Looking to increase engagement on Instagram? Well, you’re in the right place. With Instagram’s newly launched features, there’s more opportunities to drive likes, comments, and reshares than ever before. 

From Instagram Reels to Instagram Stories stickers, there are plenty of ways to expand your reach and encourage interactions between you and your followers. 

Let’s dive in! 

Make More Instagram Reels 

It’s no secret that video content is going to be a big part of 2022’s content planning. Even Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said that video is driving the most amount of engagement compared to any other type of content. Part of video’s success is due to how algorithms prioritize video content. Algorithms boost content based on user engagement. Since video content grabs user attention longer than image or text-based content, it's more likely users will see videos versus static, graphic posts. Aside from Instagram’s algorithm, video is also a lot more inclusive than other content types. It’s audio and text capabilities make it so many more people can consume it. This is great for increasing engagement and capturing new audiences. 

Use Instagram Stories Stickers 

Instagram Stories stickers are not new per se, but they’re effective and interactive – which will increase your Instagram Stories engagement dramatically. Something as simple as adding the music sticker with trending audio or linking out to a website can help your followers quickly take action. There are a few different kinds of stickers to use and here are some of the latest and our favorites. 

"Add Yours" Sticker

The "Add Yours" sticker is a way for accounts to create viral content chains. This sticker encourages your followers to share a photo. For example, most recently the viral Add Yours trend that was going around was the “Share your first photo on your camera roll,” this led to hilarious and random photos. You can make this trend relate to your brand more specifically by asking them any niche-related questions. For example, if you're a fashion brand you can ask them what their must-have winter clothing item is. 

Instagram Polls, Quizzes, and Music Stickers

Instagram Polls, Quizzes, and music stickers are great ways to show off your personality via Stories. Creating silly polls or quizzes will gauge your audience's interest while also having a lot of fun. There’s also the question box sticker that allows accounts to share a story with the question box sticker like “ask me anything” that allows your followers to write in questions for you to answer throughout the day. These types of stickers can lead to opportunities for a Stories series that your users can look forward to week after week. For example, Jordan Firstman, a comedian created an IG Stories series where he asked his followers to share their deepest darkest secrets and then he reacted to them in his Stories. It was hilarious and easy and helped him build his brand to what it is today. 

Interact With Comments and Direct Messages (DMs) 

A huge social media trend for 2022 is brands becoming more human. Followers and customers want to know that there is a person behind the account. By interacting with comments and DMs, you’re able to build trust with your audience and also become more transparent. 

PLANOLY Pro-tip: By pinning top comments or questions in your post’s comments section, you’re able to draw attention to commonly asked questions making your customers feel like you’re really paying attention to them. Learn more about our comments manager feature to keep track of your comments, so you never miss! 

Incorporate Memes 

Relatable, shareable, and near-universally liked, memes are a solid way to keep your content current. Memes are a way to play with pop culture and appeal to all kinds of audiences, especially younger ones. When a meme is relatable, it leads to more comments, Story shares, and saves. Make memes one of your content planning buckets. 

Related Article: How to Create Content Buckets

Create Savable Posts

Like Memes, any graphic image that’s relatable or educational is worth saving and sharing. Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of brands reshare Tweets, quotes, and infographics. This type of content is easy for followers to share with a friend or share to their story. It’s not only engaging but leads to better discoverability. 

Go on Instagram Live 

Instagram Live is a way for you to connect directly with your followers and in turn, increase your discoverability. There are a variety of ways to use IG Live, but one of our favorite ways is hosting live Q&As with your followers. This is their opportunity to learn more about you and your brand. They can ask about upcoming events or product launches. They can ask questions directly in the chatbox that you can answer live. The more often you do this more they have to look forward to and most likely they’ll attend. 

Write Captions With Call-To-Actions 

Captions with a clear call to action can significantly improve engagement. The more comments you receive the first hour your post is live, the more your post will show up in your followers’ feed. When writing captions it’s smart to ask your followers to do something such as add their answers in the comments or reshare to their story to enter a giveaway. The more you encourage your followers to participate the more likely they will and once your followers see a few other accounts commenting they will too. For example, we recently shared a post that asked our community to comment on their most recent emojis. This was a fun way to predict the future and was a way to build community too. 

Related Article: How to Write Strong Captions

Leveraging the tools you have on Instagram and creating content that directly calls out your followers is a great way to connect with your followers and drive future engagement on your account. We hope you feel inspired and can’t wait to see the viral content chain you start!