All the benefits of Instagram Dark Posts plus the absolute best ways to use them

Okay, so the first question you may (or not) be having. What is an Instagram Dark post? No, it isn’t some spooky, October-themed filter. Or a “dark” view for the app. A dark post does not organically appear on a brand or creator's page. It doesn’t exist organically in the timeline. It only appears, as an ad, to the audience, it’s meant to target.So maybe you have heard of this. But do you really know all the benefits? And do you really know how to get the most out of this feature? Read along for a deep dive into the dark.

As a marketer, I know your wheels are already spinning with this information. With dark posts, you can freely A/B test creatives, content, CTAs, and audiences. It allows you to freely experiment, without cluttering your page and making you look like a spam account. Through this testing, you can better predict your “real” Instagram posts and stories, refining your strategy and communication with your followers.

Once you’re done with the testing phase, dark posts allow you to tailor specific CTA’s and content to move separate groups along the customer journey. Have a collab with Hello Kitty? Target only Hello Kitty fans. Have an event going down in LA? Target only those in the surrounding area. With this narrow strategy, you’ll be optimizing your ad budget, getting the biggest bang for your buck.

What’s most awesome about Instagram Dark posts is the ability to collaborate with creators, influencers, or even other brands, and post your ad under their account. Through influencer whitelisting, you can leverage your collaborations and partnerships to boost your Instagram ads. You won’t have to break the bank with paid posts that live forever on an influencer’s page or story, and you’ll more natively appear across your target audience’s feed. Inspiring engagement through social proof and boosting reach with ads, this strategy should 100% be part of your influencer campaigns.Last but definitely not least, dark posts can be super-powered by Instagram Direct ads and DM’s at scale. It’s basically a lead-gen machine if you get your audiences nailed down through A/B testing. Keep the journey super short and capture new faces from dark post → DM for entering contests, sharing emails, getting early access, codes, sales, BTS, whatever your heart desires! This method keeps the journey on the app by not sending people off to the dreaded link in bio or landing page. It’s the most natural form of communication on Instagram, the DM, and it’s the easiest way to deliver results.