The world of social media is always changing. The new Instagram algorithm has made it almost impossible to reach your followers without paid media or a high engagement rate. Generating consistent engagement on Instagram is an area many brands and businesses struggle with. But the good news, there are plenty of ways to increase your post engagement organically.
Read on to learn below on the 6 types of Instagram post designs that have been proven to boost brands’ social media engagement rates, and click through to our amazing free editable templates to start creating your own today.
1. Question Posts & Stories
Question style posts on Instagram stories are a great way to get people engaged and following you. They also help you truly connect with your followers. For example, if you bake cakes, would your followers want to see how you created your 3 tier cake creation? Or if you have a fashion blog, perhaps they want to know what sunglasses are in style this season? You can create question posts that either ask for or generate ideas, which will spark an organic conversation among your followers.
You can also integrate questions into your stories with the ‘Questions Sticker’ feature. This way, users can respond directly to your inbox with their responses. Posting a question sticker through your Instagram Story also provides more privacy for your audience if the questions are sensitive in nature.
Aside from using the Question Sticker in Stories, another trend for engagement is to replicate this style of sticker for your Instagram Feed [or even on your Facebook Page] and ask your audience to reply in the comments. This way, you’ll begin to see some conversations starting not only between your brand and the person responding but also with further discussions, and likes between various commenters.
2. Instagram Polls and This/That
Instagram polls are the perfect type of content to encourage interaction from your followers. Polls get users playing along and voicing their opinions and preferences. It is also in our human nature to want to know how our opinions compare to others. Once a user ‘votes’ on your poll, they will be able to see the percentage of votes for each selection.
The image-based this/that format, specifically, has become popular because it appeals to the visually-driven: you don’t really need to put in words what it is about something that strikes your preference. We have published another post purely dedicated to This or That templates (with MORE free templates), here.
Click on the images above to edit in Easil
3. Competitions and giveaways
One thing that brands and businesses can do to get more social media engagement and interactions on their posts is to run a giveaway or competition. Ensure one of the entry requirements is something along the lines of ‘Tag 5 friends that need to see this in the comments below.’ This will increase the number of entries in the competition and thus increase the engagement of your post. In turn, you’ll also get new audience eyes on your brand and engaging with wider content.
You can also create more of a consistent buzz around your brand’s Instagram page through weekly mini giveaways or prizes.
Note: Ensure you check your own governing body laws in regards to gaming, giveaways, and permit requirements, also indemnify Instagram from being part or endorsing your post & competition by including the phrase: ‘This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram’. This blog post should not be relied on for legal advice.
4. Educational Carousel Posts
Carousels are proven to increase interactions through the curiosity gap they create. Use these to talk to your followers through important information or education, in an easily digestible way. You can also showcase a range of photographs, looks or tell a story through a single post.
Carousel posts are also an effective post type for your brand’s Instagram strategy as it allows followers on the app to see more content from you in a single post.
These posts are seeing higher engagement rates, with users swiping through to get to other related content in the carousel and hence taking an action on the post – driving up engagement rates.
Tip: After creating your carousel posts in Easil, you can split them into Instagram-sized pieces, using a free tool like ImageSplitter. Then you can post to your Instagram feed, and show off your seamless, swipeable carousel!
[Want more FREE carousel designs? Click here!]
5. Fill In The Blank Instagram Stories
Also known as ‘Instagram Games’, Fill-in-the-blank Instagram Story templates are a great way to add personality to your Instagram Story strategy and get users engaging and reposting! You can kick it off by sharing your filled-in story template and then share the blank template for others to screenshot and use.
Be sure to watermark your fill-in-the-blank story template with your logo and Instagram handle so when someone else downloads and shares your watermarked Instagram Story template, they are endorsing your brand and helping spread subtle awareness. This in turn can lead to more visits to your Instagram page as other users will search your profile to screenshot the story template.
6. Infographics with tips, tricks or checklists for Social Media Engagement
Sharing your knowledge on complex topics in a simplistic way through Infographics is an excellent way to hook users and get them engaging with your post. The information they have consumed might prompt them to tag a friend or hit the save button. These are all actions that drive your page and post engagement rates up.
But what makes an effective infographic? Keep in mind that the text needs to be presented in an aesthetically pleasing way and pared down so as to be easily visible and readable on a phone screen.
You want messages to be internalized quickly and information conveyed in a short but meaningful way, or to provide your audience with actionable tips. Alternatively, you can take everyday tips and information-style graphics, and turn them into humorous, meme-style posts that always return high social media engagement.
Over to you
There are so many ways to drive consistent social media engagement on your brand’s pages. We hope these awesome templates help to get you started and thinking outside the box. We’d love to see your brand customization – tag us on Instagram @teameasil in your content!
