Has your Instagram engagement been low recently? We understand you. Seeing your hard work getting less recognition than it deserves can be demotivating. Don’t worry, we will be discussing everything you need to know, from the Instagram algorithm to how you can boost your engagement.
What is Instagram engagement? It is the sum of ways Instagram users engage with your content. Instagram engagement includes saves, comments, shares, and likes. How Instagram shows content to its users has changed over the years. Now, the more your post gets, the more it is disclosed to the users.
How Instagram Helps to Grow Your Business
Instagram is a visual platform where you can post appealing photos, reels, stories, etc. When used correctly, it can be an awesome marketing tool.
You can create valuable content that will help you gain your followers’ trust and convert them into your customers. You can also sell directly from Instagram. Or you can direct them to your business’s site.
How Does Instagram Algorithm Work?
The Instagram algorithm is includesrules which determine the ranking of posts and what posts in what order will appear on the user’s feed and explore page. The algorithm changes from time to time. Why should you study Instagram algorithm? It will help you create better content that people would love to see. And following these rules will help you increase Instagram engagement.
- The originality of the Content
Instagram’s new Algorithm says that if you copy the content, whether from another Instagram account or other platforms such as TikTok or Facebook, your reach will be decreased.
For your posts to be viewed favorably by Instagram, you must publish original content. Recreating viral videos won’t do you any good, either. The Instagram algorithm has become smart enough to recognize whether your content is fresh or not.
- Recommended Posts
The posts you used to see on the explore page have been pushed to the main feed. What this means is that considering a user’s following and engagement activity, Instagram will suggest the posts in the main feed.
If you’re a new creator and your content is unique, this update will help you get the recognition you deserve.
- The Hierarchy of Instagram Engagement
Now that algorithm has evolved, the hierarchy has also evolved. A few years back, the more likes a post got, the more it was exposed to the audience.
Today, the more saves a post gets, the more it is valued, and it is given a better reach. You can view the engagement on your posts by checking insights.
Easy Tips for Better Instagram Engagement
These Instagram engagement hacks will cover all three ways your followers engage with your account:
1. Story views
2. Plays on the reels
3. Likes, comments, shares, and saves on your posts
- Get More Story Views
The first thing you should do is check insights. Tap the insights button on your account and go to the stories section. You can filter these by time period. Take a look at what stories got better reach. Having your story views rush up and down like a roller coaster is completely normal.
Once you know what type of stories get more plays, try to create more content of that kind. Don’t repost or replicate it. Remember, your content must be fresh.
One of the many ways to increase Instagram engagement is by letting your stories expire. It may not make sense but it works. It will be sort of like a reboot. Once all your previous stories have expired, bounce back with something engaging. Remember you saw what kind of stories get more views? It’s time to use that knowledge and upload that kind of content.
Don’t zone out if you’re about to. This might be one of the best Instagram engagement hacks. Use the interactive stickers on your story, specifically “share yours.” It will enable your stories to reach a broader range of audiences.
Interact with other people. Instagram shows the content of people on top that you talk to the most in your DMs. Posting long stories is a big no-no. Halfway through your story, your audience might lose attention and skip the rest of it. This will lead Instagram to think that it’s not relevant to users hence decreasing engagement.
Increase Your Engagement On Instagram Posts
Again, you’re going to go to your insights, check what posts got higher interactions, then create that kind of content. Once you’re ready to post, here are a few things to do:
- Spend 30 minutes before posting or commenting on other people’s recent posts. Ensure that those posts are in the same niche as yours.
- Before uploading the post, update one or two stories. When your audience engages with them, Instagram knows they would like to see your posts.
- After posting, go to your previous post and heart all the comments. This will let your followers know that you’re posting new stuff online and can come back to see it.
- Next, engage with every comment you get on the new post.
Remember, the more you engage with your followers, the more it will help you to increase Instagram engagement.
Increase Your Engagement On Instagram Reels
You’ll have to go to your insights again. We understand if you’re annoyed at this point. But this is a crucial step. Sort your reels out by what you want on your new reel. If you want more shares, sort by shares and so on.
Share the reels to your stories. When people watch your reel from the stories, that does count as a view. But don’t overdo it. Your followers want that personal connection from your stories.
Share unpopular opinion. When your reels with controversial opinion reach people against it, they will most definitely engage with it. Instagram doesn’t know the difference between a supportive and opposing comment. In Instagram’s eyes, engagement is engagement.
Use other creators’ original audio to help you increase Instagram engagement. When the users of that creator watch their reels, they’d probably be interested in more content of that audio.
How to Calculate Instagram Engagement Rate
Here’s how you can easily calculate Instagram engagement on your specific post. Simply check the insights of that post,then add the number of likes, comments, shares, and saves. Divide that by the total number of your followers. To get a percentage, divide the results you get by 100.
You can calculate the Instagram engagement rate of your account (collectively stories, posts, and reels) using online tools such as Hypeauditor’s Instagram engagement rate calculator.
A good Instagram engagement rate is between 1% and 3.5%, anything below 1% is lower than average.
Why is Instagram Engagement Rate Important?
If you’re an influencer searching for brand deals, you must know that the brands don’t look at the follower count now. They check the engagement rate of your account. That helps them to distinguish between fake and real followers. Nobody wants to collaborate with an account that has fake followers.
For a business owner, the more people engage with your posts, the more chances there are of increased sales. Remember how we talked about directing the audience to your site? Using Instagram engagement hacks, you can build a relationship with your audience. They’d want to know more about you, and that’s how you bring them to your site.
What if you don’t have a website? Don’t worry. With Strikingly, you can create a gorgeous and responsive site in just an hour or two.
All you have to do is Sign up for free, go to the dashboard, and tap on “create a new site” option.
Image taken from Strikingly
Once you’re taken to the templates section, pick the one you love.
Image taken from Strikingly
Time to customize it. Apply beautiful fonts and colors. You can add a blog and online store by clicking on add section.
Image taken from Strikingly
Once done with customization, choose if you want to connect a custom domain or go with the free one.
Image taken from Strikingly
Once finished, publish.
You can either build a website for free or choose from Strikingly’s cost-effective plans. Strikingly also offers analytics tools that show how and where the audience interacts with your website.
Things NOT to Do to Get Better Engagement
First things first, settle down that haste in you. Have patience. You do not want to increase Instagram engagement using unethical methods.
Don’t even think about buying followers. This won’t do you any good, and the money you spend buying followers will go to waste. Only real users can give you an increased engagement rate.
The second thing you shouldn’t do is create fake accounts and interact with your posts through them. Instagram will know. It can easily see the IP address of the advice and know that those are your accounts.
Lastly, understand that it’s okay for your engagement to drop. There are many reasons why it could happen. One of them is simply because of the time and seasons. All you have to do is research trending ideas, Implement these Instagram engagement hacks, and have some patience.
