You’ve curated the perfect photo, crafted a witty caption, and hit post. But hold on a sec, Instagram whiz – is that all there is to it? While nailing those picture-perfect moments and caption magic is crucial, it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to truly crushing it on the ‘gram. And you do need to know that if you want to level up your Instagram game, there is more to Instagram than meets the eye.

The truth is, there’s a whole secret world lurking behind the explore page, and it’s filled with strategies to maximize your reach, skyrocket your growth, and turn likes into loyal followers. Buckle up, because we’re about to delve into the things you MUST do before your post on Instagram to take your content from “meh” to “major engagement.”

The first hour is EVERYTHING. The more engagement you score early on, the more likely Instagram is to push your post to the top of the feed. Boom! Viral town, baby! That’s why we’re here to spill the tea on what you have to do BEFORE you hit that post button. Buckle up, because these steps are gonna turn your next masterpiece into an engagement magnet!

Save your post as a draft and schedule it

By saving your post as a draft and scheduling it for later you have the opportunity to check your captions and hashtags before posting. Not just that, by scheduling your post, you have the opportunity to do the next step first as well.

Post a hype-up Instagram story

Post a story hyping up your upcoming post 1 to 2 hours before your actual post goes live. After posting, add another story directing people to check your new post out.

Tag yourself on Instagram Carousels

When posting an Instagram carousel, tag yourself on the first and last slides of your carousel post.

Don’t forget to add a location to your Instagram posts

Make use of that location tag. Add a location that is fairly large and related to your target audience for better reach.

Take a look at the extras

Add a poll to your caption, or add a reminder to your posts or even use product tags if you are a product based business.

Just like these, you can do the following after you make your posts to increase your reach and engagement.

  1. Pin your new post to your profile.
  2. Repost the post to your story and also share the same on other social media.
  3. Like stories and posts of other creators so they can come check you out as well.
  4. Respond to all comments with a question that sparks a two-way conversation.
  5. Go to your previous post and like all the comments you find there.
  6. Pin 2 to 3 comments from your post as soon as they come in.

Follow SayMe Marketing on Instagram for more tips like these.

This post is part of Blogchatter’s A2Z challenge.