Likes and Comments on Instagram – How to Engage Your Followers

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Likes and Comments

How do you “Like” or Comment on Instagram? Engaging with followers is one of the most fun parts of being on Instagram. It is gratifying when you share an image and people respond to it by liking it, commenting or even reposting it.

But in order to engage with followers, you first need to have some! Even a few will work to start! If you’re new to Instagram, you can check out recommended follows, or simply follow brands or celebrities you like. Many brands and celebrities don’t reciprocate with likes or comments but you can get the flow of what happens on the platform, and later tweak the list of people whose content you follow.

Engagement

But how to “Like” or Comment on Instagram? When scrolling through your feed, it takes only a moment to “like” and leave a comment. Some people post the exact same comment on various images so they can rapidly post comments! It’s disingenuous and think most people can tell. Furthermore, if engagement is a goal, making the same comment over and over is more like a bot than a person. Still, any kind of comment takes more effort than a simple “like.”

I will often scroll through a newly followed account and like three or four photos, and if one warrants a comment, I’ll leave one. Likes can lead to engagement. If someone sees you’ve liked a number of their posts, often they will visit your feed. Then if they see something they like, they’ll offer likes or comments. That is simply how it can start.

Likes and Comments

A comment like, “Beautiful shot!” or “Your cat is too funny” means a lot to the photographer, and the likelihood of a response is high. How high? I haven’t personally measured, but even a short comment can lead to back and forth conversations. That’s how you become acquainted with people.

Another way people engage (especially true if you are following people who live in non-English speaking countries) is by using emojis. It’s surprising how much can be communicated via emoji.

There are apps you can buy to “fake” your engagement. Software can automatically go through and “like” posts. But simply “liking” a post isn’t considered engagement. In fact, there have been adjustments to the Instagram algorithm to determine whether a comment is considered engagement or not. I found this fairly recent post that says a 4-word comment is required in order for it to be recognized as “post engagement.”

@LuzzietCastilho has 256 likes and 123 conments on this image! Nice!

Use content as a catalyst

Your content and description will be the single best catalyst for soliciting feedback. Despite the quick-scan nature of Instagram, a keyword, phrase or comment along with a good image often will catch someone’s eye. So if you decide to post pictures of what you’re eating for dinner, make sure you say something about it, like @Alaskanamber’s caption:

“Ethiopian food for 4 🙌🏽🇪🇹🌍 (Not normally a food snapshot person but this was the best Ethiopian food I’ve had since I was there in 2010!) #meskel#amaseganalo#ethiopianfood#seattle#washington#yummy#injera#dorowat#meskelrestaurant

Don’t be afraid

Most people on Instagram are friendly and are looking for reactions to their photos. If you take a moment to give a compliment, you will most likely be rewarded with a response, and in time, could find yourself with a new friend in Sweden or the Arctic Circle, like my friend, @_wildernesslife_in the Arctic Circle. She offers Arctic experiences to guests. It looks amazing!

Now that you know how to “Like” or Comment on Instagram, as Nike says, “Just do it!”

Caption copy: This my third pic from Victor. You can see a trustful connection between me and Victor. The reindeer is relaxed and he observes the environment and smells the wind but he is not anxious of me moving around him. He is quietly sharing his world with his friend. 
#arcticwinter #arcticliving #arcticlife#wildernesshome #wildernessliving#midwinter #northernlife #laplandliving#reindeer #reindeers #antlers #paraspaikka#mylapland #lovelapland #laplandfinland

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For additional engagement tips, see, Do Instagram Captions Make a Difference?

More About Terri:

Her store on Alki Beach: Alki Surf Shop
Terri Nakamura Design
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Alki Surf Shop on Twitter
The Horsfall House on AirBNB
More by Terri Nakamura