Feel like you’re being ignored on Instagram?

Today I want to touch on something I know many are struggling with currently. That is, getting engagement and being ‘seen’ on Instagram. It’s getting TOUGH out there, right? 

It is a topic that came up in our recent coaching mastermind session and I know it’s a source of frustration for many small businesses. 

There’s nothing worse than spending an hour perfecting a reel and then you post it and… *crickets*! Ugh. 

But the good news is, there’s always a solution!! 

So today, I thought I would share WHY this may be happening to you and WHAT to do about it if you’re experiencing this. 

But first, it’s important to note that the algorithm doesn’t ‘punish’ you. 

To put it simply, Instagram makes money from our attention by selling advertising targeting its users. 

Like it or not, the more time we spend on Instagram, the more money they make. 

If we create content that users want to engage with and spend time consuming, the more our content will get seen. That’s really what it boils down to. Our attention = their profit. Get people to pay attention? And you’ll get rewarded by being SEEN on the platform. 

More users = more competition 

Over the years, as Instagram has welcomed billions more users and those users have followed more of these accounts, we simply have more people + brands to compete with for attention. 

There are only so many posts we can consume in a day. If you follow 500 people, the chances are you’ll only see maybe 10 - 50 of those posts in a day. 

The question is… 

How do you get YOUR posts prioritized and seen? 

Well, you need to signal to the algorithm (the machine that decides what you see in your feed) that your brand’s content is of value to your followers. 

These signals could be in the form of them: 

• Watching a video / reel 
• Liking, saving or sharing your post 
• Engaging with a poll / quiz on Stories
• Sending you a DM 

Basically, the more actions people take with your content and the more time they spend on it, the better your visibility on Instagram. 

So what do you need to do to inspire people to take these actions? 

There are a number of strategies you can put in place, but here are 3 ideas to get your started:

• First you have to get their attention! 

You only have a SPLIT second to grab people’s attention and stop the scroll. If your content doesn't jump out, your followers will just continue scrolling. Catchy hooks and titles on reels, bold headlines on posts and images that pique our interest are all tactics to get that attention. 

• Make it easy to engage 

We tend to be lazy on social media. If it’s too hard, we won’t do it. Make it easy and FUN for your followers to engage with you by, for example, sharing a poll or slider sticker on Stories or adding a quiz instead of just asking an open-ended question. 

• Include a CLEAR call to action 

If you don’t ask for it, they won’t do it. Want them to share your post? ASK! Want them to go to your website? TELL THEM! Never assume your audience knows what to do. You have to make it clear what action you want them to take and keep it simple. No more than one request per post. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of tactics to drive attention. 

If you need more help getting seen on social media, then I want to invite you to join my monthly coaching membership, Selling on Social. That way, you can get my ongoing coaching, guidance and support to get you the results you want, without the headache. Doors open soon for a limited time only so join the waitlist now if you don’t want to miss out.