Reels

It’s no secret that Instagram is pushing Reels on their platform. Reels get 2x the real-estate on the explore page that feed posts do. That means you have two times the amount of chances to have an audience interact with your content. If Reels aren’t in your wheelhouse, start small. Videos don’t have to be complicated to be effective. Answering questions and solving problems for your audience in video form can do the trick!

Stories

Using Instagram’s Stories feature to your advantage. Think of Stories as a direct conversation with your audience. Try utilizing stickers to encourage your community to engage with you. Polls, quizzes, and question stickers are a great place to start, with question stickers being the most engaging. Each time a follower interacts with a sticker, it counts as engagement. Not sure where to start? Try hosting an “Ask Me Anything.”

Carousel Posts

Carousel posts get 3.1x more engagement than regular feed posts do, while having the highest average engagement rate of any type of Instagram post. That’s huge! Try making every feed post a carousel collection of photos. One added bonus: the same carousel post can often show up twice on your followers’ feeds.

CTA (Call to Action)

A call to action is something you ask your followers to do, either in your Instagram caption or on your Stories. It can be as simple as asking a direct question that can be responded to in your comments, or encouraging people to click the link in your bio. Including a call to action when you post makes it easy for your audience to consistently engage with you!

Relevant Hashtags

Did you know that posts with 30 instagram hashtags receive the highest engagement rates on average? If you’ve never used hashtags on your posts, it might be time to try! Pick hashtags that are clear and specific — this is an opportunity to tap into niche communities that will resonate with your content. Having trouble getting started? We love Toolzu — a totally free hashtag generator.

Posting Times

One of the best parts of the Professional Dashboard? Instagram literally tells you the exact time of day your followers are most engaged. Use that data to make sure you are always posting when your audience is online and able to respond and engage with your content.

Consistency

Across every social media strategy, consistency is vital to success. If you want your audience to engage with you more often, they need to feel that you’re regularly showing up to the conversation. Come up with a content schedule, prepare your posts ahead of time, and stick to your timetable! Your audience will appreciate seeing you more often :)