How to Build Authentic Engagement on Social Media and Connect With Your Followers

Are you a content creator who posts content consistently, gets some likes, but there is just something missing? Well, social media was a few years ago, and now it is not the same. The novelty that people get in the beginning days of social media and now is completely different.

There were not as many creators and content users engaged with, and they were actually more likely to follow creators whose content they enjoyed. Nowadays, your content needs to be 10 times more engaging for someone to follow you, as they don't want to miss your posts. Putting the algorithms into the equation makes everything much harder.

I've been creating content for over 10 years and can relate to your struggles more than you can imagine. So I'm here to help. By the end of this blog post, you will have practical strategies to get real social media engagement that feels personal and sustainable.

1) Understand Your Audience, Really

Looking at your Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube statistics is a good way to see some of the metrics and who your audience is. But most of the time, those are the surface things like demographics, age, or gender. 

What really makes a difference is when you start focusing on what your audience struggles with, what their goals are, and what their passion is. Let's assume that you create skincare-related content. What you need to think about is what problem your audience has that you can provide a solution to.

Practical Tip:

After posting one content, make sure to ask your audience what other things they are struggling with. Use Story to post polls, check their comments, and really listen to their needs.

2) Show Up Consistently but Authentically

Nobody wants to engage with content creators who post every few months, even if their content is high-quality. Most people use social media as a way to learn or laugh. It is important to have a balance between posting regularly and keeping content true to your voice. 

Keep your feed aesthetic consistent, but share real stories, behind-the-scenes, and mistakes you make on stories. People relate to authenticity. Consistently showing up for your followers builds trust, which naturally leads to genuine engagement.

Practical Tip:

Find the posting schedule that works for you. If that is once a week, every Sunday, then stick to that. If you can post content every other day, then make sure to batch-create content so you never feel rushed to create content just because you need to.

3) Craft Content that Invites Interaction

Another way to get interaction is to invite people to interact. Nowadays, when scrolling culture is present, content creators need to make extra effort to constantly encourage engagement. Create content with questions, prompts, or call-to-action (CTA) that feels natural.

Practical Tip:

At the end of your post, add a question or CTA. Examples: “What’s your favorite winter skincare product?” or “Comment if you’ve ever tried this trick.”.

4) Engage Back — Don’t Just Post

The biggest spike in engagement I personally noticed was once I started to spend time genuinely engaging with content creators in my niche. You can't expect your content to reach people if you post and leave. 

In order to get real engagement, you need to give it back. However, the emphasis is on GENUINE engagement. That means taking time to watch the Instagram reels, and then not commenting 3 emojis. Actually show interest, be genuine, and kind.

Practical Tip:

Each day, before and after you publish your own content, go to the explore page and start engaging with posts in your niche. Some social media experts say to do it for 15 minutes before posting and 15 minutes after, but I personally think that if you want to grow and make it easier for new people to find you, you need to do it much more. Aim to leave meaningful comments on at least 30-80 different posts.

Conclusion

So to recap this post, the most important thing when you want to understand your audience is to be authentic, invite conversation, and actively engage back. Don't expect your actions to immediately show results. As with anything, consistency is the key.

Start small, reply to one comment today, ask one real question in your story, comment on 10 posts in your niche, and see how it grows from there!