First off, what is Instagram engagement and WHY is it important? Engagement is a metric such as likes, comments, saves, shares, etc. Engagement metrics are important because it helps determine how much the audience resonates and enjoys the content being shared. The higher the engagement rate, the higher influencers can charge for partnerships! I shared a really in-depth Twitter thread about how to spot FAKE engagement (like pods, bots,etc.) so check that out here.
How do we calculate engagement? Math time! 🤓 Calculate the engagement rate for a single IG post by (adding the total # of likes + comments / # of followers) x 100. You can change out followers for other metrics you want to measure. The average is 1-3% for influencers, with most rates dropping/steadying every 100K or so.
In 2010, Instagram was launched by 2 programmers in San Francisco. It was basically the wild, wild west when it came to content. Food photos, moody mirror selfies, and overusing XX-Pro and Valencia were pretty common. The feed was in chronological order and without stories, your focus was solely on the photos posted by your closest friends. You could drop a post whenever you wanted! If you had 1000 followers, chances are you were getting 40-50% engagement.
Now, It’s 2019 and your Instagram engagement sucks. So what happened?
It’s not the algorithm. It’s not a shadowban. And it’s not a misused hashtag. It’s you.
WOAH. Ok. Back it up here, Tomi. Are you telling me that Mark Zuckerberg isn’t personally out to derail my career? Yup, I am. Before we dive into this a little further, let me admit that my engagement isn’t rockstar level either! The good news is that we can all improve our IG game to kick butt in 2020.
I shared a poll on my stories asking which photo they thought received more likes: The how-to-style dusty mirror photo or the editorial Halloween witch. 80% thought that the artsy photo with moody vibes had to be the clear winner. I mean, just look at this photoshoot! They were wrong. Like I stated previously, there are many ways to calculate engagement beyond likes and comments. My reach is far wider on the #ootd post than the smoking pumpkin, and it’s still climbing. I’ve built an audience around workwear style and casual outfits so of course, it might not do as well. The likes are a reaction of change, but that doesn’t always equate overall success.
This one is a hard truth. In a world with 1,000,000 influencers, what makes you different? It’s being YOU! Forget about how x took a photo at the newest mural in town. Does it match your brand? Even if you shop at the same stores as other content creators or use the same products, find ways to make it UNIQUE.
What are calls-to-action? It’s basically a statement or question that gets your audience more involved and relate the content back to them. If you’re a fashion blogger, ask your followers to vote for their favorite outfit from a try-on session. If it’s a post relating to health, try asking they’re favorite healthy snack or workout class! And while we’re on the topic of captions….
Your caption doesn’t need to be a novel or a heartfelt message on every single post. But what are you offering your audience? Many bloggers start off their captions with a short phrase in all caps (@Kahleanicolee is a great example) to get their attention before diving into their main point. If the copy simply says, “This cute sweater is on sale! Go buy it!” It will most definitely have less engagement than a post that mentions how it makes you feel, a funny story about how you got it, or ideas on where to wear it! Don’t be afraid to show the real you.
Stories are a HUGE part of the Instagram algorithm. If you want your content to be seen, you have to do a mix of both IG feed posts and stories to boost your engagement. Most Instagram users will spend more time on stories versus scrolling through their feed. Reminding them that you’ve posted in addition to random snippets of life helps them feel more connected. There’s no need to stress about having to share multiple slides a day! Pre-plan content and schedule it to post through Facebook business pages. Learn how to do that here.
Different experts have their own ideas about hashtags, but I still believe in using all 30. With each post, mix up the hashtags so your post isn’t seen as spam. Influencer coach, @MissBeBright, has a great method to boost your visibility. Add hashtags relevant to your location (ex: #Charlotteblogger), brands you’re wearing (#AExME, #targetstyle, etc.), and niche (#stylebloggers). I go back and forth placing them in the caption or in the comments. Don’t forget to tag your location on the post, too!
Again, there are way too many content creators out there to not find ways to stand out. I like using the term, “thumb-stopping” when it comes to content. Do your posts make your audience stop scrolling? Educating your audience can be based on your niche (recipe tips, style advice, product reviews, industry insight, etc.) and not just teaching them about influencer marketing or blogging in general! @JessKeys_ does a great job sharing capsule-style advice and @lola.akw always shares golden blogging nuggets! My favorite inspirational accounts are people like @Tezza and @cmcoving always pull me in with their imagery. Entertaining goes way beyond IG comedians. Youtuber @Jnaydaily_ finds ways to show her home decor and wellness tips while mixing it in with her fun personality!
And I mean really engaging with other accounts! Give more than one-word comments and interact with a mix of accounts you’re following, your followers, and the discover page! Ideally, you should engage 30 minutes before and after you post on Instagram. You can’t just post and ghost and expect it to do well.
Yikes. We’ve all been there. Use the frustration and take the time to see what you can improve for the next post! Were the products out of focus? Was the backdrop to busy? Go into your insights and look at your highest performing posts. Look at your highest reach, impressions, comments, and more from the past 1 year to 6 months to 3 months. Hopefully, this can help you figure out what you can duplicate in the future!
Maintaining consistency posting, time of day, and quality of the content, of course, have an impact as well. But there are a lot of smaller items you can tweak to make your account really stand out! Try these tips for the next few weeks and I’m sure you’re engagement rate will skyrocket in 2020. Do you have Instagram engagement tips that work for you? Let me know!
Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube
You Might Also Like… How to Gain More Followers on Pinterest: The #1 Traffic Source for My Blog and How I Make Money as a Microinfluencer
Girl these are GREAT tips! I am definitely going to sit down and evaluate my approach to Instagram thanks to your help.
I totally see your point about adding “personality” and “depth” to a caption, and I’ve been trying to implement this strategy into my captions lately!! Nobody just wants to see a “click here! buy this!” caption any more. That is just lazy and non inspiring, haha. Kahlea is my friend and fellow Tampa blogger who has been killing the IG game and I’m so excited that you included her in this post! She rocks at captions, right?
XO Amanda || Affordable by Amanda