If you want growth on Instagram, you need to focus on engagement. Shareability, and engagement, which means your content needs to be engaging.



Today’s two tips, or how to make all content more engaging for your audience, from stories, to reels, to static posts and more.



These are simple, and they are going to require consistency and time in order for them to work. But you will be able to implement them immediately. And that’s the goal. There’s action that you can take even while you are listening to this episode. Which is, how you’re going to get more engagement.



#1 way to make content more engaging...



MAKE IT EASY 



You are the leader of your audience and I need you to view yourself as such. Recently, I posted a question box that got no engagement. I got one question from someone asking me where I buy my jewelry. Which is a fine question if it’s amongst other valuable questions in relation to fitness, business, or education. That can be rather discouraging or annoying. When it’s the only question you get, and you’re offering your time for free in order to help people.



That’s probably one of the top frustrations that I hear from people trying to build a personal brand on Instagram. Question boxes can make your life so easy because content begets content. 



People are literally providing pieces of content for you to create. And it feels good when your audience responds and interacts with you. That’s the connective piece of social media. 



So instead of moping around about the fact that I got no engagement after thousands of people saw my question box, I just got in my stories, and called out my audience and said something along the lines of you guys really have no questions this Sunday morning? I will gladly get in my fourth lift of the week and stay off this app, but I really do enjoy answering your questions. So if you have any, go back and put them in the box. I basically made fun of the situation and brought light to it. Within five minutes I had like at least 15 to 20 questions.



I’ll say it again, you are the leader of your audience. That doesn’t mean you’re a dictator. It means that people have chosen to follow you and you do have leverage and helping them help you.



So first things first, you need to view yourself as and take on the role of being a leader for your audience. There is agency in that and truth in that.



Then you’re going to make it easy for them. Always always always filter everything through how easy it is for your audience to engage with you. It’s not putting up a question box in your stories, or simply having a call to action in your caption. Can you put the call to action in the actual reel? Can it be the first thing that you say in the caption? Can you give them options to choose from? Can you have them vote on some thing? If you did a number to post, 10 things you’ve learned from 10 years of fitness, ask what number resonates with them the most.



Make it easy.



Have them DM you a word if they want more information on some thing, put up a poll with only two options.



You get the idea. How can you make an engaging with your content easier for people who already follow you?



If you bought your contact or created on the fly, think about that this week or this month.



MAKE IT HUMAN



One of the weakest points I see in people trying to build personal brands in the health and fitness industry online is that they minimize the personal piece. They don’t embrace storytelling, or even identifying with their stories are.