If you’re looking to grow and boost your engagement, then keep reading and let’s talk about the Rule of 15 Engagement Hack.
“I can’t keep up with the algorithm, it’s always changing. It’s so frustrating!”
“I wish this was still a photo sharing app!”
I see and hear you.
If you’ve been to my own feed you know I’ve been sharing a lot of photo content lately, because sometimes it’s not about growth, sometimes it’s about connecting with the audience you have, and that’s okay too. With Subscriptions going live to everyone and new features constantly rolling out, engagement takes a hit and our content lags as the algorithm gets bogged down with updates. Any job has its ups and downs, and this is a job. It may be flexible and fun, but it is still a job. You’re putting your time and energy out there. So it is a job.
No job is perfect. No job is without faults.
It’s okay to take a break, to focus on those connections with the people who follow you and build those relationships, or disconnect entirely and take a break from hustling. So back to
The Rule of 15
This has been around for a while, and through all the changes, through everything, it’s a sure fire way to boost engagement on your content to this day.
So how does it work? What do you do?
Let’s think of it like a checklist:
15 minutes before posting
- Engage authentically* with 15 peoples stories
- Engage authentically* with the first 15 people you see on your home page
- Engage authentically* with 15 of the most recent posts of 1 – 5 of the hashtags you plan to use
* Engaging authentically looks like letting the story slide finish on its own and replying to it with comments — not just reactions — engaging with polls, slides, etc. It also looks like reading the entire caption on picture / video content and letting the reel play all the way through before liking, commenting, saving, etc. Make sure your comments incorporate key words used from the description or related to the picture / video to help trigger the algorithm in a favorable way.
The first 15 minutes after posting
- Reply to every comment and DM
Step away from your post for 1 hour, and when you come back
- Engage with 5 stories
- Engage with 5 posts on your home page
- Reply to 5 more comments under your post
Now post your content to stories
** Having a CTA (Call to Action) that asks them to leave an emoji in the comments if they see your story and also like chocolate (for example) is a great way to boost engagement.
Now repeat step 1
- Engage authentically* with 15 peoples stories
- Engage authentically* with the first 15 people you see on your home page
- Engage authentically* with 15 of the top posts of 1 – 5 of the hashtags you used
Instagram wants screen time, so not only are you getting on people’s radars by engaging with their page and having their followers see your comments also, but the algorithm will respond favorably to those putting in this consistent screen time on the app.
It sounds like a lot of work, but in reality it’s only about an hour of screentime, just broken up into engagement chunks. Have you heard of the Rule of 15? Have you used it before?
Let me know how this works for you, and comment a 💛 if you need some love on your latest posts. And make sure to subscribe to my email list for extra social media tips twice a week. Here to support you, bestie!
If you liked this post, make sure to check out these other related posts:
- How To Be A Full-Time Instagram Content Creator in 2022
- 10 Instagram Tips to Fix Your Feed Right Now
