My network

Establishing partnerships and collaborations with other fellow private practice physicians is a very good way for getting new followers and posting high-quality content. Besides, it will allow you to get to know other colleagues and expand your network.

Firstly, you need to think about people you already know. Are any of your friends, colleagues, or former classmates doing the same as you on social media? That’s a good starting point.

If that’s not the case, Instagram is packed with many other physicians trying to grow their accounts. Instead of seeing them as competitors, think of them as opportunities to offer new, diverse and high-quality content that will help you both thrive together.

What kind of content can we do together?

Before actually reaching out to them, it is important that you come up with a plan. If you just contact them with a half-baked proposition, likely, they ’ll just pass or even ignore your message. Instead, offer them a detailed and well-thought strategy.

It should include a detailed description of the collaboration. It can be an Instagram Direct together, a video posted on both feeds, or even just recommending the profiles to each one’s followers. Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your content is relevant not only for your followers but also for the other person’s.

How to approach other physicians?

Once you ’ ve figured out your strategy, it’s time to send those DM’s. But how do you do it? It can certainly be intimidating. Just put your nerves aside and keep it short and clear. Tell them that you ’d like to collaborate with them. Briefly explain your idea and wait for a response. Of course, you will also need to be flexible and open to modifications on their part.

You should also be ready for the possibility that they ask for a fee, especially if the other account has significantly more followers than you. If that's the case, evaluate the situation. If spending money is a no-no for you, try to negotiate, or even just respectfully say goodbye and walk away. On the other hand, if you ’d consider spending those extra dollars, look at their followers and the amount of interaction they usually get on their posts. If you think it’s worth the shot, go for it!

To make things easier, it is a good idea to follow your target before actually reaching out to them. It’d be even better if you follow them a few weeks before the DM happens. You can use that time to like and comment on their posts, or even give them a shoutout on one of your posts.

My ideal collaboration with another account looks like…

Here we are again! Once more, it’s your time to shine. Write down some Instagram profiles you ’d like to collaborate with, how many followers they have, and a rough average of how many likes and comments they get on each post. Then describe the collaboration in detail: what kind of content you ’d like to create together, for how long it should last, and how much money you ’d be open to spending. Use that information to craft the perfect DM!