How Instagram's Creator and Commerce Tools Work

Want to use Instagram beyond regular posts and Stories to build a real creator or business presence? Instagram has built a small set of platform tools specifically for creators and brands. In our Storrito FAQ series, we explain everything you need to know about Instagram, Instagram Stories, and Instagram marketing. Today: what creator and commerce tools does Instagram actually offer?

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. Of course, it is not just a photo and video sharing social network, but also a serious marketing surface for influencers and businesses, with several platform features built specifically for commercial use.

Here are the three main built-in tools Instagram provides for creator and brand activity.

Tag products in Stories and posts with Instagram Shopping

Instagram is a great place to introduce a larger audience to products that you already sell on other platforms or in retail.

Since 2018, Instagram has offered a feature that lets you tag products directly inside your posts or Stories. To use it, your account must be registered as a business or creator account.

First, you need to get approved and set up for Instagram Shopping. After that, you can tag your products in your posts and Stories.

The platform allows up to five products to be tagged in single-image or video posts, or 20 products in multi-image posts.

Here is how you can tag products in your posts on Instagram:

1. Open Instagram and tap the plus icon to create a new post.
2. Select a photo or video and add effects and filters, then tap “Next.”
3. Add your caption.
4. Tap “Tag Products” and select the product you want to tag.
5. Tap “Done.”
6. Tap “Share” to publish your post.

Work with brands using Instagram's Branded Content tools

For a lot of people, Influencers are trendsetters in all sorts of areas. Followers value their opinion highly, which makes them precious ambassadors for brands.

Usually, the influencer commits to creating content that features the brand's products. This can be in the form of Instagram ads, photos, videos, or Stories.

When the partnership is set up using Instagram's Branded Content tools, both the creator and the brand can manage the post inside Instagram's official partnership flow, with the partnership clearly labeled in the post.

Drive trackable traffic with affiliate links

When you are partnering with a brand through an affiliate program, your focus lies not only on generating awareness for the products of the brand, but also on driving traceable traffic to a brand's product page.

Therefore, you usually get a trackable link or a unique promo code that you can link in your posts or Stories.

This way, your partner brand can see what portion of their traffic actually comes from your content.

When your followers tap through with your code or via your affiliate link, your partner brand can attribute that activity back to your account.

Pick the Right Instagram Tool for Your Workflow

Instagram Stories are becoming an increasingly important part of a good marketing strategy. To make it easier to work on Stories as a team, Storrito can help. You can design, edit, and schedule your Stories from the comfort of your computer. This way, everyone has access to and an overview of your Instagram Stories.