How to grow instagram engagement

12 Easy Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram

Marketers and business owners are constantly looking for ways to interact with their audience. With more than 1.4 million monthly active users (Source: Statista), Instagram offers serious potential for building your brand. But you need more than just an account and an audience to experience the full potential of this platform.

You need engagement. Comments, shares, likes, saves, and other actions that show your content resonates with your audience.

In this post, we’re going to share 12 ways you can increase your Instagram engagement and build an emotional connection with your followers.

Why does Instagram engagement matter?

Instagram engagement is not about how many users are following you, but about how your followers interact with your posts. Engagement metrics include:

Comments
Shares
Likes
Saves
Stories views
Interactions with stories stickers
Brand mentions
Link click-throughs
Direct Messages (DMs)

Not only does high engagement indicate that your content resonates with your audience, but the Instagram algorithm also considers engagement when deciding what content to show users.

If your posts have high engagement, they’ll be more likely to appear in the feeds of users you consistently engage with, helping to increase your reach and brand awareness.

How to increase engagement on Instagram

Given Instagram’s popularity, successful social media marketers consider Instagram engagement a priority. Here’s how you can increase your Instagram engagement.

1. Know your audience

The first step in keeping your followers engaged is identifying your audience. If you don’t know what intrigues and motivates them, you won’t know how to create content that engages them. Here’s how to do it:

Define your buyer personas. This is a clear representation of who your ideal customer is. What are their pain points and desires? What are their hobbies? What do they do for work? What’s their schedule like?
Look at Instagram audience insights. Here you will find demographic information about your audience. Under the “Insights” section, click “Audience.” You’ll find details about people interacting with your posts, including their location, age, and gender.

Look at your competitors’ profiles. Who likes and comments on their posts? What content are they sharing? How do they interact with their followers?
Use social listening tools. This can help you track any mentions of your brand or products. See what people are saying and what they want you to address.

2. Use strong captions with CTAs

Strong captions accomplish three things. They:

Add context to the pictures in your post
Bring out your brand personality
Drive your audience to take an action

That last one is key. After writing a catchy caption on what the post is about and adding hashtags and emojis, it’s time to prompt them to take action. For example, “Let me know what you think in the comments” or “Click the link in our bio to learn more. ”

Here’s a video of Honest Beauty’s founder, Jessica Alba. In the caption, the CTA prompts their audience to click the link on their bio to purchase the products.

Image source

3. Engage your audience through creative interactive stickers

Instagram has plenty of interactive story stickers you can use to drive engagement with your posts. You can use the stickers in different ways:

Use the quiz sticker to ask your followers fun questions, including multiple-choice questions.
Use the music sticker to add soundtracks or lyrics to your stories. Be creative and match the song with the mood, such as cheerful music on a Monday motivation post or maybe a dramatic tone to a long-awaited announcement.
Use the poll sticker to ask for people’s opinions. It could be something like which packaging they prefer or which products they like more.
Ask for your followers’ thoughts about something with the questions sticker. You can also prompt them to ask you about something. If you’re willing to open the floor, host an AMA (ask me anything).

Stories stickers make your audience feel recognized and that their opinion matters. Every question asked or poll taken is one more engagement.

Browse through even more engaging Instagram Story ideas here.

4. Create interesting Instagram Stories & Reels

Who doesn’t love Instagram Reels, especially when they’re interesting? These short, entertaining videos are an excellent way for marketers and business owners to drive visibility and engagement to their pages.

Instagram Reels ideas are endless: to share customer experiences, before-and-after videos, interactive how-to videos, and behind-the-scenes peeks.

You can also use our Instagram Story templates so you’re not starting from scratch!

5. Use carousel posts to encourage more engagement

According to Socialinsider, of all Instagram post types, carousels have the highest engagement rate of 1. 92% (and 2.33% when you use all 10 carousel slides).

You can’t miss taking advantage of this to increase your engagement. There are many ways of using carousel posts—don’t just pick any images and expect your followers to camp on it. Get creative and mix in videos to attract even more interaction. Use them for:

User-generated content
Product tutorials
Multiple product views
Before and after photos
Your brand story
Customer reviews

Canva hosts a weekly design challenge and uses carousel posts to display the highlights for the week’s theme.

Image source

Every carousel slide is a chance to drive engagement—10 opportunities in 1 post. Don’t miss out on yours.

6. Create and post relatable memes

An endless stream of perfect images and pristine products can become monotonous to your followers. Memes are more authentic and can attract your audience’s attention, especially if they’re relatable and resonate with your followers.

Like this one:

Followers are more likely to share, comment, and even repost them on their stories because they don’t feel like they’re sharing an ad. And who doesn’t want a good laugh anyway? So put on that meme lord (or lady) hat and enchant your brand’s way into your followers’ hearts.

Inspiring quotes and repurposed tweets are perfect for driving engagement.

7. Post valuable content regularly

Sharing funny posts is great, but you shouldn’t forget to add value for your followers. Create unique content they can repeatedly reference or share with their circles. We have tons of Instagram post ideas here, but for starters:

Helpful tips in eye-catching infographics
Graphs and charts to visualize data
Step-by-step tutorials
Creative ideas

If you’re creating a carousel post with a step-by-step how-to guide, recipe, or a list of tips, include a “Save this Post” call to action. Encourage your followers to save it and come back later for reference.

Image source

8. Host and collaborate with industry influencers

Instagram is an interactive platform. What’s the point if you’re not engaging and interacting with other accounts?

Engaging with similar accounts expands your net and helps you reach potential followers. It’s even better when the other accounts are people with much bigger nets—industry influencers. Influencers have loyal followings that can increase your visibility and introduce your brand to audiences that would have been otherwise hard to reach.

Find influencers in your industry, build a relationship with them, and then collaborate with them. Feature them in your posts, repost their content, and co-create content with them.

Not only will they engage with these posts, but they’ll also share them with their own followers. This will grant you broader coverage and help you attract more relevant followers as well.

9. Run Instagram lives

Your Instagram followers want to see the face behind the account once in a while. And considering that 82% of followers prefer watching a live stream to reading social posts, why not try out Instagram live?

Instagram live videos give your followers a more immersive experience. They also get to meet and interact with you in a personal, engaging way.

Viewers can ask questions, share ideas, and leave comments in real time—a perfect way for your brand to engage with followers. If you’re wondering what types of content you can share on Instagram live, try;

Q&A sessions on your brand, products, or relevant topics.
Sneak peek sessions for a product you’re about to launch.
Discussions on current trends or events in your industry.
Customer support FAQs.
Learning sessions with industry influencers.

Tap into the power of selling during live sessions with Instagram Live Shopping (one of our digital marketing trends of this year). With this feature, you can interact with your viewers and sell directly to them. Save your live videos so potential customers can shop for the featured products after the live stream.

10. Use polls and questions to get feedback

Want to know how your audience perceives your brand and products? Create polls and questions on your Instagram stories.

Polls, unlike contests, are easy to create using stickers. Plus, you don’t need a good reason to create one. Just think of a quick question to which you’d also be happy to respond.

Use polls to ask about preferences, would-you-rathers, favorites, and more.

11. Leverage the power of hashtags

If you’re not using Instagram hashtags, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to get your content into your potential followers’ feeds. Hashtags help you to categorize your posts and get found by people when they’re exploring specific topics. This is a great way to get your content in front of the people most likely to engage with it—follower or not.

Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags, but don’t use all of them on every post. Stick with the ones that are most relevant to the post so you can attract a relevant audience to each one. One of the best ways to find hashtags is just to search them right in Insta:

12. Post when your audience is most active

Your memes may be hilarious and your content helpful, but if you post when your audience is asleep, well…if only there were a way for them to view from dreamland. But there isn’t. So, post when your audience is most active.

The best time to post on Instagram varies depending on your audience, location, and content type.

To find the right time for you, check out the benchmarks from the post linked above, choose a baseline to start with, then use your analytics to find out what works for your audience.

Follow these tips to increase engagement on Instagram

Engaging your audience on Instagram doesn’t just give you favor with the algorithm (which gives you greater exposure and brand awareness), but it also creates an emotional connection between you and your followers.

Here are our top strategies for increasing Instagram engagement:

Know your audience
Use strong captions
Use interactive stickers
Create interesting Stories and Reels
Use carousel posts
Share relatable memes
Post valuable content regularly
Collaborate with industry influencers
Host Instagram live videos
Use polls and questions to get feedback
Leverage the power of hashtags
Post when your audience is most active

And don’t forget the basics! Ensure your Instagram bio is optimized to align with your brand’s value, plan your content in advance, and check your Instagram analytics regularly to see what’s working.

How to Calculate (and Improve) Instagram Engagement

What is Instagram engagement?

How to calculate Instagram engagement

What is a good Instagram engagement rate?

How to increase Instagram engagement: 23 useful tips

If you’re using Instagram for business, you know it’s more than just a platform for sharing your best product pics. With one billion people using Instagram every month, it’s a powerful tool to build your brand and cultivate an audience online.

But to reap the rewards, you don’t just need an audience: You need engagement. You need comments, shares, likes and other actions that prove your content resonates with the people who see it.

And engagement only works when it’s genuine — coming from real people who really care.

You’re not going to find any tips here about getting into an “engagement group” or “engagement pod,” buying likes, or anything like that. That just doesn’t work — and we should know! We tried it!

The reality is there’s no shortcut to quality engagement. You get out of social media what you put in. So take the time to craft that great post, encourage conversation, and genuinely connect with your followers.

Read on for proven ways to make an impact with your Instagram audience and build strong, lasting engagement organically. We’ve even included a free Instagram engagement calculator!

Bonus: Use our free engagement rate calculator to find out your engagement rate 4 ways fast. Calculate it on a post-by-post basis or for an entire campaign — for any social network.

What is Instagram engagement?

Instagram engagement measures the interactions that your audience has with your content. It’s more than counting views or followers — engagement is about action.

On Instagram, engagement is measured by a range of metrics, such as:

Comments
Shares
Likes
Saves
Followers and growth
Mentions (tagged or untagged)
Branded hashtags
Click-throughs
DMs

Check out our complete list of social media metrics and how to track them here.

Actions like these evidence that people aren’t just seeing your content. They’re interested in what you have to say.

Why do we care about engagement?

First of all, it means that your content is making an impact on your audience. (They like you, they really like you!)

Secondly, strong engagement is a key factor in Instagram’s algorithm. The higher the engagement, the more likely the content will be boosted in the newsfeed, attracting more eyes and attention.

How to calculate Instagram engagement

Your Instagram engagement rate measures the amount of interaction your content earns relative to your followers or reach.

In other words, it shows the percentage of people who saw your post and engaged with it.

Depending on your social media goals, there are a few different ways to get to that number. You can calculate your Instagram engagement rate by impressions, posts, reach, or followers.

At its core, the engagement rate formula is pretty simple. Divide the total number of likes and comments on a post by your follower count (or post impressions, or reach) and then multiply by 100.

Engagement rate = (Interactions / Audience) x 100

Use Instagram’s Insights tool, Hootsuite analytics, or another Instagram analytics tool to grab the raw data. Once you’ve got your stats, use our free Instagram engagement rate calculator to crunch those numbers.

Bonus: Use our free engagement rate calculator to find out your engagement rate 4 ways fast. Calculate it on a post-by-post basis or for an entire campaign — for any social network.

All you need to use this calculator is Google Sheets. Click the “File” tab and select “Make a copy” to start filling in the fields.

To measure engagement on a single post, input “1” in “No. of Posts.” To calculate the engagement rate of several posts, input the total number of posts in “No. of Posts.”

If you want an even easier way to calculate Instagram engagement, we recommend heading straight to your Hootsuite dashboard.

Not only can you view all of your key metrics (including engagement rate) for Instagram and other social networks at a glance, but you can also:

Improve engagement rate. Hootsuite has integrated tools like Canva, a hashtag generator, and templates that help you beat writer’s block.
Save a ton of time by scheduling feed posts, carousels, Reels, and Stories ahead of time, even if you’re off the clock. Plus, bulk schedule up to 350 posts at once to avoid content gaps.
Reach more people by posting at the right time. Hootsuite will tell you the best time to post based on when your followers are the most active, so you always get the most engagement.
See which posts work best and measure your success with detailed analytics tools.
Simplify your planning with a calendar showing you all scheduled content for Instagram and other networks.

Try Hootsuite free for 30 days

What is a good Instagram engagement rate?

Instagram itself is coy about what a “good” engagement rate is. But most social media marketing experts agree that strong engagement is anywhere from around 1% to 5%. Hootsuite’s own social media team reported an average Instagram engagement rate of 4. 59% in 2020.

Here are the global average Instagram engagement rates for business accounts as of October 2022:

All Instagram post types: 0.54%
Instagram photo posts: 0.46%
Video posts: 0.61%
Carousel posts: 0.62%

On average, carousels are the most engaging type of Instagram post — but just barely.

Follower count can also affect your Instagram engagement rate. Here are the average engagement rates per number of followers of Instagram business accounts as of October 2022:

Fewer than 10,000 followers: 0.76%
10,000 – 100,000 followers: 0.63%
More than 100,000%: 0.49%

Typically, the more followers you have, the less engagement you get. That’s why “smaller” Instagram influencers with a high engagement rate are often a better bet for influencer marketing partnerships.

Curious about engagement rates on other social networks? Check out Hootsuite’s Digital 2022 report (October update) for more performance benchmarking data.

How to increase Instagram engagement: 23 useful tips

Tip 1: Get to know your audience

It’s hard to make great content if you don’t know who you’re making it for.

The demographics of your target audience will help define the type of content you post, your brand voice, and even what days and times to publish.

For example, offbeat indie clothing label Fashion Brand Company targets people with a bold sense of humor. Both product offerings and the tone of its posts reflect that.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fashion Brand Co Inc Global (@fashionbrandcompany)

For more info on identifying your audience, check out our guide to conducting audience research.

Tip 2: Get authentic

Being honest and relatable is better than being perfectly polished on social media. Share content that goes beyond slick marketing campaigns. It’s time to introduce the real people and experiences behind your brand.

That might mean sharing behind-the-scenes footage or writing a cheeky caption. It might also look like taking ownership of any mistakes.

This meme shared by A Practical Wedding garnered thousands of shares and comments. Looks like their audience found the less-than-perfect joke about wedding culture ultra-relatable.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by A Practical Wedding (@apracticalwedding)

Most people appreciate honesty over perfection… after all, don’t you?

Find more tips for sharing your authentic side here.

Tip 3: Share great images

Instagram, in case you didn’t notice, is a visual medium. And while you don’t need to be an Annie Leibovitz to thrive on the platform, creating images that stand out from the news feed is important.

Even if you’re not a great photographer or graphic designer, there are a million tools to help you give your pic a little oomph.

You can edit photos directly in Hootsuite and add text and filters. (Or use one of these many other apps to take your Instagram posts to the next level.)

This image promoting Fast Company’s Creative Conversation podcast takes a standard headshot of model Ashley Graham and gives it a creative graphic treatment that helps it pop.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fast Company (@fastcompany)

Tip 4: Post carousels

Once you’ve gotten the hang of creating eye-catching images, try posting a few with carousels. Carousels — Instagram posts with multiple images — are a great way to build engagement. (As luck would have it, we have some beautiful Instagram Carousel templates right here!)

Hootsuite’s own social team finds that their carousel posts get 3.1x more engagement, on average, than their regular posts. Globally, carousels have the highest average engagement rate of all types of Instagram posts (0.62%).

The algorithm re-serves these posts to followers who didn’t engage the first time around. That means carousels give you a second (or third!) chance to make an impression.

Hack: Create your carousels in advance and schedule them for publication at the optimal time with Hootsuite. For step-by-step instructions, check out our guide to posting to Instagram from a PC or Mac.

Tip 5: Post video content

Video is both eye-catching and engaging. So engaging, in fact, that posts with video receive about 32% more engagement than images.

Here’s a video from Carly Rae Jepsen, sharing some images from a new photoshoot set to music. How can you look away?!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen)

Don’t overthink it, though. Video content doesn’t have to be overly polished or perfectly edited. (Remember that “authenticity” tip from earlier?) Shoot now, give it a quick edit, and get it out into the world.

There are a million tools to help you combine scenes or add music or text. We recommend downloading a free or paid video editing app, like InShot or Magisto. We’ve got plenty of other suggestions on our list of the best Instagram apps for business.

Tip 6: Write strong captions

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a thousand words are… also worth a thousand words.

Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters long and include up to 30 hashtags. Use ’em! Good captions add context and showcase your brand’s personality.

Nike tells a compelling story with its caption here and asks its followers to share their own stories in the comments.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nike (@nike)

Get our tips for crafting the perfect caption here.

Tip 7: Create saveable content

Creating reference material your audience will want to save in their Collections can also earn you a little engagement boost.

Instagram account So You Want to Talk About creates accessible reference material on complex topics. These posts are perfect for saving in a Collection or Story Highlight.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by So.Informed (@so.informed)

Add a “Save this post” call-to-action to a carousel post with tips, a how-to guide or a recipe video to encourage users to revisit this content later.

Tip 8: Go live

Using Instagram Live to stream live video is a great way to connect directly to users, share news and build engagement.

29.5% of all internet users between 16 and 64 watch a livestream each week. Your audience is there — give ’em what they want!

With Live video, you can answer questions live, welcome viewers by name and generally welcome your audience into your world in an intimate, engaging way. You can also build an ecommerce audience with Instagram’s Live Shopping feature.

Here’s our Instagram Live how-to guide for getting your broadcast going.

Source: Instagram

Tip 9: Craft compelling content

Posting product pics every day will get a little old after a while. Mix it up with a varied content schedule.

Contests, polls, questions and quizzes break the routine and encourage your audience to get involved and active.

Hi Alyssa Comics, for instance, did a custom card giveaway to celebrate a follower milestone, prompting users to share and interact with the post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by comics by alyssa (@hialyssacomics)

Find more Instagram post ideas here.

Tip 10: Share audience content

Sure, treating your Instagram account like a one-way street is tempting. But social media is a conversation, not a broadcast. Make sure you’re listening and engaging with fans when they reach out.

One great way to do that is to repost or share audience content. If someone tags your tequila brand in a post about a wild Margarita Monday, share that post in your story.

The Las Culturistas podcast shared listener compliments of its 12 Days of Culture holiday countdown in its own Instagram Stories. A shout-out within a shout-out, like a little Stories Inception.

Source: LasCulturistas

They’ll feel thrilled you were listening, and other followers may be compelled to tag you in their content.

Make sure you don’t miss a mention with the help of Hootsuite or other social listening tools for business.

Tip 11: Create custom stickers and filters

Sprinkle a little of your brand dust onto other users’ posts by making custom stickers and filters available in Stories.

Sephora launched a special “Holiday Beauty Q&A” AR filter for fans to use on their own Stories over Christmas. Features like this help spread the Sephora brand and build community.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sephora (@sephora)

Here’s a step-by-step for making your own AR filters here.

Tip 12: Respond to questions and comments

When the comments start flying in, it’s only polite to respond.

When you join the conversation, your followers feel seen, heard, and excited to chat with you again.

Sunscreen brand Supergoop prompts followers to share their favorite products in this post. But they also chime in to share recommendations and offer support for everyone’s choices.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Supergoop! (@supergoop)

To track any indirect mentions happening outside your page, just set up search streams on your Hootsuite dashboard. That way, you don’t miss a chance to keep the conversation going.

Bonus: Use our free engagement rate calculator to find out your engagement rate 4 ways fast. Calculate it on a post-by-post basis or for an entire campaign — for any social network.

Get the calculator now!

Tip 13: Get experimental

You’ll never find out what works best for your brand until you test, measure and tweak.

The beauty of social media is that it’s made for experimentation. If something works, you know pretty quickly; if it’s a flop, lesson learned with little risk.

So get creative… just keep a close eye on metrics to see the impact of your grand ideas. Dig into our guide to social media A/B testing here.

Tip 14: Post consistently and at strategic times

The more you post, the more opportunities your followers have to engage. Commit to a consistent schedule to keep your feed fresh and your followers intrigued.

Of course, posting consistently at the right times is key, too. Because if you’ve got a post going up when your audience is asleep, you might struggle.

Here’s our guide to finding the best time to post on Instagram for your audience.

Tip 15: Drive traffic from other sources

Get your Instagram handle out there in the world everywhere you can. You can share it in your Twitter bio, include it in your email signature, and throw it in your company newsletter.

This London account (alas, not the city) uses its Twitter bio to drive attention to its Instagram handle and content.

The more people you point towards the platform, the more chances for engagement.

Tip 16: Start the conversation

You wouldn’t just wait to be spoken to at a dinner party (a fun one, anyways), right? Some of the time, you’d be prompting the conversation.

The same goes for Instagram. Responding to questions and comments is great; getting out there and starting convos on other posts and pages is even better.

Think of it as a balance of reactive (responding) and proactive (conversation-starting) action.

Tip 17: Create topical content

If there’s already a buzz around a current event or holiday, squeeze yourself into that conversation.

Taylor Swift’s pandemic albums got everyone talking about cottagecore, and clothing brand Farewell Frances took advantage of the opportunity. Tagging coats with #cottagecoreaesthetic allowed them to align themselves with the conversation.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Farewell Frances (@farewellfrances)

If there’s a trending hashtag involved, you’ve got an instant hook.

Tip 18: Get active on Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories have incredible reach. Half a billion people use Stories every day, and 58% of users say they’ve become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories.

Satirical news site Reductress shares its cheeky headlines in posts and Stories. That means two different opportunities to capture readers’ attention.

Source: Reductress

Not only will people be watching, but with Stories, you can engage with stickers.

Questions, Polls and Countdowns are all opportunities to connect directly with your fans.

Here are some creative Instagram Story ideas to get you started. Plus, we’ve got all the hacks and features every master Instagrammer should know.

Tip 19: Add strong calls to action

Want more engagement on your posts? Sometimes, it just comes down to asking nicely.

Welks General Store didn’t just tell the world it had puzzles with this post. It gave specific information about how to purchase them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Welks General Store (@welksonmain)

When done with care, a compelling call to action can prompt activity, likes, responses or shares. Check out our guide to writing the CTA of your dreams here.

Tip 20: Harness the power of hashtags

Instagram hashtags are a double-edged sword. Used correctly, you can drive some serious traffic and build buzz. Overdo it, and you come off looking spammy.

Be thoughtful and strategic about the hashtags you use. You can use them to reach a specific community, join a trending conversation, push a campaign or identify your service offerings.

Illustrator Cecile Dormeau, for example, tags her sweet drawings with both art-related hashtags and mental-health ones.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cécile Dormeau (@cecile.dormeau)

The consensus is that 11 or fewer hashtags are the right number to look professional but not desperate. More info on making the most of Instagram hashtags over here.

Tip 21: Boost your posts

Getting your post in front of more eyeballs is a good way to increase the odds you connect with the right audience. You might even increase your follower count while you’re at it.

With a potential audience of more than 928 million users on Instagram, your next superfan could be out there, just waiting to discover what you have to offer.

Using Instagram ads or boosted posts can be a strategic way to get your name in front of the right people. Check out our Instagram ads guide here for more details on maximizing your reach.

Source: Instagram

Tip 22: Slide into their DMs

Sometimes, the strongest engagement can happen in private.

Direct messages and story interactions are great opportunities to engage audiences and make direct connections. When someone reaches out in your DMs, make sure to reply and treat ’em right.

Tip 23: Embrace Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels joined the Insta fam in the summer of 2020 as an alternative to TikTok. With Reels, users can create and edit short multi-clip videos with audio and effects.

Drag artist Eureka O’Hara is using Reels here (well, a repurposed TikTok video within Reels, anyways) to promote an upcoming season of their show We’re Here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eureka! 💜🐘👑 (@eurekaohara)

Meta’s betting big on Reels, which means video posts are getting more love from the algorithm these days. More eyeballs mean thousands more people get to enjoy these sick dance moves.

Any new feature to social media tools typically gets a boost in the algorithm, so it’s in your best interest to try out the latest and greatest offerings. Reels are all over the Explore page, so embrace this new content form. You might just find yourself in front of some fresh faces.

Take a peek at ideas for memorable Reels here.

Whew! There you have it: your crash course on Instagram engagement. Check out our social media marketing guide for an even deeper dive into building a successful social strategy.

Increase your Instagram engagement rate using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts and Stories, respond to comments, measure your performance over time, and run all your other social media profiles — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.

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With files from Shannon Tien.

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Instagram engagement: how to raise (GOD level)

Instagram engagement (ER) is an indicator of the number of people performing targeted actions (subscription, like, comment, view).

That is, it is the percentage of users who are interested in your content and interact with it. The level of engagement plays a huge role in the promotion and promotion of an Instagram account.

We figured out what engagement on Instagram and the ER coefficient are. Now let's look at ways to increase it - and at the same time I will answer the most popular questions.

How to increase engagement on Instagram

Achieving a high level of engagement on Instagram is not easy. The competition is high - especially for young accounts. The main indicators that affect ER are comments, likes, saves and views of stories, so below I have collected life hacks for each.

- How to type comments

Let's start with the most difficult. In order for the user to write something under the post, the author needs to try. Simply because people do not want to make unnecessary movements - and even more so to come up with a comment. But it can be fixed:

1. Reply to comments

Don't ignore subscribers' comments - always reply to them. Thus, you will at least double the number of comments under the photo - as well as increase the loyalty of the audience on Instagram and give the user a sense of his importance.

2. Ask open-ended questions

Ask a question at the end of a post to motivate the reader for dialogue and discussion in the comments. The more subscribers answer your question, the higher the coverage of the account.

3. Push subscribers to answer

Often, users would write something, but they are afraid that they say "who cares about my opinion" or "I didn't formulate a smart idea, but why write garbage." So: explain at the end of the post that you can write not only a super expert opinion, but also an ordinary human thought.

4. Arrange interactive activities

Involve subscribers in interesting games, guess thematic riddles, publish comic predictions, emoji puzzles. The easiest option is to guess the correct and incorrect facts about you or the company and write about it in the comments. And if you don’t want to invent games yourself, then use the constructor. Click and increase coverage -> Sub.by

5. Kill two birds with one stone

A method that will increase both the number of comments and content views. For example, mention an interesting moment from a video and ask the audience for their opinion about it. So you will not only get comments, but also push users to watch the video.

6. Include a comment in the conditions of the contest

On Instagram, this may not be just a call to participate in the contest to leave a smiley or a number in the comments. For example, if the competition is creative, then let users write their ideas right under the publication. The method is good, because others will definitely cling to one comment - compliments, hate, etc.

7. Start interaction with a short comment

This could be a call for a price, useful materials, etc. for a simple comment - a sign, one word, a phrase. People will do it out of interest: the action is simple and does not obligate you to anything, and the engagement rate of the posts will grow.

- How to get likes

The set of likes depends both on the use of specific features in a post and on maintaining the profile as a whole - the quality of images / videos, text, the general appearance of the feed, the type of posts, etc. We already have separate articles about this:

How to write posts for Instagram: TOP 50 tipsQuality content: what it means + how to do itHow to manage Instagram: 50 features of 2021 + 40 services

As advertising

1. Encourage "I Like"

Ask your followers to like the post if they liked it or found it helpful. Often people automatically go to another publication and forget to click on the heart. And your unobtrusive reminder will not let them do it. You can enhance the effect with gratitude for the activity and a text about how important it is for you.

2. Create intrigue by splitting up

Divide the text into several parts and publish the continuation after the entry reaches a certain number of hearts. In a post, you can write like this: let's get so many likes and I'll post the second part. By the way, this technique can also be used for typing comments.

3. Make like a contest condition

The scheme is the same as with the comment. The only thing that can be done as mandatory conditions is not only "like this post" - but also, for example, 3-5 previous posts.

4. Use activity chats

Groups where users gather to like each other and show other activity in every possible way. It can be a chat on Instagram or Telegram. You can get likes on a reciprocal basis, or you can pay - and you won't have to do anything on other people's accounts. Read more about activity chats in our article.

Activity chats on Instagram: how to find + FAQ

5. Put the first like

Maybe it seems to you that this is stupid and everyone will think they are strange, they like themselves. But believe me, no one in the stream of publications will think about it. It is psychologically difficult for people to like first - and much easier if there is at least one on the publication. You can also get a couple of likes for free through TmSMM.

6. Don't forget about manual mass liking

The method works like this: You subscribe to an account and like publications there (it's always better to perform actions in combination). But, of course, not everyone, but your target audience. Thus, you get into their eyes in notifications and most likely they will go to your account. And in the most successful scenario, you will not only be mutually liked, but also subscribed.

7. Use hashtags

Hashtags are a good navigation and search tool, so be sure to use them in your post description. Using them, subscribers will be able to instantly find the necessary publications and navigate the Instagram space. Use general (by type #shop #clothing #shoes) and special (for example, #clothingirkutsk #in stock #suborder) hashtags. The main thing is not to overdo it, do not use only high-frequency ones.

Hashtag on Instagram: instructions on how to reach the top

8. Geotag

Geolocation helps people find profiles that suit them geographically, so don't forget to set the exact geo when publishing posts - and not only cities, but also, for example, establishments.

By the way. Have you heard about the new method of promotion on Instagram? SocTool has a unique algorithm that allows you to intercept the target audience from competitors online. The service will instantly establish a contact (subscription, like, message in Direct) while the user is online. Click and test - SocTool

9. Mention the page on social networks

Tell other social networks that you have an Instagram account. Briefly tell us what you can find there - or create intrigue with the phrase "and I posted the continuation on my instagram" and leave a link. Another option is to leave links to relevant posts in the comments, for example, in a discussion of an issue.

10. Spend liketimes

The principle is the same as in activity chats - only you don't need to be a member anywhere to participate and there are no obligations regarding reciprocity. Usually the conditions are as follows: like a certain number of publications, comment on the publication, go to the page of the one who commented before you and be active there.

11. Post announcements

A great way to get to know your audience and significantly increase your engagement rate. For example, write a catchy post about the contest coming up soon and set out the conditions for participation, and then keep people informed about the process and results with story updates.

12. Organize marathons

The essence is not very different from the competition: just complicate the conditions for participation and make the terms longer. As a result, you will get a lively and interested audience.

- How to type save

To save a post, it must be once - useful, and twice - easy to read. Here are a few tips on how to make a publication exactly like this:

1. Create guides, checklists

Something that people can immediately use - and without even reading the text. To do this, duplicate the information in the image: the main idea + a brief description + plus an illustration on the topic.

Instagram guide: creation + 35 ideas

2. Leave a call to action

Encourage your followers to share your post. For example: “Was it helpful? Save it to the wall so you don't lose it!"

3. Publish video tutorials

Video is much better perceived by the audience than text. In the video, you will present the product more clearly and more interestingly. A person does not need to strain: you only need to watch the video and add it to your bookmarks for the future. Of course, don't forget about video quality, editing, music, etc. I will leave an article to help:

Video content: 13 types + our work

- How to get views of stories

Stories are perhaps the most commonly used posting format on Instagram. They form into their own feed and are easy to use - in addition, many users prefer stories because they are more dynamic and lively than classic feed posts.

As advertising

1. Offer mutual PR

Do not be afraid of cooperation with competitors: your target audience lives in their profiles. Find accounts with a similar theme and a similar number of followers and offer them mutual PR. We have a detailed article on this subject.

Mutual PR on Instagram 2021: what is + how to spend

2.

Add GIFs

Decorate your stories with GIFs. By the way, despite the fact that there are already a lot of gifs, you can create your own - for example, using the GIPHY service.

3. Ask the audience

Ask the audience open-ended questions in stories: ask for advice, ask for experience - or give them the opportunity to ask you something.

Subscribers are always interested in getting in direct contact with a blogger. But if you are already taking on this matter, then answer fully. Better even in video format: it will show that you are really interested in communicating with your audience.

3. Conduct surveys

Ask the audience for their opinion on any occasion: in this way you will establish a trusting contact and increase its loyalty. You can also check the number of relevant subscribers using surveys.

4. Implement interactive

These can be tests, puzzles, riddles, search for differences, or words in stories spelled out. Users are always interested in poke, check something - and in search of results they will scroll through all the stories.

Instagram games: 32 examples (posts + stories)

6. Mark GEO

Geolocation in stories obviously shows subscribers where a person is. This is relevant in cases where you need to contact people nearby - or, for example, they often do this to hint at a meeting.

In addition, other users can find your stories by geotagging. Therefore, it is very important for a business to have its own geolocation and periodically remind about its existence.

7. Create a consistent story

You can talk about you personally and about the company, depending on the specifics of the blog: when it all started, how it developed, key events, your products / services, etc. In order for stories not to be scrolled through, they must be interesting. Therefore, ask in advance what the followers would be interested to know.

8. Announce profile events

Tell that soon, for example, some interesting post will be released for the audience, news, something will be added, for example, in the price list and supplement it with the phrase "Follow stories". Thus, you motivate users to visit your profile more often and watch stories in anticipation of an event.

9. Write subtitles

Subscribers can't always watch stories with sound. The situation is not the same, there are no headphones, or in principle you don’t want to do this. And usually the viewer just scrolls through all these stories. Therefore, write the text - not a whopper of course, where you duplicate each word, but the main idea.

Tools to increase reach

When using all the features that I have already described and the following, do not forget about the main thing - quality content. Before implementing the tools, think ahead of the strategy and draw up a content plan for your Instagram profile. Well, now the methods, so to speak, of a complex impact on an Instagram account:

How to increase reach on Instagram: ways for posts and storiesQuality content: what it means + how to do it

1. Clean up the audience

It is necessary to block "dead" accounts and bots in subscribers: this may be a beautiful number, but due to inactivity they really spoil the statistics. Manual cleaning is tedious and boring, so I advise you to use the InstaHERO service. Read more about this in the article.

2. Buy advertising from bloggers

People trust people - those who gather a large audience around them, have authority and are able to influence the opinions and actions of subscribers. I'm talking, of course, about bloggers. Select a suitable influencer for advertising and offer him cooperation. I will leave you a couple of materials on the topic to help you.

Advertising with bloggers: a complete guide + marketing secretsTOP 10 Instagram blogger exchanges + 8 life hacks

Interesting. Do you want to cooperate with a blogger, but are you worried that he is winding up his statistics? Then we recommend TrendHero. The service will show the real activity in the profile and compare the interests of your target audience and the target audience of the blogger of interest. And you will also see the quality of his posts and stories by reach. Click and check -> TrendHero

3. Run targeted ads

The target is not inferior to blogging advertising in any way, in addition, you can set the territorial and time criteria for display, and the system will help you select the target audience. Target is a voluminous topic, so read the articles for all the details.

Targeted advertising: 5 types + description (instruction)

Life hack. Top up your advertising account via GetUniq and return up to 20% of the top-up amount back to your balance. Click -> GetUniq

4. Record and save your broadcasts

The live broadcast feature on Instagram is a great tool for building contact with your audience. And therefore to increase engagement. In this way, you can (and should) communicate directly with subscribers, tell details about your product, etc.

5. Communicate in direct

In addition to comments, it is important to communicate with people in a personal format. Try to respond to each user promptly. With a large flow of messages, it can be difficult to respond manually, so use tools such as quick responses, chat bots, mailing in direct - we already have articles about everything.

Chatbot for Instagram: instructions + 2 examples + 5 services Direct mailing: 30 services + how to doDirect marketing: 9 ways + secrets from a marketer

6. Use cheat services

Cheat on social networks is a quick way to increase your performance. We are not fans of this method, then at the initial stages of account development, it can be carefully used to, so to speak, bring it to the light. Below I will leave reliable cheat services.

Service	Cost per action	Trial period	What can be screwed on
Likeinsta	From 0.05 ₽	No	Likes, comments, views, followers
TmSMM	From 0.11 RUB	No	Likes, comments, views, followers
CommentHero	From 0.3 ₽	Yes	likes, comments

Frequently Asked Questions

Now let's go over the details and nuances of Instagram engagement.

1. How to calculate ER?

Instagram engagement index for each post and average engagement are considered to be the most relevant and indicative. The ER of an individual post is calculated as the sum of likes and comments divided by the number of followers multiplied by 100%. Engagement Index Formula:

Average audience engagement is calculated by adding up all engagement and dividing it by the total number of posts.

2. How to calculate engagement on Instagram?

After analyzing the formulas, a logical question arises: what is the best and fastest way to calculate the Instagram engagement rate and where to get the data from?

Manual . Business account holders can see statistics under each post or story. Everything is written there: from views to reach. Collect the data you need and calculate ER using the formula above;
Automatic . You can also find out the percentage of involvement using special online calculators (for example, Storins, Phlanx, Tanke). Enter the initial data and immediately get an answer.

3. What kind of involvement is considered optimal?

After calculating the engagement, you need to understand what percentage is considered an indicator of the positive dynamics of the development of an Instagram account. This is where the Livedune service comes in handy. It will tell you if your audience engagement differs from similar accounts and how much.

According to statistics, normal and competitive instagram engagement is 10-12% - and anything below indicates insufficient audience engagement. However, the percentage may vary depending on the volume of the audience and the field of activity:

Online stores - 10-13%;
Services and applications - 8-10%;
Health and sports - 7-9%;
Beauty industry - 10-13%;
Services - 9-eleven%;
From 10k subscribers - 10-15%;
From 100k - 7-10%;
From 1 million - 6-7%.

4. How to track engagement?

Independently, collecting data every week or month - or turn to the services of specialized services that display the dynamics in the form of a graph (for example, Livedune, trendHERO).

5. How to stabilize involvement?

If you notice a floating trend in your account, when some publications noticeably lose to others - start to act actively. To do this, regularly post publications and stories, interact with followers as much as possible, etc. In general, revitalize the profile, lead it and do not let it sag.

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Briefly about the main thing

Involvement in Instagram is one of the most important profile indicators, which is taken into account both in cooperation and in promotion in general. Using it, you will determine the interest and loyalty of the audience, how often it sees your publications and interacts with them.

I can say one thing: if you are working on a profile - testing post formats, compiling a content plan, working on a visual, etc., and if you use our advice, then there will be no problems with ER. The audience will definitely appreciate it. And finally - a couple more useful materials for working with your Instagram account.

Life hack. It is easiest to promote an account on Instagram with the Zengram service. He will do all the actions (likes, views of stories, subscription to users) that will promote the account and increase sales. Independently and without your participation. Click and test -> Zengram (Promo code "INSCALEPROMO" -20% for everything)

Instagram * (Instagram) belongs to the Meta company, which is recognized as an extremist organization and banned in the Russian Federation.

When to post on Instagram: 3 methods to choose the time How to promote your store on Instagram: 21 ways from scratch Inspirational post for Instagram

Instagram engagement: how to raise (GOD level)

Instagram engagement (ER) is an indicator of the number of people performing targeted actions (subscription, like, comment, view).

This is the percentage of users who are interested in and interact with your content. The level of engagement plays a huge role in the promotion and promotion of an Instagram account.

We figured out what engagement on Instagram and the ER coefficient are. Now let's look at ways to increase it - and at the same time I will answer the most popular questions.

How to increase engagement on Instagram

- How to type comments

1. Reply to comments

Do not leave comments of subscribers unattended - always answer them. Thus, you will at least double the number of comments under the photo - as well as increase the loyalty of the audience on Instagram and give the user a sense of his importance.

2. Ask open-ended questions

Ask a question at the end of a post to encourage the reader to engage in dialogue and discussion in the comments. The more subscribers answer your question, the higher the coverage of the account.

3. Push subscribers to answer

4. Arrange interactive activities

Involve subscribers in interesting games, make themed riddles, publish comic predictions, emoji puzzles. The easiest option is to guess the correct and incorrect facts about you or the company and write about it in the comments. And if you don’t want to invent games yourself, then use the constructor. Click and increase coverage -> Sub.by

5. Kill two birds with one stone

6. Include a comment in the contest conditions

On Instagram, it can be more than just an invitation to enter the contest to leave a smiley or a number in the comments. For example, if the competition is creative, then let users write their ideas right under the publication. The method is good, because others will definitely cling to one comment - compliments, hate, etc.

7. Start interaction with a short comment

- How to get likes

How to write posts for Instagram: TOP 50 tipsQuality content: what it means + how to do itHow to manage Instagram: 50 features of 2021 + 40 services

As an advertisement

1. Encourage "I Like"

2. Create intrigue by splitting up

Divide the text into several parts and publish the continuation after the entry gets a certain number of hearts. In a post, you can write like this: let's get so many likes and I'll post the second part. By the way, this technique can also be used for typing comments.

3. Make like a contest condition

The scheme is the same as with the comment. The only thing that can be done as mandatory conditions is not only "like this post" - but also, for example, 3-5 previous posts.

4. Use activity chats

Activity chats on Instagram: how to find + frequently asked questions

5. Put the first like

6. Don't forget about manual massliking

7. Use hashtags

Hashtags are a good tool for navigation and search, so be sure to put them in the description of the post. Using them, subscribers will be able to instantly find the necessary publications and navigate the Instagram space. Use general (by type #shop #clothing #shoes) and special (for example, #clothingirkutsk #in stock #suborder) hashtags. The main thing is not to overdo it, do not use only high-frequency ones.

Hashtag on Instagram: instructions on how to get to the top

8. Specify the geotag

institutions.

9. Mention the page on social networks

10. Spend liketimes

11. Post announcements

12.

Organize marathons

The essence is not very different from the competition: just complicate the conditions for participation and make the terms longer. As a result, you will get a lively and interested audience.

- How to type save

To save a post, it must be once - useful, and twice - easy to read. Here are a few tips on how to make a publication exactly like this:

1. Create guides, checklists

Instagram guide: creation + 35 ideas

2. Leave a call to action

Encourage your followers to share your post. For example: “Was it helpful? Save it to the wall so you don't lose it!"

3. Publish video tutorials

Video content: 13 types + our work

- How to get views of stories

As advertising

1. Offer mutual PR

Mutual PR on Instagram 2021: what is + how to spend

2.

Add GIFs

Decorate your stories with GIFs. By the way, despite the fact that there are already a lot of gifs, you can create your own - for example, using the GIPHY service.

3. Ask the audience

Ask the audience open-ended questions in stories: ask for advice, ask for experience - or give them the opportunity to ask you something.

3. Conduct surveys

Ask the audience for their opinion on any occasion: in this way you will establish a trusting contact and increase its loyalty. You can also check the number of relevant subscribers using surveys.

4. Implement interactive

Instagram games: 32 examples (posts + stories)

6. Mark GEO

Geolocation in stories obviously shows subscribers where a person is. This is relevant in cases where you need to contact people nearby - or, for example, they often do this to hint at a meeting.

In addition, other users can find your stories by geotagging. Therefore, it is very important for a business to have its own geolocation and periodically remind about its existence.

7. Create a consistent story

8. Announce profile events

9. Write subtitles

Tools to increase reach

How to increase reach on Instagram: ways for posts and storiesQuality content: what it means + how to do it

1. Clean up the audience

2. Buy advertising from bloggers

Advertising with bloggers: a complete guide + marketing secretsTOP 10 Instagram blogger exchanges + 8 life hacks

3. Run targeted ads

Targeted advertising: 5 types + description (instruction)

Life hack. Top up your advertising account via GetUniq and return up to 20% of the top-up amount back to your balance. Click -> GetUniq

4. Record and save your broadcasts

5. Communicate in direct

Chatbot for Instagram: instructions + 2 examples + 5 services Direct mailing: 30 services + how to doDirect marketing: 9 ways + secrets from a marketer

6. Use cheat services

Service	Cost per action	Trial period	What can be screwed on
Likeinsta	From 0.05 ₽	No	Likes, comments, views, followers
TmSMM	From 0.11 RUB	No	Likes, comments, views, followers
CommentHero	From 0.3 ₽	Yes	likes, comments

Frequently Asked Questions

Now let's go over the details and nuances of Instagram engagement.

1. How to calculate ER?

Average audience engagement is calculated by adding up all engagement and dividing it by the total number of posts.

2. How to calculate engagement on Instagram?

After analyzing the formulas, a logical question arises: what is the best and fastest way to calculate the Instagram engagement rate and where to get the data from?

Manual . Business account holders can see statistics under each post or story. Everything is written there: from views to reach. Collect the data you need and calculate ER using the formula above;
Automatic . You can also find out the percentage of involvement using special online calculators (for example, Storins, Phlanx, Tanke). Enter the initial data and immediately get an answer.

3. What kind of involvement is considered optimal?

Online stores - 10-13%;
Services and applications - 8-10%;
Health and sports - 7-9%;
Beauty industry - 10-13%;
Services - 9-eleven%;
From 10k subscribers - 10-15%;
From 100k - 7-10%;
From 1 million - 6-7%.

4. How to track engagement?

Independently, collecting data every week or month - or turn to the services of specialized services that display the dynamics in the form of a graph (for example, Livedune, trendHERO).

5. How to stabilize involvement?

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Catherine

How to grow instagram engagement

12 Easy Ways to Increase Engagement on Instagram

Why does Instagram engagement matter?

How to increase engagement on Instagram

1. Know your audience

2. Use strong captions with CTAs

3. Engage your audience through creative interactive stickers

4. Create interesting Instagram Stories & Reels

5. Use carousel posts to encourage more engagement

6. Create and post relatable memes

Inspiring quotes and repurposed tweets are perfect for driving engagement.

7. Post valuable content regularly

8. Host and collaborate with industry influencers

9. Run Instagram lives

10. Use polls and questions to get feedback

11. Leverage the power of hashtags

12. Post when your audience is most active

Follow these tips to increase engagement on Instagram

How to Calculate (and Improve) Instagram Engagement

How to calculate Instagram engagement

Tip 4: Post carousels

Instagram engagement: how to raise (GOD level)

How to increase engagement on Instagram

- How to type comments

1. Reply to comments

2. Ask open-ended questions

3. Push subscribers to answer

4. Arrange interactive activities

5. Kill two birds with one stone

6. Include a comment in the conditions of the contest

7. Start interaction with a short comment

- How to get likes

Related:

1. Encourage "I Like"

2. Create intrigue by splitting up

3. Make like a contest condition

4. Use activity chats

Related:

5. Put the first like

6. Don't forget about manual mass liking

7. Use hashtags

Related:

8. Geotag

9. Mention the page on social networks

10. Spend liketimes

11. Post announcements

12. Organize marathons

- How to type save

1. Create guides, checklists

Related:

2. Leave a call to action

3. Publish video tutorials

Related:

- How to get views of stories

1. Offer mutual PR

Related:

2.

3. Ask the audience

3. Conduct surveys

4. Implement interactive

Related:

6. Mark GEO

7. Create a consistent story

8. Announce profile events

9. Write subtitles

Tools to increase reach

Related:

1. Clean up the audience

2. Buy advertising from bloggers

Related:

3. Run targeted ads

Related:

4. Record and save your broadcasts

5. Communicate in direct

Related:

6. Use cheat services

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to calculate ER?

2. How to calculate engagement on Instagram?

3. What kind of involvement is considered optimal?