Promote personalized videos by keeping the booking link permanently visible in your profile links, pinned comments, and story highlights, then posting occasion-timed reminders one to two weeks before birthdays, graduations, and gifting holidays. Show behind-the-scenes clips, clearly labeled sample videos, and reactions you have explicit permission to publish, rather than repeating a hard sell. Personalized Videos let a follower pay upfront for one personalized video for themselves or someone they care about: you set the price and the delivery time, then record it on your schedule. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate.
Where should you place your shoutout link?
Place your shoutout order link where it stays visible without a new post: your profile link field, a pinned comment on a popular post, and a permanent story highlight. Instagram profiles hold up to five website links, X bios hold 160 characters, and a YouTube channel can show up to 14 links. One bio link that carries every offer: followers pay you as guests by card, at prices you set, whatever format the request takes.
Placement rules differ by platform, and each limit below comes from the platform's own documentation:
- Instagram profile links. Instagram lets you add up to five websites to your profile, so your Brillay link can sit alongside your other links instead of replacing one (Instagram Help Center, "Add links to your Instagram profile").
- Instagram bio text. An Instagram bio is capped at 150 characters, which is why a booking line has to be as short as "Personalized videos → link" (Instagram Help Center, "How do I edit my bio on Instagram?").
- Instagram stories and highlights. Instagram stories disappear from your profile, Feed, and Direct inbox after 24 hours unless you add them to a story highlight, so a permanent "Personalized Videos" highlight is the only story placement that survives past one day (Instagram Help Center).
- Instagram pinned comments. Instagram documents pinning comments so they show at the top of a post, which keeps a booking line visible to everyone already reading that thread (Instagram Help Center, "Comment controls").
- YouTube channel links. A YouTube channel can showcase up to 14 links on its Home tab, added under Customization → Profile in YouTube Studio (YouTube Help, "Add links to your channel").
- YouTube pinned comments. YouTube supports one pinned comment per video: pinning a new comment replaces the comment you pinned before, so each video carries a single always-visible booking line (YouTube Help, "Pin a comment").
- X profile. X caps profile bios at 160 characters and provides a separate website field, so the link does not have to compete with bio text for space (X Help Center, "How to customize your profile").
- Facebook Pages. Facebook Page admins and editors can pin posts, upcoming events, and recent videos to a Featured section at the top of the Page (Facebook Help Center, "Pin a post, events or videos,").
- TikTok profile. TikTok's profile editor includes a links field reached through Edit profile → links → Add, which is where a booking URL belongs on that platform (TikTok Support, "Link a website or social media account,"). A link in your TikTok bio that works from your first follower: no threshold to clear, no application, and the follower pays you directly for a question, a commission, a video, a tip or a goal.
Always-on placement serves people who already have an occasion in mind and reduces how often you need a standalone sales post. Check the link regularly and update any price, availability, or delivery time shown beside it.
When should you promote personalized videos?
Promote before dated gifting occasions, when a relevant comment appears, and ahead of recurring audience events. US law fixes Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May and Father's Day on the third Sunday in June, and the National Retail Federation projected record 2026 spending of $38 billion and $7.2 billion for Mother's Day and graduation.
The strongest opportunities are occasions with a fixed date and documented gift demand:
- Mother's Day. US federal law designates the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day (36 U.S.C. §117), and the National Retail Federation's 2026 survey with Prosper Insights & Analytics put average planned spending at a record $284.25 per person and total spending at $38 billion (National Retail Federation).
- Father's Day. US federal law designates the third Sunday in June as Father's Day (36 U.S.C. §109), so the date is knowable a year in advance and can be scheduled rather than improvised.
- Graduation season. The National Retail Federation projected record graduation spending of $7.2 billion in 2026, with 39% of survey respondents planning to buy a gift for a high school or college graduate and cash the most-cited gift (National Retail Federation).
- Valentine's Day. The National Retail Federation projected record Valentine's Day spending of $29.1 billion in 2026, or an average of $199.78 per shopper (National Retail Federation).
- Winter holidays. In the National Retail Federation's 2025 winter holiday survey, 42% of holiday shoppers planned to begin browsing and buying before November, and NRF reports that roughly two in five shoppers have started before November for several years running (National Retail Federation).
- When an occasion appears in your comments. If followers are wishing someone a happy birthday or congratulating a friend, the thread already supplies the occasion and the recipient, so a light reply can introduce the paid option without turning an unrelated conversation into an advertisement.
Brillay lets you set your own delivery time, so treat "post one to two weeks before the occasion" as an unsourced practitioner heuristic to test against your own delivery time and audience. Use how fast to deliver personalized videos to choose a delivery time you can consistently meet.
How can you show the offer without making a hard sell?
Show the offer through behind-the-scenes clips, clearly labeled sample videos, and reactions you have written permission to publish. The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, effective October 21, 2024, prohibits testimonials that misrepresent a person's actual experience, so a scripted demo must never be presented as a real customer's order. A clearly labeled sample can show the format, but it is not stock you must make before promoting the offer; the first ordered video can be made for the first follower who buys one.
- Label every sample as a sample. The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect on October 21, 2024 and bars reviews or testimonials that misrepresent the reviewer's actual experience, including testimonials attributed to people who do not exist (Federal Trade Commission).
- Understand the exposure. The FTC's 2025 inflation adjustment set the maximum civil penalty for the FTC Act provisions used to enforce that rule at $53,088 per violation (Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Publishes Inflation-Adjusted Civil Penalty Amounts for 2025," February 2025).
- Disclose any material connection. Section 255.5 of the FTC Endorsement Guides, revised in June 2023, requires clear disclosure when a connection between an endorser and the seller might materially affect how the audience weighs the endorsement (Federal Trade Commission, 16 CFR §255.5).
- Get consent before reposting a reaction. Meta's Community Standards on Privacy Violations prohibit sharing personal information without consent across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads and let people report imagery they believe violates their privacy rights (Meta Transparency Center, "Privacy Violations").
- Post behind-the-scenes clips. A short recording setup, microphone check, or "recording birthday shoutouts today" clip shows the offer is active without revealing any customer's message.
- Publish bloopers or outtakes. Occasional recording mistakes are entertaining and remind followers that personalized videos are available.
- Explain available formats. Say whether followers can request birthdays, advice, encouragement, roasts, or celebrations.
Treat permission to deliver a private video and permission to publish that video as two separate approvals. Ask the buyer or recipient whether you may repost, on which channels, and whether their name or username may appear, and do not repost an order, reaction, name, or personal detail without an explicit yes.
How should you respond to free shoutout requests?
Reply warmly, acknowledge the occasion, and offer the paid video as an optional upgrade rather than a correction. Instagram's Help Center documents pinning a comment to the top of a post, and YouTube allows one pinned comment per video, so a single in-thread reply can stay visible to everyone reading that post.
For example:
"I actually make personalized videos for occasions like this. I'd be happy to send her one through the link in my bio if you want to make it extra special."
Keep the response helpful rather than transactional:
- Acknowledge the person and occasion before mentioning your offer.
- Explain what the paid version adds, such as a dedicated personalized video.
- Reply while the request is still relevant.
- Avoid pressuring someone who only wanted a quick public reply.
- Do not repeatedly pitch after the person declines or does not engage.
- Pin your reply where the platform allows it: Instagram supports pinned comments on a post, and YouTube keeps exactly one pinned comment per video (Instagram Help Center and YouTube Help).
An in-context response addresses an expressed request, but it does not guarantee a sale. Track which conversations lead to visits or orders; results depend on your audience, price, offer, timing, and response style.
What promotion cadence should you test?
Keep passive placement always on, then add active promotion around dated occasions and live requests. No primary source establishes an optimal reminder window for creator Personalized Videos, so treat one to two weeks ahead as an unsourced practitioner heuristic; the National Retail Federation found 42% of holiday shoppers planned to start before November.
| Tactic | Timing window | Example copy | Best use | Avoid when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profile link, pinned comment, and story highlight | Always on | "Personalized videos → [link]" | Giving profile visitors a permanent booking path (Instagram allows up to five profile links; YouTube up to 14 channel links) | The link is broken, the offer is paused, or your delivery time is outdated |
| Seasonal reminder | Unsourced heuristic: start by testing one to two weeks before a dated occasion | "Graduation coming up? I'm recording personalized congratulations—link in bio." | Mother's Day (second Sunday in May), Father's Day (third Sunday in June), graduation season, and Valentine's Day | You cannot deliver before the occasion |
| In-context redirect | As soon as a relevant comment or DM arrives | "I make personalized videos for moments like this if you'd like one." | Birthday, graduation, celebration, or encouragement requests | The conversation is sensitive or the person has declined a paid option |
| Behind-the-scenes or sample clip | Occasionally, especially while recording orders | "Today's setup for birthday shoutouts." | Demonstrating your style, with any scripted demo labeled a sample under 16 CFR Part 465 (effective October 21, 2024) | The clip reveals private order details or lacks documented permission |
| Standalone sales post | Sparingly, or when launching or updating the offer | "Personalized shoutouts are open—details in my bio." | Announcing availability, a new format, or a changed schedule | Your recent posts already contain several direct pitches |
Review the results rather than assuming this cadence works unchanged. Track orders, booking-page visits, replies, and unfollows where those measurements are available. If every other post is a sales message, reduce standalone pitches and lean harder on passive placement, dated occasions, and relevant replies.
What should be ready before you promote the offer?
Confirm price, deliverable, delivery time, and a working link before you drive traffic. Brillay only takes its platform fee once a follower pays, and pays creators out to their bank through Stripe, so a promotion push costs nothing upfront.
- Set a price for one video that still feels fair to you when occasion orders arrive in a cluster.
- Explain what the buyer receives and what information they should provide.
- Choose a realistic delivery time and keep it current.
- Turn on Personalized Videos on your Brillay page and write the card so a visitor knows what they are ordering.
- Review the complete Personalized Videos page.
- Confirm that your booking link, availability, and delivery promise are accurate before each promotional push.
Full fee details are on Brillay Pricing. Brillay pays creator earnings out to a connected bank account through Stripe, and followers pay the full displayed price upfront as guests without creating an account (How Brillay Works).
Frequently asked questions
How often should I promote personalized videos?
Keep the link permanently available and use standalone promotional posts sparingly. No primary source sets an optimal reminder cadence for creator Personalized Videos, so the one-to-two-weeks-ahead reminder is an unsourced practitioner heuristic to test; anchor it to dated occasions such as Mother's Day, fixed by federal law to the second Sunday in May (36 U.S.C. §117).
Where is the best place to put a shoutout link?
Your profile link field is the primary location because it is available whenever someone visits. Instagram allows up to five profile links and a 150-character bio, a YouTube channel can display up to 14 links, and X provides a website field alongside a 160-character bio (Instagram Help Center, YouTube Help, and X Help Center).
Can I post a made-up shoutout as a sample?
Yes, if you label it clearly as a sample rather than a real customer's order. The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465), effective October 21, 2024, prohibits testimonials that misrepresent a person's actual experience, including testimonials attributed to people who do not exist (Federal Trade Commission).
Should I pitch a paid video when someone asks for a free birthday message?
Yes, but present it gently as an optional upgrade. Acknowledge the request first, then explain that you offer dedicated personalized videos through your link. This does not guarantee a sale, and you should not keep pitching someone who is not interested.
Do creators need a large following to offer Personalized Videos?
No. There is nothing to apply for and no minimum audience, and you can turn on Personalized Videos, set your own price, and edit the card copy and delivery time whenever you're ready. Sales are still not guaranteed: link visibility, audience connection, pricing, timing, and offer quality all matter.
Ready to give people something worth promoting? Create your free Brillay page — turn on Personalized Videos and set your price in minutes, so there's a starter offer waiting as soon as your page is live.
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