6 Reasons Your Instagram Engagement is low (and how to improve it)
If you have noticed a drop in Instagram likes, comments, shares, save etc. and want to know what you can do to increase your Instagram engagement, this post is for you.
Fluctuating Instagram engagement is nothing new, however it can be disheartening to put all that effort into creating content only to have it fall flat. In addition to making you doubt your own ability, low engagement has an adverse impact on Instagram account performance and reach (the number of people your content is served to).
Engagement is one of the top ranking signals used by the Instagram algorithm to determine content reach. The more engagement, the more people your content is pushed out to and the better your account performance. So we want engagement, we need engagement. Engagement is the secret sauce to success.
While it’s tempting to believe that the algorithm is ‘out to get you’, the lacklustre response you’re currently experiencing may not be (entirely) your fault so chin up my love, let’s take a look at what’s happening and how to increase your Instagram engagement, shall we?
Why YOUR Instagram Engagement Is low
1. Reels
The new kid on the block, Instagram Reels, is getting the lion’s share of attention at the moment. And rightly so; Bite-sized video content that users can binge on is the future of social media so it makes sense that Instagram is pushing Reels and diverting attention from the feed and Stories to this new placement option.
In addition to keeping up with rival platforms, Instagram’s answer to TikTok provides yet another opportunity for the platform to monitise your content through advertising (and shopping!) so you better believe the algorithm is pushing Reels right now.
How to boost your engagement:
Make Reels. Go where the people are. Reels creators are currently experiencing unprecedented visibility and organic reach. Reels provides smaller accounts with a prime opportunity to get in front of a new audience and be “discovered” by users who may not have otherwise found them.
Take advantage of this new content format to get in front of new eyes and to connect and engage with your existing followers.
2. Platform saturation
Instagram has now surpassed 1 billion <insert Dr Evil laugh here> users. That’s a lot of people vying for space in your feed. It’s basic mathematics; the more users, the less likely your content will appear in the one and only Instagram feed.
How to boost your engagement:
Diversify. Feed is full? Show up on Stories, create carousels and give Reels a go. Diversifying your content placements gives you a greater chance of being seen and being seen by different users who may use the platform differently. If your followers hang out on Stories, you’re more likely to catch them there than on the feed.
Bonus points, the algorithm loves it when you use all parts of the platform, so shake things up.
In addition to diversifying your placements, experiment with different content types (video, animation, stop motion, graphics, live video etc.). Serve up a visual feast of scroll-stopping content that makes you stand out from the crowd. Visually interesting, useful or entertaining content is more likely to get interaction in a busy feed than the same ol’ memes your followers have seen 100 times. If you’re bored by your content, chances are, your followers are too.
3. User fatigue
Remember that time there was a global pandemic? Well, that shiz seriously weighs on people’s energy levels. Experts say COVID-19 may be causing decision fatigue and mental burn out. Constant changes and the heavier impact that day-to-day decisions (such as going to the grocery store) may have has increased mental load and stress levels worldwide.
How does COVID-19 affect Instagram engagement? People may be using the platform as an escape, mindlessly scrolling rather than engaging with content or they may be skipping socials altogether after a long day spent homeschooling or on the front line as an essential worker.
How to boost your engagement:
Make it easy. Keep your content short and snackable and get to the point quickly in your videos to ensure users watch until the end. Watch time is another ranking signal used by the algorithm to determine how many people to push your content out to.
Make it easy for scroll-weary followers to engage with your Stories by using the in-built stickers. A micro engagement by way of the slider slicker or poll tap each day is enough to keep your content appearing in your follower’s feed and requires minimal effort on their behalf.
Be proactive. Instead of waiting around expecting others to engage with you, engage with them; The more YOU engage with other users on the platform, the more likely they are to engage with you. Slide into your followers’ DMs with a thoughtful text or voice message and try going Live for a chat and check in to see how your community are going. Live video provides a unique opportunity to converse in real time and is great for creating authentic connection.
> Related: Go Live on Instagram (blog post plus free checklist)
Engage with me on Instagram @shallwesocial
4. The Algorithm
While you shouldn’t blame the algorithm, it is useful to pay attention to current Instagram trends in order to work with the algorithm for best results. Currently the algorithm is favouring Instagram Reels - in a bid to compete with rival platform, TikTok. Reels users are experiencing unprecedented levels of reach at the moment so it makes sense to take advantage of this trend while it lasts.
In addition, Instagram recently introduced keyword search - allowing users to find feed posts based on interests rather than hashtags. This is a gamechanger in terms of discoverability, especially for smaller accounts, whose content previously may not have ranked under larger hashtags and certainly a nod towards future Instagram SEO capabilities.
How to boost your engagement:
Create content the algorithm loves. I’m sure, like me, you don’t have endless time for content creation so use it wisely and create content you know will give you more “bang” for your buck. At the moment the Instagram Algorithm has total heart eyes for Instagram Reels so focus your energy there while the going is good.
Another way to leverage the algorithm right now is to add search terms and keywords that you want to rank for into your captions in order to appear in keyword search results. While the search results are currently only pulling feed posts, there’s no reason why this can’t expand to include captions on Instagram Reels and IGTV and possibility even the text added to Stories at a later stage so get into the habit of adding these terms now so that your content may be picked up in the search at a later stage.
5. The wrong people are engaging with you
Speaking of the algorithm, one surefire way to absolutely ‘tank’ your Instagram account performance is to engage in dodgy tactics such as follower loops and Instagram engagement pods. While getting your fellow biz buddies to comment on your posts seems like a great idea, you’re ultimately setting yourself up for failure by misleading the algorithm into serving your content to other business owners, for example, rather than to the people you’re actually trying to reach. This creates a negative feedback loop that feeds upon itself until you’re left with nothing but virtual tumbleweed.
> Related: Are Instagram Engagement Pods Worth It?
How to boost your engagement:
Engage with the followers you want. Seek out the users you want to follow you and engage with your content via hashtags, locations or the Explore tab. Engage with their content in order to get noticed and attract them back to your account.
Another way to build your following with the right people, (i.e. your ideal customer/client/reader), is to create content that appeals to the followers you want. High-value content that is related to your niche will attract users with those interests back to your account for more content like that. Instagram Reels are a option to be discovered by new followers and grow your account.
6. Your content doesn’t foster engagement
Take a look at your posts from the past week. Are you creating the kind of content people want to comment on, reply to or share with their friends? And are you asking people to engage with you? It’s easy to fall into a content funk and create the same old content or worse, content that is all about you or your product and that doesn’t address your ideal customers’ wants, needs and struggles.
How to boost your engagement:
Create shareable and saveable content. High-value carousel posts, like this, are extremely popular and get a lot of saves and shares (far more valuable in terms of Algorithm brownie points than likes or comments). Memes and infographic posts are another great example of shareable content so look at how you can incorporate these into your content schedule.
On Stories, create your own branded fill-and-share templates and tag other account users to get them involved. The inbuilt engagement tools in Stories make it easy to spark interaction. Add the DM, quiz, poll or slider stickers to at least one story per day.
Finally, tell people to engage with you. Invite questions and conversation via the DMs and ask your followers to share your content with their followers (and return the favour).
Other factors that impact Instagram engagement
School holidays. If your audience are predominantly parents, pay attention to school holidays as this may effect if and when your audience is online and ready to engage. There’s nothing like a day spent trying to entertain children to suck the will to scroll out of you!
Summer. Long hot days spent at the beach/park/dodging snakes whilst bushwalking may result in a temporary drop in your engagement as people choose to connect IRL (in real life) in favour of online.
Daylight savings. Even an hour’s difference can shake things up on Instagram if your post hits before/after your audience is online. Any decrease in engagement around the changing timezones should quickly resolve itself once everyone gets their circadian rhythms back in check.
Major events. If your followers are into cultural or sporting events such as the Australian Open, the Olympics or, most importantly, The Bachelor finale, you might notice a marked decline on your usually scheduled content. This should rectify itself once said event has passed (will you accept this Instagram post?).
The important thing is to know your audience and understand their rituals. These situational factors will cause your engagement to fluctuate. That’s fine and there is no need to panic if/when this happens. Simply adjust your post timings to suit these extraordinary circumstances. If, however, your engagement has been slipping slowly but surely over time, it’s time to shake things up.
So there you have it. The one thing we can be certain of with Instagram, and social media in general, is that it is constantly changing and fluctuating. Don’t beat yourself up over a lul in account activity. This may or may not be down to anything you have control over. Periodically stop, reassess and see what you can tweak to get things moving again. For example, if everyone is hanging out on Reels, show up there. If you haven’t tried going live, give it a shot.
Flexibility is key, especially in an uncertain climate like that we are currently experiencing. Above all, keep trying. Keep creating content. If nothing else, this will hone your skills and make you a better content creator for when things improve again.
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