When it comes to building your Instagram community, engagement is a major component.
But how do you increase your Instagram engagement in 2023?
From creating memes to hosting giveaways, we're sharing 11 tactics to help boost engagement on the app — plus, the best tool for analyzing your posts.
Table of Contents
- What is Instagram Engagement?
- How to Get More Engagement on Instagram in 2023
- Tactic #1: Engage Through Stories Stickers
- Tactic #2: Create Relatable Memes
- Tactic #3: Create Shareable Graphics
- Tactic #4: Share Information in Carousel Posts
- Tactic #5: Include Call-to-actions
- Tactic #6: Let Your Personality Shine on Stories
- Tactic #7: Host a Giveaway
- Tactic #8: Collab on Instagram Reels
- Tactic #9: Use the Add Yours Sticker
- Tactic #10: Post When Your Audience is Engaged
- Tactic #11: Use Relevant Hashtags
What is Instagram Engagement?
Your Instagram engagement is a calculation that shows what percentage of your following has interacted with your content.
It typically takes into account the number of likes and comments a post receives in relation to your overall follower count.
In some cases it'll also consider the number of impressions, saves, and shares a post receives.
So, if your followers are commenting, liking, saving, and sharing your content, your engagement rate will show it.
How to Calculate Your Engagement Rate on Instagram
To calculate the Instagram engagement rate for a post, divide the total number of likes and comments by your follower count, and then multiply by 100 to give you a percentage.
Alternatively, Later’s social media management platform automatically calculates your Instagram engagement rate for every post you share.
Head to Later’s Analytics dashboard and select the Post Performance tab.
From here, you’ll be able to see how all of your recent posts have performed in an easy-to-use table format:
You can also filter your posts to see which ones drove the highest engagement rate for your account, for up to one year.
TIP: Track of your Instagram engagement and monitor your weekly growth with Later’s Instagram Analytics tool:
How to Get More Engagement on Instagram in 2023
Here are 11 tried-and-tested ways to increase your Instagram engagement in 2023:
Engage Through Stories Stickers
Create Relatable Memes
Create Shareable Graphics
Share Information in Carousel Posts
Include Call-to-actions
Let Your Personality Shine on Stories
Host a Giveaway
Collab on Instagram Reels
Use the Add Yours Sticker
Post When Your Audience Is Engaged
Use Relevant Hashtags
Tactic #1: Engage With Your Audience Through Instagram Stories Stickers
Instagram Stories stickers can be the first step in building a loyal community that feels connected to your brand.
On stories, there are a number of quick and easy stickers to use — like polls, questions, and quizzes:
One of the most engaging uses of Instagram Stories stickers is the question sticker.
The feature allows you to have direct conversations with your followers — prompting them to ask you questions, or opening the floor entirely.
Our advice? Use it to host an AMA (ask me anything) just like Tinx:
Remember, each time a follower interacts with a sticker, it counts as engagement!
So, why not include on a sticker on your next Instagram Story?
Tactic #2: Create and Share Relatable Memes
Simply put: Memes are the way to every user's heart.
They're funny, creative, and relatable — and in 2023, relatability is where it's at.
With the right meme, your audience will be liking, commenting, and sharing your post — regardless of your niche or industry.
For example, you can use branded text and a trending photo that ties into your content pillars, like Melanie Laurene:
Or, source on-brand user-generated content (UGC) and credit the original creator like Later:
Whether someone reposts your meme to their Instagram Story or DMs it to a friend, the more engagement you'll see.
Wondering where to start? Bookmark this blog post: How to Make Instagram Memes That Go Viral
Tactic #3: Create Shareable Graphics
Quotes, graphics, and repurposed Tweets are everywhere on Instagram — and they're perfect for driving engagement.
You’ll find that Instagram users love to share quotes on their stories — especially if they’re inspirational, funny, or relatable.
A recent trend is repurposing Tweets into Instagram feed posts, and it's just as engaging as it is popular.
Simply screenshot your Tweet of choice and pop it on a visually appealing background using an editing app like PicsArt.
Designer or not, you’ve got this!
Tactic #5: Include Call-to-actions In Your Captions
Including a call-to-action (CTA) in your caption is a sure way to get more Instagram engagement — especially if you ask a question:
You can ask for advice, recommendations, or what type of content your followers want to see from you.
Another way to drive engagement with CTAs is to encourage your followers to click the link in your Instagram bio.
Since you can’t include direct links in your Instagram feed post captions, using a free link in bio tool is a great way to combat this.
With Later's Linkin.bio, you can build a clickable version of your Instagram feed:
When users click the link in your bio, they’ll be able to tap on any image or button and be directed straight to the links you’ve provided.
This can be a landing page for a product launch, a blog post, your YouTube channel, and so much more!
Ready to drive more traffic from Instagram? Join Later today to turn your Instagram feed into a clickable landing page!
Tactic #6: Let Your Personality Shine Through on Instagram Stories
If you want to drive engagement on Instagram, letting your personality shine is a great place to start.
Stories are the perfect format for chatty, informal interactions — share a personal anecdote, ask questions, and show your face!
The popular podcaster and influencer Alexandra Nikolajev frequently jumps on Instagram Stories to talk with her community:
Likewise, Later’s social team shows up on stories with tips or behind-the-scenes content:
Even as a brand, it’s important to show your face every once in a while. Your followers want to see that you’re more than a logo.
Looking to level-up your Instagram Stories strategy? With Later’s Instagram Stories scheduler, you can prep a whole week’s worth of stories in one go — create an account today:
Tactic #7: Host an Enticing Giveaway
Everyone loves free stuff.
And with this knowledge, it only makes sense to include giveaways in your Instagram strategy —but not just any giveaway.
In 2023, giveaways need to be intentional, enticing to your existing and target audience, and authentic to your brand:
Whether it’s a product, service, or experience, with the right prize up for grabs, you’ll be sure to rack up engagement.
TIP: The tag, follow, and share entry requirement is a straightforward way to get tons of engagement from a single post.
Tactic #8: Collab on Your Instagram Reels
Instagram Collabs are a great way to boost engagement on Instagram.
The Collabs feature allows you to invite someone to collaborate on a Feed post or Reel, so that they can share the content with their followers too:
Essentially, you can co-author content with a fellow Instagram user, and the post will appear on both of your profiles.
This way, you’ll be able to share views, likes, and comments — letting you leverage and engage with each other’s communities.
Tactic #9: Inspire Your Community With the Add Yours Sticker
With the introduction of the Add Yours sticker, it’s now easier than ever to create a viral challenge with your audience.
From summer highlights to creators encouraging users to share embarrassing childhood pictures, the Add Yours sticker could be your ticket to engagement success.
If you’re a skincare company, try asking your followers to share their morning routine. Or if you’re a photographer, ask your audience to share their favorite photos:
The sky’s the limit with this trendy feature – you could reach hundreds of new accounts from one single sticker. Talk about engagement score!
Tactic #10: Post When Your Audience Is Most Engaged
Posting when your audience is most engaged is a great tactic for boosting engagement.
At Later, we analyzed over 11M posts, and found that the best time to post on Instagram is 4 AM.
However, your own personal best time will vary based on your audience's behavior.
So, how do you know when your audience is most engaged?
With Later’s Best Time to Post feature, the tool automatically calculates your top posting times based on your best-performing posts from the recent month:
Your best times will be highlighted in your weekly content calendar, making it easy for you to schedule Instagram posts for when your audience is most likely to engage.
Game-changer!
FYI: Later’s Best Time to Post feature is available on all paid plans. Upgrade now to find the best days and times to post on Instagram for maximum engagement.
Tactic #11: Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are, first and foremost, a reach tactic — but greater reach typically equals higher engagement levels.
In a 2021 Later study, results showed that posts with 30 Instagram hashtags received the highest engagement rates, on average:
The trick to encouraging the most engagement possible? Make sure your hashtags are tapping into niche communities that resonate with your content.
If you're struggling to come up with hashtags, use Later’s Instagram Hashtag Suggestions tool, to help find relevant hashtags.
With the feature, you can find hashtags based on the content of your post and similar hashtags in your industry.
To use it, tap "Hashtag Suggestions."
From there, you'll have two options to populate hashtags:
Auto: Get automatic hashtag suggestions based on your caption.
Search: Enter a hashtag and it’ll suggest relevant ones.
And there it is — 11 ways you can creatively increase your Instagram engagement in 2023.
Next time you’re planning and creating your content, try to incorporate these tips and watch the engagement roll-in!
TIP: Sign up to Later to start scheduling, managing, and analyzing your Instagram posts. Your Instagram engagement will grow in no time.
