Guide to Collaborating With Other Creators

Social media collaboration is a great way to expand your influence and audience as well as branch out and experiment with different types of content. Working with other creators gives you a chance to brainstorm creative marketing strategies and exposure to new audiences.

Here’s how to find and nurture these valuable partnerships and what kind of collaborations make for a successful social media collaboration.

Finding your collaborators

People tend to find social media collaborators the same way they find friends on social media: by discovering common ground and striking up a conversation.

Networking with other content creators is important. If you’re looking for a social media partner or collaborator, here are some tips to try:

• Ask your social network for recommendations.

• Reach out to someone you admire.

• Join a professional organization.

• Attend events in your area.

• Hang out online where like-minded creators can be found.

Not every collaboration proposal pans out, so don’t be discouraged if this happens. A potential collaborator might not have the time for a collaboration or might have a different strategy for their social media campaigns. 

It never hurts to reach out to someone and ask about a potential partnership. The worst someone can say is no, and they may reach out in the future when they see an opportunity that makes sense.

Developing solid partnerships

Social media partnerships can lead to dynamic collaborative content that’s exciting for your followers and helps you and your partner grow brand awareness together. The best partnerships help both sides expand their audience. However, a solid partnership requires laying some groundwork and setting expectations.

Discuss goals in advance 

In any collaboration, it’s important to make sure you have similar goals. With social media marketing, it’s even more crucial. For example, if your partner is looking to increase their follower count on a specific app and you’re looking to find new clients, your goals might not be a match.

Discuss content expectations in advance

While syncing up on goals, get on the same page about how you’ll work together on production. This includes things like:

• The kind of content you want to make

• How often you’ll collaborate

• How much promotion you’re willing to provide

• Who is posting what content and when

You might find it helpful to use a project management tool or shared content calendar to track your posting plan together. Schedule time to talk over other important details like hashtags for posts and any approval process for joint content. 

Get to know each other

Collaborators that are friendly will have better rapport with each other. If you aren’t already friendly, schedule some time to chat and get to know each other. Plus, photos or videos of collaborators hanging out make great behind-the-scenes content.

You can share some BTS content on your social media accounts to get followers excited. Plan posts with your social media calendars so you can reshare each other’s posts.

Do a test run together

It helps to create a piece of test content to get a feel for your joint workflow and establish a working relationship. This will help you streamline any future partnerships you might have together. Plus, it’s another great opportunity to get to know each other or work on planning.

Creating compelling content

Collaborative social media content is one of the most exciting kinds of social media content. Not only do you bring your own creative ideas and experience to the table, but you can harness the ideas, experience, and knowledge of the other creative person.

Here are some ideas for social media content collaborations:

• Live interviews or conversations: This is one of the easiest kinds of joint content to make, since you can use the social media collaboration tools built into most platforms. You might do a joint Q&A, take follower questions, or decide to interview one another.

• Social media channel takeovers. A takeover is when you post on someone else’s account for an hour or a day. This gives you the chance to share real-time photos, a Q&A session, or a series of mini video diaries.

• Filmed videos/collaborative photo shoots. If you live in the same area as a collaborator (or have an idea that could work being filmed remotely) you can make videos or shoot photos together.

• Video stitches. Many social media platforms have a functionality that lets you “stitch” your own content to videos by other users. These are often more informal, fun ways to collaborate that don’t require a big time commitment.

• Shared giveaways: If you’re both small business owners or have a shared brand collaborator, you can offer a giveaway together. This helps you reach more people, while followers potentially win more items.

• Joint infographic or collaborative post: Work on designing a post that plays to your individual strengths. For example, you could design an infographic for a video creator in the same niche. Post on your own profiles and link back to each other.

Above all, keep your audience in mind when considering collaborations. Create the kind of content you’d like to watch if you were in their shoes. Track your metrics to get an idea for the kinds of collaborations your followers like.

Don’t shy away from using a poll to ask followers about the kind of collaborative content they’d like to see either. People like feeling like they have an influence over the content they watch. They’re also more willing to watch when they feel like they had a small part in making a collaboration happen.

Read the full guide to social media content ideas and strategies for creators