I’ve spent the last 4-5 years building up my blog and Instagram. It took me a while to get a hang of posting on Instagram every day as well as my aesthetic on my Instagram feed. While my journey has been slow but steady, one of my most popular questions I get is:
“how do you increase your engagement and build your Instagram?”
I personally have asked this question myself. In 2016, I was
at 2,000 followers on Instagram. In 2018, I finally hit 20,000 followers. And
in 2019, I just surpassed the 25,000 follower mark. While numbers are less
important than you think, the following number is still important to brands for
paid campaigns.
So today I wanted to share 6 ways to increase your engagement on Instagram. If you’re looking to grow your Instagram in 2019, this blog post is for you!
Here are 6 Ways to Increase Your Engagement on Instagram
Instagram Tip #1: Engage
and collaborate with other content creators
One way to increase your engagement on Instagram is to collaborate with other bloggers in your space. If there are other bloggers you admire in your city, reach out to them. Ask them out for coffee, build a relationship, and see if they’re interested in doing a photo shoot with you or being featured in your podcast.
Not only will you build your community but you also offer each other the mutual benefit of being exposed to each other’s audience. I’ve found that aligning myself to like-minded bloggers in my space has definitely helped build my engagement and following on Instagram. I feature my friends on my blog and Instagram and they feature me in their accounts.
Here are a few of my
favorite collaborations with other bloggers in Seattle:
The
Glow Up Cast – with @misscaseycarter
and @iamnaomiraven
Maddy from @madcrayy and I teamed up
for 7
Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day Outfit Ideas
Ribicca from @iamabyssinia and I visited the pumpkin patch and also shared 6 Pumpkin Patch Outfit Ideas You Can Wear This Fall
Instagram Tip #2: Ask
the brands you collaborate with to repost you
While this method used to be more effective (pre algorithm
changes), this is still an effective method to build and increase your
engagement on Instagram. First of all the brand is engaging with your account –
hopefully tagging you and mentioning you in the comments. Secondly, the brand
is exposing you to the rest of their audience.
This helps build your credibility and authority as a blogger
and content creator. And it’s something you can share with your audience that
you all can get excited about.
Here are previous
examples of brands reposting me from collaborations:
Instagram Tip #3: Partner
with brands and host giveaways
I think the most effective giveaways include brand
partnerships. Even if you’re taking a gifted product or service, I would pitch
a giveaway to the brand to drive engagement and following to both your
accounts. The brand is exposed to your community and your community benefits
from the products and services of the brand.
Personally, my most successful giveaway so far was with Alaska Airlines. We gave away 2 round trip tickets after my Seattle to Pittsburgh collaboration! I was able to explore a new city and create Pittsburgh’s Most Instagram Worthy Places. Then I was able to encourage my followers to also explore a new city of their choice by giving away airplane tickets!
Instagram Tip #4: Get to know your community
Getting to know your audience takes time. I wish I had taken
the time to get to know my community earlier in my journey. But I realized this
last two years that my community has grown when I’ve taken the time to listen and learn
about them. One of my most effective ways to build engagement on
Instagram is answering specific questions sent in my audience.
I take the time to write a thoughtful (hopefully helpful)
blog post around their question and I directly send the blog post to them. I
thank each person who took the time to write in a question and I make sure to
tag them on Instagram and on my blog.
Here are some of my
favorite questions submitted via Instagram Stories and answered on the blog:
How
to Overcome Feelings of Discouragement Around Blogging
How
to Turn Gifted Collaborations into PAID Collaborations
How
to Find Brands to Work With as a Microinfluencer
Instagram Tip #5: Share
Your Instagram Photo on Your Instagram Stories
Did you know that Instagram has 800 million users scrolling
through their feeds every single day? More users means more content competing
for the same attention span. You have the opportunity to promote yourself
twice – one when you post a photo and a second time when you share your
Instagram post to your Instagram Stories.
I personally share my Instagram photo on my Instagram stories every single day. If someone misses my photo when I first post, they have a second chance to see your photo if you share your photo in your stories. Sharing your photo on your Instagram Stories is an easy way to increase your engagement on Instagram.
Instagram Tip #6 Write
Engaging Captions
If your goal is to grow your Instagram following, you have
to produce quality content. Content is both photos and words – and most people
ignore the captions. While some people may argue that people don’t read
captions anymore, I’d argue that your most engaged audience members still do.
You can use captions to build a relationship with your
audience. You can use Instagram captions to share a teaser of your blog post or
podcast. If you need some tips on captions, you can check out 7
Tips You Can Use to Write Great Instagram Captions. People will engage with
your content if there’s something in your photo and caption that compels them
to be engaged.
For more tips to build your Instagram and personal brand,
you can also check out:
How
to Build an Engaged Audience on Instagram
6
Major Tips to Build an Online Presence
Branding
through Instagram: Defining Your Brand
What ways have you built an engaged audience on Instagram?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the different ways to increase your engagement on Instagram!
Love,
Emma
Photos: Karya Schanilec
Hi Emma!
Thanks for this article, it is so helpful! I’m in the process now of starting my first blog and wanting to build up my online presence and these are fantastic tips!
Look forward to reading more! xx
thank you so much for sharing!
helps so much 😉
I loved this! I do struggle with coming with you captions that draw followers in. I sit there and try to think of something funny or insightful but then I second guess myself because I overthink if its going to make sense or not. But how you explained it really helped. Another thing I’ve learned is, its SO important to grow your community because those people are the ones who are going to support you the most.
I still read captions and to be honest that’s how I dictate who to follow. Pictures are secondary for me. I think anyone can do a pretty good job with taking a photo and for those that edit their photos, they can make it look even better but writing a caption is hard. When you get down to really think about your thoughts, it’s not as easy as it looks. Therefore, someone who takes the time to write amazing captions get my attention. On another note, I haven’t had much luck in growing my IG but that’s okay. I’d rather take it slow anyway as this gives me time to really engage.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com