5 ways to increase your Instagram engagement
Wondering how to increase your Instagram engagement? You’re not alone!
We are firm believers in quality over quantity for social media. This means putting aside the desire for some vanity metrics… ahem 10K swipe up… and focusing in on what we believe are the true engagement metrics beyond likes. Don’t get us wrong, 10K + followers is an awesome achievement and we have worked with some large accounts, but we would take a more engaged and active audience than a simple number.
In 2020 there was a shift in how engagement was measured, so it only makes sense that we shift slightly how we look to increase engagement as well. Looking further to comments, saves, shares, and even DM’s to track engagement is where we believe this trend is headed into 2021.
Here are 5 ways to increase your Instagram engagement, going beyond simple likes:
#1 - Created SAVEABLE content for your Instagram feed
#2 - Get to know your audience with polls and questions boxes
#3 - Create SHAREABLE content
#4 - Repurpose your top performing static posts into Instagram reels
#5 - Switch up your hashtag strategy
Too easy, right?
It actually isn’t that bad to dive in. Read on below to see what we mean.
#1 - Create SAVEABLE content for your Instagram feed
The save and share buttons are worth SO much more than likes for Instagram’s engagement. When your post is being saved, Instagram views this as a valuable metric or sign of a quality post. Think of the save button as someone really saying this is a post they want to revisit it later!
To rock this - some ideas:
First - know your audience, is there a piece of evergreen content that they can keep coming back to?
Is there a graphic style image that is on brand for one of your content pillars? Such as - ‘5 ways to increase your Instagram engagement’ ;)
Last - use a call to action, you can always prompt your audience to save this post as a reminder
#2 - Get to know your audience with polls and question boxes
This engagement boost is for Instagram stories. Since Instagram stories came on the scene a few years ago, many people started shifting to stories as a way to engage with their favourite accounts daily. Think of DMs as another form of comments in a way.
#3 - Create SHARABLE content
Much like #1, SHAREABLE content is another metric that Instagram considers to mean that the post is of quality. So much so that a follower wanted to share if with someone in their own network. We think quotes, infographics, contests, and exciting announcements work well for this.
#4 - Repurpose your top performing static posts into Instagram reels
Social is always changing… hello reels! And we cannot recommend this new feature enough. This ties into #5 slightly with having a great hashtag strategy, but reels are increasingly becoming a way to get new eyes or followers to your profile. To repurpose content into reels, start with your top performing Instagram posts. Head to your insights to see which posts were top from 2020. Then… give it a try! We will post a reels guide soon if you are not yet too familiar, but they are a lot of fun and don’t need to be long. Think max 15 seconds!
#5 - Switch up your hashtag strategy
Do not forget about hashtags! They are STILL so effective to expand your reach. You can use up to 30 hashtags and we do recommend using 20 - 30, depending on your industry. It is worth some time to save several options for hashtags to use on your posts. This way you can mix up a few with each post, to really see how they are working for you.
Remember - do not use banned or blocked hashtags and vary the size as well. Sometimes you will have better results for your size of business with a small to medium sized hashtag reach.
BONUS #6 - If you’re still here and reading, thank you. We couldn’t resist adding in a SIXTH way to boost engagement. This is not a new trick, but one that is far to often missed. We recommend opening up personally, behind your brand and business. If it makes sense with your business and industry, you can start engaging with your audience in Instagram stories. Let your audience get to know a bit more about the real you behind your brand!