5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Instagram Engagement

As many of us know, it can be a challenge to put out content that creates long lasting engagement. Even when we think a post will perform well, results can be unpredictable. Crafting content that truly engages your audience is an ongoing, ever-evolving process. 

Let’s be real-Instagram engagement can often feel like a moving target. One week your post is blowing up, and the next you're wondering if your phone is broken. High Instagram engagement is important because it means more visibility, stronger relationships with your target audience, and better chances of reaching potential followers through the Instagram algorithm. 

Whether you're a marketing agency, a brand, or just trying to grow your Instagram presence, these 5 strategies can help you increase likes, comments, and shares. They worked for us…and they can work for you too.

1. Post to Your Target Audience

Before you hit the “post” button, it is important to ask yourself: Who am I trying to reach-and why do they matter to me? This question is crucial because it helps you create content with a purpose, and ensures your message connects with the right audience in a significant way.

When you tailor your content to people who you want to reach, such as their interests, lifestyle, and preferences-you significantly increase the chances of meaningful engagement. 

For example, Burnt Waffle Marketing creates content on Instagram that is targeted to small businesses who do some sort of good in the world. Whether it’s a brand that supports mental health, sustainability, or gives back to the community, our content is created to align with their values and speak to their audiences interests and lifestyle.

Quick Tip: Be yourself, and the right audience will find you.

2. Write Captions That Spark Conversations

Based on our experience, we believe that engaging captions are one of the key reasons we’ve been able to grow our Instagram following. Don’t get me wrong, strong visuals are what grab the audience's attention..but what makes them stay are captions that start conversations.

Here are some of our tips to writing captions that help grow Instagram Engagement:

• Ask a genuine question

• Asking open-ended questions invites your audience to share their thoughts, experiences, or opinions. It shows that you value their opinions-and that you're not just talking at them, but with them. This kind of interaction creates an environment where there is trust and encourages real conversations

• Be relatable

• Creating captions that are real-whether it’s something positive or a struggle, shows that your brand is authentic. Let’s be honest, nothing in this world is perfect, and you shouldn't try to portray that on Instagram. Your audience is drawn to relatable content because it makes them feel seen and understood, which encourages genuine engagement.  

• Use a conversational tone

• Burnt Waffle Marketing writes captions as if we are having a conversation with a friend. This friendly language invites a genuine connection with your audience. For example, if you are wanting to say “This is what we have found.” you could say, “Here’s the deal…” or “We HAVE to talk about this.” This tiny change in language creates a welcoming environment that will have your audience coming back for more.

Quick Tip: Speak to your audience the way you’d want them to speak to you.

3. Use Instagram Stories With Interactive Features

Another way to boost Instagram engagement is to create stories with interactive features. For example using polls, sliders, quizzes, and question boxes to encourage minimal-effort, but high-impact engagement. These features make your followers feel involved, turning passive viewers into active participants.

By regularly including these interactive tools, you not only increase engagement but also gain important insights about your audience's preferences and opinions-which can help you tailor your content for the future.

Quick Tip: Use interactive features at least once a week and mix up the formats to keep your audience on their toes.

4. Be Active—Don’t Just Post and Ghost

One of the most valuable ways we have increased engagement on Instagram is being active on it. For us, this means constiently liking, commenting, and replying to our followers and other accounts in our niche. It’s not just about showing up to post your own content; it’s about being part of a community and showing that you are interested in what others have to say. When you put the time aside to do this, it helps you build relationships and trust, which naturally leads to more visibility and engagement.

If you want more engagement, give some. It’s a simple but powerful rule. This tells the Instagram algorithm that you’re an active part of the community.  Although this can seem time consuming, it is a proven way to help boost your own Instagram engagement, so why not try it.

Quick Tip: Block off at least 15 minutes a day to interact with your audience on Instagram-whether that be liking, commenting, or responding to DM’s.

5. Create Shareable & Saveable Content

The final way to help boost your Instagram engagement is by creating shareable and savable content. As an active Instagram user, the best posts to me are the ones that I not only like but will share and save. If I decide to share or save a post it’s because I truly resonate with the post, or makes me think, “wow, my friend would love this too.” 

The goal is to make your content strike that kind of emotional or practical chord. People like to share things that reflect their values, personality, lifestyle, or needs, and when your content aligns with that, engagement follows. For example, at least once a month Burnt Waffle Marketing will create relatable memes-often about work, vacation, or just embracing lazy days. Posts like these get the most shares and saves because it is truly relatable to our target audience.

Quick Tip: Think checklists, tips, inspirational quotes, or funny memes that your audience wants to revisit or send to friends.

Final Thoughts: When there's connection, there's engagement

Instagram engagement isn’t just about numbers, it’s about connection. Whether you are liking someone's post or writing a thoughtful caption, every action you take adds to your brand’s voice and community. The more effort you put into creating meaningful and relatable content, the more your target audience will show up for you. 

Quick Tip: The last and maybe most important tip I will leave you with is that engagement doesn’t happen by accident.

Thanks for reading! If you want more practical marketing content and strategies that actually work, be sure to follow us and keep a look out for new things to come!