Why is interactivity important and how to increase it?

We've all been there. No matter what you do on Instagram, you still get few likes and almost no one comments on your posts. Why is that? The answer is simple and costs you nothing.

We live a fast-paced life on Instagram. Before we go to walk our dog in the morning, we manage to check a few stories and like some reels. Basically, almost all of us are scrolling and rarely do we get so interested in something that we dedicate time to it. And when we do devote time to something, we finish watching, finish reading, and scroll on.

Here's the problem. Tell your followers what to do. In the industry, it's called a CTA - a call to action. You have to tell the dog what to do, too. At the end of the post, and it doesn't matter if it's a static photo or the perfect video, tell your followers what to do.

If you want them to give you a heart, write, "If you liked my video, give me a heart." Or: "If you liked my cheese crackers, give me a thumbs up."

If you want people to share your video, say something like, "If you think your friends should see this video, share it."

If you're offering something of value, give a call to save it, and if you want to get new followers, ask for followers. "Save this video and for more exercise tips, start following me."

Instagram shows photos and stories to your current followers, so if you give them a call to follow, it will be weird to say the least. For static posts, ask for saves and likes, for stories, use polls.

Reels is now the preferred format, so Instagram also shows it to people who aren't your followers but may have similar interests or follow similar content. Prompt for sharing and following or save and follow. In addition to interactivity, you'll also gain new followers.

It's not a good idea to over complicate the challenges. One or two is enough. With multiple prompts, people won't do anything. Challenges don't start working right away. Give them time. You have to teach your followers to do everything.

When you publish a post, Instagram doesn't immediately show it to all your followers. If you have 1,000 followers, only a few will see what you've posted. But when Instagram sees that a post is interesting, it shows it to more and more people. That's why interactivity is important.

Oh, and you should know that interactivity is how people give us ratings:

Not enough hearts? Your post isn't imaginative enough.

Not enough views? The video didn't engage within the first three seconds and people kept scrolling through it.

Not enough shares? The post wasn't worth it, people would show it to their friends.

Not enough saves? The post has no value. People don't see why they should ever look at it again another time.

Few comments? The post lacks emotion. Positive or negative.

Believe me, even we with our human have a big problem with interactivity and CTAs. But we know that if we don't forget about it for a while, it works and we grow. Not to mention that interactivity is one of the strongest arguments that help in attracting new business partners. But about that, another time.

And my prompt at the end of the blog is, "Feel free to share this blog in your stories or drop me a DM or email, I'll be delighted.

Also read the blog Two ways a dog can make money on Instagram