If you use Instagram for marketing, there’s a good chance that you’ve noticed a recent decrease in Instagram engagement. If you’re not getting as many likes, comments, or new followers as you used to, don’t worry: it’s not just you. Accounts of all sizes are seeing less Instagram engagement on posts than they did in the past, which is troubling news for businesses that rely on Instagram for reaching their customers.
To help you combat the downturn in engagement, we rounded up 7 strategies that work to actually increase Instagram engagement. But the #1 tip? Nothing beats creating great content, growing a true community, and actively engaging with your customers on a daily basis.
Instagram Engagement Decreasing
When we first wrote about the decrease in Instagram post engagement last summer, Instagram had just switched over to an algorithmic feed. And while there was an air of hope that engagement on the platform would improve, it appears that engagement has actually continued to decrease since that time. In fact, in recent weeks, users are reporting an even more drastic decline in Instagram engagement, which has sent a lot of Instagram users into panic mode.
According to Instagram marketing expert Alex Tooby, while Instagram users could expect to see an engagement rate of 3-5 percent in the past, that number has dropped to around 1-2 percent. And it’s even lower for bigger accounts with over 100,000 followers.
It’s difficult to say what’s causing the decrease in Instagram’s engagement rate—some are blaming the Instagram algorithm, while others have chalked it up to the purported “Instagram shadowban” or an attempt by Instagram to force businesses to buy more ads.
1. How to Fix Instagram Engagement: Don’t Use Instagram Bots
Instagram is a competitive place. In order to get on the Explore page or the Top Posts of a hashtag, you need to generate a ton engagement (likes and comments) as quickly as possible. However, because Instagram engagement is decreasing this is getting more difficult than ever. As a result, some users have turned to Instagram bots to artificially inflate the engagement on their posts.