How to Reach Out on Instagram: Make New and Rewarding Connections

Why not step out of your own feed and explore what else is out there, in the greater Instagram universe? You can’t just keep your fingers crossed and hope that Instagram’s algorithm will “favor” your posts and put them in front of more people. Sure, you know the best times to post on Instagram; but this doesn’t mean that you can just sit back, relax, and wait for like and comment notifications to start pouring in. So you have the budget to boost an Instagram post or launch an ad campaign, but sponsored posts are not the be-all and end-all of Instagram growth. You should also connect with users outside your feed if you want to reach more people, gain new followers, and get more likes on Instagram. Here are great ideas on how to reach out on Instagram to make new and rewarding connections.

Why You Should Engage With Users Outside Your Feed

Why should you know how to reach out on Instagram and engage with users outside your feed? Printing out flyers and handing them out to random people on the street is a dying promotional practice. Events where you can connect with new people who may become potential customers, as well as with other brands for possible partnerships have been put on hold for too long due to the global pandemic. Email newsletters and promotions rarely see the light of day — if they’re lucky enough not to be automatically labeled “Spam.”

Fortunately, many brands and businesses have managed to stay afloat and maintain their presence in their industry and relationships with their customers through social media platforms. Just as you would go around introducing your brand to attendees at an event, actively reaching out to Instagram users outside your feed will help you create and tap into new connections — connections which have the potential to develop into beneficial partnerships, deliver new and genuinely interested followers, and increase brand awareness and content engagement.

How to Reach Out to Brands on Instagram

You can send a DM to a brand you’re interested in working with, or go the email route. Alternatively, you can take advantage of Instagram’s latest suite of new tools that connects brands and creators. Here’s how to reach out to brands on Instagram for collaborations through partnerships, commerce, and many more.

• Branded content partnership. You can select brands you want to work with and Instagram will include you in a list of suggested creators when these brands look for partners.

• Partnership messages DM folder. Instagram has included a DM folder exclusive for messages about branded content partnerships. If you want to reach out on Instagram to send a collaboration proposal, you can rest assured that your message will get priority placement, won’t go to the Message Requests folder, or won’t get buried in the account’s busy inbox.

In addition to these cool, new features, make sure you have all your bases covered and contact the brands you’re interested in via email to let them know of your interest in a collaboration.

How to Reach Out to Influencers on Instagram

Influencer marketing is a must for any brand that’s looking to grow their follower base and engagement levels. Make sure to follow these best practices for how to reach out to influencers on Instagram.

Reaching Out to Instagram Influencers: Template for a Successful Collaboration

Keep these in mind when you reach out to Instagram influencers:

1. Make a list of potential candidates. Do some industry research to find the best candidates. Make a list of influencers working within your niche/industry and who have the same audience group/s that you’re targeting.
2. Get to know your influencers. Learn their content style, values, aesthetic, and all relevant Instagram metrics. Take note of the following data: # of followers, # of total engagements, engagement rate, rhythm and frequency of posts, and quality of comments (relevant comments vs. not relevant comments).
3. Reach out to these Instagram influencers. Here’s a basic message template to get you started: 

Hi there! I’m Joe, owner of <Brand Name>!

We offer <describe product/service> and I’m looking to reach more people to hit 1,000 followers on Instagram. Your content is amazing and I’m impressed by the work you’ve done with <company name> for their <campaign name>. I feel that you’d be the best fit to help me increase brand awareness and that your audience would appreciate what I have to offer. I’d be glad to discuss the details of a possible collaboration further. You can reply to me here or at <insert your email address>. Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!
All the best!
Joe

You can reach out to Instagram influencers through DM, email, or both. You may also include an outline of your campaign proposal, subject to changes and negotiations; or you can stick to a simple brand introduction. Don’t forget to engage with them on their social media accounts before reaching out; follow them and like, comment on, and share some of their posts to let let them know you’re familiar with their content and appreciate their work.

How to Reach Out to Celebrities on Instagram

Getting a celebrity to even mention you in a post is a long shot, but you have nothing to lose if you want to know how to reach out to celebrities on Instagram. Whether you just want a simple shout-out or you want to find out if they’d be interested in your brand, product, service, an event, or a cause you’re promoting, here are some tips on how to best get in touch with celebrities and get their attention.

• Find an email address for the celebrity’s representative. Even if you manage to find out a celebrity’s personal email address, it would be a bad idea to use it. Your best option is to go through the proper channel, which is their representative.
• Have a well-written and solid proposition. Your message should be straightforward and include all the important details. Remember that you may only get one chance to have your message read by the receiver, so make it count. Give them a good reason to consider your proposal, i.e., appeal to the celebrity’s well-known interests or ideals — but do it in a professional manner.
• Find the right contact person if you’re sending a product sample. If you want to reach out to a celebrity on Instagram to send a sample of your product, the correct person to contact is their publicist, manager, or personal assistant. They’re the ones who are most likely to reply to you, provide you with the correct postal address, and recommend your product for testing.

How to Reach Out to Companies on Instagram

Companies on Instagram typically provide their contact information for all kinds of queries. If you’re a brand that’s looking for a partnership or an influencer who wants to send a pitch, here are some tips for how to reach out to companies on Instagram.

• Cold DMs may demonstrate your moxie and fighting spirit, but you can increase your chances of getting noticed and getting a positive reply from a company by showing them a sample of what you can do. How? Create a post featuring the brand and tag them. You can then also include the link to your post in your DM.
• Go straight to the company’s email address with your pitch. But take the same step as outlined above — create a post featuring the brand first and then tag them.
• Make sure your pitch includes the following: a catchy subject line (for emails); a short and smart introduction of yourself; a straightforward description of what you love about the brand; a media kit which should have your Instagram account, verified Instagram analytics data, previous work, and contact information; a call to action; and your rates.
• Needless to say, make sure you’re actively engaging with the company’s social media pages.

How to Reach Out to People on Instagram

Instagram’s DM feature allows anybody to message almost any other user on the platform via a private chat. If you want to know how to reach out to people on Instagram, all you need is an Instagram account. You don’t need to follow the people you want to message or be followed by them to send them a DM. You may also add multiple recipients to a message you want to send. Just follow these steps to send a message:

1. Open the Instagram app and swipe left on the homescreen, or tap the paper airplane icon in the top right corner.
2. Tap the new message icon in the top right corner (the pen and note icon).
3. Type the username of the person you want to DM. You can select more than one recipient for your message.
4. Tap Chat in the top right corner, and then type your message. You can also include a photo or video.
5. Hit Send.

Alternatively, you can reach out on Instagram directly from the person’s profile by tapping the Message button. However, this option is only available if you’re following and being followed by the person you want to message.

Final Thoughts: Practice Proactive Engagement to Reach More Users

You can’t just be reactive or, worse, completely passive on Instagram if you want to reach more people and especially if you want to grow your brand. Don’t just wait for users to go to you, comment on your posts, or send you a DM. Know how to reach out on Instagram, whether you want to connect with brands, companies, influencers, celebrities, or regular users. Reaching out with a simple follow or post like or by commenting on a post or sending  DM is an effective way to make your presence known and a good first step in developing meaningful connections.

If you need expert help in growing your brand on Instagram, you can team up with an Instagram growth strategy pro — a growth service like Path Social. Get genuinely interested followers with the help of Path Social’s advanced, proprietary AI targeting technology. Experience higher and quality engagement with the help of their in-house team of social media specialists. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!