What counts as engagement on Instagram? This is a question I get all the time! Whether it be via my DMs, responses to IG Stories, or members of InstaClubHub.
Well, to put it simply…
Everything counts as engagement on Instagram.
And no, I’m not trying to be cute or hyperbolic or anything. Let me explain.
Instagram tracks — get ready for this — more than 50,000 data points.
That’s insane!
Maybe you’re thinking,
“Sure, they’re looking at the four main kinds of engagement everyone knows about!”
- Like
- Comment
- Save
- Share
Nope, it doesn’t stop there, people.
They’re looking at:
- Stories’ reactions
- Live views
- Minutes spent watching your videos (live or other)
- How many comments your live attracted
- Badges
- Requests to join a Live
- How many times the Q&A button was pressed
- If your Live was shared
- How many people leave your video (in the middle of watching) and then come back to it moments later
- When people exit the app entirely while watching your video
Yeah, I repeat, with Instagram tracking over 50,000 data points — everything is tracked.
Have you ever heard Instagram experts say,
“Comments only count if they’re more than four words”?
Not so much.
Again, with 50,000 data points and IG tracking how long someone watched a random Reel, do you really think they pay much mind to the number of freaking words in a comment?
All comments count. Even if it’s:
- an emoji
- spam
- one word
The theme of this blog?
All forms of engagement add up and factor into Instagram’s data points/algorithm.
So, when people are…
- clicking on a poll in your story
- using that slider bar
- commenting on your posts
- saving your posts
…they all count toward the cumulative score, if you will.
From Instagram’s perspective, ANY engagement creates a snowball effect and works to your benefit!
Now, for much more related to this topic, like:
- What are “tips” for creators
- How many hashtags should you be using at this time
- The average length of a viral Reel
- How often you should change up your Hashtags
- Why going viral is relative
- How to get paid by IG when going Live
Then, you need to check out this episode of Build Your Tribe:
And don’t forget to subscribe to BYT for weekly shows aimed at your social media growth!
