4 Tips to Increase Your Instagram Engagement!

I am by no means an Instagram expert. I too struggle with engagement, the algorithm stifling my reach and losing followers frequently. I get countless DM’s every week from bloggers just starting out asking how I grew my Instagram or how to improve engagement. I wouldn’t say my own engagement is great, but it is something I am constantly working on and, man, is it a lot of work! There is no easy trick to getting good engagement on your posts, there really seems to be no rhyme or reason why engagement will be great one day and completely tank the next, but I’m about to go over some simple tips for you to spend your time on that will generally yield more organic reach on your Instagram posts than you’ll achieve from using Instagram “pods” or other fake engagement groups. First off, let me explain more about Instagram engagement (scroll to the end for my tips if you already know this stuff)!

What is “Instagram Engagement?”

Instagram engagement is the percentage of users who act on (or engage with) the content that you post. This includes when someone likes, comments, saves, and sends/shares your posts. Basically any time an action is take on your post counts as engagement for you.

Why is Your Instagram Engagement Rate Important?

A few years ago a bloggers influence was determined by the amount of followers they had on any given platform. As the Instagram algorithm was introduced, there were many changes to the way that a blogger or influencer’s content was (and currently is) now seen, therefore making it harder to grow follower count and in turn making organic Instagram engagement that much more weighted when it comes to a bloggers level of influence. Instagram engagement is one of the most important metrics to measure the authenticity or relevance of a blogger.

Let me break it down even further. As brands are looking for bloggers to partner with on campaigns, they want to make sure they choose someone who has an active, engaged audience and a high reach (a high organic reach % should also yield high engagement on a post). Generally the higher the engagement, the higher the conversion rate. Growing your follower count is very challenging these days and as brands are working with more and more micro-influencers, engagement rate continues to become more and more important.

How to Grow Your Instagram: My Tips and Tricks

You may have heard about a popular trend called Instagram “pods” or engagement groups, where bloggers in a particular niche get together and engage with each others posts in order to boost each other’s content in the algorithm. There are many reasons why this can be detrimental to your overall reach and how you are displayed within the algorithm but the underlying fact is that this kind of engagement is not completely honest and generally speaking these bloggers are not going to be converting customers for you.

I’ll do a more in depth blog post on Instagram pods and how they are damaging to engagement in the very near future.

How to Figure Out Your Instagram Engagement Rate

Instagram engagement takes is calculated by the ratio of followers you have the the number of comments and likes you receive. You could go through and figure out the math yourself, or you can use a free tool like Phlanx (you don’t need to sign up) to determine the percentage of engagement you receive. I don’t know that actual facts behind this statistic but I have heard that anything over 2% is considered good engagement in a brands eyes. The less followers you have the higher your engagement should be since you tend to have less bots and inactive accounts following you (this is common and just happens over time, so don’t worry about these kinds followers). Below is a screenshot of my engagement as calculated by Phlanx.

 
 

How to Increase Your Instagram Engagement

There really is no magic to building an engaged audience on Instagram. Beyond using hashtags, posting high quality content and finding the right time to post, I’m going to share with you some of the additional tactics I have procured to gain engagement and a continued rapport with my followers (friends!) on my posts.

  1. Use Instagram Correctly

    The first and easiest way to boost engagement is to ENGAGE WITH OTHER USERS. So basically, use Instagram for what it was created to be, a social platform. This tip is so simple it’s stupid, but honestly I just leave genuine comments on photos that I love and make sure to double tap the photos that I like. People love to reciprocate comments and likes and this is tried and true method.

  2. Involve Your Followers

    The second tip that I have is to engage with the followers you have by involving them in your content. Whether this means asking questions in your captions, putting polls in your stories, or just reaching out via DM and thanking someone for a follow, all of this goes a long way and can really help boost the confidence in people to leave more love on your page more frequently. A couple years ago I got an invaluable piece of advice from a fellow blogger which was to work to build relationships (and retain) the current followers I have instead of going out and seeking new ones. This has stuck with me, and it is such a valuable nugget of gold. Copy and paste that one and keep it in your pocket, pull it out ever few weeks as a reminder.

  3. Reply To Every Comment

    This tip is very dependent on your follower count. It would be unrealistic for a blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers to reply to the crazy amount of comments they’re most likely receiving on each post. But a smaller blogger like myself, I think this is totally realistic. I don’t usually get more than 100 comments per post (some I can’t easily reply to ie. emoji comments or one word comments), but I do my best to reply to every single comment, especially in the first 30 minutes of posting. I try to reply with a genuine comment and often try to engage further by asking a question or involving the commenter in another way. The more comments, the higher the engagement, and your comments count too!

  4. Paid Sponsorships

    I’ve just recently started paying Instagram to sponsor my posts, just a teeny tiny amount because I’m on a budget but even throwing $12 on a post, I’ve seen HUGE response. Not only do I get a ton of engagement on my sponsored posts, my conversion usually goes up for the items that I’m sharing, as well as blog traffic. All of it is positive and I’ll continue to use it as a tool to help grow my business. I’m still learning how to use Instagram ads so I don’t have much to say on the subject, but I just choose the option to target followers like mine and the response has been fantastic. I’m hoping to learn more about this to continue to improve the return from this tactic!

I love sharing the things that I have learned five years into blogging. Instagram is really fun, but it is important to remember that this social media platform is not the be all end all of your business. In fact, Instagram should just be a monetary supplement and additional marketing tool for your blog and the content that you actually own. Keep this in mind while you play the Instagram game, one day, like Myspace, it will all be gone. Poof.

Thanks for reading!

xo

 
Simple tips you can implement today to boost your Instagram engagement! www.stylebyjulianne.com
How to Increase Instagram Engagement, 4 Easy Steps! www.stylebyjulianne.com
 

How to Grow your Instagram: Tips and Tricks

 EDIT: Since I wrote this post, I have now grown to 10k followers, that’s another 3k in 3 months! I’ve been consistently implementing these tactics, and they are continuing to work well for me!

Ok, this post has been a long time coming, I am constantly getting questions from you all about how to grow your Instagram and while I don't feel like I am an expert on the subject, I do feel that I've tried enough to know what really works and I want to share those successes with you!  All of this has been trial and error, and out of everything that I've tried (much of which hasn't worked) these tips are the practices I have found to work well for growing an engaged and authentic following on Instagram! 

If you're not already following me on Instagram make sure to check out my feed and see my tips in action!

Ok, here we go!

1. Batch shoot and PLAN your feed

Shoot multiple looks in one day so you can plan ahead and have content to post on days you may feel uninspired or don't have time to snap a quality photo. Use a planning app such as UNUM or Preview. Both of these apps let you plan out in advance how your feed will look so you don't have to worry about a photo looking out of place after it's already uploaded. Some of these apps even allow you to schedule posts for automatic upload if you're really busy (although I don't use this feature). 

2. Post Quality Photos 

Quality photos are so important. Arguably the most important item on this list! When someone comes to your page their first impression usually determines whether on not they stay and follow or move on. Sometimes you have to make this impression with just one single photo so make sure each and every pic you post is quality and looks great on its own as well as with your whole feed aesthetic. Make sure to edit each of your photos with a similar style. I use Lightroom for the bulk of my editing and Facetune to whiten, add more detail and sometimes remove a pesky zit. I also make sure to take photos with consistent lighting and similar colored backgrounds (You'll see on my feed that I prefer a neutral background).

Read this article about how to take amazing outfit photos!

3. Be Consistent

Post daily. I've tried it all when it comes to my posting schedule but nothing has worked better for my growth than when I started posting every single day. I honestly don't know why, but I can just assume that people really enjoy getting updates/inspiration that they can expect around the same time every single day. I try not to post more than three times though. Between one and three seems to be the perfect amount. 

4. Engage, Engage, Engage!

I did a whole blog post about my tips for Instagram engagement, but this is really such an important topic. You have to find your target market and give them some love. I usually do this by going to a blogger friend’s page who posts similar content and I engage with their followers by liking a couple photos and leaving genuine comments (make sure to read the captions so you can comment accordingly). I love having a network of blogger friends on my follower list but I also want non-bloggers to be able to find me who are looking to be inspired by my fashion posts, or maybe on the hunt for some product recommendations. With the Instagram algorithm making it extra tricky to be discovered organically these days, it is up to you to put in that elbow grease (such a weird saying) to be seen by your target audience. Another slightly controversial way to be seen by more people is to participate in giveaways. You may only gain a handful of permanent followers as many people will unfollow you after the giveaway has ended, but the great part is those that stay are choosing to stay and they may not have seen your page otherwise! Just DO NOT do fall into the international giveaway trap. You will gain a high volume of followers very fast but it will tank your engagement. 

Also, it is VERY important to engage with your following as well. Always answer comments, be gracious and thankful, answer questions and DMs. I spend a couple hours each day on Instagram engagement. You'll grow MORE by keeping followers (aka not losing them) than you will by gaining new followers, if that makes any sense. Watch this episode of "A Drink With James Fohr" for more info on this. 

4 Tips to Increase Your Instagram Engagement

5. Network and Collaborate

Get to know bloggers local to you and meet up with them! Reach out to photographers and other creatives in your area. Get your name out there and network with local brands and boutiques. You can grow so much these days locally just by word of mouth and a re-post, or an Instagram stories shout out. Also network with other bloggers who aren't local to you. You can gain followers by getting to know other people in your same blogging niche by reaching out via DM or genuinely engaging with their content. Which leads to my next tip...

 6. Tag Your Posts

As a new blogger you may not be working with brands yet. Thats okay! Focus on creating fantastic content and solidifying your reach before you worry on getting those collaborations, they'll come with time, I promise!  Tag the brands you are wearing, using, and showing in all of your photos. Not only does this show them that you are genuine fan of their products/clothing, but it will add you to their tagged photos to be discovered by curious people. I always try to post pictures that fit into a brands feed aesthetic because they are more likely to be re-posted by the brand. This can be HUGE exposure for you if a brand has a large following.

7. Be Authentic

When you're starting out it can be easy to fall into the trap of posting similar content to your favorite bloggers. Being different is easier said than done because there are a lot of very inspiring influencers out there who's job it is to influence you and they're GOOD at it. Fight the urge to post generic content and post your own authentic, creative, different content. You are trying to stand out from the crowd and you definitely won't be able to do that if your feed looks just like the next bloggers feed. This could be how you edit your photos, what style of clothing you wear, or what kind of lifestyle you have. Everyone is different, find your edge! 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and it answered all of the questions about growth that you all have asked me recently. Never hesitate to shoot me an email or DM if you have other questions or just want to chat, I love hearing from you all! It's the best part of my job! 

xo

Before you leave, Pin these images!

How to Grow Your Instagram
How to Grow Your Instagram StylebyJulianne
How to Gain 10k Followers on Instagram StylebyJulianne 2018