“Fame’s a fickle friend, Harry.” So says Dumbledore. Here is a spoiler: he was not talking about social media. But he should have been. To receive fame and gain popularity on Instagram is a big deal. For everyone. Granted that the effects of that fame differ, but it still matters.
Social Media can prove dangerous and addictive, but only when used beyond a certain limit. On the other hand, there is no limit to how useful it can prove to be if you are a businessman. The boom of the digital era has unlocked unprecedented access to resources in the form of business through the internet. A wider reach on Instagram and Facebook can do wonders for your start-up.
But gaining traction is not easy. It takes effort, creativity, and hard work. If you go through this post on the topic, the first point you will come across is “Collaborate with other creators”. A key part of that collaboration is Shoutouts on Instagram. In this article, we will discuss five easy tips to get the shoutout you need.
1. A friend in need
Before you are a famous and important personality, collaborating will be hard. In such moments of need, turn towards friends, family, and business partners. Help each other out. Together, you can increase your reach and eventually reach a stage where collaboration becomes easier and getting shoutouts is fast and simple.
Don’t even worry about your friends having private accounts. A chain of posts, re-posts, screenshots, and whatnot will quickly lead to someone with a public account and your reach will be far and wide.
2. Birds of a feather
A gamer asking a marine biologist for a shoutout is preposterous; and desperate. Before you go about engaging every single person you can find, try exploring charted waters first. Collaborate and engage creators and influencers from your field.
This is not being picky. It is being clever. While receiving a shoutout, the class of its audience matters. People interested in complex mysteries of the universe are less likely to be interested in the famous pesky bugs of Cyberpunk 2077. Note that less likely does not equal impossible. But you still want to filter them out on the first try.
Dip your toes in familiar waters and collaborate with shoutouts with people from your genre first.
3. Start conversing
Start discovering people who are in your genre, post similar content, and have a similar number of followers as you do. Initiate conversation. But don’t spam them with unnecessary “Hi, please check out my page” messages. Instead, find a genuine topic to discuss and share a few laughs over. Add them to your social circle.
Leave engaging and helpful comments on their posts. Something along the lines of “This is so awesome. What do you think would happen if I replaced baking soda with baking powder?” works great. It engages them, helps them, and such thoughtful questions increase your chances of getting a shoutout.
4. Don’t be desperate
Even if you are. If you merely message someone asking for a shoutout, you will receive a shutdown instead. Follow them, like their most recent uploads, and post a few engaging comments. This may lead to the two of you getting to interact through direct messages later on. Once you have struck up a conversation, politely ask them for help.
The worst way to get a shoutout is by messaging them one single, dreadful sentence: “Shoutout for a shoutout?”. Creators despise it. Be friends with them and offer them value, material or otherwise, before you get to the point.
5. Give to receive
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Before you reach out to someone, think about what you have to offer them in return. This also gets you across the “ice-breaker” part of the engagement. Typing the right first sentence can be tricky. But if you re-post their content or give them a shoutout first, they will respond.
Bonus points if you add a personal touch to their content. For example, if you have bought a recycled notebook, talk about its quality and the value for money. And in the end, add a few lines about how it helped you or impressed you.
Once that is done, the ice is broken. They will reach out, you will start conversing, and you can both exchange shoutouts later on.
Conclusion
Wider reach on Instagram and other platforms can prove essential in developing your online presence and evolving your business. It is hard, but not impossible. In the end, the efforts you give are important since they are what you get in return.
If you have other tricks hidden up your sleeve, let them slither out in the comments below.
