Have you noticed a drop in your engagement rate on Instagram recently? If you have, you’re not alone! Many brands and users have experienced a decline in overall engagement, leaving them to wonder: “What’s wrong with Instagram?” Here are some reasons why this could be happening, and a few tips on what you should do about it.
1) Changes in the home feed
There have been quite a lot of changes in the Instagram home feed this year, and two main ones could be the cause of a drop in engagement: the increase in suggested content on the platform, and the introduction of the three new home feeds. Due to this, certain posts and accounts may not receive the same type of engagement as before because of the lack of exposure.
2) Users are scrolling less
With the rise in competition, notably Tik Tok, there has been a general decline in the amount of time people spend on the app. According to data, people are now spending an average of 45 minutes a day on Tik Tok compared to 30 minutes on Instagram. You can also compare this data to 2020, which reported that people spent an average of 53 minutes a day on Instagram. As the statistics show, there has been a drop in the number of times people use the social media app. This can also be mixed with the general sense of social media burnout from creators.
3) Instagram reels taking over
Another reason why you might be experiencing a drop in engagement with your static posts can be explained by the rise of Instagram reels. These short videos have slowly been taking over the platform because they are usually more engaging than other types of posts. As a result, other feed formats have taken a hit in engagement.
What can you do about the drop in engagement?
If you’re experiencing a drop in engagement rate on the platform, do not despair! We’ve come up with two key solutions that will help you connect with your community once again.
1) Prioritise reels
So with traditional photos taking a backseat to Reels, it’s time to think about incorporating short-form video into your overall Instagram strategy. While creating reels every single day may not be feasible for you, there are some easy tricks you can use to simplify the task. For example, go through your best-performing static posts from the past, and think of ways to re-purpose them into short-form videos!
2) Go hard on the keywords
Instagram’s suggested content relies on keywords to accurately categorize and recommend posts. As such, you should develop a good Instagram SEO strategy to increase your chances of reaching high-interest users who are more likely to engage with your content.
