Having a good engagement rate on Instagram helps you reach your marketing goals faster.
But first, you must learn how to press the gas pedal on that engagement rate efficiently.
You’re reading the right article because you’ll learn:
- 12 effective strategies that can increase your engagement levels
- The science behind these methods
- Real-life examples that move the needle
- Pro tips
This information will help you choose the right tactic for your audience, business goals, and brand. Keep reading below.
1. Ask questions
Engaging your followers through questions is the gateway to a good engagement rate on Instagram because:
- It shows your followers that you care.
- People want to talk about themselves, so they’re more likely to respond.
Pro tip: You can then use the insights from these responses to tweak your future content calendar.
And that will improve your engagement rate even more.
Taylor Moran offers a good example of starting a conversation, which you can see from the in-depth comments below:
But you can also try other tactics, such as:
- AMA sessions (Ask Me Anything)
- Quizzes in Instagram Stories or Reels
- Polls
- Interactive features, such as the emoji slider
Career coach Rosie uses quizzes in her Instagram Stories to get essential feedback from her audience:
2. Do live streams
Studies show that 82% of people prefer live videos from brands rather than posts.
And you can achieve a slew of objectives with your live streams:
- Interact with your followers by responding to their comments.
- Present behind-the-scenes moments.
- Tease a new launch or feature update.
- Run a giveaway.
- Create a tutorial or how-to.
Whatever your goal, live streams work because they:
- Create a sense of urgency.
- Feel more intimate and personal than posts.
Even Kim Kardashian runs live makeup tutorials, which help her engage with her wide Instagram community better.
Notice how people watching these lives feel compelled to comment.
This live stream makes them feel more a part of the loyal community of followers that Kim Kardashian has created.
3. Make unbeatable offers
Dan Ariely outlines the “zero price effect” in his Predictably Irrational book.
According to the author, people cannot refuse free perks, which is why discounts, giveaways, and freebies work so well in advertising.
Pro tip: You can use the same principle to obtain a good engagement rate on Instagram.
Career Coach Rosie is a case study in Instagram engagement by herself.
She typically has unbeatable offers in all her information-packed posts. For example, the post below is an excellent salary negotiation response.
Notice: Rosie promises a free negotiation template to people who will comment “BANK” on her post.
This tactic is an excellent lead magnet because only interested prospects will contact her.
Rosie uses this tactic quite frequently.
But one of her Instagram Stories takes it one step further:
Rosie asks her followers to send their resumes directly so she can evaluate them during a live resume review.
This tactic can turn a good Instagram engagement rate into an excellent one because:
- Rosie will showcase her expertise, thus increasing her views and comments.
- Her followers will spread the word about this event, thus increasing participation even more.
4. Offer relevant information [in concentrated bits]
One way to increase your engagement rate on Instagram is to offer relevant information that your audience can’t get anywhere else.
That way:
- You underline your expertise.
- Your audience is likelier to respond in the comments, especially if they have an a-ha! moment.
And for that a-ha moment to happen, you need to offer relevant information in concentrated bits.
Licensed therapist Jason VanRuler offers a good example.
This post is scroll-stopping indeed because it presents the harsh reality from a therapist’s perspective.
Luckily, those two sentences are enhanced by an in-depth post description.
Notice: That combination compels more people to like and reply to Jason, increasing his Instagram engagement levels.
5. Be honest
Interpersonal communication is a mix of self-disclosure and replies.
And since we promised data-driven strategies to boost Instagram engagement, studies show that deep self-disclosure promotes deeper replies even when using a chatbot.
The same applies regardless of the channel you’re using to communicate.
Whether you’re a brand, influencer, or regular Instagram user, talking honestly about your values helps create a like-minded community.
For example, fitness content creator Lucy Reeves often discusses her body image issues, like in the post below:
Discussing her struggles honestly triggers personal, in-depth responses from her followers who had the same problems.
6. Create tutorials
Tutorials and how-to videos can boost Instagram engagement rates:
- Some followers will have questions and try to communicate with you in the comments.
- Your audience will be impressed by your in-depth information and help, so they’re likelier to respond to you in the comments and like your videos.
Stephanie Rose from Phase 6 Fitness regularly creates these posts, showing her followers specific fitness workouts for increased mobility and strength:
Pro tip: Notice the comments. You can see that some people are asking questions, others are sending their thanks and appreciation, while others are inquiring about her fitness equipment.
And if Stephanie Rose responds to these comments insightfully, her engagement rates will skyrocket even more.
7. Use content creators
Influencers, content creators, and brand ambassadors are shown to boost your engagement rates 800% more than branded content.
That’s because they already have a loyal audience, which they’ll mobilize for your brand.
Besides, influencers are very trusted and relatable because they create genuine content.
Major brands like Lululemon partner with ambassadors to launch new products, emphasize the company’s values, and solidify an engaged community:
Pro tip: Notice that Lululemon frequently reposts their ambassadors’ content and uses the #lululemonambassador. These tactics increase the brand’s visibility considerably.
8. Underline your values and beliefs
Studies show that 82% of shoppers favor branded content that fits their values.
In fact, your potential customers will wait and even pay more for your products if your values align.
The same goes with Instagram engagement because:
- Showcasing your values facilitates conversations: Research and experience have shown that people with similar values and who fight for similar causes are more likely to attract each other.
- Your followers will want to be part of this conversation: More people interact with your posts if you’re showcasing your values because they want to become part of that relevant community.
For example, Linktree discusses an essential social justice cause of today’s world: the gender pay gap. But the brand also uses this opportunity to connect with its community, inquiring its followers whether they experienced any discrimination:
9. Create desire [with making-of videos]
Creating desire engages your audience considerably because:
- Potential customers will be in awe of your products/services.
- They will want to get more details and information.
There are myriad ways to create desire on social media, from polished photos to social proof.
But this section focuses on making-of videos, like the one below:
Famous Cedric Grolet is a mega-influencer on Instagram with 7+ million of followers. He gets numerous likes and comments on all his posts because he uses several tactics:
- Fast-paced videos to keep people interested
- ASMR to trigger physical sensations in the body
- Curiosity-eliciting thumbnails
All this has people liking, commenting, and sharing his new recipes.
Pro tip: In this post, notice how Cedric asks his followers whether they’re team strawberry or raspberry to elicit even more replies.
10. Tease new product features or releases
Elicit curiosity and desire by disclosing new product features or releases.
How will this help you get a good engagement rate on Instagram?
- People are always excited to give their opinions on new developments and scenarios.
- The future is always tempting to consider, eliciting strong emotions in your followers. Creating emotion helps increase engagement rates on social media, according to research.
Monday.com offers an excellent example in the Carousel post below:
Here’s an interesting thing:
This post has one of the most likes and comments, even if it focuses on product features instead of the audience’s needs.
By comparison, Monday.com has several other Instagram posts with questions, tips & tricks, or sustainability campaigns.
But those posts pale in comparison to this one’s engagement.
Why?
Because Monday.com’s audience is more excited about tech stuff than productivity tips. Instagram for e-commerce, mobile apps, and DTC brands entail different social media strategies.
Lesson learned: This shows you it’s essential to choose the right tactic to boost engagement rates based on your audience and company’s profiles.
11. Reply to your audience
Social media interactions aren’t a two-way street; they go back and forth like any interpersonal communication.
And that’s the basis of engagement.
When your audience receives your replies, they are likelier to follow you and engage with other posts. This behavior will move them through the sales funnel faster until they become loyal customers.
Unfortunately, many brands and content creators don’t reply to their audiences.
Or reply only briefly.
Here’s a great example from the Uno card game:
Notice that UNO responds to its audience very fast, within the hour.
12. Create memes
Memes are the epitome of relatable content, along with trends and challenges.
And research shows that memes facilitate engagement. One reason is they make your audience feel like they’re on the same wavelength as you.
Remember: Memes are symbols. And using common symbols is the same as having a shared code.
It’s like visiting a foreign country and finding someone who speaks your language.
Or being a kid and speaking in Pig Latin with your best friend.
Gymshark crushes it with this Carousel post featuring meme-fied moments from the Gymshark & Bumble event:
13. Use geolocation
Geolocation and location hashtags help increase engagement rates by 79% because you’re addressing the right audience based on proximity.
And the more those relevant prospects see your post, the likelier it is they’ll interact with your content.
Here’s Shake Shack using their #ShakeShackMX to target people in this location:
14. Post when your audience is online
If you want to get those engaged comments to respond to, post when your audience is online.
Picking the right time of day to post on Instagram can make or break your visibility, which is a prerequisite for engagement.
Neuroscientist Dr. Chris Lee constantly posts around 8 a.m. California time to connect with his followers when they’re using Instagram:
Pro tip: You don’t have to make these posts when your audience is online; you can pre-schedule them with a tool like Planly.
Which engagement-boosting strategy should you choose?
A good engagement rate on Instagram is not hard to obtain if you know your audience and unique selling point.
Besides, the 14 data-driven strategies above will help you choose the right way to communicate with your followers.
Remember to pick the correct tactics and tools according to your marketing goals and audience expectations.
Then, monitor your engagement rates and highest-performing posts to zero in on the right messages that engage your audience.
If you follow all this advice, your engagement rates are bound to increase.
