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Samantha Scott has 8+ years of experience in content marketing, social media, and SEO and has worked in industries from wine to travel to tech. She believes that strong storytelling is of the utmost importance in marketing, both in the B2B and B2C space. Bringing brand voice front and center is her favorite part of the mutli-faceted world of marketing. Samantha is an avid social media user, with a sharp eye for what’s trending and how people interact on platforms both old and new. In her free time she enjoys creating mixed-media collage art, cosplay, and hiking.

Content Marketing Manager

See all blogs written by Samantha Scott, Content Marketing Manager at Meltwater ► Organic ★ Digital Marketing ★ Social Media Marketing ★

Author: Samantha Scott

We get it! You're busy scheduling content and engaging with your followers, so it can be difficult to make time to sit down and read about the latest Facebook algorithm update or how brands are leveraging TikTok. But, hey, it's also important to carve out time to learn about new ways to improve your social media strategy. So, put down your phone (we know: it's a big ask!) and indulge in reading about recent social media updates. 


Top Social Media and PR News Stories This Week

If you work in social media marketing, these are the stories you need to read this week!

Snapchat Debuts New AI Try-on Experience With Cartier

Snap has partnered with companies AppsFlyer and Snowflake to facilitate more advanced targeting, and data privacy and protection. As part of the integration with Snowflake, Snap “will serve as a key mobile platform partner” enabling marketers to work from a single view, while AppsFlyer provides an extra layer of security.

LinkedIn has added a verified badge for recruiters, which will help unwitting job seekers avoid scams. The verification process is optional but recommended. It’s a small but powerful indicator that could go a long way to improving the workflow for job seekers.

YouTube is adding a few new shopping features that ecommerce businesses can take advantage of. These include “Shopping Collections”, which provide a way that creators can set up curated lists of their favorite products, and a new Affiliate Hub making it easier for influencers to connect to potential partners. 

In partnership with Cartier and to celebrate the jewelry company's 100th anniversary, Snapchat has debuted a new AI ring try-on experience. It’s the latest in similar try-on experiences that Snap has launched for products such as nail polish, glasses, and shoes.

Advanced Partner Program Launches at Snapchat

Meta is expanding their content policy to better indicate when a post has been created with or uses AI. The previous policy only applied to altered videos while the new label will be used to identify any photos, videos, or audio that has been AI-generated.

A new sticker on Instagram will allow users to set a notification for when new content is uploaded by their favorite creators. Clicking the notification sticker provides users with different choices so they can customize what kind of posts they want to get notifications for.

Now you will be able to reach new audiences through LinkedIn CTV ads. Partnering with various video providers including Paramount and Samsung, businesses can now launch CTV ads via the LinkedIn campaign manager. 

Snapchat is introducing a new Advanced Partner Program, an extension of their existing partner program. From Snap: “Advanced partners will receive unique benefits throughout the year including personalized training and enablement sessions, dedicated support, and additional tools and resources.”

In effort to spur growth and engagement, Threads is experimenting with a new bonus program for creators. The incentive program will reward posts based on volume and performance. The program is currently invite-only and in the beginning stages of being rolled out.

Snapchat Introduces Templates, Longer Videos, and More

New “Blend Feed” in Testing at Instagram

New Google Shopping AI Features in Testing

Snapchat is adding a range of new features including advanced AI lenses, templates for shared Memories, and longer video lengths. The lenses convert images based on certain themes and Memories can now be remixed with music allowing you to reuse clips in new and fun ways. 

This is an interesting one. Instagram is testing a “Blend” feed which would show you recommended Reels based on those you’ve sent to friends. It’s an intriguing idea in response to the growing popularity among users of sharing content via DMs, rather than to their public feed.

Reddit is introducing some new Ad features for businesses to tap into. These include AI suggested headlines based on the formats that perform the best and an Asset Cropper tool that customizes imagery to fit Reddit Ad sizes. They’ve also done some work to improve bidding options. 

Google Shopping is making some improvements. New AI driven enhancements will now provide related style recommendations and body-size matching. Users will also be able to refine these results by upvoting or downvoting based on personal preferences, as well as indicate which brands they’d like to see more or less of.

Snapchat Adds Sponsored Filter Option for Brands

AI-Powered Skip Ahead Feature in Testing at YouTube

Instagram Tests New Carousel Comments Update

This is an interesting one. Snapchat has added a sponsored filter option, which brands can use for various promotions. The filters act as ads which include a link, providing more visibility and reach to a campaign. The filters are also a less heavy lift than a full AR experience, so more brands can start to take advantage of Snap as a marketing channel.

YouTube is testing an AI-powered skip feature, which would make it easier to skip to popular points in a video. This update would use AI to predict the places where most users stop when fast-forwarding, offering a “jump-ahead” action if a viewer is double tapping a video to skip through. 

Instagram is continuing to test new elements for Carousel posts. Their latest test would introduce the ability to leave a comment for a specific image or video within a carousel. This would open a lot of interesting possibilities for brands and influencers and potentially increase engagement on carousel posts. 

YouTube Adds Audience Segments and Customizable

YouTube has added another audience retention metric, this time for different audience groups. This new view shows you which of your videos are most popular for various audience segments, including “New vs Returning” and “Subscribed vs Unsubscribed”, allowing you to more accurately cater your content. 

LinkedIn Tests Incorporating Games into the Home Feed

TikTok’s Sound Library Will Now Include Influencer Clips

New Instagram Carousel Features in Testing

Snapchat Tests Option to Keep Messages Beyond 24 Hours

LinkedIn is reportedly experimenting with adding in-app games. It’s quite a compelling idea for encouraging engagement on the platform, with a lot of interesting possibilities, but it remains to be seen whether users will go along for the ride. Per LinkedIn, the puzzle-type games will showcase scores and rankings, “to unlock a bit of fun, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations.”

Going forward the TikTok sounds library will include audio from influencers, which brands can then tap into for their advertising purposes. These audio samples are labeled “Sounds for Business”. The new collection also includes templates that brands can use for greater success.

Instagram is testing a new feature for carousel posts. These include more frames to choose from for your posts and the ability to add 15 photos or videos as opposed to 10. Carousel posts traditionally perform better than single image posts, so the new additions could be a great way to make these posts more appealing to creators, brands, and viewers.

Snapchat is currently testing the option to let users keep messages past 24 hours. As disappearing messages has always been Snaps model, it’s an interesting move to say the least, and one only available to a small subset of users at the moment. Auto-delete will remain the default selection meaning users would need to actively turn this option on. 

Now brands advertising on Instagram can add a promo code that will be automatically applied when users shop in-app. This update will facilitate better tracking and could encourage more Instagrammers and brands to take advantage of social commerce.

Long Form Post Option Available to X Premium Subscribers

New LinkedIn Tool for Facilitating Internal Career Progression

Google to Start Showing Recent Social Posts in Business Results

Looking for the latest social media news? Learn about the recent social media updates and campaigns that could improve your social media strategy.

Social Media News: The 5 Biggest Stories of the Week

So you’re thinking of starting a YouTube channel. That’s great news! YouTube is well worth incorporating into your social media management strategy given that it is the 2nd most visited website, after Google, and video is such a popular and engaging content format. 

If you’re already all set up on YouTube and are looking for some more strategy-based ideas, check out our Ultimate Guide to YouTube Marketing. But if you’re just getting started, stick around and by the end of this blog, you’ll have all the tools and steps you need to create and manage a YouTube channel, including video ideas, how to shoot and upload videos, and engagement tips. 

Examples of Great YouTube Video Campaigns

To start marketing on YouTube, you of course first need to have a channel. YouTube is owned by Google, so the very first step is to sign up for a Google account.

You probably already have one of these, whether for work or personal use. You could use one of these existing accounts if you want, but we actually recommend setting up a Google account specifically to be tied to your YouTube channel. 

This helps with organization (such as email notifications from YouTube) and makes it easier to add and remove channel community managers. 

Tip: Use an easy-to-remember email that multiple people can then access, as opposed to a “[first-name]@[company-domain]” model. We suggest something like “marketing@” or “film-video-content@”.

Now the fun part! Setting up your channel. Since you already created your Google account, connecting to YouTube is super easy. You know that grid of squares from the Google homepage, or accessible from within Gmail or Google Drive?

Give that a click and you’ll see all the apps that are available. You can click YouTube from here, or go to the URL directly (youtube.com). 

Once you’re on the YouTube homepage (you should already be logged in), select the round profile photo icon in the top right. You’ll see a long list of options pop up.

Click “Create Channel”. Remember: you have a YouTube account automatically through your Google account, with which you can search, subscribe, and watch other people's videos, but you don’t actually have your own channel set up yet. Once you do, you can post your own videos! 

You’ll now be guided through the steps to set up your channel! 

When prompted to choose a name, it’s recommended to create a custom name. You can always change this later, so don't worry about too much if you don’t have the perfect one yet. This option also means you can customize the profile image.

You’ll enter the name for your new channel and accept terms and conditions on the next screen. 

YouTube now also provides the option to create a handle with an @ symbol (just like Twitter or Instagram). This can be used when people refer to you in comments and is also another useful way for people to find your channel. But perhaps the biggest benefit is it allows you to create a unique channel URL — a feature previously only available to creators with a certain number of subscribers.

Note that the banner is long and skinny so be sure you have an image that fits these dimensions. The proper size for your YouTube channel art is 2,560 x 1,440 pixels.   

If you're looking for more image sizes for all of the social media platforms, check out our full guide to social media image sizes.

We also have a blog with important social media video sizes.

The profile photo is round and is typically going to be your logo. This is what will show up next to your channel name on posted videos, and in the comments. 

Dimensions for a YouTube profile photo are 250 x 250 pixels.

Don’t skip this! If you don’t have one prepared immediately, that’s ok, but be sure to upload one as soon as you have it. This video is prominently displayed and begins playing automatically when people visit your channel.

For more tips on creating a trailer for your YouTube channel, visit our blog: 10 Tips to Grow YouTube Subscribers

You can think of the process for making a YouTube video in four main stages: 

Each of these steps can be broken down into several sub-steps. Read on for the top tips on making great YouTube Videos!

1. Planning stage: conceptualize, write, storyboard, rehearse

The first thing you need to do is plan out your video. Think of your theme, goals, write down a basic shot list, have a general length you’re shooting for (pun intended!), and rehearse so you can know if that needs to be adjusted. This is also the stage where you should create a shooting schedule. 

Tip: Factor in buffer times in case weather or other unforeseen circumstances impact your shooting schedule.

Remember that more complicated concepts, requiring multiple shots, angels, sets, people, and locations will take longer to shoot and edit. If you’re just starting out with making video content, try to keep the fancy elements to a minimum until you get a sense of how long your videos take to make.

There are many directions you can go with YouTube video ideas, so think about your goals. You should stick to one main goal per video — this not only keeps your content short, but it also keeps it focused. This is essential for brands trying to build their YouTube presence in that it means you can produce more videos in a shorter amount of time.

Need some inspiration? Check out these 50 video ideas to get your started!

During the planning stage you can also determine the equipment you’ll need. Be sure that you have the proper lighting, sound, and of course cameras. If it’s financially feasible, it’s a good idea to have a multi-camera set up for easier editing and nice variation. 

Write a basic script and prepare a storyboard, including any set instructions or blocking you want to incorporate. Again, this might sound fancy but it doesn’t have to be. 

For a script, stick to the basics. Don’t stress about the proper formatting of a screenplay. You just need to have a sense of what people are saying and when. You’ll probably find you have to cut a lot, so write more than you think you need.

Storyboarding isn't strictly necessary, but it can be extremely helpful. Use white blank 8x11 paper — 1 per shot you have planned. Again don’t worry about being polished. Stick figures, and simple shapes to indicate where the cameras are is sufficient. The nicest aspect of storyboarding is you can use it to reminder yourself of other elements you want to add to your video, such as cards to related content, sound effects, graphics, etc. Sticky notes indicating where these elements slot in is a great trick (and you'll thank yourself in the editing!).

This is an absolutely essential step and should not be glossed over or saved till the last minute. It is during rehearsal that you’ll discover certain blockers such as taking too long to set up a particular shot or dialogue that is difficult to get right without multiple takes.

Shooting your video should be straightforward if you dedicate enough time to proper planning. You have all your shots mapped out, lighting, sound, and filming equipment, your on-camera talent has rehearsed. There’s very little to do except press record! 

While filming, pay particular attention to continuity. You don’t want to get stuck in the editing process realizing that a water bottle disappears and reappears in the background, or an unintentional wardrobe change occurs, or daylight moves to nighttime in a jarring way.

Tip: Have someone take on the role of script supervisor who can keep an eye out for potential continuity errors during filming.

Welcome to the editing stage! Here’s where everything you shot will be cut down, refined, and tightened up into a cohesive video. During editing, you’ll also add any effects, color correction, audio correction, text, graphics, and music.

Editing can be slow and laborious, especially if you’re not used to it. If you have it in your budget consider hiring someone to do this for you. If you’ll be doing it in-house you can definitely get by with standard editing software such as iMovie.

Before heading to the upload stage, you’ll need to export your video. YouTube supports most formats, so there’s very little chance you’ll head to stage 4 with the wrong one. 

YouTube accepted video formats (from support.google):

4. Upload: title, description, thumbnail, publish

Now it's finally time to publish the video to your channel! YouTube makes this process very easy, and with just a few clicks of a button, you’ll be on your way.

Head to the YouTube homepage and click the small camera icon near your profile icon in the upper right. Two options pop up: “Upload” or “Go Live”. Select “Upload”.

On the next screen, you can find your video file on your computer, or drag it straight into the window. 

Thank you! A representative will be in touch with you soon.

You probably already have one of these, whether it’s for personal use or through your work. You could use one of these existing accounts if you wanted, but we actually recommend setting up a Google account specifically to be tied to your YouTube channel.
This helps with organization (such as email notifications from YouTube) and makes it easier to add and remove channel community managers. 
Tip: use an easy-to-remember email that multiple people can then access, as opposed to a “[first-name]@[company-domain]” model. We suggest something like “marketing@” or “film-video-content@”

1. Create a Google Account

Now the fun part! Setting up your channel. Since you already created your Google account, connecting to YouTube is super easy. You know that grid of squares from the Google homepage, or accessible from within Gmail or Google Drive?
Give that a click and you’ll see all the apps that are available. You can click YouTube from here, or go to the URL directly (youtube.com).
Once you’re on the YouTube homepage (you should already be logged in), select the round profile photo icon in the top right. You’ll see a long list of options pop up.
Click “Create Channel”. Remember: you have a YouTube account automatically through your Google account, with which you can search, subscribe, and watch other people's channels, but you don’t actually have your own channel set up that you can post videos to.

2. Log in to YouTube

You’ll now be guided through the steps to create your channel! When prompted to choose a name, it’s recommended to create a custom name. You can always change this later, so don't worry about too much if you don’t have the perfect one yet. This option also means you can customize the profile image.
You’ll enter the name for your new channel and accept terms and conditions on the next screen. 
Next, it’s time to customize your channel!

3. Set up your YouTube channel

Note that the banner is long and skinny so be sure you have an image that fits these dimensions. The proper size for your YouTube channel art is 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. 
The profile photo is round and is typically going to be your logo. This is what will show up next to your channel name on posted videos and in the comments. 

Dimensions for a YouTube profile photo are 250 x 250 pixels.

4. Add Profile Photo and Banner Image

Don’t skip this! If you don’t have one prepared immediately, that’s ok, but be sure to upload one as soon as you have it. This video is prominently displayed and begins playing automatically when people visit your channel.

This is why it’s a good idea to have a lot of content already created and ready to frontload before starting your YouTube channel.

5. Upload a Channel Trailer

How to Create a YouTube Channel

Expert guide to starting a YouTube channel. Grow an audience of loyal subscribers with creative and regular content.

How to Create and Manage a YouTube Channel

How to Create & Manage a YouTube Channel

Instagram marketing has truly caught fire recently, with more and more brands from global behemoths to tiny mom-and-pop shops, from online stores to brick-and-mortar outfits hopping on the train. So how do you jump into this already crowded mix and actually be successful?

With endless opportunities to build your brand, develop relationships with consumers, gain exposure, and make sales it’s understandable that you may be feeling overwhelmed with how to start your Instagram marketing strategy. 

Not to worry friend! You’re in the right place.

Optimizing Your Profile Page on Instagram

Instagram Marketing Tips to Beat the Algorithm

Put simply, Instagram marketing is how a brand posts, behaves, and interacts on Instagram for the purposes of brand awareness, gaining followers, and influencing sales. 

There are several strategies and tools available to marketers interested in using Instagram for promoting their products and services, and we’ll cover all of them today. 

Psst: are you a B2B brand? Check out these top examples of B2B brand profiles on Instagram and learn how to use Instagram for Business.

Every brand's Instagram strategy will be different depending on your style, the type of business you are in, and your goals. That said, successful Instagram brand accounts will all have this in common: a tight focus, clear visual coherence, and consistency with captions and hashtags.

1. Make sure you have a business account set up! 

Here’s our guide to Instagram for business that goes through creating an Instagram business profile. With a business account, there are some key features you’ll unlock and the best part is it's free and easy to set up! 

It's important to note that a business account on Instagram still does not grant you all the features available to accounts with 10,000 followers. But you will be able to track insights and analytics, and include CTAs like “contact” “call” or “Reserve” on your profile.  

2. What are your business goals for Instagram?

Before you start the fun of creating Stories and posting photos, Instagram marketers need to have a clear set of goals, guidelines, and KPIs.

An understanding of what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts on Instagram will help you hone in on the kinds of photos, captions, and stories you post, in addition to informing your share ratio and engagement style. Here’s some ideas of goals that Instagram can help marketers achieve:

Make sure you utilize the Shopping feature and share product releases, sales, and contests to your Stories. You could also promote your posts to get in front of more eyes.

Look at ways to build word-of-mouth and UGC, such as sharing to your Stories when you’re mentioned, making sure you prominently feature a branded hashtag in your bio so people know how to get featured, and it would also be a good idea to partner with nano and micro-influencers. 

Are your competitors killing it on Instagram with massive engagement and follower numbers? Clearly, they are getting something out of the platform and have invested time to make that happen. 

Look closely at the hashtags they use, the type of content they post, and which Instagram marketing tools they seem to utilize the most (are their Stories an afterthought or the main event? Perhaps they do more long-form IGTV posts). You can then either invest in the same features or expand into the spaces they're not paying attention to. Check your analytics on a regular basis to see how you measure up with competitors.

After you have your goals laid out, it’s time to determine your target audience, which will further inform the kind of content you post.

A good place to start is following hashtags related to your industry and see what kinds of content your consumers and competitors are posting. 

Well, like any marketing strategy, you'll get out of Instagram what you put into it. If you allow yourself time to build a following, engage with that following, work with the right influencers, utilize Instagram shopping if you're an e-commerce site, use ads if it's in your budget, and create solid, visually cohesive content, then Instagram will yield benefits for your brand. We'll go into these strategies and more below.

Don’t skimp on optimizing your Instagram profile. It might not seem worth it given how small a space it is. People just go straight to the pictures right? 

Well, maybe, but your bio, profile photo, CTAs, website link, and Instagram Stories highlights tell a lot about you. In today’s world of distracted consumers, you don’t want to give them any excuse to move on from your profile without following. 

It’s a small space, but it’s super important. This is where you tell people who you are and what you do in very few words. Social media copywriters, this is your time to shine. 

Top Tips For Optimizing Your Instagram Profile

The character count for an Instagram bio is 150. You need to cover who you are, what you do, and any other descriptors you wish to attach to your brand. Often brands use this space to highlight current campaigns or their support of a current social justice issue such as BLM. If you have a branded hashtag, the bio is a great place to put it.

Tip: Emojis are a great way to breathe life into your bio. And for you more wordy types, it’s a great way to increase the character count you have to work with! Instead of “Listen” you can use the ear emoji, instead of “we specialize in video production” you can use the slate or camera emoji.

Remember you only have one link, so if there are other things you do that you’d like to call attention to, your bio text is the place to do that. 

For example, Rebel Girls is an educational girls empowerment site and they have a number of different types of media they specialize in, from books to podcasts. So they use their bio to call attention to that.

Your Highlights row (circular icons that, when clicked, bring the user to a saved Instagram story or group of Stories) gives visitors to your Instagram profile a quick glance of the kinds of Stories you post. They can select ones they find interesting to get a better idea of how your brand uses Instagram Stories. 

Tip: Instagram Stories Highlights are typically categorized or themed. You have very little space to title each Highlight, so stick to one or two words if possible. 

There are no hard and fast rules for the best Stories Highlights format, however, most brands favor an icon consistency approach. 

For example, Rabbies Tours uses the light blue from their logo and a clear symbol for each Highlight:

And Bombas chooses brightly colored abstract patterns for their highlights:

By contrast, Royal Opera House has a less cohesive look, utilizing a combination of text covers and pictures of people. They also have two stories with the same exact image and date, which can cause confusion.

Instagram is infamous for being stingy with link opportunities. (Another reason some marketers may be incredulous about its usefulness). For this reason, the link in your bio is extremely important. While a website homepage is the most common link to include here, you could also use the space to promote a product release, campaign, contest, or special announcement. 

Most people by now are used to seeing “link in bio” in Instagram captions, and brands have become accustomed to regularly updating this link to correspond with the most recent post. 

Tip: Because of how Instagram’s algorithm works you do need to be careful about associating your bio link with anything time sensitive. If you publish a post about a limited-time offer, directing users to your bio link, by the time some users see that post, the promotion may already be over. For time-sensitive promotions, a “swipe up” link from Instagram Stories would be more appropriate.

Instagram has slowly rolled out more and more opportunities for linking through their other features, such as IGTV and shopping posts.

The profile photo on Instagram is round and 320 x 320 pixels. It should represent your company or brand clearly. Most businesses on Instagram use a circular version of their logo. Whether you use a photo of a person or object or a graphic, the basic rules to follow are: not too busy, not too close up, good quality, and in focus.

Remember when we said a business account is the first step for an effective Instagram marketing strategy? This is one of the many reasons why! A business profile allows you to post CTAs to your profile, giving your followers easy ways to get in touch.

The basic CTAs available are: Call, Email, Order Food, Book Now, Reserve

The question on everyone’s mind is always, “How do I get more Instagram followers?” Particularly that coveted 10,000 mark that unlocks even more benefits. 

Welcome to the chicken and egg of successful Instagram marketing. You can’t have engagement if you don’t already have a following. But it’s difficult to grow a following without engagement. So how do you start?

Like any other social media platform, Instagram requires a content strategy. Putting out content daily with no idea what your audience wants or needs is a futile attempt at social media marketing. 

This is why establishing who your audience is an important first step for your Instagram marketing strategy. Once you understand this, you can then craft posts catering to what they’ll respond to. As always, track your analytics carefully as soon as you start posting. The sooner you get an idea of what people are responding to, the sooner you can hone your Instagram content.

2. Partner with influencers and brand ambassadors

Another tactic to rapidly increase your followers is to partner with someone who has a similar audience as you, but with more engagement. Gone are the days where a celebrity endorsement would be the only choice. Today, micro-influencers can be just as or more impactful, and they’re a fraction of the cost. 

Approach someone who is operating in the same space as you and decide on how a partnership can be mutually beneficial to both parties. Often offering micro-influencers products, discounts, or coupon codes for a feature is well-appreciated and can save you marketing costs. 

The key here is value – both brand and influencer have to be providing value to each others’ audiences for a successful influencer strategy to work.

You could be forgiven for confusing all of Instagram’s video features since there are a lot! Reels were introduced worldwide in 2020 and have grown exponentially in popularity for their huge audience-building potential. Reels are accessed by the middle button of your bottom navigation bar on Instagram, so they are already prominently featured. 

The important note for brands is that Reels showcase your content not to people already following you, but to adjacent audiences, based on their interests and the kinds of posts they already engage with. Reels are designed to be similar to TikTok videos and are shared frequently between the two platforms.  

In contrast to Instagram Stories, Reels offer more editing and effects options. They can be shared to the Explore page, your Stories, and as a post. One of the many unique features (depending on how you look at it) is if you use your own audio, it can be repurposed by others for their Reels.

Tip: Check out our full guide to repurposing content for more insights.

For example, one of the most popular audio tracks is the “Happy Dog” song, originally created by TikTok user “deejaymoo41” and has been reused thousands of times by Instagram and TikTok users:

Happy Guy Happy Dog - TikTok Compilation

Promoting your Instagram handle and page on other platforms is one of the most effective but under-utilized tactics. You might already have a large email list and you almost certainly have a website. Use these channels and more to tell your audiences about your Instagram account. 

On your website, your header and/or footer should have your social buttons, and your handle should be in your email signature. For the brick-and-mortar sector, a “follow us” sign with your handle up in a window is an effective method.

Now that you have a following, the next step is to encourage engagement — the critical component of your social media marketing success. A big following is meaningless if it is low-quality. 

Here are some top tips for driving engagement:

1. Post content that sparks conversation.

Engagement might be difficult to achieve by the cold hard numbers, but the concept is simple: post content that people not only enjoy but also talk about. This means they leave comments, share to their Stories, and tag their friends (a simple “@mybestfriend thought you’d like this!” is HUGE when it comes to increasing both your follower count and your engagement analytics). 

When considering the conversational aspect remember these key points: 

Today’s social media users, particularly younger audiences, love brands that are authentic and values-oriented. Instagram is the perfect platform for breaking the fourth wall and showing behind the curtain a bit. Consider behind-the-scenes videos and candid shots. Let your followers get to know the people behind the brand. Note: As we mentioned before, visual cohesion is a key to Instagram success, so for showing a more unpolished side, consider posting BTS content to your Stories and Reels.

Thank you! A representative will be in touch with you soon

With a business account, there are some key features you’ll unlock and the best part is it's free and easy to set up! 

It's important to note that a business account on Instagram still does not grant you all the features available to accounts with 10,000 followers. But you will be able to track insights and analytics, and include CTAs like “contact” “call” or “Reserve” on your profile. 

1. Make sure you have a business account set up

Have a clear set of goals, guidelines, and KPIs.

An understanding of what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts on Instagram will help you hone in on the kinds of photos, captions, and stories you post, in addition to informing your share ratio and engagement style.

After you have your goals laid out, it’s time to determine your target audience, which will further inform the kind of content you post.

A good place to start is following hashtags related to your industry and see what kinds of content your consumers and competitors are posting.

3. Who is your audience?

Creating an Instagram Marketing Strategy

Make the most of Instagram marketing with our guide. Grow followers, increase engagment, and encourage sales through marketing on Instagram.

How To Be Successful With Instagram Marketing

Happy Dog Compilation

A thing of beauty is a joy forever, as the saying goes. And what could be more beautiful than this list of 40+ beauty influencers around the world?! There are influencers for almost every industry today, but the beauty industry might be considered one of the first where influencer marketing really took hold.

In part because it follows a fairly traditional pattern: it’s easy to send products, easy to demonstrate products, and easy to show results.

Beauty influencers have a really important voice in the world today, many making a concerted effort to expand beyond narrow or traditional definitions of beauty, as put forward by the industry itself. Beauty brands that approach using influencers for marketing their products stand a lot to gain from embracing this culture.

The beauty influencers on this list have high engagement and true reach numbers and are worth having on your radar!

Lists of beauty influencers in this post:

15 Top Beauty Influencers with 1M+ Followers

8 Top Beauty Influencers (100K-500K+ Followers)

8 Top Male Beauty Influencers & Non-Binary Beauty Influencers

Are you looking for more specific beauty influencers? Take a look at the top South African beauty influencers and the top Filipino beauty influencers to find the right local partners for your brand.

Beauty influencers are social media personalities and content creators that focus primarily on makeup and skincare, though it definitely doesn’t exclude other aspects such as nail art and hair styling. You might be thinking a majority of beauty influencers are women, but there is actually a beautifully diverse range of beauty influencers from men, women, and non-binary content creators!

They will often post makeup tutorials and product reviews, many working with the same company for multiple campaigns. Beauty could also be considered a subcategory of “makeup influencers” that focuses on more traditional uses of makeup, as opposed to special effects makeup or makeup transformations, which definitely belong in their own category. 

A beauty influencer might be a professional makeup artist or skincare specialist in their own right, which certainly adds clout to their content, but many are also self taught individuals who just love all things makeup!

Many beauty influencers are also fashion influencers and vice-versa. Check out the top 40 fashion influencers here!

Brands who are looking to demonstrate their products on social media through the eyes of a trusted friend rather than a sales pitch will gain a lot from working with a beauty influencer.

A recommendation from an influencer can go a long way toward increasing product sales for cosmetics companies, skincare lines, and hair care products. These products are easy to demonstrate and very portable, so it's also easy for brands to send social media influencers gifts and samples as a way to open up a conversation.

This is a double edged sword however, as in the interest of keeping trust with their audiences, beauty influencers are under no obligation to say they like your beauty products.

Tip: Learn how to do influencer gifting to promote your brand and partner with the right influencers.

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The 50 top beauty influencers around the world. Makeup, skincare, haircare influencers. Tips for what to look for when partnering with a beauty influencer.

Samantha Scott

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