Increase Instagram Engagement: 10 Proven Ways for 2025

Instagram engagement strategies 2025 aren’t what they used to be. Even when you try your hardest, you might notice fewer notifications and comments on your posts.

You’ve attempted the usual methods – regular posting, trending hashtags, and following last year’s popular tips. But the algorithm keeps shifting, leaving many content creators feeling stuck and lost. Effective techniques often hide under piles of outdated, useless advice.

That’s why we’ve put together these 10 lesser-known tricks that work. From clever Instagram story ideas that get people talking to smart social media planning based on Instagram data, these methods do more than just give basic tips. You’ll learn how hashtag research has changed, why Instagram carousel posts are doing better than single pictures, and which types of engagement the algorithm now likes.

Why Instagram Engagement Matters and How to Calculate It

If you want real results on Instagram, whether that’s more brand awareness, leads, or loyal fans, your engagement rate is the number to watch. It shows how much your audience interacts with your content, and it gives you a quick snapshot of how well your posts are performing.

For brands and influencers, a solid engagement rate signals audience trust. It’s not just about follower count anymore. A creator with 5,000 followers and a 7% engagement rate is often more valuable to a brand than someone with 50,000 followers and weak interaction. That’s why businesses and marketers pay close attention to this metric.

Now, here’s how to calculate your Instagram engagement rate:

The formula is simple:
(Likes + Comments + Saves) ÷ Reach × 100 = Instagram engagement rate (%)

Some users also factor in shares or DMs. You can calculate this manually or plug your data into a free engagement rate calculator such as Modash, Inbeat. Such tools online offer instant results. RecurPost, for example, lets you track engagement trends through its analytics dashboard, making it easy to see what’s working and what’s not.

The average Instagram engagement rate in 2025 is around 3.4%. For influencers, a 3-5% engagement rate can be powerful in building brand deals and growing communities.

If you want to take the guesswork out of it, try a trusted Instagram engagement calculator or use RecurPost’s built-in tools to stay ahead. Tracking your numbers consistently helps you tweak your content plan and post with purpose.

Let’s jump into the smartest ways to get more likes, comments, and shares

1. Get Creative with Instagram Stories Stickers

Instagram Stories stickers are interactive add-ons for your 24-hour content. These clickable extras range from polls and quizzes to questions and countdown clocks. They act as engagement boosters that encourage viewers to do something instead of just scrolling by.

Popular stickers include:

• Poll and Quiz stickers to gather opinions and test knowledge
• Question stickers to host Q&As and collect feedback
• Add Yours stickers to create public content threads.
• Countdown stickers to build anticipation
• Shopping stickers to tag products

Why Instagram Stories Stickers work

Instagram Stories stickers help create brand loyalty by making your company more relatable and encouraging people to interact. Research shows that 57% of individuals prefer polls and questions from brands on Instagram compared to other social media platforms. These interactive features also send key signals to the algorithm, indicating that users have a connection with your business.

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Stickers turn one-sided messages into two-way chats. When people engage with your stickers, they’re more likely to remember what you’ve shared and come back to interact more.

How to implement Instagram Stories Stickers

To add stickers, hit the sticker icon (smiley face) in the top toolbar after you upload or create your Story. Then, pick your favorite sticker and customize it with your question, prompt, or info.

To make the biggest splash, stick to one or two stickers per Story. Also, where you put them matters; stay away from edges where interface elements might hide them.

Think about what you want to achieve when choosing stickers. Use polls to get quick feedback, countdowns for launches, or shopping stickers to promote products. Plus, matching the right sticker with relevant content creates real chances to connect instead of seeming like an ad.

2. Create and Share Relatable Memes

Relatable memes act as cultural symbols or social ideas that spread like wildfire. People make them to amuse others or spark thoughts. They capture common experiences in an easy-to-digest format, a picture with witty text that delivers a joke or message. Unlike staged product shots, memes look more real and homemade, helping them pop in busy feeds.

Why Relatable Memes work

At their core, memes work because they stir up emotions. They tap into experiences that ring true across different groups creating an instant bond between a brand and its audience. This relatability makes people want to share them when someone reposts your meme to their Story or tags a friend, your engagement grows on its own.

Memes build community through shared jokes. When followers get your meme, they feel part of the group, creating a connection among those who understand it. As a result, meme posts always do better than regular images in engagement stats, no matter the industry.

How to Use Relatable Memes

To use memes well, first know what your audience finds funny. Then:

1. Make your own branded memes instead of just sharing others’ content.
2. Jump on trending pop culture moments to catch viral waves.
3. Use tools like Canva’s meme maker to create custom ones.
4. Keep your message brief and easy to grasp
5. Mix humor with brand relevance, and make sure your memes match your brand’s voice

Don’t forget to stick to a posting schedule, maybe something like “Meme Monday” to help your followers look forward to this fun content.

3. Use Instagram Reels to Boost Visibility

Instagram Reels are brief vertical videos that aim to entertain and grab viewers’ attention. Instagram launched them in 2020 to compete with TikTok head-on. Users can make videos lasting up to 90 seconds and add effects, music, and creative touches. It’s worth noting that Instagram showcases Reels in many high-traffic spots: the Reels tab, main feed, Explore page, hashtag pages, and even in users’ direct messages.

Why Instagram Reels work

The stats show how well Reels work. Reels get 22% more engagement than normal videos and reach 49% more people than carousels and photos. For accounts with fewer than 5,000 followers, Reels reach 39.5% of followers on average, while carousels reach 3.5%.

Instagram’s algorithm plays a big role in the success of Reels. It ranks Reels using three main factors: how long people watch, likes compared to views, and shares compared to views. Instagram also helps Reels reach new audiences through the Explore page and Reels tab, making them great for getting noticed.

How to use Instagram Reels

To get more eyes on your Reels and boost engagement rates, try these tested strategies:

Content Creation for Engagement:

• Grab attention in the first 3 seconds – think about showing the final product first to spark interest.
• Keep Reels under 90 seconds with good pacing to keep viewers engaged.
• Include trending audio to gain favor with the algorithm.
• Create content that’s relatable, helpful, or funny so people want to pass it on.
• Share clear original posts without logos from other sites

Reels-Specific Engagement Tactics:

• Add text overlays with questions or statements that encourage comments
• Use the “POV” (point of view) format to create relatable scenarios that viewers want to share
• Create “Part 1” content that makes viewers ask for “Part 2” in the comments
• Include interactive elements like “Comment your answer” or “Tag someone who does this”
• End Reels with conversation starters like “What would you do?” or “Agree or disagree?”

Advanced Reels Engagement Strategies:

• Post Reels that teach something in under 30 seconds to boost saves and shares
• Use trending challenges but add your unique twist to stand out
• Create “day in the life” content that shows behind-the-scenes moments
• Share transformation content (before/after) that viewers love to watch multiple times
• Reply to comments with new Reels to keep conversations going

Start by planning your content with storytelling in mind. Next, make sure each Reel has a clear opening, useful information, and a powerful call-to-action. Post – successful brands put out about six Reels each month, creating a steady flow of content people can discover.

4. Create Graphics and Quotes People Want to Share

Graphics that people want to share are eye-catching images or text designs made to get audiences to pass them along. They often include uplifting quotes, inspiring messages, funny remarks reworked from tweets, or helpful bits of info presented in a way that looks good. These graphics turn written content into appealing posts that catch attention in busy feeds and encourage users to share them on their Stories or with friends.

Why Shareable Graphics Are Effective

Quote images are some of the most shared posts on social media. They have a huge impact on engagement because they stir up emotions. When people relate to content that they find uplifting or funny, they want to share it. This helps your message reach new folks.

Graphics you can share play a key role in making a strong brand impression on audiences. Uplifting quotes do well because people connect with well-crafted messages that speak to them. As a result, viewers often repost stuff they find useful to their own Stories. This turns them into ambassadors for your brand and content.

How to Implement Shareable Graphics

To create graphics that people want to share:

1. Try design tools like Canva or Adobe Spark, which have tons of templates made just for Instagram.
2. Keep it simple, designs with less clutter and text as the main focus do better than complicated ones
3. Stick to your brand’s colors and fonts.
4. Make uplifting content that has a real impact on personal growth instead of using worn-out sayings

To get the best results, make shareable graphics a regular part of your content plan. Think of them as key marketing tools, not random posts, and make sure they fit your brand’s voice and what your audience likes.

5. Share Informative Carousel Posts

Instagram carousel posts let users add multiple photos or videos (up to 20 slides) in one post that followers can swipe through side to side. This flexible format turns regular content into hands-on experiences shown by small gray dots under the post that become blue as people move through slides. Phone users navigate by swiping left, while computer users click through using the arrow button on the right side of posts.

Why Carousel Posts Are Effective

The stats tell a clear story about how well carousels work. These posts you can swipe through have an average engagement rate of 10.15%, beating out regular photos and videos. A few key things make this happen:

For one, carousels make people stay longer as they swipe through multiple slides. This tells the algorithm your content is worth seeing. Also, Instagram’s algorithm gives carousels a big edge. If people don’t interact at first, the post shows up in their feed again later, but with the second slide this time. This “do-over” feature boosts how many people see and engage with your post.

Also, research shows that carousel posts get 2.37% more engagement than other types of posts and users save them twice as often, which helps build lasting connections with your audience.

How to Create Effective Carousel Content

To make the most of your carousel posts:

Make your first slide eye-catching so it stops people from scrolling, but make sure each slide can work on its own since any of them might show up first in feeds.

Keep your slides looking similar by using the same colors, fonts, and design elements throughout. Add clear signs like “Swipe to learn more” to get people to interact with your post.

Carousels work best when they showcase step-by-step guides, transformations from before to after, sequences that bust myths, data presentations, and challenges where you swipe to spot differences. Each format should tell a complete story without cramming too much info into a single slide.

6. Include a Call-to-Action in Every Caption

Call-to-actions (CTAs) give followers clear directions on what to do after they see your content. They serve as signposts pointing users toward your goal, whether you want them to comment, share, save, or visit your website. Good CTAs use action words like “Shop now,” “Double-tap if you agree,” or “Tag a friend who needs to see this.”

Why Call-to-Actions work

CTAs have an impact on results because they remove doubt about what to do next. When people don’t get clear directions, even those who are interested often keep scrolling instead of getting involved. Emails with just one CTA saw a 371% increase in clicks and a 1617% boost in sales, showing how effective direct prompts can be.

Also, well-planned CTAs help you:

• Boost engagement rates and gain favor with algorithms.
• Establish yourself as an expert in your field.
• Bring more traffic to your website and increase conversions.
• Grow your community through talks

Despite this, Instagram has started punishing certain tactics that bait engagement. One source states, “We won’t recommend content if we think it asks for engagement through shares, comments, tags, or other actions”. What’s the main difference? Instagram still supports “content that inspires people to engage in real discussion.”

How to Implement Call-to-Actions

To maximize impact, put these tested strategies into action:

1. Go for action words that get people moving: “discover,” “join,” “explore”
2. Make instructions easy to follow and understand
3. Show the benefits so followers know what they’ll get by taking action.
4. Build some urgency when it makes sense with time-limited prompts.
5. Ask questions that start conversations and get people talking.

Before you post, make sure your call-to-action fits your content and campaign goals. For example, educational carousel posts might end with “Save this for later,” while product features could say “Tag someone who needs this.”

If you’re looking to improve your social media presence, check out “How To Create Engaging Content On Social Media” for practical tips and strategies that boost engagement.

7. Let Your Personality Shine in Instagram Stories

Personality-driven Stories show the human side of your brand or business through honest, real content. Unlike planned feed posts, these Stories give strategic peeks into your personal life, behind-the-scenes moments, and everyday activities that match your brand values. They change your account from a nameless entity to a relatable presence with a real personality.

Why Personality-Driven Stories Work

Personality-driven Stories work because they make your brand human by creating connection points with your audience. Right now, 58% of consumers watch Stories just because they want genuine content. These days, people get bored with curated feeds and want what seems real and unfiltered.

crucial, posting on Stories helps your frequent viewers feel like they know you. This sense of familiarity builds trust, the basis for all successful Instagram engagement plans in 2025. Studies back up this effect, showing that personal content, such as family photos, can generate three times the engagement of sponsored or business content.

How to use Personality-Driven Stories

To use effective personality-driven Stories, follow this content mix approach:

• 50% value content: Tips, how-tos, and quick advice
• 30% engagement content: Polls, sliders, and questions
• 20% connection content: Your personality, behind-the-scenes, and daily life

Keep it simple instead of going overboard with production. Focus on being clear rather than using fancy effects, and remember most people watch without sound, so add text to videos. At the same time, make sure your Stories match your brand’s voice while still seeming off-the-cuff.

Showing who you are doesn’t mean sharing everything, just picked parts that click with your audience. A marketer working with women who own businesses might share moments as a working parent to create common ground, which builds real connections that turn into long-term engagement.

8. Post When Your Audience is Most Active

The best time to post on Instagram means the hours and days when your followers are most likely to be online and interact with your posts. Unlike general tips that work for everyone, the ideal posting schedule is unique to each account. It depends on when your specific followers are active, where they live, and what time zones they’re in. As one expert points out, “There’s no single best time to post on Instagram that works for everyone – it’s different for each account”.

Why Optimal Posting Time Works

Posting when your followers are online has a big impact on how well your content performs with Instagram’s algorithm. When you get likes and comments on Instagram, Instagram sees your post as valuable and shows it to more people beyond your initial audience. Experts say, “How you get engagement on your post determines its lifetime value”. Also, content you share when lots of people are using the app gets seen by many more users, since the algorithm prefers to show posts to people who are scrolling at that moment.

How to find your best posting times

To figure out when you should post:

1. Go to the Insights section of your business account and look at the “Total Followers” stats. This shows you when your audience is most active during the week.
2. Play around with posting at various times when your followers are online. Say they’re active from 5-9 pm – test posts at each hour to see which one does best.
3. Studies show these times work well:
4. Monday-Friday: 10 am-3 pm
5. Saturday: 9 am and 4 pm
6. Sunday: 10 am-12 pm
7. Monday-Friday: 10 am-3 pm
8. Saturday: 9 am and 4 pm
9. Sunday: 10 am-12 pm
10. Put social media scheduling platforms into action that post when your audience is most active, keeping your content flow steady even when you’re not around.

During this process, keep in mind that content quality is key; the right timing just helps your great content reach more people.

9. Use Niche and Relevant Hashtags

A hashtag strategy involves choosing and using relevant tags that group your content and help it reach your target audience. Instead of just adding popular hashtags, a real strategy includes researching, organizing, and trying different mixes of:

• Brand-specific hashtags that show your unique identity
• Niche hashtags aimed at specific community interests
• Location-based hashtags for local relevance
• Industry hashtags linking you with professional networks

Right now, Instagram’s algorithm uses hashtags as context clues to grasp and group your posts, making them key for people to find and stumble upon your content.

Why Hashtag Strategy is effective

Well-chosen hashtags act as digital bridges linking your posts to people who don’t follow you yet. Posts with 9 hashtags do almost 2.5 times better than those with just one. Even though Instagram has changed over time, studies show that hashtags still work well when you use them the right way.

Remember, hashtags that are popular but not too broad or specific tend to work best. A hashtag with about 10 million posts will push new stuff out of the top spots in minutes, so medium-sized hashtags are better for staying visible longer.

How to Put a Hashtag Strategy into Action

To get the most out of hashtags:

First, do your homework using Instagram’s search tool to find trending and related hashtags in your industry. Look up common hashtags that fit your brand and see which accounts show up most in the results.

Second, make specific hashtag lists for different types of content. Come up with 10-20 targeted hashtags for each content group, mixing popular tags with more specific ones.

Third, keep an eye on your performance using Instagram Insights to figure out which hashtags get people to engage with your content and help it reach more users. This approach, based on data, lets you keep improving your plan.

Overall, don’t spam the same set of hashtags on all your posts; Instagram doesn’t like it when you use the same hashtags over and over. Instead, pick tags that fit what your post is about and what your followers care about.

10. Share User-Generated Content Regularly

User-generated content (UGC) means any photos, videos, reviews, testimonials, or social posts that your followers make, not your brand. This real stuff includes customer photos showing off your products, reviews, unboxing videos, and tagged mentions. Customer-created content shows actual people sharing their true experiences with your brand, which makes it more relatable than typical marketing.

Why Customer-Created Content is Effective

UGC influences people because it’s believable. Research shows that 84% of people trust what their friends say more than any other kind of ad. What’s more, UGC has 8.7 times more impact than content from influencers and 6.6 times more power than content from brands.

From an engagement angle, campaigns that use UGC boost interaction by 50%. What’s more, UGC has an influence on 79% of buyers’ purchase decisions, with customers often checking multiple UGC items before they buy. This effectiveness leads to real results. Brands that use UGC see 29% higher web conversions, and UGC ads produce 4 times the click-through rates of regular ads at half the cost.

How to Implement User-Generated Content

To make UGC work well:

• First, come up with a branded hashtag that gets your followers to share on-topic stuff. This works like a filing cabinet, making it a breeze to find posts about your brand.
• Second, always ask before you repost. Shoot a DM to get the OK and spell out how you plan to use their content.
• Third, give credit where it’s due when you share someone else’s work. Tag their username and give them a shout-out, which builds trust in your community.
• Last but not least, use Later’s Search by Hashtag tool to find and plan posts tagged with your branded hashtag, which speeds up the UGC gathering process.

As you put this into practice, keep your content quality high while embracing the real rough-around-the-edges look that makes UGC so powerful.

Conclusion

Instagram success now depends on mixing creativity with smart planning. Simple hashtags and basic posting won’t cut it; real connections and focused content matter most.

Here’s what gets results:

• Carousel posts top the list with a 10.15% engagement rate.
• Well-chosen hashtags can increase visibility 2.5 times.
• User-generated content (UGC) outperforms influencer material by 8.7 times.
• Quick replies build essential customer loyalty.

The best approach combines several methods. Try different things to see what clicks with your followers, striking a balance between showing your true self and planning for long-term growth.

Instagram’s algorithm keeps changing, but its main aim stays the same: linking users to content they value. Focus on what your audience wants and use methods that work to succeed.

Start small: Choose 2-3 tactics that match your brand, monitor how they do, tweak them, and add more. You’ll see your engagement change!

FAQs

Shalini Nagar

Shalini Nagar is an experienced content writer with a proven track record of creating diverse and engaging content across various formats. With years of expertise in crafting blogs, articles, she excels at delivering compelling narratives tailored to different audiences.