Instagram Tips Continued: Engagement

Taylor Talks Newsletter - 8/17/2020

I have been playing around with different Instagram advice to see what works for me and what does not. Here are the pieces of advice that worked. To be fair, I followed the advice and then did the exact opposite to see what the effects were. What I did helped me increase engagement by 50%:

Share relevant tips and tricks: This might sound simple but every time I share information or post a tutorial my engagement increases. I get more saves on a post and more reactions to my stories. I am telling you...people live for a good life hack. It really is a great way to draw people into your posts. Users want to be served in some sort of way. If you prove to be helpful, your followers will stay and more users will find you.

Say what you want to say first: Long-winded captions are nice but users will not read all of it. Most of the text will not be shown unless a user clicks "show more." WHO ACTUALLY CLICKS THIS?! LITTLE TO NONE.

SO...your first 2 sentences should be the most important. Pretend that you are in English class. You want the first 2-3 sentences to be your topic sentence then the rest of the caption follows. If you are a writer, you can treat the beginning like a headline so everyone knows exactly what they’ll be reading about.

I found that followers appreciate when you get to point quickly and will be more inclined to engage on your account because it is easy for them to do so

Create a conversation: I get a positive response from my audience every time I ask a question in my cation (in the first sentence not the end).

Ask a question in your captions, and ALWAYS reply to your comments. I will say, "Hey, I want to know what you think or do in this situation." This allows people to chime in and feel valued because you asked them their opinion.

Once you start the conversation, respond to ALL comments with meaningful insight. Instagram's algorithm pushes posts with lots of comments and engagement to the top. Do what you can to get people to engage. Don't look desperate or thirsty for comments though. haha!

Behind the scenes: Users like inspirational content but they also love seeing what your life is really like. Share your struggles or so that your life is not "put together." This makes you more relatable and the user will more likely view you as a friend and relate to you more.

Right now I am decorating my whole apartment. I am showing the whole process and making the audience feel like they have a say in my decorations! I show my messy room and my internal conflict at Home Goods over what table to purchase. Instagram showcases an edited life. Be sure to be honest and show that you go through things just like everyone else.

Don’t be afraid to get creative: Overall you should have your niche nailed down by now BUT you don't have to stick to the same type of content all the time. Switching things up and diversifying content can add value. It really helps users see a new side of you.

For example, I never post about home decor. NEVER. Now that I have an apartment, I am really into it and so are the people that follow me! If you are in fashion, try cooking. If you are food and beverage, try health and wellness. You can always find ways to tie in new content to your brand.

Homework: Try some of these and let me know if you see any difference in your analytics.

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