Are you looking for new ways to reach your target audience on social media? Do you want to connect with potential customers and convince them to purchase your products? Wouldn’t it be great if you could build a community of loyal brand advocates around your brand?

If it’s a yes to any of the above questions, then it’s time you start developing a concrete strategy to increase Instagram engagement.

With more than 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, the Instagram app has evolved into one of the largest social media platforms.

If you’re implementing a social media marketing strategy in 2021, chances are you’re already using Instagram. You’ve likely created an Instagram business account for your brand and are working on growing your followers.

Also, you regularly post interesting and useful content to attract your audience!

But building an Instagram account with an impressive follower count isn’t enough. You also need your audience to engage with your content. If your followers aren’t liking, saving, or commenting on your Instagram posts, it might be time to take another look at your Instagram marketing strategy.

The good news is that skyrocketing your Instagram engagement rate isn’t rocket science. You just have to understand what your audience wants and develop a strong rapport with them. Also, you can leverage the latest statistics about Instagram engagement to further engage your audience.

In this blog, we’ll discuss the most effective ways to boost Instagram engagement according to the latest data. But let’s first delve deeper into the concept and understand its importance.

What is Engagement on Instagram?

Simply put, engagement rate is a measure of how much your followers are interacting with your Instagram posts, Stories, Reels, and other content.

It refers to the number of likes, comments, DMs, saves, shares, and other reactions your content garners on Instagram.

If you’re developing an Instagram strategy for the first time, it’s natural to wonder why you should focus on improving engagement. Isn’t having a high number of followers enough? If you manage to attract more followers, doesn’t it automatically mean your campaign is working well?

Why Is Instagram Engagement So Important?

Here’s the thing – you could have ten thousand Instagram followers and still fail to achieve your goals if they don’t engage with your content. Think about it – between an Instagram post that’s got hundreds of content and another with a few likes – which one will grab your attention?

Unless your audience interacts with your content and shares it with their contacts, your Instagram content won’t find traction. Low Instagram engagement rates indicate that you’ve failed to grab your followers’ attention. This, in turn, means they’re less likely to interact with you in the future.

Moreover, you won’t succeed in creating a community of loyal and devoted followers. This, in turn, will take a toll on your brand’s credibility and trust. That’s why it is essential to use the right techniques to boost engagement on Instagram.

A higher engagement rate also tells Instagram’s algorithm that your content is being well-received. This, in turn, will compel the algorithm to further push your content into your audience’s feeds. Better still, it could make its way to the “Explore” section of relevant users. Ultimately, it’ll amplify your reach and help boost brand awareness on Instagram.

If you’ve converted your Instagram account from personal to professional (business or Creator account), you can access useful analytics to track engagement. From Instagram posts and Stories to Reels and IGTV videos – you can check engagement metrics for different types of content.

What is a Good Engagement Rate on Instagram?

Here’s the tricky part – there’s no easy way to define the ideal Instagram engagement rate. It depends on various factors, including your marketing goals, niche, and target audience. This is further complicated by the fact that Instagram hasn’t defined what it considers as a good engagement rate.

But a recent study by SocialInsider sheds some light on this subject. The study analyzed more than 100 million Instagram posts and found that the average Instagram engagement rate per post is 2.02%.

Also, it revealed that the average engagement rate has been plateauing since 2019 despite a surge in the first half of 2020.

Image via SocialInsider

Instagram Engagement Calculator Methods

Implementing the best strategies to increase Instagram engagement isn’t enough. You should also know how to calculate your Instagram engagement rate. Otherwise, you won’t know how your content is performing and whether it’s delivering the right results.

The simplest way is to calculate it manually using the following formula:

(Total number of likes and comments/Follower count) x 100

This is a pretty basic method of calculating Instagram engagement. It’s up to you to identify the engagement metrics that matter the most for your campaign.

You can tweak the formula accordingly to include other metrics, such as the number of DMs and saves.

Another effective alternative is to use Instagram engagement or analytics tools. For instance, if you use Tailwind’s scheduling tool, you get an in-built engagement rate calculator for Instagram.

It’s available under your Insights tab and regularly tracks your posts to update the engagement rate! Also, it provides you with other useful data, such as Reaction Score and total Engagement Score.

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How to Increase Engagement on Instagram (10 Ways)

Amplifying engagement on Instagram isn’t just about developing a stellar content strategy and uploading eye-catching posts. Also, it isn’t as straightforward collaborating with influencers to host Instagram giveaways and contests (although this can be helpful!)

The key is to find what’s trending and striking a chord with your target audience. 

If you’ve been wondering how to get more engagement on Instagram, we’ve got you covered. At Tailwind, we’ve analyzed our own data from a plethora of our clients’ Instagram posts. Also, we looked into a few insightful studies conducted by the top social media thought leaders!

Based on our research, we’ve compiled a list of the most effective data-backed strategies to increase Instagram engagement.

Instead of including those generic tips, such as creating high-quality content and understanding your audience, we’ll focus on more actionable tactics backed by numbers.

Let’s get started!

1. Post More Instagram Carousels

Let’s face it – we’ve all felt the compulsion to swipe right on attractive Instagram carousels. There’s something fascinating about viewing multiple images together from your favorite brands and influencers on Instagram, isn’t there?

And the longer you spend viewing a post, the more likely you are to engage with it.

When it comes to Instagram engagement, the type of content you post is just as crucial as its quality. While it’s a good idea to experiment with different content formats and features, make sure you don’t ignore Instagram carousels.

These are particularly effective in boosting engagement for smaller accounts (10,000 followers or less)!

The SocialInsider study we mentioned above found that carousels deliver better engagement than single images and videos for accounts with less than 10,000 followers.

Likewise, they offer excellent engagement rates for accounts that have more than 100,000 followers.

Carousels receive the highest number of average likes per post, regardless of follower count!

This type of content also gets better impression rates on Instagram. In other words, the average engagement per view is higher for carousel posts.

This isn’t surprising considering that carousels are often delivered twice in a user’s Instagram feed.

Think about how many times you’ve come across the same carousel post showing a different slide while scrolling your feed. This creates an opportunity to grab your audience’s attention, and might compel them to like or comment on your post!

So, if you want to increase your Instagram follower count, it’s high time you start utilizing carousels. However, make sure the images and videos you use are related to each or convey a particular theme.

You can use Instagram carousels to create a narrative in your posts or even provide followers with step-by-step tutorials.

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Related Reading : How to Post Instagram Carousels with Tailwind

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2. Mix Up Your Content Types Between Photos, Videos, and Carousel Posts

It’s worth mentioning here that you don’t need top-notch video editing or animation skills to upload Instagram videos.

You’ll find plenty of Instagram editing apps and tools online that let you trim and compile video clips and photos, as well as add quirky visual effects. You can even use an app, such as Pixaloop, to add an element of motion to still images.

3. Add Color to Your Feed

Colors play a key role in influencing consumers’ moods and purchase decisions (Color Psychology, anyone?)

You can also use colors to build a brand on Instagram (and make sure it’s immediately recognizable!) For example, adding bright hues to your Instagram posts can be instrumental in grabbing eyeballs.

An experiment by the Social Media Lab analyzed color and black-and-white photos on Instagram to analyze their engagement rates. Unsurprisingly, the results reveal that color photos receive nearly 24% more likes and 46% more comments than black and white photos.

So, if you want to hold your audience’s attention, it’s high time you start incorporating eye-catching colors into your Instagram posts.

Careful use of colors can even help generate specific emotions, such as pleasure, anger, happiness, etc., in your audience.

However, the type of colors you use will depend on various factors, including your niche, target audience, and brand messaging.

For instance, a 2019 study by Visit Carlsbad, Pantone, and Fohr dug deep into the colors dominating travel-related posts from travel influencers on Instagram, and found four colors in common:

How can you use this interesting discovery? Keep an eye on the top content creators, influencers, and brands related to your industry.

Check out their Instagram feeds to identify the colors they’re using in their content. But, before you overhaul your Instagram feed theme, make sure the colors you select align with other elements of your brand image, including the logo, website, packaging, etc.

Image via Instagram

4. Spend Some Time on Your Captions

Work to also understand the right length for your audience when it comes to captions. SocialInsider found that posts with captions that contain less than 10 words get maximum engagement.

However, longer captions, comprising 30 words or more, work exceptionally well for videos.

It’s up to you to monitor your Instagram analytics and identify the optimal caption length.

Also, don’t forget to use relevant hashtags that are trending in your niche.

Make sure you include powerful calls-to-action (CTA) that’ll compel your followers to engage with your posts. Even simple “Save Now” or “Tag a Friend” at the end of the caption can be instrumental in boosting engagement.

5. Boost Your Best-Performing Posts

Boosting your Instagram posts is one of the best ways of amplifying reach and engagement. A recent Socialbakers report suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t affected clickthrough rates on social ads and sponsored posts.

This means that even though COVID has affected our in-person shopping experience, engaging with promotions on social media is ingrained in new-age users.

So, if you’ve been contemplating using Instagram ads, it’s high time you take action. Start by using Instagram analytics to identify your top-performing posts.

Also, make sure you precisely define your target audience based on their interests, online activity, purchase behavior, etc. Otherwise, your ads will fail to drive engagement despite getting plenty of impressions.

6. Create Save-Worthy Content

7. Interact with Your Audience on Instagram Stories

If you’re uploading new content on Instagram every day, chances are you’re already using Stories. They’re a great tool for keeping your audience hooked without investing a lot of time and effort in creating stellar Instagram posts.

You can use them to update your followers about new content, products, and offers. Or you can share snippets of an ongoing event to keep them posted.

The best part is that you can upload multiple Instagram stories throughout the day to boost brand recognition. In fact, SocialInsider highlights that brands should post up to 5 stories per day to improve engagement and retention. 

Experiment with using interactive stickers to host quizzes, polls, and AMAs. For instance, you can use the Instagram question sticker to let your followers share their questions, thoughts, and opinions about your brand.

8. Use Human Faces Whenever Possible

9. Inject Brand Humor Into Your Reels

10. Be Quick to Respond and Engage in the Comments

As a thumb rule, you should make it a point to proactively reply to comments and DMs from followers.

It makes them feel valued and motivates them to engage with your new content.

It also helps you stir meaningful conversations about your brand and win your audience’s trust. Moreover, a post with a long thread of insightful comments is more likely to grab eyeballs– after all, everyone wants to see what the convo is about!

Conclusion: How to Increase Engagement on Instagram

From leveraging Instagram hashtags and Reels to publishing interactive stories – there are various ways to boost engagement on Instagram. Make sure you keep an eye on various engagement metrics to identify your top-performing posts. Also, don’t forget to utilize different content formats, including carousels and videos.

What techniques are you using to get more Instagram engagement? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.

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Instagram comments are a great way to talk with your audience, and even a way to get them to promote your content! Plus, they’re really the only chance for a two-way interaction you can have on a post.

And ever since Instagram began hiding likes, comments are the most valuable form of engagement for the Instagram algorithm.

Plus, high Instagram engagement and visible comment counts are now the chief metric for social proof behind your number of Instagram followers!

That’s why today we’re taking you into eight tactics that can help you get more comments on your Instagram posts!

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1. Respond to Your Comments

This is as easy as responding to the original comment and asking another question. When they respond, you can continue the conversation and drive engagement higher by just being personable!

2. Reciprocate Engagement

This ones a little more time-consuming, but it’s a powerful tactic when approaching  how to get comments in Instagram.

When you have some spare time to set aside, get into your Instagram account and check out the list of users who have interacted with your latest post with a like.

Tap through to their Instagram profile and leave a few likes and at least one comment on their latest post!

This is a great way to thank them for leaving a like in the first place, and it encourages them to reciprocate the engagement by visiting your profile again and interacting with you.

This is also true for accounts that are already following you – it’s a great way to build a relationship.

Plus, you train your followers to comment on your Instagram posts and engage with you, because you’re doing the same for them!

3. Creatively Ask People to Comment

Don’t be afraid to get creative about how you ask people to leave comments on your Instagram posts. You could stick with the classic “leave a comment!” prompt, but why not make it easy and fun?

For example, you can include a fill in the blank prompt in your post, like: “The summer must-haves in your purse are ______, ______ and _______!”

Or, you could post a funny photo with a simple, “Caption This!” and tell your followers that the best captions will get a shoutout on the post.

It’s like a mini- Instagram contest, and you don’t even have to arrange a prize!

4. Do an Instagram Giveaway

Speaking of contests, we did our own research study that shows Instagram giveaways knock it out of the park when it comes to engagement.

This is for a few reasons: 1) People love winning free stuff and 2) many Instagram contests have rules that include liking the giveaway post, following the account, and tagging their friends in the comments section.

If you’re looking to raise the number of your comments quickly, consider working in a contest on your feed. You can find out everything you need to know about How to Run an Instagram Giveaway on our blog!

5. Host an Instagram Takeover

7. Add In Some Cute Photos

8. Ask Thoughtful Questions

Conclusion: How to Get More Comments on Your Instagram Photos!

The biggest impact you can make to your comment count on Instagram is to adjust a few habits to think engagement first. This is true for all social media platforms, not just Instagram – so social media marketers, take note!

Make sure you’re collecting the most comments by scheduling your posts during prime-time- when the majority of your followers are online!

With [sc name=’free-trial-of-tailwind-for-instagram’] you can upload your content, plan your captions, find the perfect hashtags AND schedule your post for the times when your followers are most active thanks to our handy Smart Schedule tool!

Go ahead, give it a try!

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So grab your favorite notebook and cozy up to learn how to do a giveaway on Instagram that will grow your followers and increase engagement!

We’re also covering how to create Instagram content rules, data to help you fine-tune your contest structure, and some Instagram content ideas you won’t want to miss.

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Why Should You Host an Instagram Contest?

They’re primed for attracting new followers and comments! Our research study shows that Instagram contests get 3.5 times as many likes and 64 times more comments on average than regular posts.

Instagram Giveaway Rules and Structures Lead to Followers and Engagement!

Take a spin through your Instagram for recent contests and giveaways. You’ll notice a lot have contest rules like, following the Instagram accounts participating in the giveaway, liking the giveaway post and to tag a friend in the comments to enter.

In fact, the vast majority of Instagram contests in our study used variations on these common Instagram contest rules.  However there’s nothing stopping you from changing things up, as long as you abide by Instagram’s Promotion Guidelines.  

These official rules also require you to acknowledge that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.

Other types of Instagram contests include:

• Like to enter (double-tap to win)
• Photo contests (Submit photos to enter entry photo with a branded hashtag)
• In-store contests (post a picture taken inside a store and post it with a branded campaign hashtag)
• Successive contests (12 days of giveaways, with a new prize each day and a grand prize on the last day)

So to recap: Your followers see your post > They like, comment and tag friends > more people see it, engage, and tag > the algorithm reveals the post to more people > those people see it, engage, and tag.

As your engagement on the initial post grows, the Instagram algorithm shows it to more of your followers and potentially as a top post in the hashtags you used! 

(Psst… Need to brush up on choosing relevant hashtags? Here’s how to find great hashtags with quick Instagram hashtag research!)

How to Run a Giveaway in 10 Steps 

Running a giveaway on Instagram is easier than it sounds! Check out these ten thorough steps for planning your Instagram competition or contest from start to finish!

Step One: Define the Goal of Your Instagram Giveaway

The key to a successful Instagram giveaway almost always lies in the planning. You’ll want to figure out what you want the purpose and result of your contest to be before you dive in!

Depending on your audience, brand and business objectives, the most meaningful results for you may be different than others! Decide whether you want to:

• Grow your following on Instagram
• Raise your engagement rate
• Increase brand awareness
• Bring people into your marketing funnel

Once you have clarity on your ultimate goal, you can strategize how to best accomplish it with your contest theme, rules and structure. 

For example, if you want to grow your following, this will inform things like the type of prize you pick, the rules for entry and your long-term plan for keeping new followers engaged with your content.

If you want to bring people into your marketing funnel on the other hand, you’ll probably arrange your contest a little differently!

Ways to do this might be counting an entry as signing up for your newsletter or taking an action on your website that allows you to capture their contact information.

Step Two: Get Clear on the Theme of Your Instagram Contest

If you plan to have contestants enter by posting photos or videos and tagging you in them, then you’ll definitely want to establish a theme!

Some things to think about that might inform the theme of your contest are holidays, celebrations or special occasions happening around the time of your contest.

Alternately, you can make up your own contest prompt around a word or phrase that ties in closely with your products or services!

If user-generated content is useful for your brand for promotional purposes, consider making your theme something fun but general enough that you can use the photos and videos on your feed and ads after the contest is complete.

With Tailwind’s browser extension, you can easily save user-generated content to your Instagram drafts to post at any time.

Haven’t signed up yet? Grab a [sc name=’free-trial-of-tailwind-for-instagram’] here to easily save the best contest entries to your drafts! 

Step Three: Decide How People Will Enter the Contest

As we mentioned above, posting themed photos or videos with a branded hashtag to enter your contest is a great way to source material for your Instagram Feed and Stories.

Depending on the goal you decided on in step one, this may not be the best entry method to get you to that outcome!

You can create any number of actions that followers need to take to enter, but try not to make it too complicated.

One of the most common ways of entering an Instagram giveaway when looking for better engagement or more followers is to create contest rules like:

To enter to win:

1. Follow our account
2. Like this post
3. Tag a friend in the comment section! Each tag counts as an additional entry to win!

As we mentioned before, you can also use Instagram contests to get people into your sales funnel. Simply have them sign up for your email newsletter or enter with their email address! 

Step Four: Figure Out How You’ll Pick a Winner

The structure and style of your contest will impact how you organize entries and pick the winner!

For example, if you’re encouraging photo or video submissions,  you may select a panel of judges to decide on the winner. Or, you may use a survey system for voting on entries!

Traditional giveaways that involve liking, commenting, tagging friends or using a branded hashtag are a little easier to track!

Our favorite way to organize contests and giveaways is to track every Instagram handle that completes the steps to enter the contest in a Google spreadsheet. We add the handle again for every additional entry (user tag), and then export the list to a randomizer to select a winner!

Step Five: Choose An Award Participants Will Love

Let’s talk about the part everyone loves: contest prizes! The most important thing to consider when choosing your giveaway prize is relevance to your audience.

Choose a prize that fits into your target audience’s lifestyle, is something they want and need, and matches their values and purchasing preferences for the most impact.

So don’t let having a lower value prize stop you from holding an Instagram contest.  In our Instagram contest research study, the highest engagement rate for contests with prizes valued less than $99 was just $25 store credit!

Another key takeaway? While engagement rate tends to go up with the value of the prize, it doesn’t continue going up proportionally to cost. Basically, our study found that it would have more impact on your engagement and following to have 10 $100 contests than just one $1,000 contest. 

(Of course it ultimately depends on your brand, the size of your business and following, and the average cost of your products.)

Crank Up Total Prize Value By Partnering With Other Brands!

Step Six: Establish Your Instagram Giveaway Rules, Terms and Conditions

While Instagram contests are easy to participate in, that doesn’t mean there aren’t guidelines for participants (and you!) to follow! Establishing clear terms and conditions makes sure that your contest is legal, and protects both you and your followers!

If you have access to a lawyer in your company, they can help you figure out which laws apply to you based on your location and how to execute Instagram giveaway wording.

If you don’t have access to a lawyer, there are plenty of Instagram giveaway templates for terms and conditions.

Just make sure you brush up on your local, state and federal guidelines for sweepstakes and contests. And ask clarifying questions on anything you’re unsure about before publishing the rules!

Here are some common terms and conditions to get you started:

• Name and contact details of your brand (or the brand promoting the contest)
• Contest dates
• Rules about who can participate (age, employees can’t enter, etc.)
• Clear instructions and guidelines for entry
• Transparent guidelines for how the winner is chosen and announced
• Information about how the winner will proceed (days to claim, how the prize will be delivered, etc.)
• Information and guidelines about the prize (descriptions, number of prizes, any exceptions or restrictions for the prize)

Most importantly, you want to follow Instagram’s rules and add in the clear acknowledgement that the promotion isn’t sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram in any way! You also should add similar protections and warnings around any other platform or tool you use to run the contest.

Step Seven: Make a Promotion Plan For Your Instagram Contest

Next, you want to get the word out about your Instagram contest to drum up interest in participating! Outline a promotion plan for the contest, including the social media sites you’ll be posting on, any partners, influencers and affiliates who might be able to help you by sharing a post, and a timeline for when your promotional materials will go live.

One way to increase the reach of Instagram contests and all of your other Instagram posts, is to post them at the best time for engagement.  The more people who like and comment on your posts in the first few minutes after they’re published, the better your reach will be.

That’s why we built Tailwind for Instagram to automatically generate a calendar for you with optimal posting times.

Just schedule your posts to Tailwind (an official Instagram partner), and we’ll make sure you post them at the best times and reach more people.

Step Eight: Announce The Winner and Follow Up

Once it’s time to choose the winner, you’ll also need to plan out how you’ll announce it! You could make another feed post or video announcing the winner and congratulating them, or share it to your Instagram Stories!

Latecomers to the contest can sometimes miss the terms and conditions and explanation of when and how the winner is announced, so it helps to have a permanent post or a Story saved to your highlights that they can easily find and refer to.

Otherwise, you might be getting DMs and questions for months afterwards!

In your announcement post, make sure you reiterate the terms and conditions of how the winner will take next steps with a time period to claim the prize and any contact instructions they need to make for you.

Finally, when you send the prize, ask for a photo or video from the winner! This could be handy UGC to help you promote future contests – or your product!

Step Nine: Review Insights and Lessons Learned

Once everything is said and done, it’s important to review the process to see what went well and what could be adjusted in later contests. Take a few minutes to review the following:

• Process for entry
• Participation rates
• Process for choosing the winner
• How the prize was sent
• Any reviews from participants or collaborators
• Instagram Insights about participants
• Which promotional platforms were the most effective

Reviewing all of these details will help you fine-tune your process and improve your contests in the future!

Instagram Contest Ideas to Inspire You

You get the idea – Instagram contests are great for follower growth. 

For further inspiration and ideas, check out the following Instagram giveaway examples that were a smash hit!

Instagram Contest Idea 1: Get Leads From Your Audience’s Network

Instagram Contest Idea 2: Celebrate Instagram Growth Milestones

Instagram Contest Idea 3:  Grab User-Generated Content With a Unique Photo Challenge

Other Useful Instagram Giveaway Ideas

Our Facebook Live on this topic (see below) received 128 comments.  A lot of them were great tips from Tailwind members and social media influencers.  Here are some of the best ideas they suggested.

• Hold an Instagram giveaway where someone has to tag a friend and then that friend has to enter for the duo to be in with a chance of winning the prize. (Michelle Grey)
• The cheapest tool to use is a spreadsheet or a random number generator to pick your winner. (Kim Vij)
• Use Instagram Stories for giveaways.  The more people who message you from your story, the more likely it is that your story will appear as the first story on your followers feed. (Samantha Josephine Lee)
• Adding the word “giveaway” or “contest” into your image may help aid recognition that it is a contest.  (Michelle Grey)  Although our data has examples of successful contests that do, and do not, do this with their images.
• Make sure you research appropriate Instagram hashtags to use for your contest (Peg Fitzpatrick)
• Shortstack, Rafflecopter, and Gleam.io are some of the contest apps I’ve used in the past. (Jeff Sieh)

Conclusion: How to Host a Giveaway on Instagram

This spells a unique opportunity to make a splash and attract a lot of attention – and followers – with an Instagram contest!

So what are you waiting for? Start planning your own contest today. And if you need more insight, watch our Facebook Live dedicated to all things Instagram contests below!

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Watch Us Discuss These Instagram Stats on Facebook Live

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