47 Simple + Fun Ways to Boost Engagement on Instagram

Instagram Strategy

Picture this: You’ve invited all your friends, and their friends and everybody you know from anywhere to attend your birthday party. Sounds like a big and fun get-together!

But then the DJ doesn’t show up and the catering cancels last minute and the party doesn’t really vibe. People don’t dance, they don’t have fun and soon they leave to find a better venue.

Sounds like a total desaster, right?

It’s the same with your Instagram account. If you don’t post content that entertains, engages your audience and makes your brand unforgettable – then people will leave sooner than later and won’t come back again.

47 Easy + Effective Ways to Boost your Engagement Rate on Instagram

When we say engagement, what we mean – most of the time – are comments, likes, saves and shares. But, did you know that the algorithm also counts other metrics as engagement, too?

Engagement can also be measured as:

Reels view duration
Video play length
How long people stop the scroll on your posts
Swiping through a carousel
Watching your stories until the end
Story interactions on stickers

A lot of things to take into consideration when you want to increase the engagement on your Instagram account, right?

So, let’s break it down! Here are 47 ways you can get more engagement for your posts, stories and Reels ????

1. How to Get More Comments

Ask a thought-provoking question on your graphic and in your caption
Create an opinion carousel with an important reminder
Make a bold statement and ask your community to share their opinion
Create a free resource and send it to anyone who comments ‘Free’
Play a game like “2 Truths, 1 Lie”
Answer to every comment with a question
Use templates that are designed for more engagement

2. How to Get More Saves

Post long-form carousels and use all 10 slides
Create infographics (lists, charts, graphs, …)
Share a new take on some problem in your niche
Design a relatable tagging post

3. How to Get More Likes

Share a personal story
Post relatable content that easy snackable (like memes)
Make sure your content is highly relevant and try out trends

4. How to Get More Shares

Create collab posts with other businesses
For sales posts, use easy to understand mockups
Create content on a highly relevant trend topic in your niche
Surprise your community with a relatable meme
Create educational content that teaches your audience something new (!)
Share a client transformation story

5. How to Increase Reel Watch Duration

Create short (3-5 seconds) looping Reels
Try short Quote Reels
Hop on macro trends (like B-roll Reels, Meme Reels, …)
Add a text overlay ‘Read the caption’
Create long-form Tweet Reels

6. How to Get More Engagement on Carousels

Always ask for engagement on the last slide (= Call-to-Action / CTA)
Use all 10 carousel slides
Use the AIDA formula in your carousels: First slide is for attention, then build interest (2-3 slides), desire (1-2 slides) and provoke action (1-2 slides)
Add arrows or small CTAs on every slide to engage people to swipe next

7. How to Stop the Scroll

Design posts with big headlines
Make sure there is not too much (small) text on your graphics
Use stop words that catch attention (“the best/worst”, “one thing”, “money”, “read this”, …)
Use numbers in your hooks
Add a cut-out photo of yourself for personal branding

8. How to Get More Engagement on Stories

Introduce weekly formats, like Motivation Monday or Behind-the-Scene Tuesday
Let your story expire before posting a new one
Make the first story extra engaging (use stickers!)
Talk about a relevant and current topic + ask for your community’s opinion
Host a Q&A

9. More Tips to Boost your Engagement

Use strategic designer templates instead of Canva’s free templates
Don’t post photos without any text overlay
It’s easier to get people engaged on feed posts (posts, carousels) as opposed to Reels
Re-post your top performing posts
Share every new post or Reel to your story 10-30 minutes after you posted it
Use retargeting ads to people who have been engaging with your content before
Maintain a consistent posting schedule

10. How to Design Highly Engaging Instagram Graphics

Do you no longer want your engagement happen by chance? Then you need not only bombshell content, but also graphics that convert.

Don’t forget: Instgram is a visual-first platform – in order to increase engagement, your visuals have to be impressive and attention-grabbing.

Or get direct access to over 300 templates that have been designed for engagement boosts and have already helped over 2,000 customers to sustainably increase their engagement! ????