“How do I improve my engagement?” has to be one of my most asked questions. This is probably because there is a lot of talk about how important engagement is…but no real guidance on how to get there.

So today, I am breaking down my top do’s and don’ts when it comes to engaging with your IG audience.

DO…

Reply to comments left on your posts in a timely manner

By doing this, you are creating an opportunity to continue a conversation with the people who have left a comment. Not only will this boost the engagement on that post, but it might encourage those same people to comment again the next time you post something.

Engage with followers, not just who you follow

This one is so important because it can be an easy one to forget about. Make sure that when you’re logged into IG that you’re not just scrolling through your feed. I like to go over to my notifications page, and check out my follower’s accounts and see what they’re up to.

Use call to actions (CTA’s) to encourage engagement on your own posts

If you are not including a CTA in your posts, you are seriously missing out! A call to action is such a useful tool that really does boost your engagement. Include one at the end of your caption, carousel or reel to give people some direction.

Utilize your stories as a way to connect and start conversations

You might not gain new followers from your stories, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using them. Hop on there and start engaging with the people already following you. They chose to follow you for a reason, so now start working on building up relationships with them. I like to use engagement stickers like a question box or poll, and I always encourage people to reply to my stories to keep the conversation going!

Make engaging a routine
If you come up with a routine (that you can stick to) then I promise this whole thing won’t seem so overwhelming. Here’s what mine looks like right now:

Morning: check notifications, reply to comments and DM’s, and post something on my story
Afternoon: engage with my followers, the people I am following, and the hashtags I use, all before I post my own content
Evening: update my stories, and reply to comments on my newest post

DON'T…

Mass like posts or leave spam comments

This sets off all the alarm bells and red flags with Instagram because their computers will think you’re a spam bot. Instead, try to engage little and often, to prevent this from happening. I usually stick to 15-minute bursts, 3 or 4 times a day.

Cold call or DM someone you have no relationship with

Don’t do it. I meant it. This is the worst way to engage with your dream client or ideal customer. You have to build up some kind of relationship with them first before you can make a pitch.

Forget to check your DM requests regularly

This is an easy mistake to make, and trust me, it happens to the best of us. As part of your engagement routine make sure you include checking the request section of your DM’s, so you don’t miss any messages.

Participate in follow loops or engagement groups

And the worst offence of them all - follow loops and engagement groups. Avoid these at all costs, please. These groups may lead to an artificial increase in engagement for a short period of time, but then once the loop is over people will probably unfollow you or you’ll be left with ghost followers. Growing an authentic following on Instagram takes time, and this “speedy solution” is just going to harm you.