Congratulations on your engagement! Not in a romantic sense, of course (that’s none of our business), but if you’re reading this post, it means you’re looking to increase your social media activity.
Read on for the best tips and tricks to get more likes, comments, shares and saves for your content – it’s a big commitment, but we do crazy things for the followers we love.
What is a social media engagement post?
A social media engagement post is any type of content that encourages the audience to interact with it, such as by liking, commenting, sharing, or saving. Engagement means that the user is connected to the content and as a result performs a certain action, and not just a passive viewer.
Engagement rate is one of the most accurate ways to measure your social media success. You can find out your current engagement rate with Hootsuite’s free engagement rate calculator and increase those numbers by trying the following strategies.
19 engagement post ideas for 2023
1. Run a raffle
No social media strategy is guaranteed except for free giveaways. Offering free stuff and asking people to interact with you in exchange (like answering a question in a comment) is one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase your engagement. This type of engagement post is most common on Instagram and Facebook.
When you’re running a giveaway, first decide what your interaction goals are. Do you aim to get a lot of comments, increase the number of subscribers, increase the number of likes? Then define your login method based on those goals.
Holding a competition or draw:
- Increase engagement metrics like comments, shares, likes and saves.
- Give users something useful when interacting with your content
- Improve relationships with your followers
2. Host a signature contest
A signature contest is a type of contest or giveaway that requires a little creativity from the user. It’s not just about liking a post or tagging a friend; Applicants should consider their answers. Caption contests are most successful with dynamic, eye-catching photos like this one:
A signature contest can help you:
- Encourage your followers to engage meaningfully with your content
- Increase the number of comments on a post
- Support the community as members like and comment on other people’s posts.
3. Be social
Relevant content is very common. Users who link to your posts (or know someone who links to your posts) are more likely to tag friends, share, and save your content.
For example, the above post from online magazine Reductress points to the very niche (but current) issue of eating without watching TV. The post has tons of comments, mostly people tagging their friends, as well as 70 reposts and almost 1,000 likes.
The relation will result in:
- Users tagging their friends in your comments
- Building authentic relationships with your audience
- More variety in your content (not every post has to be purely marketing-focused)
4. Take a survey
Who can resist a poll? It is very easy to take part in social media surveys. In addition, polls on Twitter and Instagram have an added incentive to participate: users cannot see poll results unless they vote themselves, meaning they must participate in order to participate. get information.
Source: Twitter
The more controversial the poll, the more likely you are to generate more engagement – users may start discussing it in the comments or sharing the results in their feeds.
Controversial does not necessarily mean serious. For example, the old debate about pineapple and pizza can always generate some strong opinions (but as far as we know, they never started a war).
Conducting a survey will:
- Create an easy and convenient way for your followers to interact with your content.
- Let you get an idea of what your audience’s opinion is
- Create public statistics for both you and your followers
5. Ask to stitch / duets
This type of post is especially effective on TikTok, where you can ask viewers to duet or stitch your content. This is a much more responsible type of interaction than a like or a comment, but it often produces more valuable results.
@kaidenmiller_ #duet with @m0lnigt this was pretty cool #ReadyForHell #duetifiaccidentallydrewyou #isthatme
For example, there are many artists on TikTok posting “duo if I accidentally drew you”videos, which usually show multiple drawings of people with random facial features. Other TikTok users are encouraged to duet the video if they see themselves in the mix.
By asking for stitches or duets, you can:
- Encourage other users to create videos that include your content.
- Clearly let your followers know that you are looking for this kind of interaction
- See what content your followers care about the most
6. Reply to comments with video
This one is also specific to TikTok. TikTok is unique in that you can reply to specific comments by creating a video that directly addresses them, and the original comment is included in the new TikTok.
@themarshmallowco Replying to @sincerelysincerity Let’s make and pack this order for Sincere 😊 #marshmallow #candymaking #candytok #orderpacking #packanorderwithme
This example from a marshmallow company proves how much TikTok viewers love it when their comments are used in this way: A user specifically commented on one TikTok asking the creator to take down his specific order.
It’s a win-win: the creator has a simple idea for the content, the commenter gets a little kudos, and other followers are encouraged to comment as they see evidence that the comment can earn them their own video.
Replies to comments using video may result in:
- More comments on your posts in general as users try to be the next person you reply to.
- Make your audience feel heard and appreciated
- Potentially more sales, especially if the comments are related to the manufacture or packaging of product orders.
7. Ask for advice
Seeking advice online may not provide useful insight, but it will bring a lot of interest. The social world is full of people who genuinely want to support each other, as well as people who are pretentious know-it-alls who love the sound of their typing. This strategy does both.
Source: Twitter
The above tweet from Fenty Beauty asks for advice on lip gloss at night (and has the added bonus of products specially made by Fenty). Consider asking for advice related to your brand and niche in order to get relevant—and, if you’re lucky, helpful—answers.
Seeking advice can:
- Encourage your followers to comment on your post
- Lead to more saves (as others may want to remember the same advice)
- Get an idea of which of your products are subscriber favorites.
8. Ask a question
This strategy is similar to asking for advice, but more open: you can actually ask a question about anything. Jewelery brand Jennybird posted a video on IG asking followers to guess what their latest launch will be and prompted a lot of comments from those who guessed it.
By asking a question, you can:
- Get more comments on your post
- Serve as a temperature check for your followers
- Raise the buzz around a new product launch
9. Ask questions
Same as above but in reverse: invite your followers to ask you questions to increase your engagement rate. NASA used this strategy when streaming live video – Twitter users could use the #AskNASA hashtag to ask astronauts questions in space.
Source: Twitter
Asking questions can lead to:
- Building meaningful, reciprocal relationships with your followers
- Find out what your followers care about
- Share useful information with your followers
10. Post good photos
It’s simple, but it works: just by posting a great photo, you will get more comments, likes and shares. Not every photo you share on your social media has to be perfect, but consider adding super-high-quality eye-catching shots from time to time to increase the perceived value of your brand.
Source: Twitter
For example, this photo from National Geographic shows a polar bear sleeping in a flower bed. He has tons of engagement just because of how beautiful the photo is.
Posting good photos:
- Encourage your followers to share your content based on aesthetics.
- Give your brand a more professional look
- Improve your shared feed
11. Be specific in your niche
Most of your followers probably follow you because they are interested in your particular niche. They will be most interested in content relevant to that niche. For example, hair accessory brand Supercrush posts a lot of hair-related photos and videos.
The how-to video above is informative and very helpful, but also includes one of the company’s products. People probably follow this brand because they are interested in hair, so this type of content brings a lot of savings: users can look back on it the next day of bad hair.
Specific to your niche:
- Make sure your followers can connect to your content
- Lead to more saves from interested users
- Make your content focused and specific so your followers know who you are
Modern social media users like to see the real people behind brands. Humanize your content by sharing (at your level, of course) personal news or events that matter to you.
This artist celebrated her 33rd birthday by selling her work for 33% off and posted about it on her Instagram. The post likely generated a lot of visits to the website by people looking to make a deal, but it also has a lot of comments from people just wishing her a happy birthday.
Sharing personal news can:
- Give your followers a more authentic view of your brand
- Get likes and comments from well-wishers and users who support you
- Be a great occasion to thank your followers (for example, through a sale or giveaway)
13. Post useful and informative content
If one of your social marketing goals is to get more shares and saves, consider creating useful and informative content. If your followers can learn something from your post, they can share that knowledge or save it for future use.
For example, the Instagram post above has gone viral because its content is both soothing and inspiring…
@daniellenguyen_ I will be using this heatless curl rod forever!! Such a game changer and it gives my hair so much volume 💆🏻♀️🎀 #heatlesscurls #heatlesscurlstutorial #hairhacks #thatgirl #heatlesscurlsresults #hairroutine
… and this TikTok has a lot of saves from people looking for no-heat curling hacks.
Posting useful and informative content will result in:
- More reposts as users want to share knowledge
- More saves as users save information for later
- More to come as users learn that you can be relied upon for practical and functional content.
Post user-generated content to show that you’re not the only one building your brand: your customers and followers are great sources to post (just remember to ask for permission to repost if applicable).
User-generated content can be anything from posting a post from a person who has tagged your brand, to finding a positive review and turning it into an Instagram post (or, as in the example below, finding a positive and slightly weird review and turning it into an Instagram post). Instagram).
Sharing user-generated content can:
- Create authenticity for your brand
- Encourage your followers to write about you because there is a chance they will be shown
- Boost reposts where users inevitably post their own content after you’ve shared it.
15. Post Timely Content
At work and in society, timeliness pays off. Following the current trend or posting something related to current events is a great strategy for increasing engagement, and all you really need to do is spend some time on your chosen platform to get inspired.
HAMILTON x RIHANNA ❤️🔥 #HamiltonAU #Rihanna #Superbowl #MariaReynolds pic.twitter.com/VfVSqsjD40
— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) February 24, 2023
The cast of Hamilton Australia got it right in this post. It was tweeted right after the 2023 Super Bowl, when both professional and amateur dancers were making the best of Rihanna’s halftime show. It has been liked, retweeted and quoted thousands of times.
Posting themed content will result in:
- Keep up to date with the latest developments and stay on top of the latest trends
- Make your brand more attractive to your audience
- Lots of inspiration as a new viral internet trend appears almost every day.
16. Reply to comments
How to get the audience to interact with you? Interact with them. Constant replies to comments create a mutual form of communication with your followers – they are more likely to comment on your posts if they think you will reply. Crate and Barrel does this very well by responding to customer inquiries on their Facebook page.
Source: Box and barrel Facebook
It’s not a post idea per se, but it opens up more possibilities for the posts you already have. Pay close attention to the comments (a tool like Hootsuite’s Inbox can help) and answer as much as you can.
Responses to comments will be:
- Establish meaningful relationships with your followers
- Increase the likelihood that your followers will comment on your posts.
- Increase the total number of comments for each post.
17. Post memes
A little meme can make a big difference. Consider sharing popular internet memes (and linking them to your brand if possible) to grab the attention of millennials and Gen Z followers.
Memes are connected, create a community, and generally give the impression that you don’t take your job too seriously – you’re not a regular brand, you’re a cool brand.
Posting memes can:
- Attract younger audiences to your content
- Result in a large number of shares
- Let your subscribers know that you are cool and at the same time
18. Copy (or challenge) a competitor
Okay, don’t really copy a competitor – we’re looking for fun social media interactions, not litigation. But a friendly nod to others in your industry can be a great way to encourage viewers to engage with your work.
@thehockeyguys #duet with @thesavbananas Hockey vs. Baseball pt.2. The Bar is RISING
When baseball players Savannah Bananas did this (truly impressive) lip sync on TikTok, The Hockey Guys responded with their opinion on the song. Viewers were asked to comment on who did it better, which led to thousands of comments.
Copying or challenging a competitor:
- Encourage followers to pick a side and speak their mind
- Create drama (real or fictional) that audiences will enjoy.
- Develop relationships between your brand and others in your industry.
Post your opinion (serious or stupid) to spark discussion in the comments. Viewers often can’t help but share their opinions on controversial topics, no matter how important the topic actually is.
@reevcon looking back I think poodles are more maximalistic but the eclectic type of maximalism — im dead set on the brutalistic choice though
When this TikTok creator started assigning dog breeds to different interior design styles, the platform went crazy: the video gets ten million views, but 14,000 comments are truly impressive.
For example, one comment that says “I feel like a cottage core is a cocker spaniel, but that’s just me”has 39 replies. Hundreds of comments claim that the real maximalist dog is a poodle. Does it matter? Not exactly, but it’s a lot of fun to discuss – that’s what makes this content so exciting.
By sharing a hot take, you:
- Encourage those who agree to show their support
- Encourage those who disagree to voice their rebuttal
- Overall, spark a lot of conversation in the comments and build your brand identity.
Frequently Asked Questions about Engagement Messages
What are some good engagement posts?
A few effective social media engagement posts are contests or sweepstakes, polls, and posts that ask specific questions. Posts that are visually beautiful or very funny also tend to have high engagement.
How to write an engagement post?
If you want more engagement, ask for it. Invite your followers to comment on your posts, post interactive polls or quizzes that are easy to participate in, or share something informative that your followers find useful. Make it easy for your audience to interact with your content.
To increase your social media engagement, post interactive content. This could be a built-in tool on the platform (such as Instagram’s Q&A feature or Twitter’s polling feature) or simply encouraging engagement in your regular content (by asking a question or inviting your followers to comment or tag their friends).