Customize your demo

1. Understand what your audience comes to you for

One of the biggest mistakes creators and brands make is guessing what their audience wants.

Instead, check your insights regularly:

• What posts get the most saves or shares?
• Which topics spark the most comments?
• When are your followers most active?

Your audience is already telling you what they value, you just need to listen.

• If people engage most with your educational posts, double down on that.
• If they love behind-the-scenes content, show more of your process.

The goal: become known for something specific, not everything.

2. Add real value (not just aesthetic content)

Aesthetic content might stop the scroll, but value keeps people engaged.

Ask yourself before posting:

• Does this teach something?
• Does this solve a problem?
• Does this inspire or entertain in a meaningful way?

High-performing content often falls into these buckets:

• Tips & how-tos
• Relatable experiences
• Actionable advice
• Industry insights

If you’re providing opportunities (jobs, collabs, exposure, tools), that’s a game changer. People are far more likely to engage with content that can directly benefit them.

3. Create content that invites interaction

If you want engagement, you have to ask for it, intentionally.

Simple ways to do this:

• End captions with a question
• Use polls, sliders, or “this or that” formats
• Ask for opinions or experiences
• Encourage tagging (“send this to a friend who needs this”)

Instead of posting at your audience, start posting with them.

4. Be consistent with your voice and format

Consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity drives engagement.

This doesn’t mean posting the same thing over and over. It means:

• Having a recognizable tone (educational, bold, funny, etc.)
• Repeating formats that work (series, recurring themes, templates)
• Showing up regularly enough to stay top-of-mind

Think of your content like a show people want to come back to.

5. Focus on community, not just reach

Viral content is great, but community drives long-term engagement.

Make your audience feel seen:

• Reply to comments (especially early ones)
• Engage with your followers’ content
• Reshare user-generated content
• Highlight your community in your posts

People engage more when they feel like they’re part of something, not just consuming content.

“We’ve grown our community mostly organically by building real relationships. When people feel part of something, engagement naturally follows.”
- Emely, Community Manager at Heylist

In the end...

Increasing your engagement rate isn’t about chasing trends, it’s about understanding your audience and delivering consistent value.

If you remember anything, make it this:

• Pay attention to your insights
• Give people a reason to care
• Create content that starts conversations

Do that consistently, and your engagement will follow.