Whether you’re a rising musician promoting your first album or a brand strategist launching a new campaign, the key to increasing engagement is building genuine connections. Creators with carefully curated, highly engaged communities on social media platforms like Instagram are more sought-after than those with just a large follower count. Simply put: Engagement is what really matters. Here are several ways creators can foster deeper connections with their followers.
Instagram ranks among the top social media platforms globally, competing with Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp for user attention. With billions of active monthly users, follower count has lost much of its former significance. High numbers once signaled an active community, but in today’s saturated landscape, engagement tells the real story.
How are followers actually interacting with a creator? That’s what matters most—not only to Instagram’s algorithm, but also to the brands, agencies, and social strategists who rely on engagement as a key performance indicator for content creator roles.
Calculating engagement rate
Engagement is typically measured as an engagement rate, which can be calculated with this formula: likes + comments + saves + shares ÷ followers × 100
While helpful to calculate and track, benchmarks and averages vary from industry to industry and niche to niche. For example, according to stats from Agorapulse, fashion brands see an average engagement rate of 0.68%, while tech companies typically see higher rates, averaging 1.31%.
This means it’s important to take a deeper dive into the types of engagement your audience gives you. For example, “saves” are a strong signal that your content is valuable, while “shares” indicate strong community interaction. Other forms of engagement include replies to Stories, link clicks, and, of course, comments and likes. Understanding these interactions will help you create valuable content and develop strategies to facilitate more meaningful engagement as you continue to post.
Why engagement matters more than followers
Today, a huge follower count means nothing if none of those followers are actively interacting with your account. Building genuine engagement goes beyond likes and views—it’s about real connection. “When I see a lot of comments and Story replies, that signals to me a real community connection,” says Michelle King, CEO and founder of the social media agency Contelp. “It’s when people take the time to not only view or like a post but actually engage with you directly, that’s how you know you are building a community, not just a following.”
Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes active and consistent interaction over high, passive follower counts. This means creating an engaged community will help your content perform better on the platform and reach new viewers.
Beyond the algorithm, brands and strategists often seek content creators with high engagement over reach. Consumers listen to creators and influencers they trust, and brands are willing to pay for that. In fact, according to Sprout Social, 61% of social media users use Instagram to research or discover their next purchase.
Becoming an influencer or successful creator means strategizing ways to engage an audience sustainably. Keep in mind, these tips are not an overnight trick but a guide as you continue to grow and post consistently over time.
1. Prioritize Reels and Stories.
According to Peakbound, Reels and Stories are the top-performing video formats on Instagram, beating out video posts and Instagram Live streams. Try leaning into short video clips and edits that are most suited for Reels and Stories.
2. Use Stories and stickers to start conversations.
Some of Instagram’s integrated features for creators are designed to engage audiences. Interaction stickers like polls, questions and responses, sliders, and quizzes all drive conversations between creator and community.
3. Write captions and voiceovers that invite replies.
Whether writing a caption for a post or a voiceover for a Reel, try to include a question or prompt for your audience to reply to in the comments. It’s a call to action for engagement—so go ahead and ask their thoughts on an outfit, if they’ve had a similar experience to a story you’re telling, or their opinions about the World Series.
Chef and culinary influencer Brian Min of @justahumblecook is a great example of this, since he always prompts a question at the end of his Reels and repeats it in his caption. For instance, when taking a stab at a viral cottage cheese, ground beef, and hot honey bowl, he asks his audience if there are any other viral recipes he should try. It’s an easy prompt for many foodie followers to engage with.
4. Post at the right time.
While there is no one right time for all creators, there is a right time for you and your audience. Learning this takes observation, metric tracking, and time. Our own research shows that the best time to post on our Instagram account (with over 500,000 followers) is Fridays at 3 p.m. ET for the highest engagement and Saturdays at 6 p.m. ET for the best reach.
Again, this will vary based on niche, location, and audience demographics. For example, an account that focuses on NFL highlights will have different optimal posting times than one covering international film festivals.
5. Use comments strategically.
A great way to build a community that engages with you is for you to engage with it. Reply promptly to comments on posts and replies to Stories. Be genuine and kind with anyone who takes the time to reach out—it means you and your content connected with them. Pinning comments is a great way to make followers feel seen. Both approaches help drive future engagement.
“Try to respond to every single comment and DM. Reach out to new followers and ask them why they followed you,” King says. “Follow people from your community. Be the first person to comment, reach out, and make the first step. It’s a lot like being a new kid in class; you have to make an effort to meet the people who are already there and earn your place at the table.”
6. Collaborate and cross-tag creators.
Beyond your own community, interacting with the communities of other creators you enjoy and respect will help you grow. This includes collaborating on posts and cross-tagging so that both of you are reaching new yet similar realms of Instagram. Overlapping audiences is a great way to drive fresh engagement.
7. Leverage saves and shares.
Content with direct value—such as listicles, recipes, advice, quotes, or resources for future use—encourages followers to save it. If they find it particularly valuable, they may share it with others who will also enjoy the content. To maximize this, try posting carousels, which make viewers swipe through more information and spend more time engaging with your post. This carousel by Daniel Dooreck of @dannydsmudshop is a great example of an intentionally used carousel post, allowing us to learn more about the creator with each swipe.
8. Mix formats and experiment.
Although Reels and Stories are the strongest formats for engagement, it’s still good to mix it up. Use carousels, still-photo posts, videos, Stories, and the occasional Live to add variety. For example, a fashion influencer in New York City might use Stories for personal insights throughout the day, while their Reels are more structured, like GRWMs or thrift haul videos. To pull this off, be intentional about what you’re posting and how you’re sharing it.
9. Be authentic, not algorithmic.
The key strategy for success on the ’gram is sustainable creation. That means avoiding burnout. A surefire way to burn out is to post purely for the Instagram algorithm. Strictly following trends in hopes of being boosted will have you chasing an elusive target.
Instead, create and post from a place of authenticity. Be strategic, yes—but also make things you genuinely like. True engagement comes from true connection. Audiences are increasingly savvy to overly manufactured content, and more and more users choose to engage with creators who feel real.
10. Post consistently, not constantly.
Don’t confuse posting consistently with posting constantly. The pressure to post constantly leads to rushed content, which leads to burnout, which eventually leads to withdrawing from social media entirely—a screeching halt to growth.
Instead, aim for consistency and value. As King advises, “For all the creatives out there who have a ton of ideas but don’t really know how to translate them into an algorithm-friendly piece of content, it’s really helpful to always ask yourself this: ‘If I were telling this to a real group of 100 people, in person, how would I say it? How would I present it to an audience?’ Be the No. 1 fan to yourself first and trust yourself and your content. The rest will follow.”