Top Ways to Get More People to Comment on Your Instagram Posts

Instagram is the most used social media platform after Facebook. With algorithms constantly on the mend, it’s important that social media marketers and influencers keep up, so they don’t get lost in the change of the tides. Find a strategy that works for you and keep updating it as Instagram updates its algorithm. Your strategy needs to bring you more Instagram followers, increase your engagement, and liven up your comments section. Simply put, the more engagement you receive on a post, the more Instagram recognizes and promotes you.

Explaining the New Algorithm

Ever since it moved away from the well-known and much-loved chronological feed, the Instagram algorithm has raised many questions and concerns among influencers and users alike.

• Instagram shows people what it thinks they’re most interested in seeing. The more Instagram thinks a user will interact with your post, the higher it will appear on their feed. When you post regularly, your content is more likely to gain more engagement. The level of user engagement tells Instagram that people are interested in what you’re putting out. It sends positive signals to the algorithm, boosting your visibility and giving you more opportunities for interaction.
• Instagram favors timeliness. It looks for the latest, most interesting post to show users. You can hack this by looking at your insights. Find the best time to post with reference to audience engagement and most active hours. If you post at a time when most of your followers are online, you give your content a fighting chance at being interacted with.
• Instagram gives preference to users who give them more screen time. As the social media platform that runs on visibility, Instagram will want to boost your presence if your posts urge users to spend more time on the platform.

Instagram comments are the most important form of engagement as far as the new algorithm is concerned. The comment section is how you get to connect with your followers and even get them to promote your products. Interaction matters a lot when it comes to building a relationship with your followers, and as such, gain their trust.

The Instagram comments section is one of the worthiest platforms that you can use to engage and interact with your audience. Besides, a visibly engaging comment section also serves as proof that you have real Instagram followers. With the new algorithm going strong, simply posting every day is not nearly enough to stay relevant in the social sphere. If engagement is what you’re after, you’ll need to adopt some new habits while posting on your feed. Here are a few tips you can use to navigate the new algorithm and stay relevant while also gaining new followers.

Before diving into the strategies to attract more comments, let’s look at a few things you need to do first to increase your own visibility:

• Switch to a public account.
  New users can only find your content if your profile is set to public.
• Enable push notifications.
  These notifications will help you quickly reply to interactions you receive on your post. Remember that you can only maintain your followers when you engage with them.
• Curate engaging content.
  People won’t comment on content that’s not of any interest to them. Keep your feed interesting and fresh.
• Develop an editorial calendar.
  Pick your posting time wisely. Timeliness is a big factor in the new algorithm. Look into insights and audience activity before posting.

Strategies that Attract More Comments

Let’s jump into strategies that boost your comments:

1. Respond to Comments

Responding to comments is not only polite, but it also opens the door for more comments and as such, more engagement. The higher the number of comments on your post, the likelier an average user is to stop by your post and interact with the post, even adding a comment of their own. Responding to comments also lets you create a conversation between you and the commentor. This makes you appear personable while driving engagement up.

2. Host a Contest or Giveaway

Hosting a giveaway is a fun way to get followers to comment on your posts. Your next posts should promote the giveaway, and ask followers to enter by commenting and tagging their friends. Not only will this increase the number of comments on your post, but it will also drive new users to your profile. You can decide the rules of your giveaway. A smart way to host is to make the contest about your users. Ask them to recreate an image, or post something on their profile and tag or mention you. This makes your followers feel involved while the focus remains on you.

3. Host an Instagram Takeover

Instagram takeovers are a great way to collaborate with friends and fellow influencers. Takeovers introduce fresh content to your profile, attracting new users and generating more engagement. Especially if your preferred guest already has a vibrant and active following of their own. An Instagram takeover involves one user taking charge of your feed for a predetermined amount of time. This could be for an hour, a day, or even a week. Takeovers generate more comments and engage the followers from both profiles.

4. Creatively Ask People to Engage in the Comments

An easy way to get more comments is to ask for more comments. You could do this with the classic prompt, “leave a comment!” or choose to get more creative. The content you post on Instagram should be shareable and engaging enough to interact with. Increase the intrigue by asking questions in your captions. This motivates users to respond with their own thoughts and opinions. A simple question of ‘Would you agree?’ or ‘What’s your opinion?’ would suffice. You could make it more interesting by posting a photo followed by a ‘Caption This!’ prompt.

5. Post Something Provocative, Funny, or Surprising

The most viral internet moments come from content that provokes high-arousal emotions like anticipation, surprise, curiosity, and uncertainty. Your followers will interact with the posts that they find most curious and thought-provoking. Which in most cases, is something funny, surprising, unconventional, or provocative. Among these viral moments were also posts inciting feelings of joy. Make sure your posts inspire emotion – so much so that your followers are compelled to add their own thoughts about it in the comments section. These kinds of posts don’t particularly have to be specific to your brand. Content that’s enjoyable for a broader audience is more likely to attract more comments.

6. Up your Hashtag Game

Niche hashtags are a good way to build a community that identifies with your brand. This also generates relevant Instagram comments. Using hashtags specific to your content will also help you rank higher, letting people find you with more ease using the hashtag browser. When you use relevant hashtags, your post has that much more chances of appearing in the explore tab, allowing new potential followers to discover you. Influencers and users will feel inspired to comment on posts that they identify with and are interested in. Ask your followers how they celebrated their #SundayFunday, post a #TBT (Throwback Thursday) every Thursday or a #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday) on Wednesdays. When you start using hashtags the right way, your options are endless.

7. Post Videos

2016 saw an increase of 40% in the number of people watching videos on Instagram. Post engaging videos to get followers to stop and immerse themselves in your content. Make sure your video is intriguing and something that inspires emotion. Videos are most likely to garner comments when it comes to social media content.

8. Make Use of Instagram Stories

Stories are an easy way to interact with your audience. Since stories were implemented, users have taken to them like moths to the flame. When you post a story, your followers will feel inclined to click on your image at the top of their Instagram feed to fulfil their curiosity. Stories also allow you to interact directly with your followers using polls, quizzes, choose which buttons, ask and answer questions etc. Stories are a simple way to build a strong community of loyal followers. Stories also show up on the hashtag browser and explore page. Moreover, you can repost your posts on stories and tag them with an interesting question. This increases visibility while also increasing the likelihood of a flooded comments section in the shared post.

9. Tag Brands, People, and Locations

By tagging other users in your post, you attract their attention, having your content pop up in many new and different places. This increases your chances of being discovered by new users and their friends. Tagging locations can help people in that area find you. This becomes increasingly important if you’re running a local business. When you tag other brands or influencers, you might even get reposted by the accounts you tagged. This showcases you to a whole new set of followers.

Think engagement first. As a social media personality, marketer, or influencer, you have to keep honing your strategy according to the changes in the algorithm. Schedule your posts at prime time, make use of stories, tag popular personalities and brands, utilize the location tag etc. Keep checking Instagram analytics and your default insights tool to expand your perspective on when, how, and what to post.