Creating engaging content on social media has become increasingly difficult over the years as each platform gets more crowded. Every time you post content, you’re competing with millions of other users to get seen. However, social media is still a very effective marketing medium. A single viral post can get your name out there – boosting brand awareness and improving your reputation. On some platforms, it’s even possible to monetize your engaging content.
But just what is the secret to creating engaging content? Well, it varies a lot depending on the platform. A lot of it comes down to timing, keywords and use of visuals. This post delves more into how to create engaging content on each platform.
Facebook was one of the first social media platforms to introduce likes. It has since introduced an array of different reactions that can allow users to not just measure the engagement of posts but the emotional response. Users can also share content or leave comments. Facebook page posts that get lots of engagements can be recommended to other users. Just how do you get more engagements on Facebook? Below are a few golden tips:
- The optimal time to post on Facebook is generally in the afternoon or evening, but with certain industries this may differ.
- Weekdays are the best time to post on Facebook (particularly Wednesday and Friday). Sunday is usually the worst day.
- On Facebook, you can pay to boost posts. This can greatly increase their exposure beyond your followers.
- Posts containing images get more engagements than posts without. Videos receive even more engagements. Such videos are automatically muted – so rely on visuals more than sound to grab people’s attention.
- Asking questions can help encourage comments. Make sure to also use Facebook’s poll feature.
- Make sure to reply to people commenting on your posts. This can encourage conversation, convert followers and future engagement on your posts.
X (formerly known as Twitter)
X (formerly known as Twitter) is one of the hardest social platforms to generate engagements through. Most Tweets get no likes, retweets or replies at all. However, Tweets that do get a few engagements can quickly snowball into viral posts. A few ways to encourage engagements on X are included below:
- Tweets tend to perform better in the morning between 9AM and 12AM.
- Weekdays are similarly the best performing times for posts on Twitter.
- The Quick Promote feature allows you to promote Tweets and reach a wider audience.
- Using certain keywords and hashtags can also increase exposure. Be sure to check out viral buzzwords in the ‘trending’ tab.
- As with Facebook, Tweets containing images and videos perform much better
- Reply to other people’s viral Tweets. Follow popular accounts and aim to be the first to reply to new Tweets as this will increase the amount of engagements you get. Paying for X Premium will boost your replies to the top.
Instagram is centred around images. Users can show their adoration for images through likes and comments. It’s generally easier to get engagements on Instagram than it is on Facebook and X, however you need to get a substantial number of engagements for Instagram to organically boost your posts and go viral. Below are some tips on how to get more engagements on Instagram:
- The best time to post on Instagram is often in the morning on weekdays.
- As with other social media platforms, you can pay to promote posts to increase exposure.
- Using the right hashtags to label images is key to boosting engagements on Instagram. This post at Sprout Social explains more on how to use hashtags on Instagram.
- Look at what types of viral images your competitors are sharing. Think beyond images of your product or workplace and consider things like creative memes or fascinating historical images related to your industry
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing platform that typically favours longer videos than on TikTok (although YouTube Shorts are still relatively popular). Users can engage by liking videos, disliking videos (dislikes are now private), commenting or sharing videos on other platforms. Getting a lot of engagements on a video can encourage YouTube’s algorithm to recommend your video to others. Just how do you create engaging videos?
- Peak watch times on YouTube are in the evening, so it’s often best to post new videos in the afternoon between 12pm and 3pm.
- YouTube videos often get the most engagements on Friday and Saturday, but it depends on the type of content.
- The video titles you use and the thumbnails have a big impact on how many people watch your videos. Words and facial expressions that create a strong emotional reaction are great for generating clicks. Avoid clickbaity titles and thumbnails if you want people to return to your videos. Check out some great Youtube thumbnail and title tips here at Streamlabs.
- Front load your videos with something exciting that encourages people to keep watching. This could include a preview of something that happens later in the video, or you could start with a question that you plan to answer throughout the video. Don’t start with a sponsorship!
- Ask questions to encourage people to comment. Remind people to like and follow.
TikTok
TikTok is another video sharing site that instead revolves around short videos. You’re likely to get more engagements per view on TikTok than on YouTube. Once TikTok videos get a certain amount of engagements, they are organically promoted to users around the world. Below are just a few tips on how to make an impression on TikTok:
- It can vary slightly depending on the industry, but optimal times to post on TikTok are typically the afternoon on weekdays.
- Use relevant hashtags on TikTok videos and optimise your video description to make sure the right users are seeing your videos.
- You can also pay to promote TikTok videos to get them more exposure.
- Frontload videos with sounds or images that entice people to keep watching. People are more likely to watch videos with sound on TikTok than other social media platforms, making music a much more powerful tool.
- Ask questions to encourage people to comment. Make sure to reply to comments.
Reddit has replaced old internet ‘forums’, providing boards known as subreddits on every topic you can imagine. Users are able to upvote or downvote content as well as leave replies. Your content can become popular in the community if it gets lots of upvotes. What are some effective ways to get more upvotes?
- Studies reveal conflicting results when it comes to the best time to post on Reddit. Mornings and evenings on weekdays tend to be when most people are using Reddit, but weekend afternoons can be quite active too.
- It’s possible to promote Reddit posts using Reddit ads. When using marketing companies to promote Reddit posts and get upvotes, you may have to look into specialist marketing companies like Signals.
- Post in subreddits that are related to your industry. Try to post content that is unique and genuinely interesting
- Comment on other people’s posts to gain Karma. Being the first person to comment on a new Reddit post can increase your chance of getting more upvotes, providing that your comment is interesting or funny.
LinkedIn is targeted towards business networking. Users can share, comment or react to posts (like Facebook, LinkedIn provides a range of different reactions to gauge the emotional response of your audience). As with other social media platforms, posts that get a lot of engagements are promoted by the algorithm. To stand out on LinkedIn, consider some of these tips:
- Most people use LinkedIn at work on their lunch break. As a result, the 12pm to 1pm hour slot on weekdays is an optimal time to post.
- You can pay to boost posts on LinkedIn. This will allow people beyond your connections to see them.
- Using trending keywords can also help your content to be seen by people searching for these terms.
- Visuals are important on LinkedIn too. Make sure to post images and videos that are professional in tone. Infographics, explainer videos and behind-the-scenes videos can perform particularly well on LinkedIn.
