A survey of the emotional and unconscious reasons we look at yet don’t double-tap
Okay, Instagram superstar. You’ve finally come to terms with the fact that only a teeeeeeny tiny percentage (like 6%) of your Instagram followers will ever organically SEE your post in their feed. Now, you want to know why your engagement is so depressingly low compared to your reach. In other words:
Why the flip isn’t anyone liking my photos?!
I, too wanted to know why I wasn’t getting likes, so six months ago, I set out on a quest to find the answer. I knew there was an emotional aspect to selecting which posts were worthy of “likes” but the more I dug, the more I realized most users have unknowingly created “rules of engagement” for their activity online. I studied my behavior, conducted online polls, and interviewed many of my clients on their conscious or unconscious engagement habits. I’ve distilled the most common responses into eight main themes.
Read ’em and weep.
Reason #1: You’re posting too often
Posting several times a day? Chances are good that those posts are now stacked on top of each other in someone’s feed (despite having been posted several hours apart, thanks to the non-chronological algorithm). Followers may engage with the first post they see in the stack, but the second or third just feels… excessive.
Reason #2: People don’t want you to think they’re stalking you
Like “real life”, we are chronically plagued with worrying about how we come across to others. On Instagram, many people report not wanting to be the first to like your photos or to be the person who automatically likes everything for fear of coming across as obsessed or stalkerish. Tip: Make an extra effort to respond to your most engaged followers. Let them know you appreciate each comment and aren’t secretly thinking, them again??
Reason #3: Your captions are too long
Sometimes your best followers simply forget to go back and “like” your post after spending 2–3 minutes reading your massive caption. They’ve scrolled down so far to read the dang thing (and maybe all of the comments, too) that scrolling waaaay back to the photo for a double-tap is either a chore or completely forgotten about. Tip: Ask people to double-tap the photo in the first sentence before they start scrolling to read the rest.
Reason #4: Your post was too emo
If you’re sharing something vulnerable, awkward, or depressing, don’t count on all of your “real” friends to like it on Instagram. Many people report not wanting to acknowledge they saw the post because it makes seeing you in-person weird. Some also say they feel bad “liking” something negative. Tip: Ask a question at the end instead of expecting “likes” as a form of engagement.
Reason #5: They’re jealous
I said it. Actually, they said it. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people opted to not like their friends’ posts out of some passive-aggressive or competitive place. One of the most fascinating things I learned during this research is that “giving away likes” is an emotional event for many people. It can actually feel like giving a piece of your heart or energy. Frankly, giving likes or energy to people we’re jealous of feels bad. So, we don’t!
Reason #6: Your photos… aren’t that great
They’re either low quality, too repetitive, or boring. We all have that one friend who posts nothing but duck-face selfies, right? The bottom line is: your followers may be unconsciously making a decision to not encourage you. Many people admit they have higher standards of quality on Instagram than say, Facebook. Tip: Use IG Stories to post your lower-quality pics. You can always pin them to your Highlights if you don’t want them to disappear after 24 hours.
Reason #7: Some people don’t “like” anything
I was surprised to learn how many “Insta-lurkers” are out there. Meaning, people who use Instagram every day yet never like or comment on anything. Their reasons ranged from “never thought about it” to “not wanting people to know I’m on Instagram all day”. So, consider there is a portion of people who always see your pics who will never engage but may actually enjoy your content.
Reason #8: The algorithm stole it!
They saw your photo when they first opened the app. The loved it. They wanted to double-tap that gorgeousness, but then a second later… the feed automatically refreshed and your post was gone. They barely caught your name. Yes, it happens. It’s infuriating. Your post was epic and everyone was going to praise you, but they never had the chance. And it was all Instagram’s fault.
You’re not taking any of this too personally, I hope.
Although groundbreaking research ;), this is mostly written in jest.
The call to action here actually isn’t around creating more “likable” content, or even changing how you post at all — but rather to bring awareness to how and why you engage with others’ work.
So many of us feel BAD or guilty about our obsessive app-checking, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If we can bring more consciousness to why we’re checking, what we’re looking for, and how investing our time, energy, and kudos into others makes us feel, I bet we won’t feel like such absent-minded scrollers… #provemewrong
Interested in improving your digital footprint to improve your personal or professional brand? Check-out more articles like this over on my blog: catchfootandrun.com
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