How to get comments on Instagram: GUIDE
Have you ever wondered how to genuinely get people to interact with your content? Forget competitions, comment pods or paid ads, there are better ways. With the removal of likes already changing the way posts are perceived as ‘popular’ by Instagram, it’s more important than ever to create engaging content that will get your followers talking back.
As both a blogger over at @livewithelle and an influencer marketing specialist, I’ve tried and tested just about every method to get comments. I’ve posted competitions, asked followers to tag friends in funny posts, asked questions, joined comment pods, commented on other people’s posts in the hopes of reciprication and more. The list goes on forever, and while it hasn’t been a waste of time for me (all about that #research), it definitely will be for you.
I’m fortunate to have a very engaged audience on Instagram stories, and put out a few questions on stories. These were the results from roughly 1000 people who answered my polls:
69% prefer short captions over longer captions
88% people care more about the photo than the caption
78% people will read a longer caption if it’s funny or relatable
42% people don’t think your caption needs to match your photo
From these results, I wanted to delve further into why people interact. Why comment on a photo at all? What is it that makes us actually decide to take our interactions one step further than liking, and take the time to comment? Here are the top answers on why people will be bothered to comment on a photo:
To compliment - if they genuinely like an outfit or think a photo is incredible, they feel almost obligated to comment and give their favourite influencer, friend or brand a well-deserved compliment.
To answer a question - if they felt like they could provide an interesting answer or help someone out, they were more likely to comment. However, when a question is asked in every caption users fatigue and won’t take the time to answer.
To relate to - if a relatable anecdote was shared, users felt compelled to relay their own similar situations, or comment in appreciation of the story shared. This is where funny/relatable stories can come in handy.
To provide an opinion - controversial posts about politics, meat-eating, fur-wearing and anything else deemed particularly controversial about the time is bound to attract comments. You don’t have to be controversial in a traditional sense, think outside of the box and what will stop your users in their tracks.
If you’ve been struggling with your engagement and getting people to interact, really think about how every photo and caption you share fits into the above categories. Your images need to be high-res, creative and show your personality, while your captions need to be short, relatable or getting people involved.
What is your number one tip for getting people to engage with your account on Instagram? Please comment below so others can take your advice.