With an Instagram collab post, two users can share the same post in their own Feed or Reels. Find out how to create your own.
Alyssa Hirose August 14, 2023 10 min read
Collab posts on Instagram offer an effective way for brands to partner with content creators, increase reach and engagement and build a community on the platform.
This post has everything you need to know about collab posts, including how to find a collaborator, build the post and the best strategies for a successful collaboration.
Psst: You can also watch this video to catch the basics in under 7 minutes.
Bonus: Claim your free pack of 15 creative Instagram post templates made by Hootsuite’s professional graphic designers. Easily customize them in Canva, and start getting more engagement today.
An Instagram Collab post is a single post that appears in two different accounts’ Feeds or Reels — and features two users as the post’s author. Collab posts also share performance statistics, including comments, likes and the number of shares.
One user creates the post and then invites the other to be listed as a collaborator. Once the collaborator accepts, the post appears as a feed post or Reel on both users’ accounts.
When you use the Instagram Collab feature with another brand or creator on Instagram, you’re accessing your collaborator’s audience (and, in turn, your collaborator is accessing your audience). It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: both parties increase their overall reach.
And it’s not just a wider audience: it’s a new audience. A collab post will result in fresh eyes on your products, resulting in an opportunity to introduce more people to your brand.
Good collab posts have a higher engagement rate — usually, that’s because fans of either (or both) of the collaborators are delighted by the collaboration.
View this post on InstagramFor example, the post above announced a collaboration between a ceramics studio and a candle maker — the two brands created a product together, and both of their fans voiced their excitement about the partnership through likes, comments and shares.
It’s a content creator’s job to, well, create content. Let the creator that you’re working with do what they do best by allowing them creative freedom and control over the collab post (not only does this let the creator put their own genuine spin on the content, it’s also one less thing for your in-house team to do).
View this post on InstagramEspecially if you’re a smaller brand, partnering with a creator can take some of the burden of actually making the content off of your plate.
(Psst—wondering how much you should pay the creator? Here’s a guide.)
Social media users are aware that businesses use social media for marketing. And traditional advertising can come across as detached (and boring), especially if you don’t have a unique or personal angle.
That’s where creators come in: being engaging, authentic and entertaining is what they do. When you partner with a creator, you’re showing your audience that you align with their beliefs, which is an important part of establishing a multi-dimensional brand voice (and it also helps support the creator and amplify their message).
This comes along with brand authenticity: participating in Instagram collaborations will help you establish relationships with other creators and brands. It’s literal social networking: you’re connecting with other people in a meaningful way, instead of just sending your content into the void of the internet.
Ready to post the content from your Instagram collab? Here’s how to do it. First, make sure your Instagram account is public. If you have a private account, any followers you do not share with the collaborator won’t be able to see the content.
1. Begin by taking the steps you would normally take to post a photo or video: create a new post, select your content, write a caption, etc. (Make sure you’re optimizing your content for Instagram’s algorithm, too). To indicate to Instagram that this post is a collaboration, first tap Tag people.
2. Instead of tapping the photo to tag people, hit the Invite collaborator button.
3. Next, type in the handle of the creator or brand that you are collaborating with, and select them. Then you’re ready to hit post.
(Note: as you can see from the screengrab below, the Rock does not allow collaborations on Instagram. If you’re running into this issue – or if a brand is having trouble tagging you — see the part of this blog post entitled “How to allow collab posts on Instagram.”)
4. This last step isn’t something you have to do: it’s something your collaborator has to do.
Once you hit post, your collaborator will receive a DM letting them know that you have invited them to collab. The collaborator must view and accept the request. This ensures that collaborations are posted with the consent of both parties.
Below is an example of the kind of direct message that the Rock would get if I invited him to collab on this post.
Remember! Instagram Collabs doesn’t take the place of a branded content label. If you have a creator account that uses the branded partners feature, you still need to label your spon-con to stay compliant with advertising regulations.
Posting a collaboration on Instagram Reels is basically identical to posting a regular feed collab. Here are the steps:
1. Once you’ve created your Reel (or received the content from the creator), start to post as you normally would. When you arrive at the page where you can add a caption, location and tag, select Tag people.
2. Tap Invite collaborator.
3. Type in the handle of your collaborator, and select it when it comes up. Then, hit Done and post as normal.
Your collaborator will have to accept the invite to collab in order for this step to be complete—get them to check their DMs for your request.
In order for a collab to be posted to Instagram, both collaborators need to consent to the partnership. For best results, both the initial poster and the added collaborator should have public accounts. If the brand or creator that you are collaborating with is having trouble sending you the invitation to collab, here’s how to fix it.
1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the menu icon (the three horizontal lines in the top right corner). Then, hit Settings and Privacy.
2. Next, go to Tags and mentions. (For the purposes of privacy, Instagram considers collaborators and tagged accounts to be the same).
3. Take a look at the three options under Who can tag you. If you select Allow tags from everyone, that means that any account can invite you to collaborate on an Instagram post. If you select Allow tags from people you follow, only accounts that you follow can invite you to collab.
(Psst: Make sure you follow the account of your collaborator. Not only does this make the partnership easier, it’s also common sense: collabing with a creator that you don’t even follow looks inauthentic).
The Don’t allow tags option means that no one can tag or collaborate with you. Obviously, don’t choose this if your goal is to collab.
Need inspo for your next Instagram collab? Here’s some tips from brands and creators who are doing it right.
When choosing a creator or influencer to collaborate with, make sure that the folks that you are considering are working in a related niche or industry. In other words, the partnership should make sense to both your audiences.
For example, this collaboration between Athleta and track and field athlete Allyson Felix is a great match — it’s reasonable that a brand that makes clothes for athletes would partner with one.
