Jaimi Jansen Fitness, Nutrition and Business Consultant

Looking for easy, creative ways to boost your Instagram?

Most of us know that the Instagram algorithm loves engagement. So how can we increase engagement in ways that are quick and easy for us, yet subtle to our followers? Below are four of my favorite ways to boost my Instagram involvement.

1. Create your very own network.

   One of the easiest ways to boost guaranteed engagement is to create an *engagement group*! (It’s easier than it sounds.) Here’s how it works… choose some friends who also want to up their engagement on social media. This is your engagement group. Each member should opt to be notified when other group members make a post. When members post and a notification is sent out, open the app and engage with their post by Liking and Adding a Comment. Each group member does this for all other group members. It’s easy and the algorithm loves it. There is no limit to how many people can be in an engagement group. As it gets bigger, it might be helpful to create a DM group so you can introduce new members and keep existing members all together for easy reference.

2. Ensure your posts are seen.

   Have you ever missed a post from one of your best friends or favorite accounts and then discovered it later? It happens! When we follow a lot of people on social media, we miss things. To double the chances of your followers seeing your latest post (which you’ve worked so hard on with your amazing photo editing and content writing skills), add the new post to your story. By adding it to stories, you are increasing the likelihood of exposure. You can add some simple words like “check out my new post!” to create awareness in your following. Then all they have to do is click on the story to review your latest goodness.

3. Ask for sponsored posts.

   There are many micro-influencers out there who are waiting to sponsor you. Don’t be shy! Find the accounts you love most and send them a DM. You can pay them a small amount to give you an exposure boost. Perhaps have different price points and give them options to choose from. They can make a real post about your account, share one of your posts in their stories, or simply give you a shoutout in a caption! When you propose this idea, ask with confidence. It may help to point out that you share a vision or explain why you think their followers would love you. The worst that can happen is they say no.

4. Take advantage of the story feature.

   Stories are an amazing way to create a sense of authenticity and relevance. Show your followers that you are a real person doing real things. This will also attract people who are like-minded and have similar interests. As your followers learn more about your everyday life from watching your stories, they are more likely to feel a genuine connection to you. Capitalize on this, as it will lead to more engagement, followers, and possibly even sponsorship leads. PRO TIP: Do you use Buffer to schedule your instagram post? Buffer now allows you to schedule posts to your stories so consider utilizing that great tool (so you don’t actually have to be on your phone all day long).

And don’t forget… people want to know there is someone else out there who is going through the same things they are, so be sure to share the good as well as the not-so-good every once in a while.

Want more tips for maximizing productivity? Check out how to maximize productivity in everyday life (not just on social media).