How to Get More Engagement from Instagram Without Losing Your Soul
So many people in the creative community are wringing their hands and complaining about Instagram's lack of engagement. They shake their fists at the corporate juggernaut and holler that they want the platform to return to its roots when self-promotion is free and easy.
Unfortunately for them, that ship sailed long ago and will never return, but there’s still a chance to get on board the next vessel of growth. However, a new way of thinking about the platform will be required.
By the end of this article, you’ll know my thoughts on:
The common complaints about the Instagram algorithm
How some timely exposure to art marketers changed my view
The new strategy I’m testing to grow my IG account
This story is only half-told here because I’m a long way off from knowing the results, but I saw an immediate need to make a significant change in my Instagram strategy, and I didn’t want to make the journey alone. Buckle up, buttercup, because we’re going on a road trip into a paradigm shift.
Our Story Starts With Adam
Last week, Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, shared this on his Threads account:
Before I go any further, I need to qualify two things. First, I am not an Instagram expert or guru, but I know good ideas when I see them. Second, the following ideas will require you to suspend your disbelief and consider a new perspective on the platform.
I’ve often shared that if you want to win on any platform, you must become a student of the game—learn how to play on the field that you’re on. Though some rules and lessons apply to all games, trying to play pickleball rules in a basketball game won’t get you very far.
However, so many creatives lament that they have to do things differently on Instagram now that the platform has changed dramatically since its inception.
Nobody is saying you have to … unless you want to be seen.
A Small Amount of Real Talk
Have you ever walked into a supermarket or department store and noticed that the layout has changed since your last visit, making it difficult to find the things you need because they aren’t where you remember?
Maybe they’ve even eliminated an entire segment of the store that was no longer working for the store, and you’re upset because you loved those things.
It’s annoying at first, and it may take a few trips to get familiar with the new layout, but eventually you do and the world is normal again.
I’m willing to bet you didn’t call the store manager every day to complain about the new layout or blast your disapproval to all your text groups while handing out the manager’s phone number.
Woman in a market is displease because they moved her cheese - Creatived with Midjourney
Go into any post that Adam Mosseri shares on Threads, and you’ll see lots of people complaining with zero accountability toward their own actions, but let’s look at this a different way.
Imagine you decide to try a different style or approach to your creative work, and a small percentage of your fan base dumps a bunch of displeasure and hate into every post you make because they want you to stay the same even if the old work isn’t serving you anymore.
Would you revert to your old style to satisfy the needs of those frenemies? What if none of those people ever paid a dime for your work?
Now, imagine you’re the CEO of Instagram.
Better yet, let’s imagine a world where we put our scarcity mindset aside and recognize the opportunity by understanding how Instagram works for some people. Then, figure out what strategy can work for us.
Your Audience Has the Answer
When we post images and videos to Instagram, the app will begin putting that content out to a select few people within our circles and others as recommendations.
If the post starts getting attention with likes, views, and comments, the app will push out a little wider; this cycle happens often in a short period.
Sometimes, though, it may feel like your post is about to go viral, and the post suddenly hits a wall. I honestly cannot explain that one, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the math of how your posts typically trend. Or it depends on how many people watch and decide to follow you.
Until you can consistently break past a particular barrier, the algorithm cuts things short (I have zero proof of this—it's strictly a theory).
Nobody but the people within Meta knows precisely how the algorithm works, and those people are not talking to us. If you see an influencer or guru giving you tips and tricks, it’s either because they’ve been practicing and have found success or they are taking shots in the dark and guessing how to win on the platform.
However, when the people at Instagram give us advice like this, it’s prudent to put aside our skepticism and pay attention.
Let’s consider this advice and be honest about our engagement numbers. The solution isn’t to post more of the same content we always post, act out overused memes and trends, or do whatever we want because we’re throwing up our hands since nothing seems to work.
I’ve done all that, too, and it never did me any good. I’ve seen the light, and I’m convinced the answer lies in the hands of our audience. Whenever you feel like using the word algorithm, replace it with audience because they are who you are serving.
Instead of assuming your audience will fall in love with everything you post just because they’ve followed you, it’s better to consider that even though they may appreciate your work, they are bored with how you’re posting.
They may have smiled at the post and thought, “That’s nice.” Then, they quickly flipped past it to get to another post that stimulated them more.
Think Like Christopher Nolan
What is the one thing that Chris Nolan is famous for beyond time-bending mindfuck cinema?
I’ll give you a hint. It sounds like smorytelling.
Nolan doesn’t just tell stories. He captures attention and holds it from one scene to the next until the credits roll, and you are deeply entertained even if tragically confused about what you just watched (Have you seen Tenet?).
However, you and I don’t have 2+ hours to tell our story to a captive audience. Sometimes, we have less than 15 seconds to convey our message to fickle viewers with twitchy thumbs.
And if we only have those few seconds to capture and maintain the attention of the few viewers who see our posts initially, what’s our plan? We need a better strategy than continuing to post identical static posts and time-lapse process videos that everyone else is already doing.
In no uncertain terms, we NEED to tell better stories!
An article sitting in my drafts folder is about finding ways to hook our audience into watching our content, keep them engaged, and potentially binge-watch all of what we’ve shared in the past month. It’s not sorcery or slimy, but simply ways to say things that intrigue people into paying attention.
That’s coming soon, but there are things we can do to help bolster engagement now.
A Timely Message from a Friend
Last week, I posted my first Reel in a while, a response to a video by Elle Knight on how the algorithm isn’t trying to ruin your account. Her gentle but real talk was about how the algorithm ignores us when we don’t respect our audience.
My response admitted that I was making the same mistakes most creative people make.
Not publishing often enough
Sharing only what I wanted instead of considering my audience
Generally being boring AF with my posting
This caused the algorithm to ignore my content, frustrating me enough to abandon the platform.
Thankfully, Elle’s video hit me exactly when I needed it most, and I have a renewed sense of hope for the future of my Instagram channel.
My friend Megan Carty saw that post and messaged me with timely information about a training course on Reels she was taking from Natalia Karpman, or as she’s known on IG, @Yes.ArtMarketing.
Between Megan’s information about what she’s learned in the course and binge-watching Natalia’s content, I came to a new way of thinking about Instagram’s various tools.
I wasn’t utilizing any strategy around Instagram’s features, but hitting them at completely random moments and not considering how this made my audience feel. Reels, Stories, and Static/Carousel posts are all different creatures in the same ecosystem, each with a distinct purpose, and most of you are likely ignoring that fact, just like me.
Natalia often shares that Reels are for growth, and Stories are for sales. Take a moment to process that thought because it’s essential. Reels are for pulling people in the door, and stories are meant to keep them engaged and eventually buying whatever you’re selling.
Using that as a primer, here is how I’m restructuring my Instagram strategy in the future.
🎥 Reels
These videos are my hook in the water, trying to reel in new viewers with a taste of what I’m all about. With The Hungry being my main focus, the content of my Reels will represent what I share in the newsletter, either news and notable information or insights and commentary meant to give context to the news.
I’m not the best at making videos of 15 seconds or less (I love the sound of my voice too much). However, I now understand that the time to hook and hold someone is very short, and if I’m not concise with my thoughts, I risk losing them forever.
“Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief.”
If I can make someone watch through my Reels at least a few times a week, I have a better chance of them returning for more, maybe becoming a follower, and eventually turning them into subscribers.
I will still publish some videos in the 1-minute range because have you heard my voice? It’s something to behold, and I won’t keep that from the people. Some things need more context and require more time.
I’ll try to keep those longer videos for Stories because I can be a bit looser, but time will show the reality of my claims. I will also take notes on all the stats to find out what works better for my brand.
📕 Stories
If Reels are the appetizer for new people, Stories are the entreé. Once people get hooked through Reels and follow me, they will have a chance to see a more raw and authentic look at me and what inspires me.
As I said above, I’ll reserve my more long-winded musings for Stories and also bring up timely topics, random missives, and fun things my audience will appreciate or at least give them a better sense of who I am.
⚡️ Static Posts / Carousels
If I don’t have enough video content for the week, I can still use static posts or carousels as filler. I’m not sharing as much art anymore, but if I do, I can use static posts to keep casual followers appeased with visual dopamine, at least long enough until I can get a new Reel in front of them.
These are super-fresh thoughts to me, and I am just getting started. Even with the few updates I’ve made on the platform, I’m already seeing exciting growth. Check back in a couple of weeks, and you’ll see the seeds being planted.
Also, I try to separate church and state because this is essentially a personal journey and not news. I will publish any future updates on The Dave, my personal blog/newsletter, but of course, I will link to the best ones in The Hungry on Fridays.
