This isn’t the OG days of blogging and Instagram. It has become so over saturated that it’s beyond hard to grow yet more and more are flocking to Instagram instead of checking out our blogs. Instagram is great, don’t get me wrong. I am obsessed with insta stories especially because it feels like my own little reality show. The bad thing is we rely on it too much in the influencer world (I just cringed typing that word) when it’s technically a platform that could disappear any minute. I definitely think more bloggers should focus on their blogs because that’s yours. Or that’s at least what sets us apart from just influencers…our writing defines us, not a picture that could possibly be a facade. I HAVE to get some things off my chest that have been really bothering me more and more as I see people taking these routes to grow on IG. Maybe they realize it’s wrong, maybe they don’t. So what are some engagement tips to grow on IG authentically and what should you not do? Believe me every one is asking that same question. I’m no expert and I’m not mad at you if you implement any of the don’ts but I might have lost respect for you. Let me tell you my viewpoints because I have played around with almost all of it…
Engagement Tips Do’s & Don’ts
DON’T buy likes or comments. The one thing I have NEVER tried. C’mon guys I’m sorry but that’s cheating and there is nothing you can say to change my mind. Here is a great post on the dirty facts of buying likes. If you’re a business with a storefront that’s one thing but if you’re a blogger that’s truly a slap in the face to other bloggers. You are supposed to be honest, that’s what your followers look for and that’s what the brands look for when hiring your for your “influence.” The whole point of being an “influencer” is to have authentic influence. Do you know how you can tell if someone is buying likes? Watch their photo within the first few minutes of posting…if they are getting hundreds and hundreds of likes and aren’t a huge influencer like AmberFillerup, there ya go. Question answered. I can always tell if someone buys likes and trust me other people notice. As far as comments you can typically tell by looking through the comments and if they look like spam or are majority foreign that’s a huge sign. “Looks great, awesome, good content” are among the examples of bought comments. Why do people do this? Well I suppose to boost themselves in the algorithm or give the illusion of good engagement. It’s not for me.
DON’T do a bunch of pods. What’s a pod? A group that likes or comments on each other’s photos. I don’t know why but the comment ones bother me so much more. Oh really you have 20k followers and just so happen to get 150-200 comments on every photo? Hmmm sounds fishy to me. Guess who else it looks fishy to…BRANDS!!! I have over 60K followers and my comments and likes range from photo to photo. One day I might get 1000 likes and the next photo I get 2000, that’s perfectly normal. What’s not normal is to get exactly roughly the same numbers on each photo, give or take. What’s not normal is someone who has 20k followers and gets over 2000 likes on every photo. When I first started blogging I did a couple of comment pods. They were so time-consuming, it ate away my entire evening. Best thing I ever did was leave a year ago. I can actually focus on what I am here to do, content. Plus I KNOW every single person who participates in comment pods. I can tell, WE CAN ALL TELL. All you have to do is watch the amount of comments and read the comments. It is not normal for someone with 20-30k to get 150-200 comments on every photo. I see what you’re doing.
As far as like pods go, they don’t bother me as much other than when let’s say for example, a normal one would receive 500 likes on a post and they join 8 like pods and now get 2500-3000. Fake. Just do one or two if you need a boost and chill the F out. It’s actually unfair for brands and they can SUE you if they find out. As a matter of fact brands are starting to include it in their contracts that you must have authentic engagement or you lose compensation. That means no pods and no bought engagement. I think it’s perfectly fine to use like pods from time to time as long as you don’t over do it. Moderation is key. That boost is fine, I get it. I’ve done it and I still do it from time to time but when you’re creating 2k+ inauthentic likes from pods that’s when ish gets crazy.
DO pay attention to your peak times. For example, the other night I was at a concert with friends and tried to post during my normal peak time aka 7/8 pm and apparently I didn’t have service. It didn’t post until 11:30 pm and it was a sponsored post. Unfortunately it tanked and that’s my fault. I have carefully paid attention to which times of day and days of the week perform better. I don’t always utilize that but I do for sponsored posts when I’m allowed to pick post timing because I want the brand to get the most engagement for their money. You can find your peak times by heading to your profile, clicking the 3 lines beside your name (insights) and under activity it’ll show what days of the week perform best. If you’re looking for the best times to post, try downloading Later or see when your audience is online under insights > audience > followers > hours or days
DO post consistently. Consistency is key to getting your posts seen and putting them at the top of the timeline.
DO post videos. Videos are being favored in the algorithm. Going LIVE on Instagram will put you at front of the stories feed. IG stories are being utilized by brands due to the fact that they are more authentic but they also wanna see your influence in stories. I post consistently on stories and get 8-12K views per day and I am certain consistency has strengthened those stats. Videos also show the real you.
Do use hashtags and geotag your location to increase reach.
DO engage authentically. Time permitting, go through your feed and comment and like photos that you enjoy. A majority of the time that person will return the favor. Another trick is to search trending hashtags and engage with their photos. I would much rather engage with content I actually enjoy, wouldn’t you? Because it’s real and authentic. Also engage with your audience. That will build a better and meaningful relationship. I have built some real friendships by engaging with my audience daily. My IG fam is the best.
DO collaborate with other bloggers. What better way to create content and also get in front of each other’s audience? I have a group of girls and we all cross promote each other plus I have content planned with multiple similar niches for motherhood and lifestyle in addition to getting in front of younger audience with my sweet younger blogger friends.
DON’T follow/unfollow. First off, I just think it’s plain rude. I’ve been that person who had a large account follow me and I get so excited only to find out they’ve unfollowed me days later. I attempted a follow service a year ago to test out the growth potential but my #1 request to the company was DO NOT unfollow these people. I think it’s mean and hurtful. I didn’t end up doing it except one month and it wasn’t for me because it wasn’t targeted enough and I didn’t like following a bunch of random people BUT at least I didn’t gives their hopes up and unfollow. I don’t even care if it’s a business like a local restaurant that does it because there’s no identity behind it but when Rachel the blogger I follow (totally made up) does it, it’s a bit offensive to me. You can also tell who does this. On social blade you can see they have followed 500+ then unfollowed around the same amount days or a week later.
DON’T do nothing but giveaways to grow. People, I get it, I love a good giveaway but again MODERATION is key. I prefer to keep them small with my actual blogger buddies but from time to time, I do a SMALL loop giveaway with other bloggers. Key word : sometimes. If you’re relying on giveaways only to increase your growth, you’re a fake influencer in my opinion. Very few are following you because they wanted to. Don’t even get me started on the international or secret giveaways. If one day you’re at 3k then the next you have 20k, that ish is sketchy. I have ZERO respect for you. Plus don’t you think that sounds off? I would be really weary of the big giveaways because a lot of them have been caught just buying followers. So there you are stuck with a bunch of fake followers from Venezuela or Mexico City. Hey let’s hope brands don’t ask you for your stats…oh wait, they do! I did two large giveaways once. One gave me like 3k (btw I was already at 40k at the time so I had already earned my status by that point) and another gave me maybe 8k. It was SO sketchy. I started having all these foreign accounts which would be ehhh if they were legit and engaged. Having fake followers or lurkers (followers who don’t engage) actually hurt your stats. Engagement is so much more important than the number of followers. I had to spend days blocking these accounts to get them off my page to avoid messing up future collaborations and partnerships + I wasted money joining the giveaway. Learn from my lesson. Trust me, it’ll come back to bite you. Don’t do it. I get so annoyed as a blogger who earns the trust of her followers seeing someone one day at 10k then a few days later at 25k. Where was your hustle friend? Did you even work for it. With no hustle, there’s no reward and guess what karma sucks. I, along with the other legit influencers have no respect for you. And we all know what you’re doing. I have received so many messages from blogger friends being like “Did you see so and so jump to from 10k to 30k?” Yeah, just stop. You’re putting a bad taste in your peers mouths and especially if you’re new to the game because it’s disrespectful to those of us who have struggled and hustled. It angers me to see one of my best blogger friends who straight worked for 2 years to get her following who is engaged and loyal get lapped by someone with fake followers from a big giveaway they did. The thing is, we are all struggling right now. Unless you’re an insta celeb, reality star or friends with one…we are all having a hard time growing. I’ve been stuck between 65-69k foreverrrr. Here’s the thing, if my best friend who has 188k, a LOYAL following and is sort of an IG “celeb” in a sense is having a hard time growing but the girl who popped up out nowhere just jumped 20k, I’m pretty sure we all know what’s going on. Just realize everyone is stagnant and just be thankful for the following and audience you do have. You know, the ones who actually wanna see your content, the ones who engage because they like you not just because they have to or because they’re bots and fake accounts. Just be content and grow naturally. (Believe me I really do understand the stress of growing your accounts right now, but YOU are so much more than a number on IG)
Check my friends from Dressed To Kill’s post on loop giveaways.
DO be smart about giveaways if you’re gonna do them. Do them with actual friends of yours. Do them with reputable hosts. Do your research. Spread them out so you don’t have huge lump sums of followers because brands SEE that. You can track someone’s growth. BTW you can do it now…go to social blade and enter their name. I’ve done it that’s how I know who the sketchy influencers are and I’m friends with some. (Trust me I can’t look at them the same) Don’t do the ones that guarantee 20-30k…first of all, seriously? You don’t see something wrong with that? Second off, you’re pretty much buying followers right there. If you’re going to do it then search for US-based giveaways with a similar niche. They might not bring in as many followers but they’re real and they’re likely to stick if YOU produce worthy content.
DO promote your posts on Instagram if you have a business account. It can definitely get your posts in front of more people.
Ahhhh ok that felt so good to get off my chest. I have been harboring so much frustration with a lot of new bloggers and bloggers with followings like myself that shot up in numbers in no time. Especially when they flaunt their numbers. Well in reality they’re not real. I am so frustrated with a recent group of new bloggers that think this is ok. It’s not fair that you one day have 5k then the next have 25k then the next 35k. We all know you didn’t get that naturally especially when I look through your comments and see you’re doing secret giveaways. I’m not sure how you can even think that’s ok and think people don’t notice or talk about. I get it there’s cheating in all jobs but I’m not sure how people sleep at night knowing they’re not authentic and go to the same events with their “colleagues” and can look them in the eye when we both know the truth.
My point is just be real. Be authentic. And again, moderation is KEY. I know it’s a crazy rat race but just be true to yourself. If you’re looking to be “insta famous” and describe that by the number of followers, you do you boo. I, however, am trying to create a brand around my blog. I am trying to make this a career. I am financially trying to support my family. I am trying to remain authentic and honest for my audience and my fellow bloggers. I’m all about empowering women and you’re not empowering other women by faking success and cheating through life when other women are busting their butts to be true, honest and authentic for those around them. That’s all. Carry on xoxo
