Increasing engagement on Instagram can be achieved through various strategies, including posting high-quality content that is trending or controversial, engaging with other users and being as consistent as possible, but some strategies are more effective than others, explains social media expert, Amani Youssef.

If you want to boost your engagement, you need to look at your data, so I’ve simplified things for you today based on specific engagement measurement tools, including comments, likes, saves and shares.

Posting content with the goal of one of the above measurement tools will give you practical ideas to follow to try and increase your engagement on Instagram.

4 ways to increase Instagram engagement

1. Comments

A comment on Instagram allows the user to interact with a post by writing a response under the content. To increase comments, you’ll need to be creating content around trending topics and news – find relatable trending topics to your industry and ask your audience for their opinions!

Controversial content and unpopular opinions will also work to increase your comments, however, you need to ensure that being controversial will fit into your brand persona. You don’t want to be doing things that go against your brand guidelines just for a comment!

2. Likes

Users show appreciation for content on Instagram by double-tapping the image or clicking the heart button. Useful tips and relevant industry advice will get you extra likes!

People want to be fed information and education; this not only adds value to your content but also gives people a reason to like your content. Bust some industry myths or answer your most frequently asked questions.

Giving your audience something to think about or answering their questions without them having to ask is definitely like-worthy!

3. Saves

On Instagram, the save feature allows users to bookmark or save posts that they find interesting or want to revisit later.

Statistics show us the things that get saved the most on Instagram today are step-by-step tutorials, unique methods/formulas, and how-to guides. Try to build content around these pillars and relate this content to your offerings.

A save goes a long way when it comes to engagement on your account; the more saves your content gets, the more likely Instagram will place your content in the feeds of your followers.

4. Shares

The feature on Instagram allows users to share posts, stories or Reels with their followers or other users via direct messages, as well as through other social platforms.

Think about a share in this way: What content would you send to a friend or family member? Think about what you’ve shared with them in the past. It usually always is relatable content or inspirational content. How can you become relatable to your audience? How can you inspire your audience?

Test different content to see what works best, but relatable and inspirational content is the way to go to boost your shares.

Aiming to increase engagement through comments, likes, saves and shares gives you practical tools to follow to help reach a wider audience and increase engagement overall on your account.

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