Social media accounts, Instagram in particular, and their following are a common metric which viewers use to determine quality. Whether it be related to a product, organization, artist or musician promoting their work, or just a person, the number of likes they get reflects the effectiveness of their product, service, or page content.
While it may seem a little shallow, it is true that good content typically receives a lot of likes. On the other hand, mediocre pages sometimes have a huge following, and incredible pages don’t. If you’re curious about how to get the upper hand with social media and to see those likes flowing inconsistently, then here are a few tricks.
Be Bold—Ask for Likes!
A study done on Twitter revealed that posts that asked for retweets did receive a significantly higher retweet percentage than others. So, if you want likes, then just ask for them. It’s best if you do it more subtly, for example, “Like this post if you agree,” or “Like this post, if you’re ready for Friday!” If you didn’t already know, you can also get automatic likes for your Instagram account and this option usually suits people who want the results, but don’t have the time or patience to go about the other options. If your budget allows it, then why not?
Post, Post, Post at the Right Time
One of the keys to staying relevant in such a competitive category is posting—a lot! For your page to be higher up in the rankings, you need to have a highly active account. This requires you to post every day, maybe even several times a day when you include stories.
Quantity isn’t everything though. If you’re a night owl or early bird, then the timing of your posts might be a part of the reason you aren’t getting as many likes as you should be. It’s important to post at times when people are awake. Not only that, but people are often not as active on Instagram during working hours, but there are spikes during lunch. Most people are active between 5 PM and 8 PM, and those numbers will rise the closer you get to 8 PM, as most people are winding down from their responsibilities outside of work.
Get Personal with a Longer Caption
Most posts don’t require a long caption. And for the most part, captions should be catchy or witty. But posting a longer one will catch the eyes of those who frequent your page, and they’ll likely take an interest in this change of pace. Opening up to your audience with a captivating caption about your brand or just anything personal to you will make them feel like they got a glimpse of something raw and unfiltered, something closer to the real thing, closer to you.
Conduct a Contest
Do a giveaway or shoutout contest. Give it a few criteria, one of them being to like your post and page of course, and promise a shoutout or something free in return. Musicians often will do covers at request. Artists may do a portrait. Whatever it is, make the gift awesome so that posts, reposts, likes, and new followers will be a sure thing. If all the steps are executed on both ends properly, then you’ll see a spike in inactivity.
Pull from the Greats
It’s important to pull inspiration from other companies or influencers that inspire you. If the content on someone’s page made you do a double-take, then it’s likely it will make your users do the same—so repost it. There’s no reason to begrudge your users of good content!
Following and liking pages that have similar content on their pages as yours is also a crucial part of gaining a larger following, and thus getting more likes. It helps your IG’s SEO if it’s associated with other pages, and people who visit other pages that are like yours might be led to your Instagram if they see your likes or comments.
Be a Social (Media) Butterfly
If you notice that one or some of your followers are giving you a lot of love, then give a little back. Leave comments and likes for those who support you, and you will get loyalty in return.
Increasing the number of likes on your Insta just comes down to asking for support, consistently posting, and interacting in a friendly and authentic manner that’s possible through social media. If these few tips are followed through on, then you’ll certainly see those likes rolling in much more than before.