So you’re trying to increase engagement on Instagram and build a loyal following, but you aren’t getting anywhere. You’ve tried everything and still continue to blame the algorithm for pushing your content to the bottom of people’s feeds. Sound familiar?
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This is one of the biggest struggles for online creators so trust me, you are not alone in this.
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a social media manager, I’ve got some strategies up my sleeve that will skyrocket your Instagram engagement with every post.
These Instagram engagement strategies will attract more users to your content, develop a loyal engaged following, and skyrocket your overall engagement with every post.
If you’re really serious about doing becoming an engagement magnet on Instagram, download this must-have checklist to skyrocket your engagement rate with every post. Download it now!
Now without further ado, let’s get into the eight insider tips to increase engagement on Instagram.
1. Get In The DMs
Sending direct messages, particularly voice memos, is the best way to create meaningful relationships on Instagram. When you have a one-on-one relationship with a follower, they are much more likely to leave thoughtful comments and even share your content with others.
Not only that, but having conversations in the DMs helps the algorithm understand the types of accounts that enjoy your content. This often leads to more of your target audience seeing and engaging with your content because you appear on the Explore page and at the top of hashtag pages.
One tactic that is super impactful is to send a personalized message to new followers to introduce yourself and begin building a relationship right off the bat. I’ve found that voice memos are especially effective because of its personalized nature.
Once you’ve started a conversation with someone, continue to respond to their Stories with messages of encouragement and personal interest. Show that you care about their journey and want to be a part of it.
2. Use Targeted Hashtags
Using broad hashtags such as “travel” or “motivation” will likely have no effect on your growth. However, using smaller, more targeted hashtags will help you reach your ideal audience much more effectively.
This is why having an Instagram hashtag strategy is critical to growth and engagement. Check out my blog post on the 5 hashtag hacks to grow your account organically!
You should be using hashtags both in your feed posts and on your Stories. Each hashtag page has a feed and a Story, so using both gives you a greater chance of reaching and engaging new audiences.
3. Utilize All of Instagram’s Features
Instagram rewards accounts that use a variety of Instagram’s features such as IGTV, Stories, and Instagram Live. The more you use these features, the more you will show up in people’s feeds, leading to greater engagement.
Instagram Live is a particularly savvy way to engage more of your audience. When you go live, Instagram notifies your audience and puts your profile at the beginning of the Stories feed, which ups your chances of people seeing and engaging with your content.
If you really want to go above and beyond, do an Instagram Live with another account in your niche. This will put your account in front of an entirely new audience which could lead to more followers and engagement.
4. Connect With New Accounts in Your Niche
Another way to increase engagement on Instagram is to consistently interact with accounts in your niche.
Instagram takes note of the types of accounts you interact with most, as well as the types of accounts that interact with you most. By engaging with accounts within your niche, you are more likely you will show up in people’s Explore pages and on the top of targeted hashtag pages.
Some ways you can do this is by sending DMs to 3-5 new accounts per day. This tactic is extremely effective in gaining new followers because it’s much more genuine and personal than simply commenting on someone’s post.
You can find new accounts by browsing certain hashtag pages, perusing the comments of larger accounts in your niche, or simply scrolling through the Explore page.
5. Post Engaging Stories Daily
While you don’t need to post on your feed every day, I do encourage you to be as active on your Stories as you can. It’s a great way to show your personality and day-to-day activities to get your followers invested in your content and stay engaged.
Here are a few tips to make your Stories especially engaging:
- Show your face. It might be awkward at first, but this is the best way for your audience to get to know you which will make them more likely to engage with your content going forward.
- Re-post people’s content. By doing this, you are not only supporting accounts in your niche, but you are giving people ample opportunities to engage with your Stories. Your followers will likely click on the URL in your post, and the person you tagged might re-post your Story to their own which exposes you to even more people.
- Use hashtags and geotags as much as possible. As I mentioned in tip #2, doing this will help you reach even more audiences who might engage with your content.
- Use Instagram Story features to engage followers. Posting polls and questions are fun ways to get your followers involved with your content. The more they engage with your content, the more likely your posts are to show up first on their feed.
6. Utilize Instagram Analytics
If you haven’t switched to a Business or Creator Instagram account yet, I highly recommend you do so. Doing this will give you access to Instagram Analytics which provides a much deeper understanding of your audience’s activity and the types of content that perform best.
In order to increase engagement on Instagram, you need to look at two main things:
- The days and times your audience is most active. You should base your posting schedule off of this data to get your content in front of more eyes. For example, my audience is most active on weekdays between the hours of 12 and 3 pm EST, so I post on those days within that time frame.
- Posts with the most engagement. You can find this by navigating to the “Content” analytics tab and clicking “See All” posts. From there, click the drop-down menu and pick the KPI you want to measure. Since increasing engagement is the goal for this blog post, I clicked “engagement” (see below) in order to identify which posts garnered the most engagement. Now, try and mirror the content strategies you employed with those posts in the future, whether it was a certain photo or a specific type of caption.
7. Add a CTA in Every Caption
Every caption should have a clear end goal – whether it’s to promote your latest blog post or to provide detailed travel tips. But if you want to generate conversions and increase engagement on Instagram, you should include a call-to-action (CTA) in every caption.
Some ways to increase engagement on Instagram with CTAs are to
- Pose a question and ask your audience to answer it in the comments
- Tell your audience to bookmark your post for later
- Suggest sharing your post to their Story
- Tell readers to tag a friend in the comments
- Prompt readers to click the link in your bio
- Tell your audience to view something cool on your Story
The options are endless – download this free checklist for more ways to engage your audience with your content!
8. Reply To All Comments
If your post prompts conversations within the comments section, it’s your job to continue those conversations with each individual user.
Not only will this strengthen personal connections with commenters, but it will also increase your overall engagement (ie. higher # of comments) which is favorable for the Instagram algorithm. The more comments a post gets right away, the more likely your post will be recommended to similar accounts on the Explore page and on hashtag pages.
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If you want to up your Instagram game even more, check out the Instagram hashtag strategy to grow your account organically!
