5 Tips To Increase Engagement on Instagram, TikTok & YouTube for Lifestyle Influencers
If you’re feeling like your engagement is way down this year, you’re not alone. Instagram and YouTube have changed so much as apps since “the old days” and have become really saturated with other creators. It can feel really discouraging to get 10% of the views or likes you used to get. But we’re all in this together and there are a few things you can do to help build a really engaged online community again:
1. work on your self-confidence & stop overthinking
This might seem like a funny first tip for social media engagement, but I’ve found that self confidence is actually one of the biggest things that increases engagement. If you’re overthinking your content and too worried about not being awkward, you’re less likely to truly show your personality. Your awkward quirks are exactly what make people connect with you. It’s totally ok to try to improve your content, become a better speaker, look for great lighting, plan out some ideas, but if those things are keeping you from posting daily and really telling a good story, you’re probably overthinking! Just take us through your day and chat with us about what you’re doing, it’s as simple as that! (Preaching to myself here too— it’s easier said than done!)
2. ask people to help you make decisions
It’s kind of crazy how much people love to help make decisions about the most simple things, like “what should I have for breakfast, this or that?” or love to give their opinions on what you should wear. Try just including some type of decision poll in your IG stories or ask for opinions in your comments on photos and videos. You will probably see your views and comments increase!
3. give Thoughtful Responses
Responding really thoughtfully to comments and DMs rather than just “liking” them will help facilitate conversation and really build community. Instead of just “Thanks! It’s from Zara” try saying “Thank you! I got it on sale at Zara last week! They always have the cutest tops…I’ll try to find the link for you!” and DM them the link or post it to your stories. Engagement is all about creating a community and building loyalty, so the more you encourage real conversation and connection in comments & DMs, the more your followers will engage in the future!
You can also set the tone for your page’s culture through your responses. If you give extra attention and thoughtful responses to a great question or interesting comment, other people will see that those are the types of comments that will get them a response, and it’ll encourage more of those comments!
4. Share Screenshots of Dms
Share screenshots of DMs, comments or questions you have had and ask for your audience’s opinions on them. The more people see that other people are chatting with you, the more likely they are to do the same. Sometimes people expect creators to not respond to them or read their messages. If they see that you do respond / are talking with others, they’re more likely to engage in the future!
5. put captions on any non-reel / tiktok videos
Turn on auto captions on your YouTube videos and IGTV videos and write out captions on your IG stories. It’s an extra step but so many people watch all of these without sound, so if you don’t have captions you’ll have a lot more people just swiping away from your stories or skipping over your YouTube videos. You can put captions on TikTok videos and Reels too of course, but most people watch those with their sound on, so captions are probably less important for these (though it’s always helpful for accessibility for the deaf).