Today, we’re going to talk about my biggest hacks to get higher engagement on your Instagram Reels. These tips are definitely for you if you’re sharing Reels but not seeing the likes, comments, saves or shares on your videos like you might have hoped. Instagram Reels should be engaging, community-building, and on brand. So let’s chat all about how to make those things happen so you can have better engagement on your Reels!

Don’t forget, I do have my FREE on-demand Reels class about how to grow your reach, followers, and customers with Instagram Reels and you can join that HERE! Now, onto my Reels hacks… 

WHAT HELPS US GET MORE ENGAGEMENT?

Before we start with these hacks, there’s a few things we need to think about to increase engagement. The first thing is to make Reels that are actually engaging and interesting to begin with. I always recommend having a hook to grab and keep your viewer’s attention. The rest of your Reel should be fast paced and not have any lulls in it – this will help make sure more people actually view it. We all have a super short attention span, and that definitely extends to these short form videos. 

The other thing to consider is that Reels should be creating connection and community. By doing that, you’re naturally going to see an increase in engagement – especially those likes, comments, and shares! What can you share that would make people want to follow and connect with you? With all of that in mind, here are my 3 hacks for better engagement on Instagram Reels! 

Reels should make sense for your target audience! 

This first hack might seem a little bit obvious, but it’s super important. Make sure that your Reels make sense for your target audience. It’s as simple as that. If you’re trying to grow your brand, your Reels should fit into your brand. It’s totally fine to share a trend here or there or something silly, but for the most part, your Reels should connect back with the other content that you’re sharing on your accounts. This hack goes back to putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. If someone happens to find your Reel and doesn’t follow you, what they’re seeing should be a good example of who you are and what your brand is about. Think about what you’re showing in that Reel – will that make them want to engage with your account in the future? 

KEEP YOUR REELS ENGAGING

I touched on this earlier, but it’s critical to keep your Reels engaging. You’d be surprised how easy these changes are to make, but they do make a huge difference! By keeping your Reels engaging from start to finish, you’re more likely to see an increase in engagement. My first tip here is to avoid keeping the same text boxes on the screen for more than 4-5 seconds. Keep your text into multiple boxes that pop up and disappear so that you can keep their attention. It’s important to keep the fonts and colors in mind as you set these up too, so that it’s easy to read – and don’t forget to keep your text in the middle of your video so that it’s easy to read, no matter how they view the Reel.

Another thing to consider when keeping Reels engaging is to keep things moving! If there’s a lot of lulls in your video, people will scroll out of the video. Your Reels should move quickly so that your viewers want to keep watching. Like I said before, people’s attention spans are so short, we have to learn how to keep it! 

CREATE COMMUNITY within your Reels

There’s a few things I mean when I say “create community” with your Reels. The first is a very practical way to create engagement in your Reels. By simply adding a call-to-action (CTA) in your Reel, you’re going to be inviting your viewers to join your community. If you’ve learned anything about Instagram, you know that having a great CTA on a post, Reel, or story is a great way to increase engagement. Telling people what to do next is super powerful! Ask them to comment, share it, or save your post. This little reminder will go far in boosting your engagement. I like to put my CTAs in the caption (which I’m already keeping short and sweet), or put it on the end of your Reel. 

Another thing you should be doing is responding to your comments and DMs. You know that this is one of my favorite things to talk about, but I truly believe that if you want to grow your brand with Instagram, you NEED to make this connection a priority. If someone takes the time to respond to your CTA, you need to respond to them! This is the best (and easiest!) way to build your audience. Show them that you care and that you’re not just some robot that’s never going to show up. This is even more important when it’s a personal brand and you’re truly the face of your brand. Having a bunch of likes and followers doesn’t do you any good if they aren’t interested in and connected with you. This community will help increase engagement on your account because they will see new content and KNOW that you’re going to respond to them in the future, too. 

Why it matters…

Remember, Reels get pushed to your audience first and then depending how it does with your followers, Instagram will push that Reel to a cold audience. So, making sure your community is going to support you and your content is the easiest way to help you grow your account through Reels. 

Other ways to learn from me

And there it is! Those are my three big hacks to increase engagement on your Instagram Reels. I hope that these encourage you to keep working on your Reels. If you need more help, make sure that you join my free 1-hour class about using Reels to grow your account and that you join our free Facebook community all about Instagram Reels! I’d love to see you there!!