We get this question a lot and there is a super simple answer. Instagram Stories.
In our research, we have found that Instagram stories are not only the cheapest way to engage with an influencer, but also the most cost-effective. In general, there is a strong trade-off between cost and attention.
Source: Smartfluence
What we have found is that in any 24-hour period, the majority of attention is captured within the first 12 hours of a post. This means that a permanent post on an influencer’s feed does not always add value to new attention that you are trying to capture.
Furthermore, on average, 12-hour story posts cost about 30% - 50% what a permanent post cost. The marginal attention gained from a permanent post often does not offset the 2x cost. Furthermore, 2-hour stories cost about 25% of what a permanent post costs. In the graph above, you can see the spikes of attention at 2 hours and 4 hours. This should give you a good idea of how attention is distributed on Instagram.
That being said, we still believe permanent posts are a strong way for brands to establish a lasting reputation with an influencer’s audience. We recommend brands to use stories as ways to test an influencer’s audience to see if that audience is highly engaged with your brand. If success is met, brands can establish longer-term partnerships in order to reinforce their brand identity with the influencer’s audience.
