If you’re a designer considering Instagram, how can your content get the most engagement? This article will explain how.
First, What is Instagram Engagement?
Engagement refers to how much people interact with your content by liking and commenting. Other engagements include following you and sharing your posts outside of Instagram. Engagement shows that people are interested in what you have to say. The more engaged your users are, the more the algorithm will recommend your content to others.
If people are not engaging with your posts, then something is up. You may not be making your content as eye-catching as it could be. Or, your captions and hashtags may not be good enough.
How to Get More Engagement
Here are some proven ways to get more engagement through your content.
Image Composition
First, let’s discuss image composition. Depending on your niche and audience, the images that will work for your account are subjective. However, there are general design rules that you should follow. These rules can include:
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is when you divide your image into two horizontal and two vertical lines. Your most important part of the picture should be in one of the four areas where your lines intersect. This composition makes your subject more interesting than if you shot them in the center.
Colors
If you’re creating an image, it should have colors that contrast, complement each other, or invoke a particular emotion. Black and white is always a good contrast. Red and green or orange and blue are two examples of contrasting colors. Finally, specific colors, like blue, can bring emotions, which can relax the person.
Natural Lighting
If you’re shooting a photo, let nature take over. Sure, there is a place for professional studio lighting, but if the sun hits your subject just right, or if you can take a beautiful window shot indoors, it’s much more stunning. Try playing around at different times of the day to see what the best natural lighting for your subject is.
Don’t Be Too Busy
If you’re doing graphic design, you don’t want it to be too busy and take away from the point of the image. Use negative space to make your central subject or text stand out. If your image feels cluttered, people may get lost in the composition.
Mobile Optimization
Finally, remember that you’re creating photos and graphic illustrations meant for phones, for the most part. As such, you want your image to be easily digestible through a phone screen. So be sure that the subject and the composition are easy to make out.
Get Creative
We can discuss many other rules, such as depth, pattern, and more. And it would be best if you learned these rules. However, don’t let them usurp your creativity. Sometimes, you can bend or even break these rules for success.
Have a Great Caption
You have created the perfect image. Now, for the caption. Captions on Instagram can be just as tricky as shooting that subject right. You may have a basic description of the image, but you need more than that.
The first four lines should be the most essential facts about the image. The caption will cut off, and the user must tap to see more. Your caption may give more context about the image or provide a call to action. For example, if you’re uploading a picture of a product you’re selling, your caption may tell users where to buy it and if there are any promo codes users can take advantage of. Captions may take a few drafts to get right. Look at your competition for inspiration.
Hashtags
Hashtags are how people find your content. Some people may spam their posts with hashtags such as #viral to get them to more eyes. The problem with these prominent hashtags is that your photo has a good chance of getting lost in the mix. Instead, your hashtags should focus on your niche. You want hashtags with enough activity so people can find it but less competition so your post isn’t overlooked. This will require a bit of research on your end. You can look at your competition to see what tags they use or do some research on hashtag-cemented websites.
Ideally, your post should have around five hashtags. If applicable, you may have three dedicated to your niche: a viral hashtag and a trending hashtag. Try peppering them in the caption and in your first comment.
Engage With Your Audience
Another proven way to get engagement on Instagram is to interact with your audience. Follow people in your niche and support their content. If people compliment your work, reply with a “Thanks!” Interacting with your audience shows that you are not above them. As a result, people are more likely to support your content.
Spend Some Money to Boost Your Engagement
Instagram is a platform that is free to use, but you can benefit from an ads campaign. By paying to boost your posts, you can reach your target audience.
Which posts you boost is up to you. We recommend boosting content that you feel best represents your brand. You may promote promotions or giveaways as well if you want more engagement.
However, that’s not the only way you can spend money to boost engagement. Many services sell boosts of different types. For example, you can pay to buy likes for Instagram. These services work well if you have a new account and want engagement boosts.
You do not have to spend too much money to get the most engagement; sometimes, a little boost goes a long way. However, you should increase your advertising budget as your brand grows to keep it on top.
Final Thoughts
These are several ways you can grow as a graphical designer on Instagram. It can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the platform. But you can reach the top of the algorithm by creating some eye-catching imagery and optimizing your content.
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