If you’re using Instagram to boost your business, you’ve got the right idea. It’s one of the top two social media apps in the United States. The next step for turning your IG presence into undeniable results is simple: start building your Instagram engagement.
Instagram engagement includes all of the ways that users can interact with your content — through likes, comments, shares, and saves. When engagement is strong, this means that your audience may feel enough of a connection with your brand to make a purchase.
Heightened engagement can even help your content get prioritized by the Instagram algorithm, which means you’ll continually reach more and more of the right people who would be interested in your brand.
Having a large number of followers alone doesn’t guarantee a high engagement rate. To activate your following, you should focus on building an active community of people who are loyal to your brand.
So, how do you do it? First, it’s important to know what different types of engagement there are on Instagram. What is engagement? Really, it comes down to the degree of your audience’s involvement with your content. The level of their interest in and interaction with your posts is indicated in how they engage with your stories, posts, and comments.
- How Can you Increase Your Instagram Engagement Rate?
- Is a 30% Engagement Rate Good?
- How do I Fix Low Engagement on Instagram?
- Why has my Engagement Dropped on Instagram in 2022?
- Why is Engagement so Low on Instagram?
- What is a Good Engagement Rate in 2022?
- How do you Revive a Dead Instagram?
- Does Deleting Instagram Posts Affect Engagement?
- How to Clean Your Instagram Account
How Can you Increase Your Instagram Engagement Rate?
Your Instagram engagement rate is the number of likes and comments you receive per post, divided by the number of followers you have, multiplied by 100. A result of anywhere from one to three is thought to be good, while anything above three is considered an excellent engagement rate.
Read Also: How to Boost Search Engine Rankings
In order to increase your Instagram engagement, try your hand at these easy steps we’ve compiled below.
1. Be consistent
One of the biggest challenges is to keep people enticed to keep coming back to engage with your content. A good way to build a loyal following on Instagram and keep people entertained is to post regularly. This will show your followers that you are committed and loyal to your brand but also to them.
There’s nothing more attractive than someone who is truly invested in their content and passionate about what they do. And there’s nothing less inspiring than an account that only bothers to post something new once every two months.
But even more importantly, by posting consistently, your followers will get into the habit of engaging with your content on a regular basis. This will help you build a loyal relationship with them that will ultimately boost their engagement with you.
If posting on Instagram consistently is a priority for you (which it should be) using a social media calendar is a great way to achieve this as it will allow you to plan and schedule ahead.
2. Use hashtags
Instagram was built on hashtags. It is the platform’s primary method of sorting and filtering content. Unlike Twitter, where most people use just one or two hashtags in a tweet, Instagrammers may use up to 30 hashtags per post. But using too many hashtags that are irrelevant could make the system think you are spamming followers which could place you at risk of receiving an Instagram shadowban.
Hashtags that lead to a topic page can be used in your bio, and Instagram Stories or be location-based to create higher visibility, or can be used to create user-generated content campaigns. Hashtags on Instagram are usually more descriptive than on Twitter. Content hashtags such as location hashtags are particularly useful to increase engagement.
These hashtags are not necessarily trending or extremely popular but are commonly used and therefore enhances the search engine optimization (SEO) of your posts as users would use them to search certain topics.
Make sure you employ the right hashtag analytics to track whether you are using the best hashtags to improve your engagement rate.
3. Stick with one filter
Because Instagram is primarily visually-driven, its most popular feature is the filter options that give your images and videos a distinct look and identity if used consistently. According to a WebDam report, 60% of the best-performing brands on Instagram use the same filter each and every time they post.
So try out a few filters and then stick to one that gives your content a distinct look and feel so that your followers can recognize and relate to it. Graphic design company Canva did a study that showed Clarendon is the most used Instagram filter in the US and worldwide. Other studies show that brightness is the key to attracting viewers and more importantly, engagement.
If you don’t like the filters Instagram offers, there are tons of third-party photo editing apps that require various degrees of technical know-how.
4. Post Instagram Stories regularly
As we all know, Instagram Stories only last 24 hours (although you can save them to your profile for those who missed it) but if you use them like a pro, you can get much more mileage out of your Stories. Every time you add a new Story, your profile image gets red circle around it, indicating to your followers that there is new content.
By posting every day, you keep the content fresh for your audience with a constant reminder of your new content. Your followers will learn to come back regularly to check if you have posted a new Story and this way you will increase engagement.
You can also categorize and share stories again using the Stories Highlights feature across the top of your profile page. This is a great way to showcase stories you’ve done in the past that all follow a theme. Categorizing them according to themes makes it easier for users to find content that they’re interested in.
Remember to use hashtags in your Stories, just like you would in regular Instagram posts. With Stories, you can use broader and more popular hashtags, as long as they are relevant to the content you’re posting.
5. Get feedback with polls, questions, and stickers
A great way to get feedback from your followers is by using polls. You can ask them what their favorite products are, what they enjoy about the content you post, and what they want to see more of. You can then use this feedback in crafting your future posts for maximum engagement.
The “Ask Me Anything” question is also great for engagement. This allows your followers to ask questions about your brand, your personal life (if you want to share), or useful information that you are an expert on.
The Swipe Meter allows you to survey your audience to get their thoughts on something. Use it to find out how much your audience loves a specific product, workout, outfit, etc.
6. Be careful of follower fatigue
Have you ever read the news and thought that every article is presented as the biggest problem in the world? Being passionate and enthusiastic about your brand is good. But being overzealous can be exhausting to your followers. Don’t shout at your audience or compose every caption to have a sense of urgency. This will only teach your followers over time that nothing you post is urgent. Thus, have the exact opposite effect you want.
If you are a social media influencer, you are in the business of information – you are giving your followers valuable information about certain products, brands, trends, or items that will help them make decisions. You want your followers to feel like you are interested in things that may be of use to them, or may add value to their lives.
If you’re unsure whether you are causing follower fatigue, think of an instance where you felt like unfollowing someone, or unsubscribing to an email, or muting a profile in your feed. Why did you do it? Listen to your gut. This will help you find the right tone and frequency in your engagement with your followers to make sure they stay tuned.
7. Mention others
If you feature any person or brand in your post, mention them. Even better if it’s in an Instagram Story where they can share your post in their own Story. This not only helps increase your engagement but expands your reach because it allows people who follow the person or brand you’ve tagged to see your content as well.
8. Explore Instagram’s video features
Media agency Zenith predicts that by 2020, consumers will spend 84 minutes a day watching online video, up 25% from 67 minutes in 2018. That’s a lot of time spent watching videos and if you’re not using this feature, you are missing out.
There is simply no arguing with the efficacy and popularity of online video content. Instagram knows this and offers a range of video options for marketers and influencers to use that accommodate various video lengths and formats.
Instagram Stories’ live video option can be very handy for big reveals about new products or services. Or you can use a prerecorded ad for more curated, strategized content. Instagram Stories can mash up videos and stills into a single ad or standalone 60-second videos. The latest feature, Instagram TV is ideal for long-form features.
Video content makes your followers stay on your profile for longer, which means higher engagement. It’s simply a must if you are looking to increase engagement time.
9. Be authentic
You can be as clever, funny or artistic as you want, nothing beats being authentic. When you really live your Instagram brand, it shows. This is true of your photos, captions, videos, and stories. You want to show your followers real content that shows them the value of your brand.
This means sometimes showing them the flops or the behind-the-scenes, not-so-perfect images. It also means having conversations with your followers in the comments, thanking them for their support, and encouraging them to explore other brands, even if it means giving the opposition a shout-out.
Repost your followers’ images in which they tagged you. Think of Australian fitness role model Kayla Itsines whose Bikini Body Program absolutely exploded. She often shares the success stories of her clients on her Instagram page and congratulates and motivates them.
Having unique and believable content establishes trust with your followers and is your most valuable commodity as an influencer as this is what brands and businesses are looking for when employing social media influencers in their marketing strategy.
Is a 30% Engagement Rate Good?
The first option for calculating your Instagram engagement rate is to divide their total number of likes and comments (past 30 days) by their follower count, and then multiply by 100 to give you a percentage.
So what is a good engagement rate?
To understand what the number actually means and whether it is good or bad. Below is an industry-standard guideline so you can benchmark results:
Less than 1% = low engagement rate
Between 1% and 3.5% = average/good engagement rate
Between 3.5% and 6% = high engagement rate
Above 6% = very high engagement rate
In summary, as an industry standard, an engagement rate on Instagram between 1% and 3% is generally good, it is the average we see on an influencer’s profile. If the engagement rate is higher than 3%, that is a good sign that their audience is very engaged with their content, and if it is below 1%, it means their audience as a whole is not very engaged with their content.
Keep in mind, that a number of things influence the engagement rate on Instagram, such as the time of each individual post, the frequency of posting, the number of followers, the content and messaging, and the Instagram algorithm (and the limitations that sometimes come with it).
So when you are deciding what influencer to work with or comparing a cohort of influencers, make sure you consider engagement rate. It’s an important metric to consider and should not be ignored when choosing influencers for your campaign.
How do I Fix Low Engagement on Instagram?
If your engagement rate is lower than you’d like, here are some tips you can use to improve your Instagram engagement rate.
1. Grow Your Following and Engage with Other Accounts
One of the best ways to increase your engagement rate is to increase the amount that you engage with others’ accounts. Whether you’re commenting on your followers’ posts or liking posts from pages you enjoy or who might want to follow you, engaging with others encourages them to engage with your posts.
Growing your following with the right, real followers is another great way to improve your engagement. New followers are also often eager to engage. They chose to follow you for a reason (probably because of your great, captivating content), and the algorithm tends to show your new followers multiple posts when they first follow you. This gives them a chance to see what you post and also engage with you.
2. Share User-Generated Content
UGC is a great way to encourage your followers to engage with your posts. Because UGC isn’t created by your brand, users see it as more relatable and trustworthy. Using UGC also gives you a bit of a break from constantly creating new content ideas, and it might even provide you with some inspiration.
To operationalize this, explore a UGC platform that not only helps you acquire this content but also uses it in multiple ways. With UGC, you can encourage your audience to share their own stories of your product or brand. Pixlee then helps you collect that content and curate it so it’s published to whichever platform you’d prefer. You can even make it shoppable on Instagram to help drive conversions.
Users often love to hear from their favorite brands, so when you reach out to get permission to share their content, you’re also building their brand loyalty. If you’re struggling to see the ROI of this content, Pixlee has a custom dashboard so you can see how your content is performing.
By adding UGC to your content strategy, you’re encouraging your followers to help with your marketing efforts. And chances are when you share their posts, they’ll want to tell their audience that you featured them. UGC is a fairly simple way to help skyrocket your engagement.
3. Add Hashtags
Do you have a hashtag strategy? If you’re not already using hashtags, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon because they’re an excellent tool for getting your content in front of potential followers. Before you start throwing any hashtag you can think of on your next post, let’s go over a couple of strategy tips.
First, Instagram lets you use 30 hashtags per post, so you’ll want to take advantage of all 30 if you can. (Don’t go over that number though, or they might not let you publish it!) You don’t have to use all of these on every post, but you probably would on important posts that you want to have high traffic and visibility. Just make sure you’re choosing hashtags that are relevant.
Relevance is an important tip to keep in mind. If you have a photo of an apple and your caption is all about a pie recipe, using #dancestudio probably isn’t going to be a good idea. People searching for #dancestudio might not appreciate your apple photo and recipe. And Instagram’s technology is getting smart too. With AI, they can tell that your apple picture and hashtag don’t go together…which isn’t favorable for you.
Finally, make sure you’re using hashtags your audience is searching for and using. When you find a strong community- or industry-focused hashtag that doesn’t have too many posts already, run with it. And mix it up! Use hashtags that relate to your image, even if they’re a little off from your typical message. You never know who might come across your posts and be interested.
4. Use Call to Actions (CTAs)
Do you have a CTA in all of your posts? Whether it’s “check out the link in my bio to sign up for my email list” or even just “double tap if you agree,” asking your followers to take action is a key engagement opportunity. If you’re just looking for engagement, asking followers to like, comment, or save your posts is an obvious step.
If you use Instagram stories, (and you should be) you’ll want to add some CTAs there too. Engagement in stories isn’t just ‘replies’, although those are great because they let you chat with your followers and begin to build those relationships.
Instagram story features such as question boxes, polls, quizzes, swipe-up, and other interactive buttons also count toward your engagement. So make sure you ask your followers for their thoughts, opinions, advice, or whatever fits your brand.
5. Optimize Your Bio
Speaking of sending people to the link in your bio, let’s take a look at your bio for a moment. Your bio is your best chance to connect with potential followers and encourage them to actually hit the “follow” button. You can also add an additional CTA to remind people to click the link and take the action you want them to take.
A good Instagram bio gives your potential followers enough information to decide whether or not to follow you. You can decide based on your brand, whether you want to provide a brief description and emojis or make it more professional.
With a business account, you can add your contact information, or a reservation button if you’re a restaurant. People often go to social media now to learn more about their favorite brands, so give them an easy way to reach out to you. Be clear and concise, but also let your brand’s personality shine through.
6. Make Sure You’re Sharing Quality Content
Having quality content is one of the best ways to encourage your followers to interact with your posts. People want to interact with other people, so show your human-ness as much as you can to your followers. If you aren’t running a personal account or a personal brand, no worries! Showcase your team members, host takeovers, and post-behind-the-scenes videos or photos. And remember, UGC can be pivotal here.
People love to get the inside scoop. Any “secrets” you can share, stories you can tell, or advice you can give, often resonates well. Give your followers a reason to look at your images, read your captions, and respond to you.
While you’re at it, make sure your feed looks cohesive. Whether you want to stick to a photo theme, a pattern, or even just a specific filter you always use, make sure your audience knows one of your posts when they see it. Potential followers will likely visit your profile to decide if they want to follow you or not. The nicer it looks for them, the more likely they are to follow.
7. Collaborate with Influencers in Your Niche
By partnering with an influencer, brand, or even someone with a complementary product or service to yours, you can reach an audience that may be brand new to you, and will likely be ready and eager to engage. Your partner will probably talk you up to their audience, and since their audience trusts them, they’ll be more willing to listen and want to learn more about you.
Influencer followers are very loyal, as are followers of certain brands. If you’re able to find the right partner that is a good match for you and your goals, collaboration can be a great way to boost engagement. You can run a contest together, or you can do a stories takeover swap to introduce one another to your audiences.
The most important thing here is to make sure that your audiences and partnership goals align. If your audience would truly be interested in your potential partner and vice versa, that’s a sign of a good partnership. You’ll also want to clearly outline the goals of the partnership. And with some good preparation, collaborations are a great way to boost your followers and engagement.
Why has my Engagement Dropped on Instagram in 2022?
As you know, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in 2022. This means that they should always look for new rooms to evolve and upgrade. Every once in a while, the Instagram algorithm changes due to some factors.
Before we talk about the new changes, let’s talk about Instagram CEO Adam Moseri’s statement about facing the recent Instagram engagement issue.
A few days ago, he did an Instagram Q/A, and he addressed this huge Instagram engagement drop. As an answer to the question, “Why has my Instagram engagement dropped?” He said that Instagram had a bug in Instagram’s code that caused posts not to show up in people’s feeds.
The bug caused your Instagram to reach to drop down in the first four hours that you publish a post of any kind. So, sometimes the answer to the question “why is engagement down on Instagram” can be Instagram bugs.
He also said they started working on it as soon as they found out about it, which is now fixed. This is again one of the first times ever that somebody from the higher-ups of Instagram admitted to having some bugs in their code. A bug that could result in an Instagram low engagement.
Let’s address what we think because of the big picture to understand why these Instagram engagement down issues are happening, especially in the past few weeks. And to understand it, you got to know what the Instagram algorithm is and how it works at the moment.
Instagram Algorithm
If you have faced a sudden drop in Instagram reach 2022, let’s start with a concise recap of the algorithm. The Instagram algorithm considers many different values together.
For example:
The first 30 minutes of a post going live track different values.
Including:
- Number of likes that you get
- Shares that you receive
- DMs that you get from this post
- And the Comments
They look at all the values, track the velocity, and then try to put all of these things together into some sort of net that all connects them.
At last, they try to find similar accounts with similar people performing similar actions and compare all these things together. Now they can decide which post is better, “A” with a matching net of people or post “B” with a similar net of people.
New Features
Instagram has added several new features over the years that enable users to filter out unwanted posts and ads from their feeds. These features, such as muting accounts or turning off suggestions, could be influencing more users to clean up their feeds in order to see only the content they want the most.
These new features could potentially be the reason for your Instagram engagement down.
Providing Users With Low-Quality Content
Instagram is also reducing its visibility of low-quality content, which includes unoriginal material from other sources with little to no additional value.
The more original, high-quality content you share on Instagram, the more you can expect to boost Instagram engagement.
Removing Bots
Instagram has been going through some changes in the past couple of years. One of those changes is that they’ve been removing bots and other accounts they believe are spamming their platform. And that might be one of the reasons why is Instagram engagement down.
If your account was followed by or frequently engaged with spam accounts, you may notice a drop in your follower count.
Instagram has asked some users that it believes are spamming to verify their identities—and those that don’t might find that their accounts get limited visibility in the home feed or are disabled.
Buying Engagement & Followers
Buying followers and likes to grow your Instagram account can negatively impact your engagement. As mentioned above, Instagram not only deletes fake accounts but also penalizes users who purchase followers and likes to get more engagement on Instagram.
Why is Engagement so Low on Instagram?
There’s a lot to like about Instagram, especially if you’re into photography and videography. It’s disheartening, though, to spend hours photographing and editing a stunning shot and even more time crafting the ideal message just to have your post buried with minimal Instagram activity without getting an increased engagement on Instagram.
On Instagram, there are only so many impressions to go around, and the site has grown increasingly competitive as it strives to keep all of its users interested.
The first thing you should know is that your engagement is low because Instagram’s algorithm has been altered to prioritize its paying clients. Here are a few more reasons you might not be getting the increased engagement on Instagram you deserve.
- When your fans aren’t online, be active.
- Not strategically employing hashtags.
- Posting either too much or too little stuff.
- You’re not interacting with your viewers.
- Not sharing what your audience wants to see.
What is a Good Engagement Rate in 2022?
Overall, the engagement rate is a measure used to determine the percentage of people who interact with content on social networks. It is a key value for understanding the performance of an account. Of course, the number of followers, likes or comments is relevant, but calculating the engagement rate allows us to better understand the attractiveness of an account.
It also allows us to verify that the relationship with the followers is strong and healthy because if they are willing to take the time to comment on a piece of content, it means that they are attentive to it and therefore probably ready to be transformed into potential customers one day.
This is why the engagement rate is frequently found in the media kits shared by KOLs before a collaboration or to calculate the ROI of an Influencer Marketing campaign.
There are significant differences in average engagement rates from one social network to another, so it is not always easy to understand. We have put together the essential key figures to know for the main social networks.
In the third quarter of 2021, Facebook reported approximately 1.93 billion daily active users. This makes it the most used social network worldwide again this year. In France alone, there are 40 million monthly active users. With so many active users, it’s hard to keep up. This is why Facebook’s average engagement rate is relatively low. In 2021, the average engagement rate of a public Facebook page was 0.26%.
The social network owned by the Meta group (formerly Facebook) has surpassed 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, including 21 million users in France alone, this year. Until now, Instagram has enjoyed a high average engagement rate compared to other existing social networks, but this year, 2021, has seen a sharp decline for the social network.
Today the average engagement rate on Instagram for a public account is 0.82%. There are differences depending on the type of content published, with an average engagement rate of 0.83% for photo posts, 0.61% for video posts and 1.08% for carousels.
TikTok
The Chinese social network needs no introduction and will continue its rise in 2021, with more than one billion monthly active users worldwide, including 14.9 million in France. In terms of engagement rates, it has what it takes to make its competitors pale in comparison since in 2021 the latter will be around 8.5%. It is therefore much higher than the average rates of older social networks.
The professional network with over 774 million members worldwide has an average engagement rate of 2.61% in 2021. An estimated 130,000 posts are created and published on the social network each month.
Pinterest has been steadily coming up with new features during 2021, including the introduction of its “idea pins” which put more emphasis on content creators. On Pinterest, 40% of total engagement comes from related searches.
Another interesting figure is that 91% of people say Pinterest is a place of positivity. At a time when the devastating effects of social networking on mental health, particularly for young people, is being pointed out, Pinterest is doing well.
In 2021, Twitter will have 187 million daily users, including 16.4 million in France. In terms of engagement rates, since the beginning of 2021, the average engagement rate on social networks has fallen sharply to just 0.05%.
Youtube
YouTube has a total audience of 2 billion users per month, including 46 million monthly active users in France alone. Contrary to Twitter, the average engagement rate of Youtube has not stopped growing this year. In 2021 the average engagement rate for a posted video is 1.7%.
How do you Revive a Dead Instagram?
it’s possible to revive your Instagram account, but that will take some time and effort. And like in any activity, there are mistakes that you should avoid.
So, let’s start with the steps you should take today to bring the profile back to life.
- Post regularly.
Well, duh. As we’ve said, one of the reasons for low activity scores on your Instagram is that you post too rarely. Your followers have time to forget about you while you’re absent.
If that’s your case and the engagement dropped after a long absence on Instagram, your first step is to post in one rhythm. It’s up to you whether you want to post several times a day or a week — you need to test this. The trick is in regularity.
Don’t forget about stories and their stickers, IGTVs, video posts, and live streams. Use any content Instagram suggests. And tools like Combin Scheduler will assist you in building this regularity. By planning the content, you’ll make sure you don’t forget to post it on each of your accounts.
- Be socially active.
Once you start posting regularly, your account unavoidably attracts more people. Thus, the reach, profile visits and engagement grow. People start responding to your content — leave comments under your posts, reply in DM, react to stories, and so on.
All you need to do is respond; talk to your audience and engage it in discussions.
- Work on audience-oriented content.
When the profile visits grow, some of the audience leave your page and don’t follow you. And that’s totally normal. It means that Instagram suggests your content to irrelevant people, but among them, there’s definitely your audience. How to make them stay? With content.
For a better understanding of what your audience is looking for, do some research and check what your competitors or accounts with similar concept do to attract their followers. This will inspire you and give a clearer image of what to do with your content strategy.
- Grow your network.
Interact with other accounts from your niche — collaborate, host contests together, and tag relevant accounts on posts they’d likely to respond (but don’t do it massively, since Instagram detects it as spam).
The key here is to partner with accounts that are potentially interesting for your audience.
- Repost UGC.
User-generated content is your social proof. By reposting this, you showcase to your audience that you’re interested for people like they are. Share the content of other users mentioning you in any way — comments, video reviews, posts with tags.
But make sure this content fit to the concept of your page.
- Make contests and challenges.
This point requires specific attention. Last time we talked about which contests you should and should not conduct to make your tribe engage. Just in a nutshell here: make contests with the motivation that is valuable for your followers, not for a sizeable generic audience.
Challenges, in turn, are very engaging and require no motivation once done correctly. Remember those viral ten years challenges, the FaceApp age challenge, or the Gradient one with celebs looking like you? If your challenge is fun and engaging, people will support it without a prize and make it go viral.
- Remove ghost followers.
Followers that do not engage with your account are dead weight, so not to make it even worse, you can manually remove them from your followers’ list. They will not be notified, by the way.
Bots, accounts of other businesses like stores, and mass followers with more than 500 followings should be removed. You can do it effortlessly within the Instagram native app by heading over Followers -> three dots next to a username -> Remove Follower.
Why remove accounts with many followings? Because of this vast amount, they will not see your content in their feed.
- Provoke.
Post provocative posts and captions but be ready for a negative reaction. Typically, such posts divide your audience into two parts discussing one controversial issue you’re offering.
It’s important to remember that while making provocative posts you have to stick to Instagram community guidelines which means no insults or bullying is allowed.
- Ask for help or advice.
Make your audience feel it’s needed. But naive publications with captions like which is better — 1, 2, or 3? are not the best option since your followers will quickly get tired of that and understand that you do it for engagement, not their opinion.
- Attract a look-a-like audience.
Parse users similar to your followers who are active on your competitors’ pages or in accounts with content like yours. You can search for them in the Combin Growth tool by commenters, likers, or followers of your competitor or a single post.
Does Deleting Instagram Posts Affect Engagement?
Technically, no. There are no negative repercussions from deleting old posts from your account. The only downside that could come from removing old posts is that once the posts are deleted, so too are their accompanying hashtags. Your photo will no longer gain traction once your post is deleted.
If you have posts that no longer reflect your brand, and that you will not want to reference later, then deleting them is fine. If you do want to reference a photo or caption in the future, you can archive the photo instead. All your archived photos are stored in the Archive section of your account.
You can view the image, the caption, the likes and comments, but you cannot edit the caption while the photo is archived. Archived photos can be added back to your feed whenever you like.
How to Clean Your Instagram Account
Beginning a full clean or overhaul of your Instagram can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve been building your brand image and using your account for multiple years. By no means does this all need to be done in one sitting.
In fact, we recommend tackling only one of these items at a time. By dedicating this specific time to each individual step, you’ll be able to avoid fatigue and will be able to put your best foot forward with every change you make.
1. Update Your Bio and Account Information
A great and easy place to start when it comes to revamping your Instagram account is what users see first: your bio and profile picture. Alongside those, your account label could also use an upgrade. If you have an Instagram creator account or an Instagram business account, there is a wide array of labels at your disposal in comparison to a regular personal account.
Once your new and improved bio is solidified, double-check that your account information is up to date. This includes your contact information, such as your phone number and email address, as well as a link to your website or LikeShop link-in-bio.
2. Delete or Archive Timely Content and Old Posts
Start by going through your profile and looking for content that is time-sensitive, like holiday-related posts. This type of content served a specific purpose at a particular time, but there is a good likelihood that it is no longer relevant. This same thought process applies to what you have highlighted at the top of your profile as well.
Many users view your saved stories to get a better understanding of the types of content they will see when they follow you, so it’s important to make a good first impression.
Read Also: What is the Goal of Conversion Rate Optimization?
Next, scroll down on your profile. Keep scrolling. Scroll some more, all the way down to your first post. These early images are the most likely to be out of sync with your current social strategy, so it’s important to evaluate which ones are safe to delete or archive.
If your time-sensitive or older content still works with your overall strategy, and you want to keep the posts intact, then there is another course of action, which brings us to our next point.
3. Clean Up Your Captions
You also need to pay close attention to your captions on older posts when cleaning up your Instagram account. Whether you’re using that space to leverage your LikeShop link-in-bio, or to elicit a timely response from your followers that is no longer relevant (such as a contest), you should remove outdated copy and update it to something more evergreen.
There is another important consideration: the necessary evil that is the hashtag cloud. This won’t be applicable to bigger accounts, but if you’re a brand that’s on the come-up, hashtag clouds are a means to earn exposure. The caveat is that hashtags will get your photo noticed, but are really only effective at getting your post in front of users within 24 hours of posting. So go ahead and delete those old tag clouds.
4. Manage Your Following
Who you follow is as much a reflection of your online presence as the content you put out. Take stock of who you are following as a brand, and make some updates to align your following with your values. We can’t tell you what the right accounts to follow are; it’s a nuanced decision that has a lot of layers to it. That said, take some time to go through your list to give it a scrub.
Patience and a fine-tooth comb are required in order to curate your perfect following, but one of Instagram’s more recent features makes it even easier by showing you who your most and least interacted accounts are when looking at your following. That is a good place to start.
5. Tackle Your Tagged Photos
Treat your tagged photos page as a second profile to improve the overall presentation of your brand. If your account has been tagged in a photo you don’t think aligns with your brand, hit the three dots in the top right corner of the image, tap “photo options,” and then “hide from my profile.”
This image will no longer show up in your tagged photos, and the account that tagged you will be none the wiser, as they are not notified of your activities.
