You put a lot of time into making content, finding the right hashtags, and posting at the best time of day. Frustration sets in when your engagement rate doesn’t increase. Now you are searching for how to create better content for Instagram. By the end of this post, you will learn exactly how to create content that your followers will engage with.
The problem is most people think of Instagram content as what you post. You could focus on making your posts more engaging. Or you could focus on putting your content in places that receive more engagement.
Those 4 places are:
- Instagram Stories
- Instagram Live
- Instagram Reels
- Instagram Guides
This answers the where and the how, but the what still eludes you. Not to worry we are going to dive into 12 actionable ideas in the 4 areas. Each of these ideas will increase engagement. You aren’t going to want to miss out on how to create better content for Instagram that drives engagement….
Instagram Stories
It’s hard to ignore all the circles on the top of the screen. People love stores. In fact, 99firms posted an interesting stat. 70% of Instagram Users watch stories.
Stories can also be a nice change of pace as they can be off-topic. They disappear after 24 hours and aren’t displayed in your grid.
Here are some ideas for you to consider:
Share your location
Adding the location sticker will give you the opportunity for other users in the area to find you.
Share an interesting fact about somewhere you are visiting.
Snap a quick picture or video while you are out and about.
Here’s a quick video to show you how to do this:
Make a poll
Polls are a great way to get engagement as well as gain a consensus on what is a popular opinion on a certain topic. People love polls because it’s easy to take part in. All they have to do is click on an answer. The easier you make it for your followers to engage the more engagement you will see.
Here’s a good video that dives into polls
How tos
Share a quick solution or tip you can break it up into bite-sized chunks to help your audience. Don’t worry if you are unsure of what problem to cover. Check out our post on 8 different content creation ideas for Instagram. Skip to idea # 4.
Your audience will appreciate any way you can offer to help them improve their life.
Instagram Live
While going live is a part of Instagram Stories, It deserves a separate section. As it’s a part of stories, you know that people love to check it out. This is your chance to engage with your followers in real-time.
Here’s a couple of ideas for your next live:
Interview
This is a perfect forum to conduct an interview. All you have to do is add them as a friend and off you go. Two things happen with this. First, you provide great content for your audience. Second, you also get in front of the other person’s audience as well!
Here’s a video that shows you how to add someone to your Instagram live:
Behind the Scenes
This is not reserved for people in the entertainment industry putting on a show. People love the idea of seeing an authentic, unedited and unscripted video. This could be behind-the-scenes from a new course you are creating or from editing videos you shot. Give your audience a chance to see what’s going on and they will love it!
Share your progress
People love a good story. They especially love watching a story unfold. Share the goals you are working towards with your audience. Do lives to share your progress along the way.
Your followers will see that you are a real person and it will deepen your relationship. They will be able to relate to it and will also root for you!
Instagram Reels
Reels are popular. It was Instagram’s response to TikTok just like YouTube responded with shorts. Instagram will push your Reels to a much larger audience. This is your chance to get some exposure.
There’s a lot to cover about reels and here’s a great video that shares 15 tips to help you expand your reach:
Here are some ideas to use for your next set of reels:
Personal Inspiration
Instead of posting a quote, you could do a quick reel with a quote or inspiring message. This will have a positive impact on your audience but will also help out other people not following you.
Do the actual trend
If there’s a funny trend going on, you could capitalize on it and hop on the bandwagon. Or, you could do a parody of the trend.
Power-packed tips
You only have 30 seconds! Pack in the most powerful tip into a reel to make an impression on people seeing you for the first time. Take your best content and condense it into 30-second bits. You want to put your best foot forward for first-time viewers.
Instagram Guides
If you aren’t familiar with what Guides are, that’s ok. It’s where you group your posts together so users can consume content on a specific topic.
Here’s a quick tutorial on Guides;
There are a lot of options for guides but here’s a couple to get you started
Tips
There are a lot of tips throughout your content, but the problem is there is a lot of content to go through. When you group tips together in a guide it makes it a lot easier for your audience to go through them.
FAQ
Most websites have a FAQ section, so why not have a FAQ guide. This will be a great resource for your audience as you will answer questions that most of them will have
Step Step instructions
This doesn’t have to be complex. People love content that shows a step-by-step process on how to do something. They also love seeing how to solve a problem.
You could also make it off-topic and humorous as well.
Go forth and engage!
Now you should have a better idea of how to create better content for Instagram. Do me a favor please?
ACT ON IT!
All the knowledge in the world is useless until it’s acted on. There is no magic bullet or mystical formula to use for your content. It will be a lot of trial and error. Every business is different as well as every audience. There are formulas to apply for specific aspects or types of content.
You won’t know what works until you give it a try. What’s the worst that happens? No one likes or comments. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
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