How to Engage on Instagram
There are countless myths swirling around about Instagram best practices and stories about the algorithm which easily turn people away from dedicating their time to the app. But, don’t let this deter you, as Instagram is proven to have great returns for businesses who invest their time and resources into the app.
One of the most common myths I see is that you have to spend hours upon hours engaging on social media in order to grow your account and see true growth and success. Well, I’m here to tell you that, honestly, that’s just not true – you don’t need to spend hours engaging, you don’t need to send cold DMs (actually… please don’t do this one), you don’t need any special formula telling you how many posts to comment on and like. It’s all just rumors, and maybe it’s worked for some people, but that doesn’t mean it works for everyone.
Considering that 60% of users rely on Instagram to find and research products (Sprout Social), it is important to spend a significant amount of time and energy building and nurturing your Instagram community – I’m not going to tell you that you never have to engage on Instagram.
Instagram is no longer about just posting pretty photos and hoping followers find you, it’s more so about building a community, forming personal relationships, and networking… it is a social network after all — let’s not forget that it’s supposed to be social!
How Do I Engage on Instagram?
Engagement comes in many forms, but its main purpose ultimately boils down to building your community and keeping them engaged with your content. Traditional engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.) is a great place to start – you should always comment on and like posts from people you follow, others in your niche, people you want to work with, and other local businesses.
Another way to start conversations and engage your community is through video content. Believe it or not, Instagram Stories are one of the top places to be on the app. Did you know that 500 million+ people use Instagram Stories every day (HootSuite). Stories also has its own engagement features like questions, quizzes, polls, and sliders, making it a great place to get consistent, reliable feedback from your audience and interact with them regularly.
How Much do I Need to Engage on Instagram?
You may be thinking that you need to spend hours upon hours engaging on Instagram in order to be successful. While that may work sometimes, it’s not necessary. And, if you’re a busy business owner, you’ll be wasting a lot of time that you could spend focused on other things.
In terms of organically engaging with other accounts, dedicate at least 20 minutes each day to it, and you’ll start to see some good returns. It’s best to interact right around the time you post – that way you’re drawing more eyes to your new post, allowing the algorithm to rank it higher since it’s seeing nearly immediate engagement.
Business owners should plan to show their face through video content (on Stories, Reels, etc.) at least twice each week. This can be simple, like a quick 15-30 second video, or more involved like an Instagram Live or a Q&A series – whatever you’re comfortable with will do the trick.
Where Do I Start?
The most important thing to do… is to just show up. Show up as you are, show up as you learn, as you grow, and even as you fail. You can start interacting with your audience today to form connections and build real relationships.
However, if all of this is a little overwhelming, know that I’m here to help you, or even do it for you. Engagement is one of the most important things you can do on Instagram to build a true community, and it’s one of the services I offer. Head to my services page to get to know more about how I can help you grow on Instagram, and while you’re at it – say hello to me on Instagram to practice engaging with your account and get a feel for what it’s like!
