Increase Instagram Engagement: How to Boost Follower Interactions

Profile photo of Karen Lin, author

Karen Lin

Instagram Growth | May 24, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

When using Instagram as a marketing strategy, your engagement rate should be the main area of focus. This analytics tool refers to how actively involved with your content your audience is. And it can have a significant impact on your success. Many brands and influencers are constantly striving to increase Instagram engagement.

Wondering why? Your engagement rate shows that you are connecting with the right audience that can make a difference. It can lead to more sales, partnerships, and business opportunities. Of course, growing your audience and expanding your reach can take time, especially if you are starting. That’s where we come in.

Below, we’ll cover a few tips you can use to increase Instagram engagement. We’ll also touch on a few common questions about forms of engagement and highlight the idea of using outside help. Read on and prepare to engage.

A person pressing the like button to increase Instagram engagement.

Why Do You Want to Increase Instagram Engagement?

You may wonder why people work so hard to increase Instagram engagement for their social media accounts. As it turns out, increased engagement rates can lead to increased business success. It is because it can help prioritize your content by the Instagram algorithm. It means you will reach more of the right kind of people interested in your products and services.

When it comes to using Instagram as a business tool, understanding your engagement rate is a practical approach to business goals. It can even prove to be more valuable than your follower count. From Instagram bots to fake followers, there are plenty of ways to pad the number of followers you have. What’s most important is the type of followers you have and how engaged they are with your content.

An influencer going live, trying to increase Instagram engagement.

2 Tips to Increase Instagram Engagement

Now let’s keep moving right along. We know you are eager to start growing your social media empire and learning to gain and captivate new followers. Next up, we will discuss proven methods that can help to increase Instagram engagement.

There are many ways you can go about this, but we’ve highlighted key points below f. And they are all easy to achieve if you put in a little time and effort. Keep scrolling to check out some top tips to increase Instagram engagement. Put these to use, and you’ll be expanding your reach.

1. Increase Instagram Engagement by Understanding Your Target Audience

The first step in expanding your reach and learning how to increase Instagram engagement? Understanding and identifying your target audience. These people on the social media app can relate to your content. Your target audience should express interest in your content and be relevant to your brand to produce the best results.

Remember, frequent interactions with your audience are a big way to keep them coming back for more. Your followers may have questions about the content you share, whether it’s about products, services, or activities. Make sure to answer all that you can. It shows that you are passionate about your content and your audience. It also allows your followers to find you relatable, which can, in turn, lead to more engagement.

Man looking at his phone, trying to understand how to increase Instagram engagement.

2. Increase Instagram Engagement by Experimenting With Content

As you begin your social media journey as a business or brand, it can take time to understand what grabs your audience’s attention. To help increase Instagram engagement, we recommend that you experiment with different types of posts. It will help to identify what your audience reacts strongly to – both good and bad.

For example, do they prefer your content to be in their feed posts or Instagram stories? Will they tune in to catch your Instagram live sessions? Remember, it’s all about identifying what your audience relates best to. Luckily, Instagram makes it easy for you to determine exactly what your followers want to see more of.

You can even use built-in tools to poll your followers and get their honest input. On feed posts, encourage your audience to comment about what they want to see more. When it comes to Instagram stories, try out the sticker options. Use polls and questions to ensure you deliver what your audience wants.

Close-up photo of a smartphone, highlighting the Instagram app.

How to Get More Engagement on Instagram: 3 Common Questions

Now that you know just how vital it is to increase Instagram engagement, you may have more questions about methods to use. After all, a person’s engagement levels can hugely impact their success. With that in mind, you’ll want to ensure you are using all the creative tools available to attract new followers.

Read on as we cover a couple of common questions about how to get more engagement on Instagram. These answers will help you know what extras to add to each post type, from Instagram reels to feed images. From emojis to hashtags, we’ve got it all answered.

1. Do Emojis Increase Engagement on Instagram?

Do one joint inquiry people have regarding ways to increase Instagram engagement? The use of emojis. Sure, they are fun ways to express words and phrases through faces, symbols, or icons. But do they serve an actual purpose when it comes to a business marketing strategy? Do emojis increase engagement on Instagram? We’re here to tell you that the answer is yes.

The reason for this is easy to understand. After all, emojis are extremely popular with the younger generation. They use emojis almost as a second language, a quick way to say something without using any words. It is the same age group that many businesses are targeting on social media, so it makes sense that they would want to speak their language.

Instagram is the social media platform that has proven to host the largest emoji use. Nearly half of all captions and comments include an emoji. So, it only makes sense that brands and businesses are taking advantage of it. By using emojis in their marketing efforts for stories, reels, and feed posts, they connect with, attracting and engaging a generation full of avid social media users.

2. Do Hashtags Increase Engagement on Instagram?

Another common question people ask is – do hashtags increase engagement on Instagram? The answer here is a resounding yes. Hashtags are a way of tagging your user-generated content with words or phrases. They can help to raise awareness about your brand or product and drive new individuals to your profile. In turn, this will increase Instagram engagement for your account.

Adding hashtags to your content that are relevant to your industry can increase your visibility on the social media app. You can apply these to all forms of sharing, from Instagram stories to reels and feed posts.

However, you must you choose the right hashtags to complement your content. For example, ensure you use words and phrases that correlate to the genre or image you are posting. This way, you know your content is properly targeted at an interested audience.

After adding hashtags to your content, other users can find your content and account when searching. It’s a way of categorizing your posts. Instagram explore page can feature your content, giving your post a new audience. The more visibility your profile can achieve, the more you can increase Instagram engagement.

A women looking at her phone to learn how to increase Instagram engagement.

3. Do Instagram Stories Increase Engagement?

Indeed you are familiar with the concept of Instagram stories. Introduced to the app in 2016, they continue to reign as one of the most popular ways to share content. Stories let you quickly post your activities and moments throughout the day – in both photo and video format. This content appears together in a slideshow format. Stories offer an easy way to interact daily with your followers.

But how can they help your social media success? Do Instagram stories increase engagement? It turns out the answer is yes. Many brands and businesses have quickly realized the power of this short-lived content format. It is generally because of the built-in interaction that you can utilize with your story feed.

By this, we mean all the app’s fun extras, such as polls, quizzes, and question stickers. In fact, you can even add music to your Instagram stories. It gives you a way for your followers to quickly and easily engage with your account. If you are looking for tips to increase Instagram engagement, spend a little extra time curating the content on stories. It will pay off in the long run.

A person using a website to help increase Instagram engagement.

Websites and Apps to Increase Instagram Engagement

Of course, you can always seek outside help regarding ways to increase Instagram engagement. While this seems like cheating the system, there is no shame in asking for assistance. Many third-party apps do just this – they let you gain organic followers, likes, and views to raise your overall engagement. It comes at a price, of course.

If this interests you, take to the internet for a quick search. You’ll be able to find various options to choose from, including some that offer free Instagram follower trials to test their services. Remember that costs can be upfront and through in-app purchases after download. We also strongly recommend taking the time to do thorough research and read user reviews as well as privacy policies.

It’s important to understand what you will get from these companies and how they go about their practices. This way, you are growing your following with real people who will support your journey and help to raise your Instagram engagement. If you are looking for websites and apps to increase Instagram engagement, allow us to highlight a couple of top choices below.

Best Website to Increase Instagram Engagement: Path Social

Path Social is at the top of our list of services that help you increase Instagram engagement. They are one of the leading Instagram management agencies available and help with complete social media management. They utilize a combination of AI technology and influencer collaborations. The result is target outreach to connect with organic users that express interest and, most importantly, engagement.

Path Social partners with thousands of top Instagram profiles, pages, and influencers to promote its clients. Shoutouts help to drive new followers to these clients’ pages and increase traffic. The best part? Path Social only engages in organic promotion and growth with authentic followers.

For them, it’s all about understanding their client’s identified Instagram target audience. It includes characteristics like age, gender, and location. It helps narrow the search focus to find quality users consistently engaging with your Instagram account.

Another business aspect that will catch your interest is how Path Social interacts with your Instagram account. You don’t have to provide your Instagram login information to use the service or provide them with your password. This means there is no risk to your Instagram account.

An influencer sharing content with her followers to increase Instagram engagement.

Best App to Increase Instagram Engagement: CrowdFire

One app that stands out as a way to increase Instagram engagement is CrowdFire. They offer management services for your social media account, in addition to a promise of an increase in followers. Another plus? Their scheduling tool allows you to plan your content line-up ahead of time.

CrowdFire can help you understand user engagement and social trends, such as hashtags and caption options. Users can also upgrade to receive a breakdown of their social analytics, which tracks data like new Instagram followers, unfollows, and likes. It translates into a more significant reach and audience interactions, increasing your overall engagement.

When it comes to CrowdFire, they offer a variety of pricing and subscription plans. They even have a free version, letting you test the app to see if it is the type of help you need. With this, you can link up to 3 social media accounts and receive unlimited content recommendations. Monthly and yearly plans are available if you’d like even more resources.

At Path Social, we’ve built up an in-house platform of Instagram influencers and an AI-targeting algorithm over the past decade. That’s how we reach targeted organic users who are interested and engaged. And that’s why no one can replicate our results, which means you’ll build an Instagram community that lasts! Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.