This is the Holy Grail of Instagram. Social Media Managers are paid heftily to boost post engagements. So why is this so important on Instagram? Even if you have a well-thought-out and well-designed post, it won’t help your Instagram growth if only 10 people liked it and no one commented. That’s the start of your page’s death.

Having good content is synonymous to having great engagement. Engagement does not only refer to likes and comments, but also shares and saves. The more engagement you have, the more people will see your post.

But don’t just rely on likes and comments. Sure, you may have thousands of likes, and a few comments here and there, however, don’t celebrate yet. Instagram has a very different algorithm when it comes to which post will rise to the top. Shares and saves weigh more than likes and comments. If people shared your post, it means they resonate with it, or that they liked it so much, it’s worth posting it on their Instagram accounts:

So, more engagement means better reach, right? So how exactly do you get more engagements on your posts? Here are some tips on how you can get better engagement and reach that explore page on Instagram for better, wider reach.

1. The Initial Hour
When you post something on Instagram, the most crucial time is the first hour. You basically want to attract as many people as you can the moment you hit share on Instagram.
2. Replying to and Liking Comments
During the first hour, it is also crucial to like and reply to any comment that comes in. Make sure that you converse with them, ask them follow up questions, basically, start a conversation with them. If other people see that you reply to comments, and engage with them, they will be encouraged to say their piece. It’s crucial to have as many people as you can to comment on your post. Do this on ALL your posts, and you will see your engagements increase over time.
3. Join Groups
It is important that you also join engagement groups on Instagram. In June of 2018, Instagram has reached 1 billion monthly users. That is a lot to compete with! This is why if you are just starting out, it is important that you join Instagram groups that have established members, whose only goals are to comment or like new posts made by the other group members. These people are also handling Instagram pages, and so, if you comment and like on their posts, they will reciprocate the act. This is just to build the first few interactions that you will have on your fresh post. Most groups are free, however, there are those that charge a small monthly fee. We do recommend going for a group that charges a monthly fee so that you know the people involved in the group are invested financially. You can start with free groups, however, if you are not getting enough traction in that group, it’s better to opt for a paying group. Remember, you don’t need to stay forever in these groups. You can opt-out anytime you feel you have enough followers and engagement to continue on your own.