8 Data-Proven Tips for Creating Instagram Content That Performs

The Instagram marketing industry is more cutthroat than ever.

According to recent stats, this dynamic place has had more than 1 billion members to date and more than half a billion active users every month.

Customers love Instagram stories. Did you realize that every day, roughly 500 million people post stories?

These statistics also show that this unusual social media network aids in providing its users with a sizable amount of organic reading, a feat that rarely any other platform can boast.

It would not be good to say that Instagram can be a powerful tool for businesses and enthusiastic marketers.

You need to develop a solid content strategy if you want to step up your social media game and make sure that your Instagram material stands out from the crowd.

And be prepared with some sneaky tactics.

Fortunately, recent data has shown some astounding findings; therein lays your key to maximizing Instagram engagement.

Here are the statistics on Instagram content optimization.

1.Publish more organic material that performs well.

Any competent marketer is aware that advertising cannot sustain engagement over the long haul.

Excellent, competitive organic content fills that void. Instagram analytics research shows that carousels can increase engagement more so than a single image or video.

A carousel can increase your post's average engagement rate to 1.92%.

For each post, the Instagram engagement rate for videos is estimated to be 1.45%, compared to 1.74% for single images.

On the other hand, people become engrossed in a post when a story is told through a collection of photographs and videos.

These figures demonstrate that the carousel concept encourages greater user involvement, thus you should put more effort into making them.

However, this does not imply that carousel posts should make up 90% of your content strategy.

Divide them between these three post categories that are optimal for your audience. Additionally, let carousels provide flavor to your content approach.

Begin developing eye-catching carousels to draw viewers into your value offer.

2. Competitor Analysis

Go through your competitor's profiles to get a better idea of what they are doing. Track their each and every activity, count followers, see tags, location, uploaded content, etc.  If your competitors have a private IG Profile you may use tools like Exploreig which is an Instagram Profile viewer. If helps to get A to Z information for any profiles free of cost. 

3. Use carousels in inventive ways

Carousels account for about 19.44% of the millions of posts that are now available on Instagram. Discover fresh, innovative applications for carousels to stay one step ahead of the competition.

You can boost it by posting carousel-related content, which can encourage readers to look at your original pieces. Additionally, Instagram lets you publish 10 photos or videos at once, with users able to swipe to see the following item.

Users now have multiple opportunities to express themselves creatively to their best. 

Here are some strategies to improve Instagram engagement for your carousels:

Use both still photos and video recordings.

A sensation of delightful suspense is created by carousels. The audience is kept enthralled and eager to find out what happens next.

According to reports, a captivating mix of images and video snippets raises each post's interaction rate to 2.33%. This is significantly higher than the engagement rate of individual carousel-style images (1.8%) or films (1.86%).

This kind of material can be used to propose some of the top products and include a tutorial on how to utilize the product in one of the slots.

Your carousel should attempt to tell a brief narrative where the images and videos represent various emotions.

Make a Story of  8–10 Key Points.

People enjoy hearing stories, and carousels are a creative way to present them.

More slides have been found to be a very effective engagement booster.

There is a lot of space for creativity here. Just be certain that every slide makes sense.

I can't pressurize this enough: don't use more slots if you don't have enough material.

You don't have to go all out just because Instagram gave you the option to complete 10 spots. The secret recipe is to keep the audience's interest and ensure that they are interested in more.

Two-slot carousels have been observed to produce an engagement of roughly 1.9% for each post. Therefore, limiting oneself to two slides is sufficient.

If you don't have enough content for all of the carousel spaces, don't use them for your posts.

Only when the content makes sense does the strategy to increase interaction while using all 10 slides work.

A narrative of a before-and-after reveal

These kinds of carousels have proven to be a huge success for many firms.

Stories of change are popular. They become more eager and motivated as a result of the noticeable changes.

The fact that you were able to improve things stirs strong emotions in the viewers.

You can use two of the carousel's spaces to display "Before" and "After" photographs. You'll get a high rate of engagement as a result.

In order to demonstrate the full conversion process, you may also include a sequence of 8–10 demonstration movies in your carousel.

4. Limit caption length

Whatever kind of Instagram post you choose to make, always keep the captions succinct, straightforward, and to the point.

According to data, postings with captions of up to ten words get between 2.35% and 3.13% more engagement.

5. Make use of videos to spark discussions

Carousels are attractive, but videos have the power to encourage more people to leave comments on a marketing post.

More specifically, compared to photos or carousels, video posts average 11 comments per post.

This is so that viewers can have a much more intimate experience when videos are used properly.

6. Use advertisements

Every now and then, every Instagram profile needs a boost. 

Ads are the best approach to gaining more followers and being seen by a wider audience if organic content keeps your fans interested in your brand.

By boosting your posts, using an ads manager, or working with Instagram partners that can assist you with anything from buying advertisements to locating and providing creative, you may create ads from within the app.

Instagram provides the chance to produce: 

• stories adverts
• picture adverts
• ad videos
• collection of carousel advertising ads in exploration

Here are some pointers you can use to create profitable advertisements:

Post beautiful images demonstrating your vision.

On the image, keep your text to a minimum. If the written content in a post takes up more than 20% of the image, the Instagram algorithm does not promote the post.

Submit a brief and concise caption along with your post. Captions that are brief usually do better.

To reach the correct audience, include trendy hashtags in your content along with pertinent ones. The maximum allowed number of hashtags is 30.

7. Write captivating Stories

Instagram users can easily be drawn in with the use of stories.

It is a fantastic venue for highlighting some important information and updating your fans on your recent activities.

Stories help you spread your message faster and more effectively, especially if you have a small brand.

The following are some intriguing Instagram story statistics:

• On average, brands release new Stories seven days a month.
• Videos are used by half of the brands in Stories.
• Results are improved when up to six stories are published each day.
• Brands with a tiny following can use Stories to connect with more than 9% of their followers.
• Images perform worse than videos on Stories, with a greater tap-forwards rate of 5.65%.
• Compared to videos, there are higher drop-offs for pictures in Stories.
• Two to three stories are lost in a day at the fastest rate.
• Out of 10,000 Stories viewers, 6 respond to the story.

This provides some useful insights into topics like how to maximize brand stories, how many tales to publish each day, and the value of utilizing video stories.

As your tale, you can provide a high-resolution image of your product with little text.

Additionally, you can include call-to-action buttons in the post, such as "Swipe Up" buttons that direct visitors to your Instagram page or website.

This is due to the fact that live broadcasting gives your brand a name and face. Making it relatable and humanized.

This has a significant impact on strengthening the bond between your audience and your business.

One noteworthy benefit in terms of reach and brand awareness is that when you go live, you will be featured right at the front of the Instagram story section.

Additionally, a notification will be sent to your followers inviting them to join your live feed.

You can broadcast live from your company page to promote company values while announcing a new launch or discussing your product offerings.

Demonstrate the company's personal and emotional side to portray yourself as a caring and responsible person.

Final Thoughts.

Next time, consider including video clips in the carousel if you notice that your postings with many photographs are getting fewer likes. To gain more followers and engagement, go live. Go all out and use this dynamic platform to unleash your creative side.

Related: How People Use Instagram and What Brands Can Learn from It [2022 Study]