Instagram is the most used social media platform for now and over 500 million users use it daily basis to share photos and videos on IGTV. But to make your Instagram photos engaging with a greater audience, you have to follow some tactics that will set you apart from others.
However, the engagement rate will fluctuate along with the changes in Instagram algorithms, but you have to be consistent and adopt new tactics over time to keep the growth growing.
Here we are with 13 awesome tips that will help to reach potential audiences and increase your engagement on Instagram easily.
Table of Contents
14 Ways To Make Instagram Photos Engaging
No matter how big or small your brand is, or if you just want to increase your followers on Instagram, you can follow these strategies to improve engagement rates.
1. Timing Is Everything
The first thing you should follow to make your Instagram photos engaging is the timing of uploading them. The more user you reach, the more will be the engagement, It is as simple as that.
If you post at a time when most of your followers at their work, then you won’t get the response that you are expecting. So, post at the time when there is more engagement.
As per research, the best time to post on Instagram is during the evenings. Though most people go to the gym or for exercises in the morning and spend their daytime at work, so the evening will be a suitable time to post and draw their attention.
Research also shows that Wednesday has the highest engagement while Sunday has the least. So, if you post on the right day at the right time, you’ll able to get more interactions and your post will show on other followers feed as well, which means more likes on your post.
2. Post Consistently
Your Followers will be there with you and eventually increase if they see your post on their news feed. So, post regularly, but not often.
Because, if they see a lot of your posts on their news feed, they might hit the unfollow button and not posting anything for a long time also drops your followers count. So, develop a constant posting routine.
Research says that posting 1-2 times per day will keep your followers engage and attract more eyeballs to your profile as well. You can make it more smartly by posting only during peak hours and days when most of your followers are online.
Instagram has made it simple by providing Instagram insight where you can see when your followers come online the most, but that will vary from user to user. In the end, it will help you to figure out what is the right day and time to post or schedule your post to get more engagement.
3. Find A Niche That Will Set You Apart
It makes sense that your friends know you and will follow you on Instagram and like your posts as well, but why will random persons follow you? give them a reason to do so.
There are millions of Instagrammers who are posting awesome content regularly and keep their followers busy. So, you have to find an area that will set you apart from others.
You can choose a niche in which you are good at. Means if you love making food, then you can share a recipe of different dices. If you are good at sports, you can share some valuable tips, If you are fitness-freak, then share some fitness tips. Just do whatever will make your audience to come back to your account.
Make sure you will post your best images that will stun your audience with Wow. By posting more attractive images you will eventually see an increase in your followers count.
If you have several good shots and want to post them all, then you can use Instagram’s carousel album feature to upload images in a slideshow format.
4. Write An Eye-Catching Caption
You might have heard a good image speaks a thousand words, but a catchy caption can increase its value. People will spend more time on your image if you give them something meaningful to read.
The more time users spend on your posts, the more chance that they will come back again to your account. You can add a long, detailed caption or keep it simple and short and to the point that describes your photo well.
Another way to make your Instagram photos engaging is by asking questions in your posts’ caption. You can ask your audience what their thought on something is or how will they react in a certain situation that you’re now. You can also ask for travel or fitness tips. Just make them feel that their opinion matters for you.
5. Use The Popular Hashtags
This is another effective way to increase your engagement on Instagram. By using the right hashtags in your posts will help to reach a broader audience.
Nowadays people are also following many Instagram hashtags. So, if you use some of the popular hashtags in your posts, then the users who are following the hashtags will see your post in their feed and might hit the like button.
You can use hashtags related to fashion, beauty, location, brand, business, repost, throwbackthursday, thoughtoftheday, and many more. However, you can include up to 30 hashtags in one post, but if you select the right ones you will get more engagements.
6. Post High-quality Photos
You have to upload the best quality shots if you want to attract a greater number of audience. It doesn’t mean that you need a DSLR for high-quality images, just make sure the lighting is good enough to capture perfect shots.
It will be more beneficial if you learn some handy editing skills so that you can adjust the light, shadow, blur, lines to make your posts eye-catching. Remember, the more attractive your photo, the more like you will get.
However, you can apply filters to make your Instagram photos stand out and will drag the attention of many users.
7. Tag a Location
Tagging a location to your Instagram post is as effective as adding hashtags. Locations have their own Instagram feed and story, just like hashtags.
You can add the location of your city or the place where you have taken the photo or video. So, when other people visit that location on Instagram, they will come across your post and might end up liking it.
8. Tag Influential Accounts
There are many influential accounts you can find on Instagram, tag some of the popular ones in your photos to make your Instagram photos engaging.
By doing this you not only inform them about your new post but also make sure that it will show on their feed in the “tagged in” section.
Millions of people visiting their accounts and many of them also visit their “tagged in” section, so there is a chance that they see your post and like it. You might not receive too many likes from there, but this will increase engagement to some extent.
9. Reply To All Comment Quickly
People who are commenting on your posts, respond to them, and make them feel that you are listening to them. By doing this they will get to know that you are interested in building community and friendship.
So, from next time you upload a photo, they will leave a comment, and this will increase your engagement on Instagram.
10. Jump on a trend
Another way to drag much attention to your Instagram account is by posting content related to ongoing trends. You can find many trends or challenges that are taking the internet by storm.
Just through yourself to the trend that you find more interesting and also use relevant hashtags to generate more engagement. You can also create your own and ask your followers to take that challenge forward.
11. Give a Before and After
People will love to connect with you if see more realistic content from you. For this, you can upload the before and after changes of something like weight loss, haircut, photo editing, make-ups, decoration, and many more.
If you recently changed your company’s interior look, you can upload the before and after looks. You can also show the number of employees you have then and now, by which you can easily grab the attention of more audience.
12. Go Behind The Scenes
To get more engagement on your Instagram shares the behind scene looks with your audience. You can share behind the scene of an event or a photoshoot or even your business.
This will not only help to develop your brand awareness but also create a strong connection with your audience. So, that they will come back again and again to your account and you will get more likes and comments on your posts.
13. Take The Advantage of Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are one of the effective features that will help to make your Instagram photos engaging. Research says that over 500 million users actively use Instagram stories every day.
You can post photos or boomerang or small videos in your story which get disappear after 24 hours. But within that period, there are chances in increasing engagement rates and gaining new followers as well.
You can also use stories to redirect the audience to your latest posts, which ultimately leads to more engagement. The best thing is you don’t need the best shots for your Instagram stories, little bit weird will be okay.
14. Go Live On Instagram
Most of the Instagram influencers are using the LIVE feature to connect with their audience more effectively, where they answer many questions of followers, discuss new ideas, business, brand, and products.
This makes the audience feel that they are getting some valuable content from there, so they start following them and like their posts as well.
You can also use this feature to boost your followers. To get more viewers at the time of your live streaming, make an announcement when you will come live on Instagram. You can also mention any special surprise which you unveil during live streaming to attract more audiences.
Conclusion
These are some of the ways that will help to increase your engagement on Instagram. Remember, your audience will fall on your account for quality, not for quantity. So, be creative, upload your best works, and implement these strategies to see some better results soon.