Struggling to get your Instagram Reels noticed amid the sea of content? Breaking through the noise and winning the algorithm over can feel like the ultimate challenge.
And it’s not just about losing potential view counts; it’s about missing out on real engagement and the opportunity to connect with and grow your following.
But what if you could turn that around?
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are five key strategies you can use to turn your engagement rate on Instagram Reels around.
5 Tips To Boost Engagement Rate on Instagram Reels
Engagement dwindling? Here are five things you can do to create content your audience will love, get the algorithm on your side and boost the engagement rate on your Instagram Reels.
1. Jump on Audio Trends
The audio you use plays a big part in how well your video will perform. The trick is to jump on trending sounds before they become old news.
Unless you’re chronically online, that’s not always a simple task. You might not have time to scroll through Reels every morning or check out other creator’s profiles to see what’s trending.
The solution(s)?
- Use the Instagram @creators Trends Report
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- Use Plann’s Trending Reels Sounds of the Week.
The great thing about our report is that we give examples of how you can adapt each trend for your account. It saves you from doom scrolling and gives you ideas to put into your content calendar immediately.
Emphasis on immediately.
If you want to reap the rewards of high engagement from trends, you can’t put ideas for Reels content on the back burner. You need to jump on trends fast.
How can you set yourself up for success and create Reels faster – without losing quality?
- Create a content corner: Somewhere in your office or home that inspires you and has all your equipment set up and ready to go.
- Use a content block: Set aside time in your calendar every day or on a specific day and block out 1-2 hours to create content. Once you’re done, edit it and upload it to your scheduler tool.
- Use Instagram Reels templates. Select the right number of video clips, and Instagram Reels Templates do the rest!
2. Get a Content Calendar and Post Consistently
Post consistently.
You’ve probably read this tip countless times, and that’s because it works.
Think of it this way.
Each piece of content is one entry to win the lotto. The more entries you submit, the higher your chances of hitting the jackpot and going viral.
That’s not all.
The more often you post, the more data you have to learn about what resonates with your community, which can help you niche down and create engaging Reels your audience loves.
Because that’s the thing about social media, it’s all about trial and error. Even if your Reels aren’t performing well, you need to keep pushing until you find what works for you.
Let’s look at an example.
Creator @yoleendadong has amassed a following of 4.7 million followers with 672 posts because of her relatable Reels about dating.
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Currently, she posts one new video 5 days a week, priming her followers to expect something new from her almost every day, which keeps engagement high. That doesn’t mean you need to do the same to get results, but it’s a schedule she can stick to, and that’s the secret to staying consistent.
If you can only manage posting Reels 3x per week, lock that into your calendar and make it non-negotiable.
Not enough to inspire you to finally start using a content calendar and sticking to a posting schedule?
Then, think about your relevancy.
In marketing, there is the rule of seven. It states that a customer needs to see an advertisement at least seven times before they feel compelled to take action.
The same theory applies to your Instagram following.
If you want your audience to buy your online course or visit your restaurant, you need to consistently post about your business. If you don’t, the algorithm won’t have any content to push onto newsfeeds, and your brand will lose brand awareness, engagement, and relevancy.
Sticking to a content schedule helps you feed the Instagram Reels algorithm and keeps your business at the top of your mind among your followers.
Once you’re regularly creating a bank of content, the next step is to post at optimal times for maximum engagement.
There are two ways you can do this:
- Look at the Instagram Insights tab
- Sign up for a free Plann account and use the Best Time to Post feature
If you use the latter, you’ll save time drilling down into your analytics, and you can select optimal times to post for engagement based on historical data and when your audience is most online.
3. Add Value to Encourage Audience Interaction
A call-to-action is the OG way of encouraging audience interaction, but it’s not enough.
Asking Instagram users to like, comment or share your Reel in the video or in the caption doesn’t work for every niche and can feel generic.
Also, no one really likes being told what to do unless there’s something to GAIN.
What you want to do is create content that elicits a response from the viewer, whether it’s because it’s relatable/entertaining, educational or inspirational/aspirational. These three categories tap into powerful emotions that prompt users to interact with your Instagram Reel because it provides value to their lives.
Let’s look at some examples.
Creator @amandamccants makes hilarious video content about influencers, sisters, and different types of people from different Californian suburbs. The content is extremely shareable because the characters and video topics are relatable to viewers. You feel compelled to share it with your friends because it’s made you laugh and want to spread the joy.
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@nischa.me, on the other hand, is a master at creating engaging educational content. She shares easy personal finance tips that are to the point and pack a lot of value. This makes her content highly saveable. Users will want to come back to specific videos to implement tips or ask questions in the comments.
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@packslight taps into educational and aspirational content. Many of her top-performing Instagram Reels centre around her experience travelling the world as a solo black female traveller. For Gabby’s audience, the value of her content lies in sharing her tips and tricks while inspiring people to follow in her footsteps and give solo travel a try. This makes her content highly saveable and shareable for her audience.
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4. Add Text to Make Your Reels More Accessible
How often do you watch video clips without any sound?
If you’re like most people, it’s more often than not.
According to Digiday, 75% of social media videos are watched on mute, which presents a problem for content creators and business owners.
How do you communicate your message when users can’t hear it?
With on-screen text and subtitles.
It’s an easy way to add context, grab users’ attention, and make your content accessible for those with hearing difficulties.
To add subtitles, you can use Instagram’s closed caption sticker or video editing tools like CapCut’s subtitle feature.
While it is an extra step, it’s worth it. With the right keywords, placement, and timing, you can engage users for longer, increase your watch time by 5%, and increase interactions by 17%.
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Read More: How to Add Captions to Every Type Of Instagram Post
5. Use Your Instagram Insights to Create a Data-Backed Strategy
As mentioned earlier, the more content you create, the more chances you have to go viral. But there’s another advantage – data points.
When you’ve built up a content bank, you can start drilling into your analytics to understand what makes your audience tick, which content pillars are working, and what pieces of content are helping you achieve your goals.
To uncover the mystery behind your Instagram growth (or what’s holding it back), go to your Insights Tab. Navigate to the “Content Shared” section and change the time period to the last three months.
Next, filter the content type to Reels and use the “Sort” filter to answer the following questions:
- What are your highest and lowest-performing Instagram Reels?
- Which Instagram Reels brought in the most plays, saves, and shares?
By the end of this exercise, you should notice trends in your content and what’s attracting or repelling your audience. Once you know what’s bringing in the most engagement (and what isn’t), it’s easier to make data-backed decisions to improve your content strategy.
Use Plann to Level Up Your Instagram Reel Strategy
Alright, are you ready to put these Instagram Reels tips to good use? By staying on top of audio trends, committing to a consistent posting schedule, adding on-screen text, and packing your videos with value, you can create Instagram Reels that attract more engagement, followers, and sales.
Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Plann Plus today and put content strategy to the test. You’ll get access to the best times to post, a free content calendar, AI-generated captions, and a done-for-you strategy planner for your niche.
…And that’s only scratching the service.
