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Believe it or not, an Instagram shoutout is one of the most effective and cheapest strategies to promote your dropshipping business online. When done right, it can help boost your store’s visibility on the Gram, win you more customers, and uplift your sales.
But what exactly are Instagram shoutouts?
Instagram shoutouts are no different from the shoutouts you make to loved ones over the radio. They happen when someone – could be a customer, a raving fan, an influencer, or even another brand – mentions your brand on Instagram.
Think of shoutouts as reviews of some sort.
Shoutouts are so effective that you can build your entire marketing campaign on them without spending a single cent.
Be it as it may, building awareness for your business on Instagram using shoutouts isn’t a walk in the park; it might take a while to get a hang of it. But the juice is always worth the squeeze.
In this post, you will see some inspiring Instagram shoutout examples you can use as a blueprint to create yours.
In addition, we will show you how to get a shoutout without spending much.
Let’s get into it already!
Looking for inspiration for your Instagram shoutout campaign? Here are shoutouts of some popular brands you can take a cue from:
And we kick things off with this shoutout by a customer for Crockpot, a pressure cooker retailer based in Australia. Did you notice how genuine and personalized this shoutout is?
You would think it’s a sponsored post, but it isn’t. The cool part is that the person giving the shoutout isn’t even a celebrity but a satisfied customer. This proves that selling quality products can get you a lot of shoutouts on Instagram, and you don’t even need to ask for them.
Naut and Chain is another classic example of Instagram Shoutout done right. The Jewelry brand took an unorthodox approach by enlisting Tyler Crispen, the company’s co-founder, for a shoutout.
Not only is this approach efficient, but also cost-effective.
Tyler Crispen, with over 400k followers on Instagram, is an influencer, so you can bet the shoutout post he made will get a lot of eyeballs.
This proves you don’t have to hire a celebrity to make a shoutout for your brand; you can do so yourself if you have a substantial following on Instagram.
Doing a shoutout for your brand by yourself doesn’t always work. Sometimes, it’s best to leave it to those with more influence on Instagram. And that’s exactly what All Birds, a footwear brand, chose to do by getting Andre Hamann to do a shoutout.
Andre Hamann, a popular digital marketer, has a lot of influence on Instagram, with almost a million followers on Instagram.
For best results, Andre had to show himself working out with the shoe. What better way to show people how to use a product than using it yourself?
Jawzrsize is another eCommerce brand that is taking the shoutout thingy very seriously. Although the brand sells a jaw-shaping device which is quite unusual, it still leveraged the power of Instagram shoutouts to connect with potential customers.
They did this by enlisting Sam Schneider to give a shoutout. The post garnered 68 likes and 8 comments, proving it worked out nicely and got the attention Jawzrsize was looking for.
Who said you need to pay thousands of dollars to a famous celebrity just to get words about your product out on Instagram? You could just ask loyal fans with substantial followership on Instagram to make a shoutout.
In return, you could just send them some of your products for free. This is exactly what Electrolit USA, a food and drink brand, did. You can do the same, too.
Huel is another food brand making a killing with shoutouts on Instagram. Over the years, Huel has enlisted popular food lovers on Instagram to help grow its following using a mix of sponsored and organic posts.
Recently, Huel collaborated with Mattyofit to create a sponsored post. In the post, Matt shared his workout routine and explained how Huel has always been part of it.
Unsurprisingly, this post garnered over 5,000 likes and 140 comments at the time of this writing.
Sometimes, you don’t have to look for a grand shoutout to promote your brand. Simply asking customers to mention you in a post will work.
Take PSD Underwear, for example; they just reached out to a customer wearing their product and asked for a mention. She excitedly obliged.
You can also do the same. Better still, you can ask them to tag you. The more mentions and tags you get on Instagram, the more visible your brand will be.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your customers made a shoutout each time they received their orders? It sure will, and Kawaii Pen can attest to that.
Not too long ago, the books and stationery brand got a shoutout from an enthusiastic customer after she received her package.
The cool part is that this shout-out post cost Kawaii pen $0 in ad but was able to pull in 332 likes. That’s a feat!
Print-on-demand niche meshes snugly well with Instagram shoutouts. In plain English, Instagram is an excellent platform to promote your print-on-demand products using shoutouts and tags.
Bluecrate, a hugely popular print-on-demand brand that produces personalized personal gifts, is a testament to this. The brand has leveraged shoutouts and tags to grow its Instagram audience, as shown in the screenshot above.
Do you have an upcoming promotional campaign you would like the whole wide world to know about? Get your fans and customers to make a shoutout on their Instagram page, just like Ivory Ella did.
If possible, ask them to take a picture together with your product and make a post about it. You can take inspiration from the post above.
Notebook Therapy is another example of shoutout done well. They prove that satisfied customers can become your brand evangelist. All you have to do is sell quality products, and every other thing will fall into place.
This explains why you will find countless shoutouts on Notebook Therapy’s Instagram page, including the one above.
We wrap things up with SunGod. Keep it short, sweet, and straight to the point. If possible, ask customers to take a picture with your product when giving a shoutout.
Getting Instagram shoutouts isn’t rocket science. You just need to put on your creative cap and get to work.
That said, here are some foolproof strategies to get shoutouts on Instagram without breaking a sweat.
While Instagram is a great platform to promote a dropshipping business, it’s not a perfect fit for every niche. If your products don’t align with Instagram’s visual and demographic appeal, selling may be a challenge.
So, how can you tell if your dropshipping niche is a good match for Instagram?
There are no strict rules, and deep audience research may help—though it isn’t always practical.
Generally, Instagram works best for fast-moving consumer goods like fashion, beauty products, and pet supplies. These are visually engaging and naturally suited to the platform.
However, if you specialize in bulky items like gym equipment or furniture, you may not see strong results. Shoutouts won’t have much impact if the product doesn’t resonate with the Instagram audience.
Attempting to promote all your products at one go won’t cut it. Instead, it’s best to pick a product and promote the hell out of it.
This is where Sell The Trend can help. It’s one of the best tools for finding hot-selling dropshipping products. With its AI-driven insights and trending product tracker, you can easily pick a winner that’s proven to perform well on platforms like Instagram.
That way, your paid shoutouts, free shoutouts, and even voluntary shoutouts won’t go to waste.
Before launching your marketing strategy, head over to Sell The Trend, pick a product with solid engagement potential, and make that your Instagram hero item.
That said, before launching an aggressive shoutout campaign to get eyeballs to your dropshipping store, first select the product you would like to promote.
Only ensure that the product you select is viable and will make you sizable profits at the end of the day. Also, ensure the product is in demand; no need to promote a product people are not interested in.
After determining that your niche is suitable for Instagram and selecting the right product, the next thing to do is find influencers and bloggers with a sizeable following on Instagram.
But how exactly can you go about that?
Here are some helpful tidbits:
Let’s say you’re selling beauty products. Hiring a footballer like Messi or Ronaldo might sound appealing due to their huge audience, but it likely won’t result in many sales. Their followers aren’t looking for skincare tips.
Instead, work with influencers who already post about your type of product. For example:
Their audience will naturally be more interested in what you offer.
If you’re having trouble finding influencers, try influencer platforms like Grin to speed up the process.
Review their feed. Do they post too many ads? If so, their followers may have “ad fatigue.”
Go for influencers who seem genuinely invested in the content they share.
An influencer with 100,000 followers but only 100 likes per post is a red flag. Check for:
Avoid influencers who may have bought fake followers.
Likes are easy to fake. Comments are harder to generate.
Genuine engagement means better visibility when they shout out your product.
Pro Tip: Use Sell The Trend to spot products already getting attention on TikTok and Facebook—great signs they’ll perform well on Instagram too.
Once you’ve picked the right influencer, the next step is to put together the stuff they’ll need to give your product a solid shoutout. This mostly means visuals and a few key product details.
Here’s a simple way to go about it:
You don’t need to overthink it. Clear, well-lit photos can do the job just fine.
It also helps to include some basic product info. This could be pricing, size, or a quick feature highlight. It’s optional, but it makes things easier for the influencer when they’re ready to post.
The easier you make it for them, the faster they’ll be able to share it. Clean visuals and a bit of context go a long way.
Once your visuals are ready, it’s time to reach out to the influencers you’ve shortlisted. Don’t limit yourself—contact as many relevant influencers as you can to increase your chances of getting a shoutout.
Now, how do you get in touch with them?
You can start by sending a direct message (DM) on Instagram. It’s quick and easy, but there’s a chance your message might get lost in a sea of others.
That’s why email is often the better option. Many influencers include their email in their Instagram bio. For example, SaltBae lists his contact details clearly, making it easier for brands to reach out.
Once you’ve found the email, craft a short and clear pitch. Here’s what to include:
Need help getting started? Use this simple pitch template:
“Hello [Influencer Name],
I’m [Your Name], and I’m a big fan of your content. I’ve been following your Instagram page for a while and love what you share.
I wanted to reach out and ask if you’d be open to doing a shoutout for my product. I noticed you post about similar items, and I believe your audience would be genuinely interested.
In return, I’d love to send you the product for free, plus give you a shoutout on my own page.
Thanks for considering this! Looking forward to hearing from you.”
To do a shoutout on Instagram, pick an account with the same niche as yours. You can message them through Instagram direct message and ask if they do paid shoutouts or voluntary shoutouts. A paid shoutout means you pay them to promote your page.
A voluntary shoutout or free shoutouts means they tag you for free, often because they like your content.
Choose between a shoutout in the Instagram feed or an Instagram story. Also, check their shoutout pages. Make sure they post good-quality and real content.
Yes, they work when done right. A classic influencer marketing tactic is using a shoutout to grow fast. But be careful. Some accounts have fake followers. Before working with them, always check how many followers they have and how active their page is.
Insta shoutout or an Ig shoutout can help you reach new people. But your content must be good to keep them.
In your Instagram direct message, be polite and clear. If you’re asking for a paid shoutout, write your budget. If you want a free shoutout, explain why they might like your page.
When giving someone a shoutout, write something nice about them. Add a tag and a reason why others should follow them. Keep it short. Use your Instagram story or Instagram feed, depending on where your followers look more.
It depends. Some shoutout pages charge $10, others over $500. It depends on how many followers they have and their reach.
A big account might charge more for a feed shoutout than a story shoutout. Always ask their rate and offer yours if you’re starting small. Compare prices to create your marketing strategy.
Instagram shoutouts can grow your Instagram account fast. Whether you go for paid shoutouts or free ones, they can bring more eyes to your store.
Use a smart marketing strategy—pick the right product, the right influencer, and post good content. Mix up your posts with Instagram stories and feed shoutouts for better reach.
Start small, track results, and keep improving.
