How to Increase Engagement on Instagram?

Whether you’re an aspiring creator or a brand, having a strong Instagram presence has the potential to boost your online presence. 

In today’s digital era, people turn to social channels like Instagram or Tiktok either to check new products or make purchasing decisions, get recommendations for their next travel destinations, check recipes, and whatnot! 

This is why a strong Instagram presence is important for brands to increase their sales and for creators to get more collaboration opportunities. 

But an inactive Instagram account with the bare minimum engagement won’t bring you any of the things I mentioned above. 

For that, you need an account that is brimming with an active audience, and it comes by following the right engagement strategies. But it’s not an overnight thing. 

But you don’t always have to start with zero. To get the initial push, you can buy Instagram likes with PayPal and increase your content visibility across legit accounts. 

Now let’s go ahead and see some expert advice tips to increase Instagram engagement in 2023. 

Why Should You Bother About Instagram Engagement? 

I’ll go to the tips in a while, but before that, let’s first understand why you should care about your IG engagement. 

Most people think that having a good number of followers is enough to build a personal brand or get more sales and market their products. 

But that’s not true. Even high numbers of followers can’t bring you qualified leads or work opportunities if your posts don’t get a good amount of engagement. 

By engagement, I mean the number of likes, comments, reshares, saves, mentions, click-throughs, etc. 

Before a brand comes to you to advertise their product, they check your post engagement. How much engagement you’re getting, if you have a loyal follower base or not, etc. 

That’s why you must bother about the IG engagement. 

17 Proven Tips to Increase Your Instagram Engagement in 2023

Here is a list of 17 proven tips to skyrocket your Instagram engagement and be on Instagram Explore page. 

1. Identify your Target Audience 

Without targeting the right audience, your content will go into the abyss. So the first step towards creating useful content is to figure out your target audience. 

You must know who can benefit most from your content or which age group would find it more entertaining. See how frequently they use Instagram and their peak active time. You can find this information by using insights from your Instagram Analytics dashboard to build a clear picture of your audience.

Brands should know which age group of Instagram users is more likely to benefit from their product. Plus, they should find out the kind of solutions these users are looking for and how their product can benefit them. 

Besides, you should also try identifying their buying pattern, how likely they are to spend on your product and how frequently. 

Use this insight carefully and use them to tailor your content to address their interests and preferences. 

2. Create Content Consistently 

Consistency is key to maintaining your audience’s interest and keeping them engaged. When you post regularly, your followers know when to expect your posts, and they are more likely to stay connected. 

Plan a content schedule that aligns with your audience’s active time, and ensure that you deliver on your promises. 

To ensure that you don’t miss posting, you can have your content bank ready in advance and schedule your posts. Consistent posting builds anticipation and helps your content stay relevant in your followers’ feeds.

I understand that shooting content, editing, and posting it can get overwhelming, and they take a lot of time too. But nowadays, we have so many AI tools that make editing and scheduling your content easy. 

Search for reliable and highly used tools and pick the one that suits your content creation process. 

3. Focus More On Reels 

Instagram is no more a photo-sharing platform. Reels have taken the front seat, and you must focus more on creating reels to boost your engagement. 

These short, entertaining videos offer a way to showcase your creativity and capture the attention of a broader audience. Reels are prominently featured on the Explore page, increasing the chances of your content being discovered by users who don’t follow you yet. 

Again, you should create reels on trending topics as they are more likely to get discovered. You can share valuable tips, showcase behind-the-scenes moments, or create entertaining skits related to your niche.

4. Experiment with Different Reel Filters & Trending Transitions 

IG users are a fan of out of the box concepts, transitions, or unusual edits. So to stand out from the crowd and compel your viewers to like, comment, share, and save your content, experiment with various filters and transitions.

You can also explore new filters released by Instagram and use them in your posts. Also, stay up-to-date with the latest trends and adapt them in your reels to make your content more appealing to viewers and increase the likelihood of engagement, shares, and saves.

5. Don’t Compromise Quality Over Quantity 

While consistency is important, it should not come at the cost of quality. Aim to create high-quality, visually appealing, and valuable content. 

Your audience will appreciate content that adds value to their lives, entertains them, or solves their problems.

Posting mediocre or irrelevant content just for the sake of meeting a schedule might turn off your audience and lead to lower engagement rates.

6. Be Active on Stories 

The audience also loves to see your unfiltered and raw side. You can show it to them via your stories, and it’s an opportunity to connect with your audience on a deeper level. 

You can share behind-the-scenes moments, a glimpse of your daily life, polls, Q&A sessions, and more via stories to encourage the overall engagement of the profile. 

Furthermore, you can ask them about the kind of content they would love to see more often so that they feel more connected to you. 

Instagram experts say that you should appear in IG stories everyday. They also recommend sharing a minimum of 3 stories daily, so your target audience is always in the loop regarding your products, offers, and every other minute detail of your brand. 

7. Try All Instagram Features 

In addition to regular posts and Stories, explore other features like IGTV, guides, and live sessions. 

Each of these features caters to different types of content and interaction styles. 

IGTV is great for longer-form videos, guides for curated content collections, and live sessions for real-time interaction with your audience. 

For example, a study shows that the average Instagram engagement rate on a post by a business page is 0.71%, however, for Instagram Carousels, the rate jumps to 1.26%! This clearly proves that Instagram Carousels are more interactive compared to other forms of content on the platform. 

By diversifying your content across these features, you can keep your audience engaged in different ways and cater to their various preferences.

8. Incorporate Instagram SEO

Not many people bother about this, but Instagram SEO is the real deal because it helps your content get discovered by a wider audience. 

While the algorithm plays its own role, Instagram SEO is the best practice to optimize your content to attract more engagement. 

Some of the best Instagram practices you can incorporate are:

• Adding relevant keywords in your handle name and bio. 
• Choosing a handle name that is relevant to your industry. For example, if your niche is fashion, you can select a name that justifies your content. 
• Add alt text in all your videos and photos.
• Use relevant hashtags in your posts. 

9. Engage With Your Audience 

If you want your audience to engage with your posts, you must interact with them as much as possible. 

Therefore, take the time to respond to comments, direct messages, and mentions from your followers. Acknowledge their input, answer their questions, and show appreciation for their support.

People raise a lot of queries on brand or company pages regarding the products. Make sure the response time is short because a good customer support system is the backbone of an engaging profile.

10. Host Giveaways 

Hosting giveaways once in a while is a great way to push your profile engagement. And when done right, they can create a buzz around your account and encourage people to participate. 

Giveaways don’t have to be expensive. You can give away inexpensive but creative stuff. People love freebies, so they won’t mind engaging with your profile for the same. 

Keep the rules simple such as liking the post, following your account, tagging friends, or sharing the post in their Stories. 

Pro tip: You can collaborate with growing brands to host giveaways to reach a wider audience. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. 

11. Make the Best Use of Instagram Metrics 

Monitoring your performance metrics is crucial for understanding what content resonates most with your audience. 

Pay attention to post reach, engagement rate, and audience demographics. Use these insights to identify patterns, understand which types of content perform best, and refine your content strategy accordingly.

12. Promote Your Instagram Content Other Platforms 

13. Choose Short-form Videos Over Long-form Ones 

The attention span of people has drastically reduced; hence, short-from content is winning over long-form videos. Users are more likely to watch a short video until the end, increasing the chances of likes, comments, or shares.

Focus on creating concise and impactful videos that quickly deliver your message in order to encourage the desired action. 

Also, your best bet lies in the first few seconds. Hook them with an intriguing intro so that they don’t swipe up or scroll to another post. 

14. Fix a Posting Time 

I mentioned before that you must figure out which time works best for your IG content. At the initial stage, you must test and try different slots and find out which time gives you the most reach and continue posting at the same time. 

This is one of the best techniques to maximize your engagement. By posting at the same time, you can increase the likelihood of your content being seen by a larger audience.

15. Collab with Other Creators 

Partnering with influencers or creators in your niche can expose your account to a new audience and drive engagement. Look for accounts with a similar target audience and collaborate on content, giveaways, or joint projects. 

I have seen most content creators use this strategy to boost their reach, and you should do the same. This is another reason why building a reliable Instagram community is essential. 

16. Don’t Ignore DMs 

People would ask you a lot of questions on your DMs. It may not be possible to reply to each one of them when your follower base increases, but you should try to respond to as many as possible. 

Engaging in private conversations helps build an intimate relationship with your audience, so you must take advantage of that to get the engagement you need. 

Brands should specifically pay attention to it. You must answer and solve your existing and potential customers’ queries for them to keep coming back to your profile. 

17. Leverage User-Generated Content 

Finally, user-generated content (UGC) is a powerful way to boost engagement and build trust with your audience.

Encourage your followers to create content featuring your brand, products, or services, and then share it on your account with proper credit. 

UGC adds authenticity to your brand and shows that your followers genuinely appreciate what you offer. 

When people see their peers using and enjoying your products, they are more likely to trust your brand and consider engaging with your content or even becoming customers themselves.

FAQs

What is Good Instagram Engagement? 

A good Instagram engagement rate is between 1% to 3% of your followers. If you have more than 3% engagement, it means that your audience is very active and loves your content. 

How do I Make My Posts Famous? 

To make viral posts, you must have a solid content strategy and engage with your audience. Besides that, you have to experiment with different content formats like reels and carousels, be active on stories, and host a live once in a while. 

How to Find Trending Instagram Content? 

The easiest way to find trending Instagram content is to go to the Explore page and check out trendy videos, hook steps, or music. You can also search for trending topics through the hashtag auto-complete feature. 

How Frequently Do I Need to Post on Instagram? 

You need to post at least 3 to 5 times a week to increase your engagement as well as your follower base. Some popular creators even post two times a day. 

Apart from posting, make sure you’re active on stories every day. 

Conclusion 

There you have it, a solid list of tips to increase Instagram engagement to kickstart as an Instagram creator or to give the perfect push to your business. 

By implementing strategies like engaging with your audience and other creators and talking with your followers through live videos, you can drive more engagement to your content. 

Additionally, don’t forget to promote your Instagram profile and share your Instagram content on other social platforms like TikTok and Facebook to increase visibility further!