Step Up Your Instagame
Best Practice to Increase Engagement and Attract More Followers on Instagram
Interested in stepping up your Instagame? Follow these 10 tips to wow your audience and post like a pro!
1. Find your niche
The first step in running a successful Instagram account is to find your place on the platform. If you’re looking to grow your account, you’re most likely looking to gain a specific type of follower. Along with finding your niche, defining your target audience is essential because it shapes what type of content you will be posting, how you will caption your photos, and which hashtags you will use to maximize your Reach. To be the most successful on Instagram, it is necessary to have a clear and specific focus for your content. People will follow you for what type of content you are posting so you want to be posting with a consistent theme. For my Personal Interest Profile Project, I chose to share my love for Disney through my Disney Instagram account. My account is Disney-focused and I post Disney content to appeal to my follower base. Consistency is key on this platform so you should stick to your chosen topic and make your Instagram branding matter. One of the main reasons people unfollow on Instagram is that the content being shared doesn’t resonate with them. In your bio, clearly define what type of content you post for those who come across your profile. The first line of my Instagram bio is “My Disney Adventures.” This gives my profile viewers a description of the content I post and information for them to decide if they wish to follow.
2. Utilize the Insights Tool
Foremost, social analytics are important to gain an understanding of your audience. Learning when they are online, when to post, and how to connect are great ways to enhance your strategy. To view account insights, you need to have a business or creator account on Instagram. If you currently have a personal account, it is very simple to convert to a professional account in settings. You can use Instagram insights to learn more about your account’s followers and performance, and you can view insights on your audience’s engagement with specific posts. To view account insights on the Instagram mobile app, go to your profile, tap the insights action button, tap metrics under the overview section or specific content for a more detailed breakdown. Under follower breakdown, Instagram provides audience demographics including top locations by cities and countries, age range, gender, and most active times by days and hours. Use this information to track and learn from your best-performing content and examine the content that didn’t do so well to understand why it didn’t perform. Consistently review your analytics and make changes to see what works best for you. Aim to create better content with the findings from your insights and analysis and strive for results.
3. Post at ideal times
Hubspot suggests the best day to post on Instagram is Friday and “on average, the best times to post on Instagram across industries are 1 p.m., and 5 p.m., during lunch and the end of the typical work day, respectively” (Cox, 2019). To have your post shown to the greatest number of people as possible, it is crucial to post at strategic times specific to your audience. How much engagement you receive depends on your target audience and the content you publish for them. According to Sprout Social, the most consistent engagement can be found Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The time you post is important because it impacts how the algorithms decide where to place your content. “If you’re posting when your followers are most active, your content will pick up steam much faster and Instagram will push it further up the feed, resulting in even more interactions” (Aquino, 2019). Good post timing depends on the regions and corresponding time zones you’re targeting, as well as your marketing goals. “Audiences can vary depending on the timezone. It’s important to identify how scheduling works for your timezone so you can better allocate your time and energy into the right audiences” (Aquino, 2019).
4. Lighting is everything
Visual storytelling is the focus on Instagram so posting engaging, high-quality images and videos is a must. Use natural light and shoot during golden hour (the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset) when the sun is low in the sky. This lighting casts a warm, golden hue on subjects and shines redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky.
5. Edit your photos
“Instagram is a visually-driven platform that rewards aesthetically pleasing content” (Phillips, 2020). Use Instagram filters and third-party apps such as Lightroom and VSCO to edit your photos. To establish a coherent and visually appealing Instagram page, I use presets on Lightroom to give my pictures a consistent hue. I also use the Preview app on my phone to arrange my photos in an order that looks the most aesthetically pleasing. Having a recognizable, consistent style can help define your brand and draw new followers.
6. Include engaging captions
Share why you love the picture you decided to post. Bring your photo to life by giving it a deeper meaning to help your audience feel connected to you and more compelled to comment. On my profile, not only do I include what I’m doing in the picture, but I start a conversation with my followers by including a relevant question. Asking a question in your caption encourages people to respond to your post and is the perfect tactic to spark engagement. Longer captions are more common, but shorter descriptions (1–50 characters) see more engagement. Additionally, including several emojis in your posts can have a positive impact on engagement so don’t be afraid to experiment!
7. Use relevant hashtags
Before hitting “Share” on your post, check hashtags used by popular industry accounts or influencers. Consider using tools such as Hashtagify to discover the best hashtags to reach your audience and RiteTag for instant trending results. These tools are useful for searching hashtag popularity, trends, and correlations and help people discover and engage with your content. Hashtags are a way of grouping and categorizing conversations so choose ones that are highly relevant to your account and your content. Include relevant hashtags for events, places, themes, things, and verbs to increase discoverability of your posts. Instagram limits the number of hashtags you can use in each post to 30 so include them at the bottom of your post so they don’t drown the caption or make them the first comment.
8. Respond to comments
Be personable! When people take time out of their day to comment on your post, the least you can do is reply back. Remember, you want to create a relationship with your followers so this means following up with their responses to the question you asked in your post. Responding to commenters further engages them, which not only increases the chance that they will continue to follow you in the future but also the likelihood their followers may come across your posts and add to your own followers. Soliciting and responding to comments is a sure-fire way to increase engagement and add more followers on Instagram.
9. Follow and interact with similar accounts
We all have a passion and interest in the success of our own accounts. Naturally, we are constantly analyzing our posts and content and comparing our own Instagram accounts with others. It even gives us ideas for our own posts. When doing so, try to integrate yourself into your Instagram community by following and engaging with similar accounts to yours. By following and actively engaging with other Instagram users, you will drive other Instagram users to your own account as these users already share a common interest in your Instagram theme. Spread the love to receive love in return!
10. Have fun
Last, but certainly not least, have fun! Your Instagram account is a reflection of you. Have fun with it and enjoy sharing your passion with the world! It can be a great way to connect with others and make new friends.
I hope you found these tips helpful! By implementing these practices into your strategy, you’ll not only create a more cohesive profile, but you’ll also boost engagement and gain followers by creating the best content for your audience!
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