Instagram Adds Text-Only Testimonials To Partnership Ads

Instagram’s rolling out a new element within its Partnership Ads that will enable brands to showcase a creator endorsement within a sponsored comment on a Partnership post.

As you can see in this example, Instagram’s rolling out Partnership testimonials, which will appear as a “Sponsored” comment in the post comments. The partnership will also be denoted in the post creator header, as per the usual display of IG’s Partnership Ads.

As explained by Instagram:

“Testimonials are quick, text-only written endorsements that appear on an ad and allow creators even more opportunities to earn through brand deals.”

That could give users more motivation to check out the product, by highlighting endorsements from their favorite creators in the app.

Indeed, Instagram says that 40% of people use creator recommendations on Instagram when they’re shopping, which could make these direct, personalized acknowledgments a powerful way to drive more interest, and sales, in the app.

Testimonials will be limited to 125 characters, so creators will need to keep it brief, and brands will only be able to include one testimonial comment per Partnership post at this stage.

It could be a valuable complement to your existing promotions, while also providing another way for creators to easily expand on their earnings potential, by only requiring them to include a short text endorsement, as opposed to creating a whole ad or post of their own.

Of course, a lot depends on how thoroughly users are checking the comments, and whether they even notice this endorsement. The downside of the option is that this is less visible than a creator post, like a Reel that highlights the product.

But again, it’s an easy way for creators to expand their partnerships, and earn more money, while providing a simple means for brands to tap into the power of their support.

You can read more about IG’s Partnership Ads, including the new testimonals, here.