In a previous article, Instagram shoutouts were a large topic of discussion, and it was even mentioned that users seeking them should follow some basic guidelines. In this article we will take a look at the ways to go about asking for shout outs on Instagram. Primarily, there are few do’s and don’ts when it comes to asking other larger profiles to market your page.
The Don’ts
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Don't Approach The Most Popular Accounts Unless You Have a Relationship
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Don't Spam The Account or Act Unprofessional
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Don't Expect a Shoutout for Free
Don't Approach The Most Popular Accounts Unless You Have a Relationship
When seeking shoutouts for your page, do not approach the largest pages you can find on Instagram. Unless you personally know the owner of the account, or some random connections provide you with a golden marketing opportunity, you are most definitely just wasting time. Accounts of this scale will not bother to negotiate a shoutout, and even if they do they will most likely want a reimbursement that is too costly to benefit from. Stick to more appropriately sized accounts (more on that later).
Don't Spam The Account or Act Unprofessional
When sending shoutout requests, it is important for you to be completely professional. Avoid sending multiple messages when asking an account. If they do not reply after the first one, simply move on to the next potential account. You do not want to come off as desperate or annoying, especially when you are representing your business or personal brand.
Don't Expect a Shoutout for Free
Be sure to include some sort of payment incentive within the message to get the attention of other accounts. Not only is this appropriate, it is also a good way to draw a response. A reimbursement around $10-$15 dollars is a reasonable amount, especially considering the size of the accounts you want to be asking.
The Do’s
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Make Sure You're Asking the Right Accounts
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Make Sure The Audience Aligns with Your Shoutout
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Establish a Relationship Before Asking
Make Sure You're Asking the Right Accounts
What you should be doing when asking for shout outs on Instagram is finding the right profiles to ask. Similar profiles are a good target to approach, since they are within the same Instagram community as you. They also have the best potential to get you more followers, since their own followers already are interested in the same niche that you are in. If you ask a sports page to shout out your cat food business account – most likely the are going to decline (or say nothing at all).
Make Sure The Audience Aligns with Your Shoutout
Size matters! A good rule of thumb is to ask shout outs from accounts that have about the same number of followers as you. As stated earlier, if you ask accounts that have a much larger following than your own they will simply ignore you. It is a waste of your time. However, if you ask a similarly sized account you are more likely to get a shoutout.
Establish a Relationship Before Asking
Be involved with the account that you are asking for a shoutout. Follow their account, like their posts, and comment on some pictures. If you are an active part of another popular account, receiving an shoutout from them will be much easier than asking an account that you have had no previous interactions with. We talk about the give to get strategy in our post on Hacking Instagram followers.
All in all, it is just important to be professional, as well as realistic, when it comes to Instagram shoutouts. You want to be sure to approach the right accounts, and you want to approach them in a way that does not come off as desperate, or annoying. If you follow the do’s and don’ts provided, getting Instagram shoutouts (and more followers from them) will be a much easier process.