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Instagram Challenges
How many times have you opened Instagram and seen several posts or stories of users doing funny Instagram challenges?
You’ve probably wondered more than once what an Instagram challenge is.
➡️ Challenges are when a profile or personal brand with public influence dares people to do something on Instagram.
Famous Instagram Challenge ideas
One of the most popular challenges was the #IceBucketChallenge, which dared users to post a video of them getting a bucket of ice dumped over their head. Sound familiar?
This is one way to create content that many brands are now turning to.
Here are some other challenges that have gone viral. Instagram Challenge accepted!
#mannequinchallenge
People freeze in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them.
#bottlecapchallenge
Remove the cap from a bottle in one kick.
#thefloorislava
In this challenge, you can’t touch the ground because it has turned into lava.
#trashtag
There are also environmental challenges that dare people to clean up plastic or trash in nature.
Why create a challenge on your Instagram profile?
➡️ It is fun, casual content,
different from other posts in your strategy. However, only do it if it’s in line with your brand tone.
➡️You get followers to interact with the content you post
and your challenges, boosting interactions and engagement.
➡️You can reach a larger audience if the challenge goes viral
and your followers share it. You’ll attract new users to your profile and get more interactions.
How do you make a challenge and reap the benefits on your Instagram profile?
Here’s a list of tips for you.
How to do Instagram Challenges: tips and hints
Thanks to the various format options on Instagram, pics, video, live, etc., you can create a unique challenge and help it go viral.
If you don’t know how to get started, these tips will help you:
Set a fun challenge.
If there’s one thing Instagram challenges have in common it’s that they’re all fun. A challenge should make people smile and want to join in.
When you propose the challenge, keep Instagram users in mind: if you think they could be bored by it, work on your idea a bit more.
Choose where on Instagram to launch your challenge
Instagram has various places to post content: Stories, Feed, IGTV and Reels.
Where should you post your challenge to get your followers to join in? We’ll tell you about each option and you can choose which will work best for you.
✅ Instagram Stories
Users tend to like Stories because there are tons of options: filters, colors, emojis, etc.
There’s a wide variety of options for creating content but there is one drawback: they only last 24 hours. After that, they’ll disappear, unless you save them in your Highlights. Then, although they won’t come up automatically in the Stories, they will be visible in your profile.
✅ Instagram Feed
The Feed is your Instagram wall, where you can post a picture, video or series of photos.
This type of post can have more text than a story and they never disappear. You can keep it in your feed until you get bored or the challenge is over, then you can delete the post or archive it so it’s no longer on your feed.
Here you can create your own challenges on Reels, with 15-second videos, or on IGTV, with videos lasting up to 60 seconds.
How to create a Feed challenge
There aren’t any special stickers for Feed challenges, unlike the ones on Stories.
The only way to post a challenge is to do it like any other post. Luckily, Instagram lets you write more text on the post. Here you can describe the challenge and everything you want to explain about it. Plus, you can add related hashtags.
Try to make the challenge simple
Instagram users like simple and if you want your challenge to go viral, it should be easy for anyone to do.
The more accessible it is, the more Instagram users will be willing to do it and share it on their social media.
Create a hashtag
One way to track the challenge and see if users are joining in is to create a hashtag for it.
Normally these are the name of the challenge, which should be a salient feature plus the word challenge so users will quickly understand what it is about. Like we said at the beginning of the post: Ice Bucket Challenge, because they challenge you to dump a bucket of ice over your head.
With Metricool, you can monitor the hashtag you make for the challenge and find out how many Stories have used it.
Add a call to action
Remind users how to do your Instagram challenge. This can be a list of instructions or a call to action encouraging them to do something.
From the classic “Do you dare?” to the common social media option of “nominate someone to do this challenge”.
A call to action to make the challenge more viral.
Highlight your brand
When you design the challenge, whether it’s a picture or a video with the instructions, remember to include the logo of your personal brand, business or online shop.
This way, if the challenge goes viral, users that visit your post will see your logo and know who came up with the challenge.
Incentivize Instagrammers to participate.
How can you encourage users to join in your challenge and make it go viral?
One common way is to have a giveaway on Instagram where participants can win one of your products or services.
You can put it in the description, announcing that you’re having a giveaway for everyone who does the challenge. This will give them an incentive to participate.
Amplify your challenge through influencers
Many brands hire influencers to help their challenges go viral. This is a way to try to raise visibility, but it depends on how much you’re willing to spend.
With these tips, now you’re ready to design a challenge for Instagram and grow your brand.
If you want more tips on how to grow on Instagram:
Ready to make your Instagram Challenges?