The Science of Instagram Engagement: What Works and What Doesn’t

Instagram has come a long way since those days when the Valencia filter had a hold on all of us. With countless new tools at the ready, Instagram can be a real playground for creators, but what should (or shouldn’t) creators be using to boost their engagement?

Well, we dove into the science for you. Here are some tried-and-true ways to build your Instagram engagement in 2024.

8 Tips for Boosting Your Instagram Engagement

1. Say it with us: Authenticity is key.

Hi, yes, we are also tired of the word “authenticity,” probably ever since Merriam-Webster named it the word of the year in 2023. But one look on Instagram tells us that authenticity remains the name of the game. What game? The game of engagement.

About half of all consumers prioritize authenticity as the top quality in the influencers they engage with. But the authenticity of 2023 is already different from the authenticity of today. 

It’s not enough to make your sponcon look natural or share a video of your morning routine with one pimple patch and otherwise flawless skin (we know you didn’t really just wake up like that, okay?). 

Younger audiences, in particular, know that social media is a business, which means that their spidey senses tingle when they feel like they’re being sold something. And they also know that just because a video is lo-fi doesn’t mean it was actually off-the-cuff. What they really want to see and hear are the things that matter to you. Be honest, talk about your values, and share a look at your real world. 

2. Reels-only content? That’s so 2021.

Remember 2021? If you don’t wanna remember it, that’s cool, too — we get it. But to refresh your memory, Reels was Instagram’s brand-new baby, and they really, really, really wanted you to get to know them. So much so that creators reported that everyone had to jump on the Reels bandwagon because the engagement rates were off the charts. 

Flash forward to 2024, and things look a little different. These days, marketers and creators say that a mix of content is the way to go for engagement. For comments? Marketers say those ol’-fashioned image posts do the trick. For DMs? The award goes to images as well. For shares? Still images! But for likes, reach, views, and impressions? Video posts are the belle of the ball. 

3. But hashtags? What feels old is new again.

Ah, the hashtag. TBH, I have a love-hate relationship with these beauties, and I’m not alone in that feeling. Hashtags can make captions on Instagram look overstuffed, like a belly on Thanksgiving Day, but in a less satisfying way. Or so cluttered that you might need to call in Marie Kondo for help. 

But hashtags are also an important way for people to find your content. Of all the tips and tricks that marketers use to build engagement, they say that hashtags are the most impactful tool. The number that makes Instagram happiest? The jury’s out, but marketers say that the sweet spot is between three and 11.

4. Who doesn’t love stickers?

Remember when you did a good job in school, and your teacher gave you a sticker to congratulate you? Remember how good that sticker made you feel? Well, Instagram stickers can make you feel almost as good — at least if you’re looking for better engagement.

Stickers have been a great way to build engagement on your Instagram Stories. You can post polls, share what you’re listening to, share a link, and much more. These stickers, especially ones that invite the audience to respond, can be a handy engagement helper. 

Instagram is now going even further, launching stickers for photo and carousel posts. This sticker addition gives creators a new way to interact with their audience. Past experience shows that Instagram tends to like when creators utilize their new tools (looking at you, Reels) — so you should *probably* expect an engagement boost if you play around with these new stickers. 

5. Subtitles, subtitles, subtitles!

You know, when you type “Sound on” in the caption or on your post, that doesn’t actually mean that everyone is listening. In fact, statistics show they probably aren’t. Seventy-five percent of people keep their phones on mute, even while watching a video. When it comes to millennials, who make up a little less than half of Instagram’s audience, that number jumps to 85 percent.

What happens when those non-sound users come across a video without subtitles? They scroll on by, and you can wave bye-bye as they go (metaphorically speaking, of course). The point is no subtitles can mean no engagement from up to 75 percent of potential viewers.

Plus, there’s another big reason why subtitles make a world of difference: accessibility. In the U.S. alone, about 3.6 percent of the population considers themselves deaf or has serious difficulty hearing. That’s about 11 million people who would have a lot of trouble viewing your content if you skipped subtitles. 

6. You’re an original — your content should be, too.

Over at Instagram, TikTok is a naughty word. That’s because Instagram noticed that a heck of a lot of TikTok content started wandering its way over to Instagram — and Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri believes it shouldn’t get as much credit as real Reels, really. 

Way back in the olden days of 2021, Instagram said that it didn’t want content “that is visibly recycled from other apps.” They’re just not saying the quiet part out loud (the quiet part being that they definitely mean TikTok). If you break this rule (okay, loose guideline), Instagram will make your content harder to discover on its app.

Over the years, Instagram has doubled down on this statement, with Mosseri saying in 2022 that content would rank higher if it were considered original. And again in 2024, Mosseri followed up by saying that accounts that frequently repost unoriginal content will be removed from recommendations. And your audience can’t engage with you if they never see your content.

That doesn’t just go for your own TikTok content, though. That also goes for any content that you repost that you don’t own. So think twice about sharing that already-viral video. I promise you, your followers have probably already seen it.

7. When they talk to you, talk back.

“Community” isn’t just the NBC’s best show (I said what I said). It’s also not just some buzzword. It’s 2024, and people don’t wanna interact with a social media account. They want to interact with a community. There’s a reason why 68% of marketers agree that community-building is key for creating “emotional loyalty.”

TBH, the phrase “emotional loyalty” sounds a little yucky, but let’s call it what it is — a long-term, sustained connection. As a creator, you know the value of building an emotional bond with your audience. But the key here is to no longer think of them as your audience because an audience has a one-to-many relationship (psst, you’re the one!). 

But a community has a many-to-many relationship, with multiple people voicing their opinions and feeling heard. When you foster a community on your Instagram account, such as by responding to comments, placing polls in your content, and generally encouraging conversation, you’re building a connection and showing that you’re not just looking to build an audience; you’re looking to make people feel heard.

8. Don’t hate — collaborate!

Back in 2021, Instagram introduced Collab posts, collaboration posts between two Instagram accounts. These posts appear on both of the creators’ profiles, and both Instagram account names show up in the post header. Both users also get the analytics on the post. It’s not uncommon for creators to find that users heavily engage with these Collab posts.

Why’s that? Well, as we creatives often have to say, exposure doesn’t pay the bills. But in this case, exposure is an important factor in boosting engagement. When you’ve published a Collab post, you may be introduced to your collaborator’s audience for the first time, and they can become a part of your audience. That post will likely have a higher reach than what you can get on your solo posts, and it also means a significant boost in your brand awareness.

Now Go Forth and Engage

Instagram has changed a lot in its 14 years. It’s even changed a lot in the past three or four years, which means that some of the old tricks you used to boost your engagement just don’t cut it like they used to.

While hashtags, Reels, and stickers have been standard engagement drivers for several years, new tools have entered the chat, like Collab posts. These tips can help you build your Instagram engagement, but the biggest tip is this: experiment. 

Play around with these tips and find the formula that works for your account. If authenticity is key, then you need to be true to yourself and your brand image, which means that what works for your account will likely be your unique formula.