15 tips to increase your restaurant's Instagram engagement rate

What good is a large community of followers if they don't see, or engage with, your content? The higher your engagement rate on Instagram, the easier you make it for your followers to convert, and the more the network's algorithm values you.

Your restaurant's Instagram page should not only serve to reflect your brand image, but also convert your followers into customers. Your engagement rate on Instagram reflects the effectiveness of your page! To take advantage of the social network, and turn it into a lever for customer acquisition, you need to post quality contentBut you also need to engage your community.

What is the Instagram engagement rate? A key performance indicator! It measures the impact of your content on your community. A high engagement rate indicates that the content interests and attracts users, which can translate into increased visibility, awareness and influence for your Instagram account. In concrete terms, this is a percentage that represents the number of actions taken by users (comments, Like mentions, shares, saves, etc.) in relation to the number of people who have seen the content.

So, ready to explode your Instagram page's engagement rate? In this article, we give you 15 tips to adopt in your daily marketing strategy. And to make sure you never forget them, find the downloadable summary to keep handy!

1. Publish content in the formats most appreciated by web users: essential for a better engagement rate on Instagram

The most popular types of content on Instagram are carousels and Reels, as they offer more material in a short space of time than a single photo and invite creativity. What's more, thanks to their "longer" format, these types of content can increase your engagement rate as users spend more time on your post.

2. Create captivating carousels and reels 

Your objective: to hold the user's attention for as long as possible. To achieve this, be clever! Create carousels that start with an attractive photo, enticing the user to look at the rest. For example, a cake cutting that continues throughout the publication. Similarly, for Reels, make it clear from the outset that the video becomes increasingly captivating as it progresses.

HERE are some ideas for creating successful Reels!

3. Following trends helps increase Instagram engagement rates

There are trend waves on social media. Following them helps you not only to keep your audience's attention on a type of content they already know and appreciate, but also to go viral. Trends can relate to different aspects, the music or the content itself. For example, we're currently seeing a lot of videos where the restaurateur has the cook or barista pick out different papers of ingredients to make a random recipe.

4. Use the available Reel functions

To help you create Reels in line with current trends, Instagram provides a number of features. You can find out how much each song is being used, and whether it's gaining in popularity. Instagram also invites you to use templates to guide you in creating a video worthy of the ones that are already a hit.

5. Vary between types of format and published content

For varied and attractive content on social media, alternate between different formats such as Reels, carousels, photos and videos. Also, don't just focus on one type of content, such as your dishes. show all aspects of your restaurant In this way, you're inviting visitors to spend more time on your page, as each post tells a new story. 

6. Grab attention with a punchy caption for a better Instagram engagement rate

Too long a caption? Subscribers may not read it. Instead, opt for a short caption of around 125 characters, which arouses curiosity from the very first sentence. It's the kind of caption that makes web users want to dive right in.

7. Invite subscribers to interact with the publication

The more you interact with your followers, the higher your engagement rate. So don't hesitate to invite your followers to engage in dialogue by inserting an invitation in your caption. Speak directly to your followers and ask them to comment on their favorite dish from your carousel, or to suggest something new on the menu. Your followers need to feel involved in your publication.

8. Publish content worth saving

Some types of content are worth saving for later, which is why we save them on Instagram. So think about sharing inspirations, recipes, tips or anything else that might prove useful and worth saving from time to time.

9. Use hashtags to increase post circulation

Using hashtags not only increases the audience reached by your publication, but also your engagement rate. Why? Because if your hashtags are relevant to your post, you'll reach an audience that's looking for precisely that type of content, and will therefore be interested. So use a dozen or so hashtags related to your post!

10. Create a branded hashtag

On each of your publications, start your hashtags with one specific to your restaurant, such as its name, as Mama Nissa does with #mamanissa. This practice will encourage your customers to use this hashtag if they talk about your restaurant in their publications or stories, which helps promote your establishment. And engage your community.

11. Identify users

Identifying relevant users increases your brand's visibility and engagement on Instagram. However, don't overdo it. Identifying two users for each post is ideal for getting more likes and comments.

12. Post at the best time: essential for improving Instagram engagement rates

The more of your followers your post reaches, the more likely you are to increase your engagement rate on Instagram. It's therefore best to publish at times when the majority of your community logs on to the network, as many publications scroll by every day. To find out the best publishing times for your audience, go to your settings!

13. Invite subscribers to react with stickers 

Instagram has developed features to help you interact with your audience. Launch a poll, a quiz, a series of open-ended questions... in stories regularly! Your followers will play along, and your Instagram engagement rate will rise.

14. Organize a contest for more interactivity: effective for improving Instagram engagement rates

Competitions are the quickest and most effective way to encourage users to like or comment. All you have to do is win a meal for two or another prize using a simple participation mechanic: liking, commenting on or sharing the post. It's a win-win situation: you increase your Instagram engagement rate, and subscribers try their luck for a great gift!

15. Respond to all interactions

A subscriber who interacts with your content or solicits you by message is a subscriber already halfway to conversion. To make sure you don't miss any opportunities, you need to respond to all of them, and quickly. Responding to all interactions will help the customer conversion process, and boost your visibility on Instagram.