14 Instagram Hacks To Get More Likes, Comments And Regrams
Since the Instagram algorithm was presented, many individuals, like myself, have been receiving less engagement on organic posts. Many have tried just about everything in an attempt to boost Instagram engagement with less than stellar results. Thankfully, there are proven ways which has helped me boost my engagement so this can be done. Below are 14 hacks you can use to increase Instagram likes, comments and regrams.
Looking for tips on increasing your follower count too? Then also check out my earlier post on 11 unique ways to get more Instagram followers!
1. Use Instagram Stories Highlights
Instagram story highlights are an immense addition that should definitely be utilized. These are essentially collections of videos and images that can be indefinitely ‘pinned’ to your profile. Unlike Instagram stories that expire after 24 hours, story highlights can be utilized to broadcast your most essential promotions, information and updates.
2. Write a Long Caption
As Instagram increasingly becomes a microblogging platform, individuals are sharing longer captions that include updates concerning their life or business. Writing long captions will assist you in connecting more with your followers, which adds value to your feed. In place of simply viewing a pretty picture, individuals will recognize your intent behind its posting.
3. Add a Geotag to Your Photo
It is important to add a geotag to your pic. If you happen upon a cool location in your city, tag it for other individuals to also check it out. The exposure you will attain from geotagging the location will outweigh the disclosure of a ‘secret spot,’ by far.
4. Hack Your Instagram Stories
You can super-power your Instagram stories by using a hashtags in your stories. You can use up to 10 hashtags in your story so individuals searching for stories related to those things will happily gravitate towards your post. Obviously, adding 10 hashtags to your story wouldn’t look visually appealing, but there’s a hack for that and that’s hiding it. You can hide your hashtags by using your index finger and thumb to make your group of hashtags super tiny. That way, your post is well-received, relevant, and the extra hashtags can bring in more views, potential likes, and followers.
Instagram’s ‘Location’ feature is also super-handy as it allows you to Geo-tag where the content was shot. This tactic is especially strong for landmark locations like the Sydney Opera House or the Brooklyn Bridge. You can add these by simply tapping the happy-face icon on top of the story after it has been created and simply choose the location sticker.
5. Tag a Brand in Your Instagram Story
It is highly beneficial to tag a brand in your Instagram story. Once a person or brand is tagged, a notification is sent to their Direct Message Inbox, making the story available for the party to view and repost to their own story. This can bring more traffic to your account (especially if the brand has a large following) thus boost the engagement and increase Instagram likes on your posts.
6. Reply to Your Comments
Being social is essential since Instagram is a social media platform. The purpose of utilizing Instagram is for engaging and informing your followers. Ignoring comments can be interpreted that you do not appreciate their connection. As more and more followers come onboard, it becomes more challenging to reply to each comment. However, it is important to respond and to tag them with the “@username handle.” This encourages them to continue coming back to your feed.
7. Have an Instagram Hashtag Strategy
Getting into the much-coveted Top-9 position on your favorite hashtag is not as hard as it may sound. Knowing what to look for will enable you to replicate the achievement of others and engineer it to increase Instagram likes.
Finding out which hashtags to use can often times be difficult. A good rule of thumb is to stick to your niche and avoid gimmicky hashtags (ex: #followforfollow, #likeforlike) as well as hashtags used a million or more times.
This Instragram Hashtag course by Alex Tooby really helped me develop a hashtag strategy that has massively increased my engagement. Definitely check it out if you’re still struggling with hashtag research.
8. @mention Your Stories
When you are mentioned in an individual’s story, you will have the choice to repost it instantly, adding the video or photo to your own story. The feature is known as @mention Sharing and is initiated when a user is tagged in your story.
The individual mentioned will get a notification by way of direct message. That individual can then like it, comment on it or simply tap the image and post it to their own story.
9. Join an Instagram Pod
Instagram has highlighted that, currently, comments carry more weight than likes. The more comments made, the more likely people will find your picture in the explore tab. Create or join a comment pod on apps like Telegram to make sure that every photo posted has instant engagement on it.
10. Bluer Photos Perform Better
Based on recent studies, blue photos have been found to perform better on Instagram. Blue images mostly receive 24 percent more likes, on average, than pictures with red and orange. Color theory finds that blue is relaxing, peaceful and calming. Individuals who use social media for blowing off steam are typically more attracted to this kind of content. Whether the pic has a slight blue filter or was taken in a tropical setting, it will definitely get more likes and comments than others.
11. Add a Call to Action in Your Caption
If you ask a question, it is highly likely your followers will answer. Starting conversations is a great way to develop a highly-engaged audience. Most individuals want to participate and feel like they belong. The easier it is to answer the question, the higher the response will be; this is a CTA or Call to Action. It is important to get over the fear of not getting any response. Asking questions will show that your audience is more than just a number to you and you care about them. Post a question at the end of each caption and individuals will begin to catch on.
12. Do an Instagram Story Poll
Most Instagram users will keenly view content by the same individuals every day; this makes it possible for you to ‘train’ them to expect your content. Stories add a personal touch that builds a personal brand. Additionally, to increase Instagram likes, you can add interactive elements and polls to your stories to encourage dialogue instead of a one-way conversation.
13. Share Instagram Posts To Your Story
You are now able to share any post on your feed or the feed of someone else to your Instagram story and then link it back directly to the post. This is remarkable for boosting engagement rate and getting more views. Below is an outline of how it is done:
• Go to the post you wish to share (this could be yours or another individual’s)
• Tap on the airplane icon below the image
• Choose ‘add post to your story’
• Tap on the image to alter the style (you can text, stickers, and etc.)
When shared, you see a preview of the photo, then the ability to tap it and be taken DIRECTLY to the post!
14. Have an Interesting Life
This is not exactly a hack but nobody really cares about a grainy, poorly-lit selfie. The influencers who get the most views have one thing in common, they are interesting. They explore, travel widely and consistently try new things. Even if regularly jetting off to another country is not in your budget, you can definitely find something fascinating in your own location. Look at it from the perspective of a tourist and explore new activities. Many individuals use Instagram daily to plan their travel adventures, so show off the #instaworthy places in your location.
WANT TO GET MORE INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS? NEED MORE ENGAGEMENT & SALES?
