You just spent a week filming and editing a Reel. You post it, close your eyes, cross your fingers, and… nada. No comments. No saves. Just a couple of pity likes from your coworkers (been there).
If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. Instagram engagement is down across the board. Average engagement rates have dropped 28% year-over-year, now hovering around 0.50% per post. Even great content is getting buried in the feed faster than ever.
So, what does work when it comes to drumming up engagement on Instagram today?
We looked into it — the data, the trends, and the brands still crushing it. Here’s what’s working on Instagram as of late, and how to steal those strategies for your content.
1. Make it Obvious What You’re All About
Who are you? And why are you on Instagram?
If you can’t answer those questions, think about it, and come back to this blog later.
We’re not trying to be harsh, but if someone visits your Instagram profile for the first time, they should instantly understand what you’re all about. With over two billion accounts competing on the platform, clearly communicating the value users will get from following you will help you stand out.
On that note, knowing your niche helps. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for Instagram to recommend your content to the right people. Plus, having a niche helps with the nitty-gritty details, like which hashtags to use and what kinds of accounts you should follow or engage with.
Revisit your bio, pinned posts, and Highlights
This trio sets the tone for your entire profile. They’re your handshake, your elevator pitch, and your “about” page, all rolled into one.
- Make sure your bio clearly states what you do.
- Pin your strongest, most relevant content.
- Use Highlights to show off products, FAQs, or proof.
For more details on optimizing your Instagram profile, see How to Set Up Your Instagram Bio in 2025.
2. Build a Realistic (but Consistent) Posting Framework
Posting every day isn’t the goal. Posting with purpose is.
One of the biggest myths about Instagram is that the more you post, the more engagement you’ll get. But SocialPilot’s Instagram Trends Report 2025 tells a different story. By analyzing 45,700 Instagram accounts and 4.4 million posts, they found that whether brands post five or 15 times per week, engagement and reach remain steady across the board.
What’s important is consistency and variety.
In other words: post often enough to stay relevant, and mix it up with different formats (carousels, Reels, and Stories) to keep your audience engaged.
Use a feed planner to stay consistent
If you’re juggling products, partnerships, or even just trying to preserve your peace of mind, a feed planner can help you keep your cadence and branding on point. Luckily, there are some free options out there.
Let go of the long list of hashtags
On the topic of content planning: Hashtags aren’t dead, but they’re not doing what they used to either.
Posts without hashtags performed 23% better than those packed with them in 2024. That means slapping #picoftheday on your posts is doing more harm than good. Instead, use one to two context-specific hashtags to support discoverability.
3. Carousels: An Engagement Goldmine
If you’re only posting single-image squares and calling it a day, you’re missing out. (Sorry, we don’t make the rules.)
Carousels are hands-down the most engaging content format on Instagram right now. They outperform images and videos with 22.73% higher engagement, averaging a 0.55% engagement rate per post — the highest of any format. They also generate the most saves, indicating to Instagram that your content is worth resurfacing.
What can we glean from this? People love to swipe, and carousels give them something to swipe through.
If you’re looking for ideas, carousels are great for:
- Before-and-after transformations
- Step-by-step tutorials or how-tos
- Educational tips or frameworks
- Product highlights with use cases
- Behind-the-scenes or process content
And not every frame needs to be polished, either. Jamilyn Trainor, Senior Project Manager at Müller Expo Services International, told us she uses behind-the-scenes content to spark interest in how her team builds exhibits.
“Followers reply to messy mid-install photos or rapid sketch-to-build time-lapses. They’re pulled in by curiosity more than a polished reveal. I always include some unfiltered content to keep it real,” she says.
That kind of raw, real content not only gets saved, it sparks conversation. And that’s the goal: engagement that opens the door to real conversions.
4. Get Reel Good at Video Content
While carousels are ideal for engagement, Reels are great for reach.
Reels are shared more often and deliver 49% more reach than other formats — especially for creators and brands with under 50K followers. For smaller accounts (those with fewer than 5K followers), Reels average around 300 views per post and boast a solid 20% view rate, making them one of the most powerful growth tools on the platform.
Not sure what to post? Here’s the good news: You don’t need to create a short film to rake in the views. Reels that fall in the 60 to 90 second range earn 24% more shares than shorter or longer videos, so keep it short and sweet.
If you have access to Trial Reels — short, low-lift videos designed to help you experiment with content formats, topics, and delivery styles — you can use those to see what resonates with users who don’t already follow you.
Meta says, “…if you want to try out a new genre, storytelling format, or topic, you can easily get a gut check on how your content might perform. If you feel good about a trial reel and how it’s performing, you can then choose to share it with your followers with one tap or decide to set it up so that it’s shared automatically.”
You can also repost content that did well amongst your audience as a trial reel. This strategy is something Melanie Demi, Manychat’s Head of Social Media, has found success with.
5. Use Polls, Stickers, and Other Interactive Story Features
Instagram Stories are one of the easiest ways to drive light-touch engagement, especially when you add polls, Q&As, emoji sliders, quizzes, or countdowns. Sometimes, a simple tap is all it takes to start a relationship, and these low-effort interactions are the ideal way to secure a soft intro.
But let’s address the obvious: Instagram Stories aren’t what they used to be. Back in the day, Stories were a top-of-funnel powerhouse. Today, their real strength lies in keeping your followers engaged, warm, and coming back.
At the same time, there’s a catch: You have to earn attention fast. Most exits happen within the first three frames, so you need to think in arcs, not snapshots, when it comes to crafting Stories.
Brands getting real engagement from Stories are building intentional sequences, like:
- Poll → tip → offer
- Q&A → myth-bust → DM invite
- Behind-the-scenes → in-progress → reveal
Here’s an example of a narrative-driven Story that swipes up to a longer piece of web content from Harvard Business Review:
On that note, here’s your homework: Add one interactive element to your next three Stories, and try to fit it within a narrative arc. Polls, emoji sliders, or Q&A boxes are all fair game. Track which ones get replies, and build your next Story arc from there.
Comments, tags, and DMs are all conversation starters, and conversations are what move people from casual followers to actual customers. But before you can talk to anyone, you need eyes on your content. One of the best ways to boost visibility? Team up.
SocialPilot’s report found that posts with four to five collaborators earn 3.8x more reach than standard posts. So, go ahead: Tag co-creators, repost that UGC, and cross-promote with partner brands. These small moves multiply your visibility and help you reach people who might never have found you otherwise.
And don’t forget about mentions. Simply tagging others in your captions or comments can double your reach and boost engagement by 30%.
Got the likes and shares? Move the conversation to DMs
DMs are where the magic happens, but don’t take it from us:
“If someone commented on our pop-up retail buildout Reel, we would DM them: ‘Quick Q—are you planning your own activation?’ Based on their answer, they would either receive a link to book a consult or we would drop them into a nurture flow,” says Trainor.
That one small automation led to a 34% increase in Instagram lead conversions for Müller Expo in Q1 of 2025, proving that conversations convert better than content ever could on its own.
How to turn engagement into a conversation (while keeping it chill)
Not every comment needs a hard pitch, but almost every interaction is a chance to go deeper. Here’s how to keep it natural:
- Reply with curiosity. Someone drops a comment? Ask a follow-up question. (“Are you thinking of doing something similar?”)
- React fast. Timely replies show you’re present and approachable, two things people love in a brand.
- Use quick replies or saved responses to scale or segment leads without sounding robotic.
- Don’t wait for the DM; start it. If someone shows interest in a comment, follow up with a casual, helpful message.
Want to make this easier (and way more efficient)? Sign up for Manychat to start automating your inbox.
Find Out What Your Followers Love, and Give Them More of That
The best engagement strategy is the one your audience actually responds to.
Trends are helpful, but they aren’t the whole picture; your data is. Check your Instagram Insights weekly and look for what’s driving saves, replies, and shares. Those signals tell you what to keep doing, and what to nix.
Try a Reel with a strong hook. Test a carousel that teaches something valuable. Add a poll or quiz to your Stories. Then pull the numbers and adjust from there.
As Trainor puts it, “Instagram isn’t a billboard. It’s a conversation.” So, be someone worth talking to.
✋ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is my content sending mixed signals about what I do?
People form a judgment in under three seconds when they land on your profile. If your content, bio, and Highlights don’t line up, they’ll bounce.
To fix this:
- Lead with clarity in your bio — what you do, who it’s for, and what happens if they follow.
- Pin your three most relevant posts that show proof, process, or transformation.
- Use Highlights as your homepage (product demo, social proof, or FAQs).
- Archive or unpin anything that doesn’t fit the current arc of what you’re offering.
2. Do I actually know what kind of follower I’m trying to attract?
Many creators optimize for attention instead of alignment. But without a clear picture of your ideal follower, your content ends up unfocused and your growth unpredictable. Start by identifying the real person behind your best-performing posts. What were they looking for? What problem did you help them solve?
Answer those questions, and keep your target audience in mind when planning future content.
3. Am I chasing views, or building trust?
Views feel good, but they don’t build businesses. A Reel might get 15K plays and zero comments. A carousel might get 800 views and 12 DMs. Which one matters to you?
If your content regularly “performs” but fails to spark conversation or connection, you’re likely optimizing for attention rather than fostering relationships. Flip that. Track replies and saves. Measure how often someone takes the next step after consuming your content. Prioritize formats that prompt people to take action instead of continuing to scroll.
4. What’s missing from my content that my followers are too polite to tell me?
Silence is feedback. A post with decent reach and no replies is a red flag. You might be missing clarity, relevance, or emotional resonance. Sometimes the content is good, but the delivery is off: too polished, too vague, or too self-centered.
The fix usually starts with listening. Revisit your past content that earned saves or sparked conversation. What did it say? What did it solve? Also, look for repeated patterns: where do people stop watching your Reels? Where do they swipe away in Stories? Those signals are worth listening to.
