Influencer Content Ideas: Engaging Post Types that move the needle
Almost all businesses are working on social media content and the global influencer marketing platform market was expected to reach over 270 million USD this year. Users are spending hours on social media to consume content. Then where is the gap?
This gap can be beautifully labeled as ‘content creativity’. Given how saturated social media is with thousands of influencers and millions of videos/posts, content creativity has become directly proportional to the success of a brand’s content.
While this stands true, just posting organic content isn’t enough for brands these days, so they often engage in influencer marketing- the new-age marketing technique. If you are one of those brands, this gap of ‘content creativity’ is pretty important to boost your engagement.
This might sound exciting if you are new to social media & influencer marketing, but if you are already in this game, thinking of fresh and engaging influencer content ideas each time is easier said than done. In the same light, this blog will help you save a lot of time and effort from brainstorming and testing.
Let us take you through creative influencer content ideas that you can use with your brand partnerships to boost your reach and engagement.
Social Media Platform-Specific Content Ideas
Each channel is different, and so is each content format. When you aim to get your business highlighted in a market as saturated as social media, you need creativity & formats that stand out. Let’s go through what you can try & test on each social media platform.
1. Behind-the-scenes (BTS) Content
Consumers are saturated with branded content already. They appreciate brands that do not create a facade and show their real sides, their ups and downs, their day-to-day life, etc. Let it be your photoshoot, your content planning for influencers, your daily errands, a sneak peek into your routine, your inspirations, etc, such moments can resonate quite well with the users. This can make the users perceive your brand as authentic and eventually trust you over competitors. Feel free to include funny bloopers, time-lapse videos, audience polls, and transformation videos, and get users to engage with them.
Here is how Uber shares BTS videos of their drivers describing specific instances in their own words.
The best thing to capitalize on social media is its trends. From micro-influencers to big brands, everyone reflects on these trends and uses them to increase their reach and audience interaction. Let it be challenges, regular trends, or trending audios, it’s all worth it.
Let’s look at one of these trends and how brands picked up on it.
Once you have a significant reach on social media, you can also create your trend and encourage users to participate. This will foster a community and make your users feel a sense of togetherness with your brand.
3. Product Unboxing and Reviews
This can be an interesting approach to take for product launches and for brands that want users to discover their products. Short clips that build intrigue as you unbox new products, PR packages, and recent purchases, and reflect on in-depth reviews, talking about pros and cons, etc can work well. Here are a few examples of it.
4. Instagram Live Q&A sessions
Utilize live sessions to answer frequently asked questions, trending topics, influencer collaborations, and everything that can increase your brand’s reach and engagement capabilities. You can host themed sessions in your niche, such as “Ask Me Anything”, “Roast Them”, “BTS”, etc.
5. User-generated Content (UGC) Reposts
User-generated content has been the evergreen tactic for businesses to grow. When brands try to sell themselves versus when users sell the brands for them, there is a larger impact in the latter.
Quite obvious, isn’t it?
When people hear it from other people, they tend to trust it more. Here are some examples that can help you understand UGC at a deeper level.
TikTok
1. Trending Challenges and Duets
TikTok thrives on short-form, viral-worthy clips. Dance clips, TikTok challenges, and Duets are just the tip of the iceberg. If you are exploring TikTok as a channel, jump into these content styles and increase your chances of going viral.
2. Quick Tutorials and Hacks
Educational content has one primary benefit: shareability. Here is how you can create educational content depending on which business you are in:
- Beauty Hacks
- Fitness Tips
- Productivity Tips
- Budget Travel Guides
- Brewing Techniques
- Social Media Growth Strategies
3. Storytelling with Humor and Relatable Content
When you work with different social media channels, it’s necessary to understand every channel’s algorithm. TikTok favors a storytelling format shared in funny or relatable situations. While you can keep your content guidelines in place, feel free to experiment with content that resonates with your audience and encourages interaction through comments & shares.
4. Before-and-after Transformations
Transformational videos have recently picked up in the social media algorithms, especially Instagram & TikTok. Fitness transformations, makeovers, and DIY transformations usually tend to hit virality on TikTok.
Here is how brands like Flypp and Cult Beauty are doing it on TikTok.
5. Day-in-the-life Vlogs
Glimpses from your day can create a space in the user’s day-to-day life and generate engagement. Raw day-in-life vlogs create more transparency and authenticity for the brand.
YouTube
1. Long-form Product Reviews and Comparisons
The world works on comparisons, and most users make purchasing decisions only after comparing products/services. This is where your YouTube content of product reviews and comparisons can gain traction and increase shareability.
2. Educational and How-to Videos
Step-by-step guides, explainer videos, and DIY tips are the most searched content types on YouTube. If your business isn’t reflecting on these content formats, you are yet to tap a market of social engagement & brand authority.
Look at how Lenovo Brand smoothly tapped into this by posting a custom t-shirt with Instagram Favourite Amy Tangerine.
3. Influencer Collaboration and Interviews
Partnering with influencers and promoting your products using their reach is the go-to tactic for brands to promote themselves. What are you waiting for?
4. Vlogs and Personal Storytelling
Sharing personal information and day-to-day activities can foster trust and engagement from users towards the brand. YouTube is well known for vlog-type content – travel vlogs, a day in my life, etc.
5. Reaction Videos and Commentary
People love listening to new opinions. Sharing your thoughts in a unique voice on certain topics, videos, podcasts, etc on YouTube interests users quite often. Here is how YouTubers are nailing reaction videos and commentary.
While these are the most-used platforms by businesses, there are other channels as well, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Quora, etc., where you can kick-start your influencer marketing journey. From expert insights on Twitter, leadership content on LinkedIn, and mood boards on Pinterest, to live telecasts on Facebook, there is a whole new world of social media to be explored, and you can do it pretty well with the help of influencers.
Influencer Marketing Content Ideas Based on Niches
Fashion & Beauty
1. Outfit of the Day (OOTD) and lookbooks
Overwhelmed with information? Start with ‘What I’d wear in a rom-com’, ‘Outfit of the day’, ‘Soft girl aesthetic’, ‘Main Character Energy Looks’, and whatnot when you collaborate with influencers for your fashion/beauty brand.
2. Beauty Transformations and Makeup Tutorials
Start the glam journey! Work on makeup transformation videos, beauty hacks, educational videos, tutorials, etc., when you collaborate with influencers. Keep an eye on what works on the influencer’s handle and try to make the best of both worlds.
Pro Tip: Use trending audio to boost your reach.
3. Skincare Routines and Product Recommendations
When your brand starts giving information that does more than sell the brand, the user automatically starts looking at the brand as a source of knowledge. Skincare routines and product recommendations can be just the starters, you can slowly expand to more educational content that’s shareable.
Health & Fitness
1. Workout Challenges and Fitness Transformations
Think of fun challenges where users can post and have a fun competition with each other – flex those muscles! Get the influencer to promote your brand and start a challenge that can get their audience to share their progress over time.
2. Healthy Meal Prep Ideas and Nutrition Tips
Viral content ideas around food are the easiest type of creative that works on social media. Get your influencer to post some simple, tasty meal ideas and tips with some behind-the-scenes jokes or a couple of dance moves to go with them.
3. Mental Wellness and Self-care Routines
Beyond selling the brand and its products/services, when a brand takes genuine care of the user, it helps create a long-term relationship with them.
Travel & Lifestyle
1. Travel Vlogs and Hotel/Airbnb Reviews
Showcasing stunning destinations and experiences generates FOMO in users’ minds. Use this insight when you work with influencers to create a strong hook.
2. Packing Tips and Destination Guides
As mentioned above, educational content works wonders on social media handles. For your travel/lifestyle business, you can start with video formats such as ‘Packing light but looking fly’, ‘3 must-visit places to visit in the summers’, etc.
3. Sustainable Travel and Eco-friendly Brands
From increasing awareness amongst Gen Z & premium millennials about climate change, environmental impact to responsible consumption, content around this topic catches eyes on the internet. So go ahead and highlight your eco-conscious travel initiatives and brands.
Tips for Consistency and Authenticity
The secret sauce to building a loyal audience? Staying consistent and authentic while keeping the brand partnerships rolling in!
But let’s be real, no one wants to see their feed stacked with sales ads. Hence, keeping a content calendar ready with a balanced proportion of promotional and organic content is key. This is how you lay the foundation.
The next step is to engage with your followers through comments & DMs when you take your calendar live. Through comments, DMs, or however you can, it’s necessary to start conversations and make your brand feel personal. The audience likes it when they feel seen!
Finally, stay true to your niche. Don’t run a desperate race to cover all trends with an aim to increase engagement. Keep it real and fun!
Conclusion
Here is what can wrap up all the overwhelming information mentioned above – balance!
When you blend your creative ideas with a logical strategy, that’s when your business is set to excel on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc. Though we have listed all sorts of content ideas, the magic lies in experimenting. Take ideas from this blog but based on your niche, try A/B tests, derive insights of your own, and most importantly, listen to your audience.
Think, brainstorm, plan, test! Do it again and again and again.
That’s the only key to reaching a large audience and building engagement for your brand.
What’s next? Let’s create magic together!
Conclusion
Influencer marketing stands to be a very important technique for small as well as large businesses but there exists a knowledge gap that only expert influencer marketing agencies can fill. Agencies are aware of how all businesses are leveraging social media for their growth because let’s not forget, influencer marketing is here to stay!
You can also look to see if your current social media agencies provide influencer marketing services. This can save you additional effort and onboarding costs. If you don’t have an agency working for you, you can consider the above factors and screen some agencies to choose what fits best with your brand.
Once you have finalized and onboarded an agency, aim for a long-term partnership over short-term growth.
Happy Hunting!