5 Tips For Creating A More Engaged Audience

Could this “Bloggin’” sweatshirt be any more perfect for my Behind The Blogging Scenes series?!

Today, I wanted to dig into the topic of engagement. I know that we have all noticed a decline and to be honest, it sucks. I’ve complained about it one too many times and that hasn’t been beneficial. So instead of complaining, let’s see what action we can take to change things a little bit.

When it comes to Instagram, we have no control over the algorithm each day. What we do have control over though is the way that we choose to engage with our audience. In no way am I an expert on this. Some of my content performs way better than others and while it’s still frustrating, I’m constantly learning how to change things up so that I can keep improving.

Instead of solely focusing on the number of likes I get or lack thereof, I am paying more attention to the comments and conversations. I know that we all have a different online audience and what works for me might not work for you, but I do hope you find this helpful!

Be Transparent.

This would probably be my number 1 tip. The best way to build trust and connections with your audience is to be more transparent. I’m not saying that you have to give away all of the private details of your life, but be a bit more open. It’s all about finding that balance. You guys know I’m super transparent, but I haven’t been this way since day one. It’s been a process and as more time passes, the more raw I’ve been with what I choose to share. It’s no surprise to me that my Life Chats and BTBS series get the most views and engagement.

Talk about some of your struggles and insecurities. Give people a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of your day. They want to see and get to know the real you behind your photos. Let them see the hustle and not just the success. It’s good to be reminded that none of our lives are perfect and we all go through difficult times. This creates a much deeper conversation with your community and makes them feel as though they can truly relate to you.

Focus On Your Captions. 

With so many beautiful and inspiring photos flooding our feeds each day, it’s not always enough to make someone double tap or leave a comment. Sometimes, it’s not enough to let a photo speak for itself. You have to think, “What am I really trying to say here? What is the message that I want to convey?”

This is why I’ve learned to pay more attention to the words I’m writing for each photo. I know that some people have a habit of scrolling through without stopping to read, but the written portion of my content is just as important to me as the visuals. For me personally, I would much rather get comments and feedback that go beyond just the surface level and in order to do that, I’ve got to give them something to talk about!

I’ve experimented with this a lot and here’s what I’ve found. I get the most interaction with my captions when they’re inspiring/transparent, witty, tell a story and ask a question. People are more inclined to leave a comment when what you write speaks to them or when you try to get them involved.

Here’s a few ideas. Share random facts about yourself. Ask where everyone is from. Be silly and tell a joke or write about a funny BTS moment you experienced to get that pic. Tell an inspiring story that relates to your photo. Just be YOU and show more of your personality through your writing so that both the visual and the text truly captures the amazing person that you are!

Be Active On Insta Stories. 

With the algorithm changing all the time, this is a great way to ensure that more of your followers are seeing you each day. I’ve totally neglected Snapchat and only use IG Stories now. New features are being implemented on it all the time and it’s becoming more and more popular. It’s beneficial to use consistently for so many reasons.

You get to show more of your personality and your day-to-day life. It gives you an opportunity to talk to your followers in greater detail and it’s also much more personal. It helps drive traffic to your blog with the Swipe UP feature. I also take advantage and share my recently uploaded photos here in case anyone didn’t see them in their feed. Instead of asking everyone to go and like my photo, I ask them to come and chat with me in the comments. This is something that has been working for me. 
Utilize The Insta Stories Poll Feature.

This is such a great way to get feedback on Instagram. I’ve used it a few times so far and it’s been extremely helpful for me in terms of understanding my audience a bit more. While I will never be able to please every single person, I think that it’s important to be aware of what resonates with everyone the most so that I can keep this in mind when creating content for both Instagram and the blog. It’s also another way to get your community involved and make them feel like they are on this journey with you.

Through my results, I’ve found that my readers want more Behind The Blogging Scenes content, my audience equally loves style and travel, and my IG fam would like me to incorporate more iPhone pics into my feed. Note: responses are not anonymous! 

Engage & Return The Love. 

If you want more engagement, then you have to engage. Makes sense, right? Respond to your comments on IG and your blog. I think this is such an essential part of building up your engagement and keeping the conversation going. I reply to every single comment that I get with anything from a simple thank you to a more in-depth response. Trust me, people appreciate when you take the time to get back to them.

Read your IG story messages. I have so many different conversations going on in DMs and this allows me to get more personal with everyone. I seriously LOVE talking with you guys each day!

Return the love. This shouldn’t be one-sided. Go to other blogger’s profiles and blogs and support. Go to some of your follower’s pages too and drop them a comment. If you want to build a community here, then you have to help in the creation of it.

What are some ways that you try to increase engagement? Are you currently doing any or all of these now? I’d love to know what’s been working for you! Thanks so much for reading. Make sure to check out my last BTBS post where I break down what bloggers actually do. ❤️