How to Promote your Fashion Dropshipping Store with Instagram Shoutouts?

Instagram shoutouts represent an advertising method where Instagram users, such as influencers, promote your products on their accounts. This can be done in a variety of ways, which we will explain further in the article, where marketers have the freedom to insert your store’s items anywhere in their content. 

Investing in Instagram shoutouts is most certainly worth it, having taken into account the fact that the app has ranked among the top 5 most popular social networks as of January 2022, and consequently, has earned the title of an outstanding advertising platform.

You can either opt for getting organic shoutouts or pay advertisers for their services. However, unpaid marketing often requires investing extra effort, which a lot of dropshippers such as yourself might not have the time for. At the end of the day, regardless of how you choose to approach Instagram shoutouts, this type of marketing strategy is definitely a must-try for your fashion online store.

You can get shoutouts on Instagram by choosing from three different advertising methods depending on your budget and preferred marketing manner:

• Organic shoutouts;
• Paid shoutouts;
• Shoutout for shoutout.

When done properly, all of these types of shoutouts can give you excellent results and expose your fashion business to a wide pool of potential customers. So, let’s take them one by one and see what each of them entails. 

Organic shoutouts represent a form of free advertising where Instagram users promote your products without having been compensated. These are earned most of the time from satisfied consumers, who are more than happy to get the word out there and help you reach out to other fashion enthusiasts as well. To get a better idea, take a look at the following type of organic shoutouts.

User-generated content shoutouts are one of the most common unpaid Instagram promotions. Often referred to as the new mouth-of-word advertising, these consist of getting Instagram users to tag you in shoutouts free of charge.

It happens often for customers who’ve shopped from your online clothing boutique to feel the need to acknowledge your store, especially if they’re striving for an influencer carrier, which nowadays is a goal of a majority of Instagram users, and are interested in collaborating with different brands. 

They do this by tagging you in their stories or engagement interactive posts where they talk up your store’s services or show off your products by wearing them in photos. The best part is, in some cases, there’s no need for you to ask them for recognition as the memorable shopping experience you’ve provided them with is enough to make them create a few shoutouts for your store.  Nevertheless, if you want to make sure they’ll be mentioning you in their content, make sure to let them know they can feature your account anywhere they see fit. 

Paid shoutouts call for hiring marketers, a.k.a influencers, to present your fashion dropshipping store to their followers in the best light possible in return for some kind of compensation. Generally, they’re paid with cash for their services, or in some cases, they’re rewarded with free products. Dropshippers can opt for a variety of paid shoutouts such as the one below. 

Affiliate marketing shoutouts involve working with influencers by enrolling them in your affiliate program. To put it differently, you’re providing Instagram influencers with affiliate links that lead to your store’s website which can be inserted into all kinds of content. If after visiting your page via those links viewers buy something or come back in the near future and make a purchase, influencers get a commission from each successful sale.

There are plenty of different eCommerce affiliate programs, but among the most popular ones are certainly the high-ticket affiliate marketing ones, consisting of promoting high-value products, such as for instance luxury clothing and accessories.

Often abbreviated to S4S, shoutout for shoutout takes place when you make a deal with another entrepreneur to help each other out by featuring one another in your own content. It is regarded as an exchange of favor between two business Instagram accounts who often aren’t competitors..

For example, a famous fashion Instagram influencer who’s known for reviewing luxury fashion brands is an ideal partner to collaborate with. You can agree to feature their account in your content, while they accept to also make a few shoutouts to your store, or even post a positive review reel.

Getting your hands on shoutout pages can be achieved by doing your research, searching via Instagram hashtags, or contacting relevant Instagram accounts that are already in the shoutout business. This whole process does require a little bit of effort on your part as well, however, with influencers at every corner of social media, it shouldn’t take you long to come across your perfect fit.

Carrying out deep research is an inevitable task you need to tackle as it’s the only way to find out what’s out there. Sure, it can be a little bit time-consuming, but on the bright side, you’ll be not only earning exceptional shoutouts but also building a hopefully permanent relationship with those influencers and securing future collaborations. Your investigation can start by implementing the following strategies:

1. Browse through your Instagram feed and see if you can come across recommended accounts that usually pop out while scrolling and are based on the content you’re most often searching for.

2. Analyze your following base and try to spot accounts with significant followers. These might as well turn out to be the influencers you’ve been looking for.

3. Check out influencers you’re already following regardless if they’re working within your niche. You’re not going for a collaboration, but for a hunt. If they have a great audience, chances are they’re followed by a number of other influencers including fashion-oriented ones.

Searching for hashtags relevant to your niche is another guaranteed way to run into fashion-based accounts. Simply click on the search bar, type a bunch of clothing hashtags, and you’ll be given thousands of accounts that have used those particular hashtags in their posts.

For instance, supposing your virtual boutique specializes in high-end apparel for men and women. Your hashtag should consist of the following word combinations:

• #luxurywear
• #luxuryfashion
• #designerclothing
• #mensfashion
• #womensfashion
• #highfashion
• #fashioninfluencers

If you’re in need of additional assistance and can spare a few bucks, you can always turn for help to professionals that lend dropshippers a hand in locating influencers. For example, apps such as Influencity, Shoutcart, and InstaJet offer you an opportunity to connect with Instagram entrepreneurs that are reliable, successful, and can do a great job in promoting your business.

Things to keep in mind: 

• Look out for fake accounts that might turn out to be spammers;
• Watch closely how often the accounts post;
• Keep an eye on their advertising strategies and see if they satisfy your needs;
• Opt for influencers with a good following base;
• Observe how followers respond to their content and if their engagement transmits a mostly positive or negative reaction.

Once you have an eye on an influencer, it’s crucial to approach them the right way. Avoid jumping to the business talk straight away. You want to show them that you have respect and appreciation for their work and would be honored to have them on your team. These are the steps you should follow:

1. Establish a relationship

Before attempting to make any type of move, start out slowly by building a foundation. You can do this by simply hitting that follow button and letting them know you enjoy their content.

2. Engage with their content

The next entails engaging with their posts by occasionally dropping a like and comment but be careful not to go overboard. You don’t want to give off the wrong vibe.

3. Initiate a friendly conversation

Finally, it’s time to send out a friendly DM where you start the message by introducing your store and putting together a few cordial words. Once you’ve warmed up to them, you can slowly transition towards presenting your offer. Use the following example as a guide.

In order to give you the whole picture of what an Instagram shoutout looks like and what to look for in a shoutout that features your products, we’ve provided you with a few examples. 

Photos are a great way to create shoutouts as it gives influencers the freedom to experiment with hashtags and Instagram captions, and they have the possibility to write more lengthy descriptions where they praise your brand.

• The influencer is captured in a stunning picture that’ll inevitably attract attention;
• She is dressed in one of the company’s clothing items;
• The caption pays tribute to the apparel store and encourages followers to check it out.

• High-quality image displaying the product in use;
• Complimenting description for the brand;
• The hashtag #ad is used, implying a paid shoutout.

Videos are another awesome method to display shoutouts as influencers have the chance to present multiple products or a whole collection in just a few seconds. 

• The influencer has created a try-on haul, showing the store’s products by wearing them, thus conveniently displaying to her followers what they look like on a real body rather than on a mannequin;
• The caption includes the products’ SKU codes, making it easier for followers to find the items on the boutique’s website. 

Instagram stories are a practical way for influencers to show off to their followers their newest favorite fashion item and give them info on where to buy it, making story shoutouts a great marketing idea.

• Both influencers have included links that lead to the stores’ websites;
• The first one even gives tips on an outfit combination, increasing the followers’ desire to purchase the product.

Instagram shoutouts are a powerful strategy you can use as an omnichannel or multichannel to kick-start your advertising process and expose your fashion dropshipping store to an audience beyond your usually targeted customers. So, since we’ve equipped you with the necessary knowledge of where to look for an influencer, how to approach them, and how to politely request a shoutout, you now have a head start and are well prepared to earn those shoutouts.