator of the original post can remove the collaboration at any time. This will not remove the post itself, only the selected collaborator.

Instagram Collab Post Benefits

There are many benefits on why your brand should incorporate Instagram Collab posts into your strategy, but below are four key benefits. 

• Reach More Audiences: Adding collaborators to a post or Reel will help your content reach more audiences by allowing your content to be shown to your collaborators’ audiences. Brands can reach more eyes and introduce your content and brand to new potential customers. 
• Increase Engagement: By sharing a post between multiple accounts and diversifying who sees the post, brands can increase comments, saves and shares, resulting in increased engagement — since engagement is just one factor the Instagram algorithm looks at, this can help boost the discoverability of all your content. 
• Follower Growth: Since your content will appear in the feeds of other users who don’t necessarily follow you, this is an opportunity to gain new followers from your collaborators’ audience. 
• Brand Awareness: Instead of solely sharing content with your audience, the Collab post allows your co-authors’ followers to see your post, contributing to your overall brand awareness. 

How To Do a Collab Post on Instagram

Now that you know what an Instagram Collab post is, it’s time to create one! Here’s how to do a Collab post on Instagram: 

• First, post your image or Reels as usual. 
• Now, invite a collaborator to a post you’re creating.
• Tap ‘Tag people.’  
• Tap ‘Invite collaborator.’
• Search and select the account you want to add as a collaborator.
• Tap ‘Done’. 

Curious how to collab on Instagram after posting? Unfortunately, you can only add collaborators to your Instagram post before publishing, unlike tagging in a post. Make sure to double-check before publishing. 

How To Accept a Collab Post 

You'll receive a message when you’re invited to collaborate on a post from another user. To accept the invite to collaborate: 

• Tap the message icon in the top right of your feed.
• Tap the conversation from your ‘Chats’ list where you received the invite.
• Select the collaboration invite. 
• Tap ‘Review.’
• Click ‘Accept.’

How To Make a Collab Post on Reels

You can publish a Collab Instagram post on Reels the same way as a static feed post. When collaborating on Instagram Reels content with other accounts, the creator of the original Reel can invite another account as a collaborator. Similar to an in-feed post, the collaborative Reel will be shared with each account’s followers and appear on each author’s grid. 

To invite a collaborator to a Reel: 

• Before you publish your reel, select ‘Tag People’ and 
• Tap ‘Invite collaborator.’
• Search for the account you want to add as a collaborator, then select the account. You can add more than one collaborator during this step. 
• Tap ‘Done.’

From there, complete the rest of your post’s details and publish — you’ve now collaborated on a Reels post. 

Instagram Collab Post Ideas

Creating Collab posts is one thing, but knowing the best times to use them is another. Here are a few types of Collab post options to inspire your Instagram.

Influencer Partnerships

Collaborating with a creator or influencer can help build more awareness for your brand and drive engagement. Micro and nano-influencers have ultra-engaged audiences, while macro-influencers typically have more reach —  influencer collaborations let your brand take advantage of an influencer's tuned-in followers.  

When considering a creator or influencer to collaborate with, make sure that the partnership makes sense for your audiences, target demographics and overall brand identity. That way, you’re creating mutually beneficial content that helps you achieve your marketing goals. 

Influencers bring unique content styles and creative approaches that can add a fresh perspective to a brand's content marketing strategy. This diversity in content can attract and engage a broader audience, including those who might not have been reached through traditional marketing channels.

Collaborate With Other Brands

Instagram Collab posts offer a dynamic way for brands to amplify their reach and engagement, presenting a win-win scenario for both parties involved. When two brands collaborate on a post, they share the content on both of their Instagram feeds simultaneously. This strategy effectively doubles the exposure, as each brand taps into the other's follower base, introducing their products or services to a new yet relevant audience. This cross-pollination of audiences can increase brand awareness and potentially boost followers for both brands.

Instagram Collab posts can also enhance credibility and trust. When a brand collaborates with another, especially one that aligns with its values and aesthetics, it gains a sort of endorsement. This association can positively influence consumer perception, as followers of each brand may perceive the collaboration as a seal of approval. Additionally, these collaborations often lead to creative and fresh content, as each brand brings its unique perspective and ideas to the table. This engages existing followers but also helps attract new ones.

Support Non-Profits

Brands can meaningfully leverage Instagram Collabs to raise awareness about an important cause. This is a great way to bring visibility to your CSR initiatives and bolster a nonprofit cause on social media by sharing it with your wider network — and of course, your account benefits from being shared with their followers, too. Collaborations like this help showcase your brand's commitment to social causes beyond profit-making. This alignment with a cause can significantly boost your brand's reputation and nurture a deeper connection with an audience that values corporate social responsibility.

Link To Related Brand Accounts 

Another reason why brands might want to explore Collab posts is to link to a related brand account. This approach enhances user experience by providing easy access to all involved parties, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. It's a simple yet effective way to acknowledge each other's contributions, strengthen relationships, and potentially cross-pollinate audiences, leading to increased engagement and awareness.

A related account could be a retailer or distributor, a diffusion brand and more. For example, Charlotte Tilbury might collaborate with a retailer like Sephora on a post promoting a value set. In this example, Nike (@nike) collaborates with an internal brand account, Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball), to leverage each account’s following and bring content to the attention of other users who are likely interested in similar content. 

This approach enhances user experience by providing easy access to all involved parties, encouraging a sense of community and collaboration. It's a simple yet effective way to acknowledge a separate brand’s contributions, strengthen relationships and potentially cross-pollinate audiences for increased engagement and brand awareness.

Instagram Collab Post Examples

Now that you understand how to make a Collab post, here are some examples of Collab posts on Instagram to inspire your branded content and potential partnerships. 

lululemon 

lululemon (@lulelemon) partnered with Shay Mitchell (@shaymitchell) to launch their Wundermost bodywear with the Ultra Soft Nulu fabric at a New York City pop-up. Shay Mitchell regularly features lifestyle content on her Instagram account and owns luggage company Béis (@beis). This type of collaboration is a great way to reach new users in a demographic that Béis likely also targets.

Jules The Lawyer and Ziploc

This collaboration is a great example of a paid partnership between a CPG Industry brand and an influencer. The post seamlessly blends Instagram Reels trends and personal, day-in-the-life content with brand promotion. By inviting Jules the Lawyer (@julesthelawyer) and her partner David, who routinely features in her videos, to create content around ‘girl dinner’ using Ziploc products, the brand cleverly capitalizes on an engaged audience while inspiring viewers to integrate their products into their daily life.

Ariana Madix and Dancing With The Stars

This post features Ariana Madix and her ‘Dancing with the Stars’ partner Pasha Pashkov during a fun rehearsal moment to create anticipation and excitement for their upcoming performance. This is a great way to reach both Madix’s and Pashkov’s fans, who might not follow each other but are likely ‘Vanderpump Rules’ or ‘Dancing with the Stars’ fans. 

It also provides an opportunity for real-time engagement while they prepare, giving fans a behind-the-scenes peek. 

Find Opportunities To Collaborate With Dash Hudson

Collab posts are becoming more central within brand and creator strategies. Community is everything — with Dash Hudson’s Community Manager, teams can connect with followers, understand audience sentiment and improve realtime responsiveness in an all-in-one collaborative inbox. Brands can also identify their next potential Instagram Collab post partnership and maximize its growth with Relationships, which offer insights into your influencer ROI and Creator Discovery to help you source the best potential influencer partnerships. When it comes time to post, social teams can use Scheduler to plan and post Collab posts. Then, within Competitive Insights and Benchmarking, you can compare your performance against your industry competition or aspirational brands.

FAQs

Can you boost a Collab post on Instagram?

Yes, you can boost Collab posts on Instagram. Boosting a post is a form of paid advertising where you pay to get your post seen by a larger, targeted audience beyond your existing followers. When you boost a Collab post, both accounts involved in the collaboration can benefit from increased visibility and reach.

How do you accept a Collab post on Instagram?

Accepting a Collab post on Instagram is a straightforward process. When another user tags you in a Collab post, you'll receive a notification in your Instagram activity feed. Simply tap on the notification to view the post. You'll then see an option to ‘Review’ the collab invitation. When you review,, you can either accept or decline the invitation. If you accept, the post will appear on your profile as well as in the feeds of your followers, indicating that it's a Collab post.