Increase Instagram Engagement: 10 Best Tips For 2021!

You might have thousands of followers, but it’s not as simple as you thought to increase more Instagram engagement.

At first, people were craving to get tons of audiences on Instagram. Then not so long afterward, those followers can’t even convert into any type of interactions at all.

So how to create Instagram content that keeps your followers engaged? 

There are so many methods to increase engagement on Instagram, however we’ve decided to pull out only the simplest (and FREE!) ways, in this article, so everyone can learn and apply immediately.

And if you’re looking for tips to boost engagements for Instagram page, you’ve come to the right place.

What is Instagram engagement and why need it?

Unlike followers, engagement is expressing through the way people take actions on your posts, as for example:

• Likes
• Shares
• Comments
• Tags/ Mentions
• Hashtag
• Story reacts
• …

According to the 2021 Instagram algorithm: When people interact more on your content, which means a higher chance for it to be pumped regularly on the newsfeed. 

Therefore, to improve the popularity of your Instagram, you must know how to calculate your perfect engagement rate, let’s find out below.

How to calculate Instagram engagement rate based on impressions.

There might be several ways to calculate your Instagram engagement rate: based on reach, followers, posts, or impressions. 

However, we believe that using impressions as a base would be the most accurate method compared to others, because it shows how many people want to engage after REALLY seeing your posts.

Basically, just dividing your total likes and comments by total impression, then multiplying it to 100. The percentage number result is your Instagram engagement rate.

If you want to get the number of your Instagram impressions, please note that you will need to switch to an Instagram Business account first.

What makes a good Instagram engagement rate?

According to data analysis, a good rate of Instagram engagement would be around 1.22%. This might seem a little, however it’s much higher compared to Facebook (0.08%) and Twitter (0.045%).

However, please remember that this average number can change depending on what type of products you’re selling. 

For example, in tech industries, the average rate will be 1%, and for education industries, it will fall from 3 to 3.19%.

In general, no matter what products you’re having, there will always be a suitable way to boost your engagement on Instagram, let’s check it out.

How to increase engagement on Instagram with 10 best tips.

#1: Focus On Visuals Before Captions

When it comes to Instagram feeds, people tend to pay attention to images before the captions, this is quite true.

Even us, imagine if we see an ugly photo on our newsfeed, we will ignore it immediately without even reading the texts.

Talking about editing photos, perhaps not everyone has a good taste in art, however nowadays we already have lots of self-design tools to cover your back.

If you still find your Instagram photo not appealing enough, one little tip is to add text or CTAs to the images. This action will make the posts even stand out, drive more click-through and increase engagement on Instagram.

#2: Create Authentic Instagram Videos

Videos always give fresh and engaging vibes compared to other content types. That explains why TikTok, with its sophisticated video feed, has grown as one of the most favourite social platforms of all time.

Well, if images cannot transfer your ideas to customers, then videos can do it really easily. Just film the whole process, put on captions, add a filter, then you’re ready to post, that’s enough to boost engagement for Instagram posts.

Also, you don’t have to try being super high-tech to create a flashy video, cause it’s not necessary. Sometimes audiences prefer actual footage rather than well-editing one, so just stick with authentic content and make it natural.

#3: Don’t Forget Carousel Posts

It’s been a long time since Instagram has launched Carousel, and indeed the feature is really helpful. Carousel posts hold 3 times more engagements compared to just single Instagram posts.

Quite the same technique with videos, you don’t need to edit too much for a carousel. Why? Because posting multiple images at once is enough for audiences to understand your concept.

Otherwise, carousel posts sometimes might be your engagement saver. Thus, when the first photo cannot convince customers to engage, maybe the next one can.

#4. Instagram Reels: Cannot miss this trend!

Adopting the energy vibe of TikTok, Reels was born to cover all the weaknesses from Videos and Stories, and it allows people to be even more creative.

Literally, Instagram Reels compiled all the essential functions that let you film and design a short video, without leaving the platform. And a lively video can always boost engagement for Instagram effectively.

One more reason that you must try Reels right today, is that Instagram has saved an entire section just for this type of content, right in the middle of your navigation bar. 

Following that, your Reels will always have a place to showcase in the section. Otherwise, when people engage with your short film, it will have a chance to be boosted and discovered by millions of others.

#5: Update Instagram Stories Regularly

First launched in the middle of 2020, Stories is now becoming one of the most engaging features on Instagram. 

It’s user-friendly, it’s highly customizable and you can create one easily within a few seconds only.

Indeed, you can increase engagement on Instagram crazily just by using Stories elements, such as Polls, Sticker Reacts, Countdowns and Questions. 

Here are some examples of how Stories can help you grow more on Instagram:

• Doing A/B testing through polls.
• Ask to find customers’ most favorite type of products.
• Use questions to get more customers’ reviews or feedback.
• Let customers react by stickers on the item they love 
• Cross-promote other sales channels of your brands by displaying them in stories.
• Share best-selling products
• Repost beautiful user-generated contents

…

Also, most customers confirmed that whenever stopped by a stunning Instagram story, they will immediately click through to check on that brand, so don’t miss them!

#6: Use Quality Captions

After visitors notice your images on newsfeed, they will immediately turn into captions. For that reason, you will need to write something engaging enough to keep them stay on the post, and therefore boost engagement for Instagram photos. 

Just by focusing on your context, at final you might convert visitors into your loyal subscribers.

In reality, most popular brands (especially fashion industries!) really invest in making inspirational captions. Via those, you can easily tell a branded story, showcase identity, and increase more engagement on Instagram consistently.

#7: Keep Your Content Relevant and Authentic

These days, social media audiences are much smarter than before, and they can really spot out if you’re faking authentic content for advertising. 

That’s why, we recommend you always stay honest and relevant in your posts to increase engagement on Instagram.

Sharing organic feedback, reviews or tagged photos from customers is one of the most common ways of all brands. Otherwise, you can also try asking questions, or creating debates for more conversations.

In the ocean of flashy Instagram posts, most authentic content might be the best way to gain customers’ trust, and somehow keep them coming back to your brand.

#8: Stay Active In The Comment Sections

When the audiences start to interact more on your post, make sure that you reply to their comments often, that will also increase engagement on Instagram. 

Seeing the comments get reacted by the brand makes customers feel happy, and they will be willing to chit-chat again next time.

Don’t worry if you cannot respond to all of them, cause no one can. In fact, only responding to a few comments per post is good enough to impress followers.

Plus, having the conversation going continuously in the comment sections is a way to bump your post into newsfeed, which will attract even more visitors.

#9: Live-streaming

Instagram Live allows you to get closer than ever to customers! 

While eCommerce and technology have grown to connect customers easier with brands, then live-streaming seems to be the most effective way to execute it.

Due to Covid-19, people now prefer to buy things online rather than going to grocery stores. Especially in Asian countries, this type of live selling is really popular and it helps merchants gain massive revenues, even during a pandemic.

Via live-stream, businesses can talk directly to customers and provide them with personalized experiences: Calling their name, solving their queries or introducing your products in a most natural way.

Also, there must be a reason why Instagram focuses on developing this function A LOT these days, cause it’s truly potential.

#10: Find Out Your Best Time To Publish

The question is how to know which time is perfect for Instagram publishing?

If you’re a long-term Instagram user, you might notice that some posts literally have more engagement than others. 

Of course it could be affected by visuals or contents, but one of the most important keys to reaching more audiences is also timing.

In order to find your golden spot, here is what you can try:

• Review the post-performance at different times of the day, to analyze and predict your perfect time.
• Define your followers’ most active times and post things at around their online hours.
• Try to post consistently everyday, that will get visitors to remember your brand easier.

One more statistic is Instagram users check their newsfeed at least once a day, often during morning or evening.

Instagram engagement in a nutshell

If you want to stand out above competitions, optimizing Instagram engagement is a thing that you should focus at the top. 

Of course there will be different methods for you to find engagements. However if there are free and effective ways to do it, why don’t we try it first?