Are you looking for ways to promote your ecommerce business on Instagram? If so, you may wonder if using Instagram Story shoutouts is a good option.
In this article, we will discuss what an Instagram story shoutout is and share ten successful Instagram Story shoutout examples for ecommerce businesses.
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What is an Instagram story shoutout?
An Instagram Story shoutout is when one Instagram user mentions or tags another user in their story and promotes a product or service.
Instagram Story shoutouts are a great way to promote your ecommerce business because they allow you to reach a wider audience.
Instagram accounts with many followers produce the most effective shoutouts. It is possible to reach a large audience through them, so it's essentially another marketing method for your online store.
Because of these accounts' influence, they are often called “influencers.”
Influencer marketing shows no signs of slowing down. It is more popular and more effective than ever before. Here is a look at Google Trends for the search term “influencer marketing”:
Influencer marketing can help you to increase your sales and brand awareness. When done right, it can be one of the most effective marketing strategies out there for your brand.
What are the different types of Instagram story shoutouts?
- Paid shoutouts. This is when a user pays another user with a large following to mention their product or service in their story. Paid shoutouts can be an effective way to reach a larger audience and increase brand awareness and sales.
- Shoutout for Shoutout (SFS). This is when two users agree to mention each other in their stories to promote each other's products, services, or social media accounts.
- A word-of-mouth shoutout. A word-of-mouth shoutout is when a user mentions a product or service to their followers without being asked to do so. This is what you have to strive for with your ecommerce business. The benefit of this type of shoutout is that it is free for you, is seen as more genuine, and can be just as or even more effective than paid shoutouts. Here is a great example of a word-of-mouth shoutout:
- Free product shoutout. In this type of shoutout, one user agrees to mention another user's product in their story in exchange for a free product.
- An affiliate marketing shoutout. When a user promotes another user's product in their story and includes an affiliate link, it's like a contract.
With the affiliate link, the brand and the influencer can easily keep up with the sales, and the influencer will get a commission from each sale. (You can learn more here about how to use affiliate marketing as an ecommerce store owner)
10 Instagram story shoutout examples for ecommerce
Check out these ten Instagram story shoutout examples for ecommerce businesses.
These examples will give you ideas for showcasing your products, promoting sales, and connecting with customers.
1. Walmart
This ad was done for Walmart with their Walmart Partner program, through which you can earn commissions on each sale made on Walmart.com.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- The atmosphere of the image is well-planned. You can imagine yourself in the same situation. You are reading your favorite book in your new patio set that you bought for under 300$! Sounds good, doesn't it?
- The text is written in a very casual tone, just like talking to an old friend. This kind of writing style works really well. It feels more personal and not too promotional.
- The image is beautiful. People passionate about decorating and planning are likely to click through and find out more about the product since the picture is well taken.
2. Manscaped
This shoutout was done for a brand called Manscaped, a company founded in 2016.
Manscaped designs premium tools and accessories that offer an elevated grooming routine for men.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- Video shoutout instead of a photo. Videos tend to convert better than images, at least in customer testimonials like this. Instead of using a primary product photo, they made a whole video, which made this ad more impressive.
- Hilarious and engaging. The shoutout is made in a hilarious way, which keeps the viewer engaged. The first short clip, in the beginning, is excellent. It makes you wonder how they ended up with cream all over the face.
- Shows the benefits of the product in a powerful way. Anyone who has ever pointed a sharp object at a balloon knows that it pops easily. Surprisingly, with Manscaped razor, it did not pop. This already gives you a sense of how safe this product is and how it won't harm your skin.
3. Daniel Wellington
This is a shoutout to Daniel Wellington, a big watch brand based in the US. In 2017, Daniel Wellington was named the fastest-growing private company in Europe.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- The image has a lot of detail, and the watch looks great. The colors, the background, the clothing, and the watch match each other. The blurry background also makes the watch look of higher quality.
- Personal discount code for the followers. The followers feel more valued when they receive a personal discount from their favorite influencer to a big watch brand like Daniel Wellington.
- The product matches the audience. Analyzing the @paulpayasalad account, which is the Instagram account behind the shoutout, most of their followers fit the lifestyle of this watch.
4. Tropicology
This is a shoutout to Tropicology, which is an Australian-based skincare company.
One of their biggest goals is to be the leader of avocado farming practices in Australia and realize the benefits avocado gives to the skin.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- The shoutout is done in a very casual tone. It doesn't sound too promotional. The shoutout also has a 20% discount, which puts pressure to take action on the sale.
- Speaks to a niche audience. This shoutout speaks to a niche audience of pregnant women. Many followers of this page are pregnant women who want tips, support, and compassion from other people in the same situation.
- Solves a problem for pregnant women. The shoutout describes the trouble the followers may have and provides a solution. Discomfort from skin stretching and growing is a real problem for pregnant women. If followers are experiencing those issues, they are very likely to click through and learn more about the brand.
5. Natrol
This is a shoutout to Natrol, a company that helps you take care of your health with different wellness products like the one in the picture.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- The shoutout targets the right audience with a big problem. It is hard to sleep in an airplane; we all know it. This ad is so effective because it touches on a big pain point.
They use a traveling angle, which is suitable for this page as it is travel related. Instead of targeting everyone, they targeted their fellow travel buddies, which made the ad more successful. - This shoutout is visually impressive. It is hard to beat the visual side of this shoutout. It is taken on an airplane, a perfect place for shoutouts like this.
- An easy call to action. If you are interested in the product, you can quickly go to Natrol's Instagram page, go to their website, and place an order for a reasonably low price.
6. L'Oreal Professionnel
This shoutout was done for L'Oreal Professionnel, a company dedicated to helping you with hair care and hair color products.
One of their commitments is to develop environmentally-friendly products.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- The product matches the audience. The shoutout was done on an account called @curly.hair.boo, which is entirely based on different curly hairstyles. Almost all the followers are potential buyers, which makes the shoutout very effective.
- Shows the successful end result. It's not just a promotional ad. The influencer tests the products and proves that the product works.
- Multiple different images showcase the product. The photos tell all the benefits of using the product. All the images provide you with new information about the product. Call-to-action buttons are easy to act on. They are simple bit.ly links.
7. Asobu Bottle
This shoutout was done for a company called Asobu. Asobu's name comes from Japanese Culture, which refers to a fun and playful nature.
Whenever you take a picture of your rescue dog with the hashtag #SaveADogWithAsobu, Asobu donates $10 to their animal shelter partners.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- This bottle raises questions. The design is unique and something we may not have seen before. People click through because they are curious about what it is and might make a purchase.
- Solves a big problem for dogs and dog owners. The shoutout image showcases the dog in the park with a portable water bowl. This is a huge problem solved for dog owners. As a dog owner, you want to take care of your dog, and a portable water bowl can be a big help.
- The ad is relevant to the time of the year. This ad was posted at the beginning of the summer. You will need something like this portable water bowl when the heat comes.
8. Lux Skin
This shoutout was done for Lux Skin, a company specializing in effective beauty devices that you can use from the comfort of your home.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- A catchy start to the video. The first 3-seconds of a shoutout are everything. You have to hook the viewer into the video. If you can't do that, your conversion rate drops significantly. This video hooks the viewer in with a unique start.
- Presents the audience with a problem and a solution. This is one of the keys to a successful shoutout. You have to find a problem your followers have and find a solution. It is precisely what is done on this shoutout. They found a problem and came up with a solution.
- Fast-paced video with all the necessary information. There is no unnecessary information in the video. All of the cuts are fast, which keeps the audience interested.
9. TJ Maxx
This shoutout was done for TJ Maxx, one of the US's largest clothing retailers. TJ Maxx has over 1,000 stores in the US.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- The description is well-written. The description raises a desire to click through to find out more about their selection. The influencer also tells us how she decorated her space, inspiring her followers.
- The image has a good mood. It has many different colors that match each other. The shoutout is also done before summer, which is perfect timing for accessorizing such shoutouts.
10. Craggy Games
This shoutout was done for Craggy Games. A company focused on creating handcrafted hook and ring games to play with your friends.
What was so great about this Instagram story shoutout example?
- Provides the viewer with a reason to continue watching. The viewer is eager to see who wins, and it's a reason for you to keep watching the video till the end. You can feel the pressure which makes you feel different emotions. This makes the video even more engaging.
- The video makes the viewer see themselves in the same situation. If you love to drink with your friends, you can easily imagine playing this game in the same position. All the fun you could have playing this game with your friends. It makes you want to buy the product immediately.
- Large call-to-action button. The call-to-action button is so big that you can't miss it. It makes you want to click through and learn more about the product and pricing.
Why use Instagram story shoutouts?
There are a few reasons why you may want to use Instagram Story shoutouts as part of your ecommerce marketing strategy.
First, it can help you reach a new audience of potential customers. When someone is tagged in an Instagram Story, their followers will see it and could be intrigued enough to check out your business.
Second, using Instagram Story shoutouts can help build relationships with other businesses and influencers in your industry. This is a great way to network and get your business in front of people who may be interested in what you're selling.
How much can you expect to pay for an Instagram story shoutout?
As many factors affect the price of story shoutouts, it isn't easy to estimate the actual cost.
Here are estimates of how much you can expect to pay for an Instagram story shoutout.
- 1,000 – 10,000 followers = $10-$50 per post
- 10,000 – 50,000 followers = $50-$250 per post
- 50,000 – 500,000 followers = $100-$1,000 per post
- 500,000 – 1,000,000 followers = $500-$10,000 per post
- +1,000,000 followers = +$5,000 per post
What affects the price of an Instagram story shoutout?
Let's go through what actually affects the price that you pay for an Instagram story shoutout.
There are a few things that affect the price of an Instagram story shoutout, including:
- The number of followers the influencer has
- The engagement rate of the influencer's posts
- The quality of the content the influencer produces
- The niche of the influencer
- The location of the influencer
Conclusion
There you go! Ten successful Instagram story shoutouts.
Hopefully, you got inspiration from this and have some idea of what you want to do in terms of Instagram story shoutouts.
When used right, Instagram story shoutouts can be one of the most effective things you can use for building your brand.
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