Whether you’re trying to cross-promote content, grow your follower base, spread the word about a product or idea, engage a specific community, or just have some fun with your feed, an Instagram takeover is never a bad idea.
But a successful takeover requires some planning and careful coordination. In this guide, we’ll cover everything brands and creators need to know to make your next collaboration a hit.
What is an Instagram capture?
An Instagram takeover is when someone temporarily takes over another account to create and share content – usually on behalf of a brand. The mastermind behind the takeover could be a celebrity, an influencer, or even a team member.
It’s like when your friend uses your phone to post a stupid selfie while you’re in the bathroom. The Instagram takeover requires a lot more planning and premeditation. (Oh, and with your permission!)
The Multiple Sclerosis Association commissioned actress Selma Blair to run her Instagram to promote her 52nd birthday.
Why should you take over Instagram?
Instagram takeover is one of the best organic marketing tools for your account. As long as you approach it strategically, it’s almost impossible to see the other side of the practice.
Whether you’re a social media marketer or an influencer, this is a win-win scenario. In an Instagram takeover, both parties can reap expected (and unexpected) benefits from each other.
Read on to find out why an Instagram takeover is the right decision for you.
Advantages of Instagram takeover for business:
Here are a few ways an Instagram takeover can help your business.
Find a new audience
Think of the Instagram takeover as a bridge connecting similar (but not identical) groups of people. If you invite someone to guest post on your account, many of their fans will likely follow you to see what happens. This is a great way to get quality followers.
Create a buzz
If you’re approaching a major milestone, a takeover makes sense. The Instagram takeover is a great hype machine. Consider this a chance to grab attention before launching a new product or service. It’s like the social version of Kanye West’s Yeezy collaborations with Adidas and the Gap or Travis Scott’s McDonald’s meal.
Earn credibility
An Instagram takeover is a silent endorsement of your account. This is especially valuable if you’re targeting a specific niche. For example, a grocery kit company might work well with a family-oriented influencer. A takeover is a way for both parties to vouch for each other.
Quantity and quality
Nobody wants to flood the feed, but it’s also important to keep up with consistent, timely, and relevant posts. Even the best marketing managers can sometimes feel stuck in a rut. Acquisitions can be a great way to brush up on your marketing strategy and think outside the box (or, uh, out of the box).
Instagram Takeover Benefits for Influencers:
We know takeovers can be a great way for companies to breathe new life into their Instagram feeds, but what’s in it for creators? Here’s how successful Instagram takeovers can benefit influencers.
Expand your reach
If you’ve been invited to take part in the Instagram takeover, this is a chance to share your opinion with a whole new audience and showcase what you have to offer. Acquisitions are a rare opportunity to connect with a group of people who have a proven interest in your niche.
Build your reputation
When you partner with a brand, you are telling their audience (and your own) that you are trusted in that space. Plus, you can add every successful brand partnership to your presentation and use those wins to close even more deals.
Create content for your account
You can (and should!) advertise the takeover on your Instagram. If you take on a brand account, you will likely have exclusive stories and posts to share with your followers.
Have fun
Despite their high-profile nature, Instagram takeovers come at relatively low stakes. Posts can be as polished or rough as you want and the audience will take the hit. In fact, a change in tone or appearance might even draw more attention as your viewers poking around to figure out what’s going on. As long as you’re serious about strategy, there’s plenty of room for fun.
Broadway Plus is releasing a captivating video and poster to advertise that Hadestown star Kimberley Marable will be taking over their Instagram story to share a day in the life on tour.
How to Succeed on Instagram in 7 Steps
1. Set goals for yourself
Start by asking yourself general questions. What do you hope to achieve with this takeover of Instagram? Having a clear goal will help you plan every step of your strategy, from who will post to measurable success rates.
Here are a few goals you could consider when planning your Instagram takeover:
- Expanding your audience
- Increasing brand awareness
- New product promotion
- Campaign launch
- Increasing engagement during a special event
- Updating your account
- Driving traffic to your website
2. Choose a takeover partner
The Instagram takeover is inherently collaborative, so you need to pick someone who is exactly right for you. Let’s break down the do’s and don’ts when booking an Instagram takeover partner.
For brands
ALWAYS partner with someone who is associated with your brand.
You need to choose a creator who understands the product or service you are offering. You also need to make sure they match the demographics of your target audience.
For example, a slang Gen Z influencer would not excite the target audience of Baby Boomers. The ingenious creator of the millennials is unlikely to find a common language with the teenagers from TikTok. Make sure the potential partner’s tone works for your audience.
ALWAYS collaborate with someone whose content you enjoy.
If you like someone’s content, your followers will probably like it too. Take a look at your potential partner’s IG grid, stories, and tag page to get a feel for their personality and posting style. It’s quite a personal collaboration, so it’s important to get a feel for who you’re working with.
DO NOT book someone just because they have a lot of followers.
Your potential takeover partner may have a large following, but don’t limit yourself to numbers. Their level of involvement is also important. Are their followers interested in what they post?
You can calculate engagement yourself, but your partner must also provide this statistic in their media kit.
DO NOT book someone who only does sponsored posts.
Ideally, you want to partner with someone whose page has a healthy ratio of organic content to sponsored ads. If someone only participates in branded content, chances are they won’t do much for your business.
For influencers
You MUST choose a partner you really like.
Your subscribers believe they are getting the most authentic version of you, and this is even more important when marketing a product. If you are not completely satisfied with something, but agree to participate, you can damage your personal brand in the long run. Being strategic about who you partner with can ensure that your decisions are the best for you.
DO research the brand to make sure you fit it.
Once you’ve decided you want to work with a brand, spend some time researching it. Even a quick Google will tell you if there is any controversy with their brand or product. The last thing you want is to be blinded by negative questions or comments during the takeover.
DO NOT work with someone for the wrong reasons.
We know it’s tempting, but make sure you don’t work with someone just because they offered you a payment or a free product. Users of social networks can smell falseness from a mile away. If your takeover is not to your liking, it will also hurt your online reputation.
Do not overdo it.
Instagram takeovers can be great for building your brand. But that doesn’t mean you have to do them all the time. The point is to make a splash with exciting events, but if you overexert yourself, you will damage your overall influence in the long run.
3. Choose an absorption format
There are many different types of Instagram posts, and each one can serve a different purpose in your Instagram takeover. For example, you might be okay with your collaborator posting all over the feed, or you might prefer that they stick to Stories.
These Instagram formats are perfect for takeovers:
instagram stories
While it depends on the capture style, you’ll probably want to plan your content around Instagram Story posts. After all, users know and love IG Stories as a place for both beautiful and rough content. They are great for fun experiments.
Stories can also be customized with links and calls to action. Plus, you can save stories to your highlights so they don’t disappear forever when the capture is over.
Team Canada invited various athletes to host their Instagram story to share a day in their lives.
Instagram feed
The main Instagram feed, also known as the grid, is the more permanent home for your content.
Generally, the grid is not suitable for many quick posts in quick succession (also called “tape flooding”), but it can still work well for takeovers. Guest content will stand out in your feed, which means it can continue to grab attention long after your takeover. This is also a great place to turn on the drums.
The Canadian Arts Council invites promising artists to share work in progress, musical performance and visual art as part of their ongoing series of acquisitions.
Collaborations on Instagram
One of Instagram’s newest features is perfect for an Instagram takeover.
The Instagram Collab tool allows you to post the same image or video to two accounts at the same time. The post appears in the grids of both sides and is credited to both accounts.
Podcaster and meme creator Premiles has partnered with tech company Air to release a series of collaborative self-awareness posts.
Collaborations are a great way to increase your reach and engagement, as your post will automatically reach two audiences at once. With the right call to action, Collabs can be a powerful marketing tool. Who knows, maybe someday they will even completely replace acquisitions.
Instagram live
IG Live is another great takeover option. Live broadcasts just require some upfront planning and a lot of trust.
There’s more room for error on live TV, but that spontaneity can be fun. Just make sure your content, goals, and partnerships are aligned before launching.
Scott Wolf and the Nancy Drew cast made a brief Instagram Live capture that was filmed on YouTube.
4. Prepare logistics
Once you’ve chosen a partner and created a plan, it’s time to map out the details of the takeover.
How long will your partner post on your account? How many posts would you like from them, and what kind of content are you looking for? You can also expect to pay an influence rate, especially if you expect the person who has taken over your account to post about it in their own feed. Put all your expectations in writing, ideally in some form of contract.
You will also want to determine exactly how you plan to carry out the takeover. There are two main ways to do this:
- Partial account takeover means that the creator submits their content to you for final approval and publication.
- Full account takeover means that you hand over the keys to your account.
In most cases, we recommend choosing partial absorption. This allows you to double-check if your partner’s content meets your expectations. In addition, you can schedule takeover posts alongside your regular content using the social media scheduling tool of your choice. (Of course we like Hootsuite for this, but we’re biased)
Full takeover of an account is more risky, but sometimes it’s the only option – for example, if you want your takeover partner to make money. This means you have less control over what your partner posts, and exposing your password makes you more vulnerable. Just make sure you create a new temporary password and switch it back once the takeover is complete.
5. Promote your event
You have successfully planned your takeover. Now you need to make sure the world doesn’t miss it.
Treat it like a real life event and promote it ahead of time. Share the post on your main feed and remind your audience in Stories of the time leading up to the takeover. You might even consider spending a few dollars on a post to promote it further.
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine shared this stunning poster to promote takeover as part of Pride Month.
Don’t forget to promote the takeover outside of Instagram as well. If you have an audience on Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok, they may also want to know about it.
6. Make an acquisition
You may be letting someone else manage your account, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely free from liability. As your takeover unfolds, keep an eye on the comments and record live testimonials.
You will also want to be there in case something goes wrong. There is nothing worse than having to reset your password at the last minute and not having the resources to do so.
7. Measure your results
Once the takeover is over, the real fun begins. It’s time to dive into the performance metrics to see how well you’ve done. Measuring results is the only way to find out what worked and what can be improved next time.
The most important metrics for evaluating your takeover will depend on your goals. You’ll likely want to look at story views, engagement stats, and follower growth.
You can use Instagram’s own tools to view your analytics at a pretty high level. However, if you want detailed comparisons, you’ll need a more robust tool.
- Compare your takeover performance to past communications using historical data.
- Rank Instagram comments by mood (positive or negative)
- Create downloadable custom reports
- Show you the best posting time based on past engagement, reach, and clicks
Want help measuring results? Here are the best Instagram analytics tools. We also have more information on using IG Live analytics!
Frequently Asked Questions About Instagram Captures
Do I have to pay my takeover partner?
Paying influencers for their participation is quite standard practice. But some partners may be willing to participate for free or in exchange for your product. It really is on a case-by-case basis.
Just make sure both parties communicate their expectations in writing prior to the takeover. You can also check out our influencer marketing guide for more details.
What should I ask my Instagram takeover partner to do?
Again, this will depend on your goals and strategy. You may want them to highlight a product or promote a particular element of your brand.
But you can also just want them to be themselves. Sometimes the thrill of the unknown is more rewarding than having someone “trade”your account.
The Critical Role web series invites guests to share a day of their lives as part of an Instagram Stories Capture.
Is it safe to share your password with another user?
Obviously, there will always be risks when sharing your account with someone else. The safest and easiest bet would be to have your takeover partner submit their content to you and then host it themselves.
But if you chose IG Live, that’s not necessarily an option. In this case, change your password before sharing it with a partner. Then change it again once the takeover is complete.
When is the best time to capture Instagram?
If you use Hootsuite, you can use your past performance to find the best times for your specific audience. Instagram also has a longstanding “Tuesday takeover”trend.
NASA rocket scientist Kevin J. DeBruin talks about different women in STEM in his weekly Capture Tuesday posts.