How to get more likes and shares on Instagram
More likes and shares on instagram can only be good and here are some tips on how to do just that.
1. Only Upload And Share High-Quality Photos
One way to get more views and likes from your photos is by uploading captivating pictures on Instagram. These photos should however be of high-quality and clear for your audience and followers to appreciate them. Uploading dark, pixilated, or blurry pictures won't earn the reception they would if they are of high quality. Don't try to squeeze in a ton of text on the images either.
Most smartphones today come with decent cameras capable of taking good quality photos. If lighting is an issue, consider sitting by a window or door for better lighting. If this isn't enough, you could choose to upgrade to a better camera to take more decent photos. You don’t need to be an expert photographer to master the art of photography.
2. Use Engaging Captions
The high-quality images aren’t enough to keep your followers engaged. You need to add a captivating or value-packed caption to it as well. A single-sentence or one-worded caption won't do any good for your picture. Instead, focus on creating a captivating story, actionable tips, or even provide some inspiration or nostalgia with the captions. The captions need to be relevant and relatable to the picture in question. Give the audience as much information as possible while leaving them room to want some more, comment, like, or even share.
Do not shy away from sharing everything you deem necessary with your audience. As long as the caption is actionable and relatable, more and more viewers will start liking and sharing your content on Instagram as well.
3. Don’t Forget To Add a Call To Action
Always remember to add a call to action before closing the caption. Don't assume your followers or audiences will share or like your photo, ask them (politely) to like or any other action you wish them to take. Requesting your followers to share or like your content not only increases engagement but also gives them a reason to want to like the photo. This, however, needs to be done nicely to avoid spoofing them. A simple 'leave a like if you have …, or like if you agree ' will go a long way in improving follower-engagement. You could also ask them to click a link you've included to see your bio or tag a friend. If you want more tips - see this piece on how to get 100 likes on Instagram?
4. Know Who Your Audience Are
If you've learned anything about social media, you must know by now that it is all about knowing your target audience. It is only after understanding who your fans are, what they like, and the type of content they find appealing, that you can work towards giving them just that. You also need to get comfortable with your followers, as well. Some audiences will follow you simply because you post educative or funny memes, photos, or DIYs, while others might love travel photos. Get to know your audience, learn from them, then upload content they can relate to, and you will bag their likes. Experts recommend sticking to your niche to reap more in return.
5. Geo-Tag Every Post and Picture
Geotagging all posts and pictures you upload on Instagram can help attract more followers and likes. This feature works in an almost similar way as the hashtag. It creates a link between all posts and uploads made from that specific location. You can activate this by clicking on the small 'location' text above the uploaded image. Using this feature could help attract more people into liking your photos and content.
The exciting thing about using this feature is that you can add the exact location of when and where the photo was taken, and other locations of your choice. You can even add your current location to the images as well. You need to be really creative and strategic about this. Add places your target audience would be interested in, are, or would wish to go.
Pro Tip: The location tag, just like a hashtag, shows posts added in chronological order. You, therefore, need to be careful when adding these tags for consistency.
6. Show Genuine Interest In Other People's Posts As Well
We all know that social media is all about giving to receive. This principle applies best on Instagram. If looking to attract more followers and garner lots of likes for your content, you need to like and comment on other user's photos and content as well. Be sure to do this with utmost sincerity every day, and you will see more and more people paying attention to what you post. Liking someone's photo, or even commenting on it encourages them to want to check your feeds and also 'like' your photos back. While it might be tempting to use automated tools to do this, Instagram uses an algorithm to determine if you are a real person or a bot. If you make it a habit of browsing through Instagram, liking, and commenting on other people's posts, the Instagram algorithm will work in your favor.
You could increase your user engagement and even get more likes by spending at least 15 minutes of your time (daily) browsing through other people's content, comment, and hit the like button. Replying to stories and leaving genuine comments on photos will go a long way in attracting the right audience your way.
7. Use Hashtags Correctly/Wisely
Hashtags come in handy, especially when shopping for more likes on Instagram. Don't use just any tag, but the right hashtag to attract the right audiences. Some research and creativity are required when deciding on the right hashtag to use for all your upload. You don’t want to use the wrong or a competitive hashtag. The wrong hashtag will only attract uninterested users, competitors, and bots hence no impressions at all.
Make sure all hashtags are relevant to your account, niche, and target audience. It would also be advisable to use hashtags unique to only you. Don't be tricked into using some of the popular tags that could see your images and posts lost in the rumble. While some of these hashtags could give you the desired exposure, your content could be buried in the millions of posts within a matter of minutes. Focus on hashtags that will provide you with the desired results and a longer lifespan for your posts.
