Instagram stories takeovers

• Logging into the account

  Once your takeover has been confirmed you will be supplied with the login details for the University account. 

  You will be able to login to the account from 9am on the morning of your takeover. 

  If you have any issues accessing the account you should get contact socialmedia@st-andrews.ac.uk.

• Introducing yourself

  You should use your first story to introduce who you are to our audience. 

  Ideally, this should be a picture of yourself or your group to let people know what your Instagram takeover will be about. 

• What to share

  It is up to you to decide what content you share to stories during your takeover. Feel free to make use of photos, videos, boomerangs and reels.

  Your content should be engaging and appealing to our audience. 

  Content should not be shared on the main feed. The grid is only for use by the University’s communications team.

• What to avoid

  Your takeover content must not contain any of the following:

  • offensive or derogatory language
  • stereotypes
  • alcohol or drug use
  • illegal activities
  • nudity.

  The University Instagram account must also not be used to directly advertise a private company, brand or product. You should not accept payment or equivalent non-financial offers from any company to promote their services or products during your takeover. 

  Any takeover that defies this or is in breach of the University's Non-Academic Misconduct Policy will result in your takeover being stopped and disciplinary action may be taken.

  If you are in doubt email socialmedia@st-andrews.ac.uk for help.

• Permissions

  If you are taking photos or filming any person, you must get their permission before you do so. They must also agree for their footage to be shared on Instagram before uploading. 

  If you are filming within a building or on private ground, you must also have permission from the owner beforehand.

• Hashtags

  Including hashtags in your stories is a good way to reach more people who may be interested in your content.

  You are allowed to use any hashtags that are relevant to your takeover. You can use up to 10 hashtags in each story. Try to think about the ones which are most relevant for your intended audience.

  Each hashtag should be written in CamelCase, where you capitalise the first letter of every word. For example #ThrowbackThursday instead of #throwbackthursday. This improves accessibility by allowing screen readers to correctly read out the hashtag. 

  The University's general hashtags are #INSTAndrews and #EverToExcel.

• Spelling and grammar

  While Instagram takeovers are designed to be the voice of students, the account remains an official University platform and must uphold the same standards expected from any University communications platform. 

  All posts should be grammatically correct and include no spelling mistakes.

  It is good practice to get somebody to double-check your posts before sharing.

• Accessibility

  Making your content accessible is one way to ensure that the University's Instagram account can be enjoyed by everyone. 

  To make your content accessible:

  • add alt-text to the images you upload
  • add closed captions to videos
  • capitalise the first letter of each word within a hashtag
  • use inclusive language
  • avoid too many emojis.

  For more information see the Big Hack article 'How to make your Instagram account more accessible'.

• Account settings

  No settings of the University account should be changed during your takeover including:

  • account name
  • account bio
  • profile image
  • password 
  • associated email address
  • privacy settings

  If you would like to change the link in the bio, you must seek permission from the Corporate Communications team first.

• Engaging with other profiles

  During your takeover, you may tag any appropriate profiles in your content. 

  You must not follow or unfollow any other Instagram profile without getting permission from Corporate Communications first.

  If you receive any comments or direct messages that are related to your takeover, you are allowed to respond. Any messages that are not related to your takeover should be flagged to the Corporate Communications team to respond to.

• Security

  You must not share the account login details with anyone else outside of your takeover.

  The device you use to access the Instagram account should also be password or passcode protected. 

  The person who requested the takeover will be responsible for ensuring that the account is secure during their takeover. 

  If at any point during your takeover the account is compromised you must immediately inform socialmedia@st-andrews.ac.uk.