I’ve been posting content for ten years.
I have a pretty good sense of what will “hit” vs what will “flop,” but these days I’m not so sure. The new AI algorithms have me second-guessing almost every post.
The good news is that I have a few tricks up my sleeve that can more or less guarantee a post will perform better.
Let’s get right to it.
#1: Validate it on another platform.
If your go-to platform is Instagram, don’t post the content there yet. First, post it to another platform like Facebook, X, Threads, or TikTok. Threads and Facebook might be the easiest because very few agents have a large following on X, and TikTok is video-first, so if it’s a text-based or still-image post, it won’t perform as well there anyway.
So, post your concept to another platform and see how it performs. We do this with Byron’s content on X, we do it with mine on The Broke Agent, and we also validate our BAM content.
For example, on the BAM IG, I post every IG story for that day with links to our blogs. So if there are three blogs in a day, I post three stories. Whatever gets the most clicks usually goes first in our BAM email because people have already shown me which content they prefer.
You can do the same with your email as well. If you have an IG post that pops off, embed it into your email and use it as your subject line since you already know people are interested in that topic.
#2: Post it as a carousel.
I’ve had so much more success with carousels than Reels lately. Reels feel like they are either huge hits or huge misses. I’ve talked about this a bunch, but it’s important to hammer home the fact that a carousel gives the algorithm multiple chances to show your content in someone’s feed. So if you have two or three pieces of content and the second slide is better than the first, it can get more engagement.
Look at this one below, for example. If we just posted this as a clip, nobody would watch because nobody knows who this person is, and the hook isn’t strong. But since we posted it as a carousel, it did pretty well.
View this post on Instagram
The point is: post as many carousels as you can right now.
#3: Respond to comments immediately.
The engagement during the first 20 minutes of a post determines if/how the algorithm will continue to serve your content.
If someone comments, respond back so it encourages other comments and signals to the IG gods that conversation is happening on your post. This is obvious but worth mentioning again.
#4: Ask for participation.
Don’t say “Like this if you agree” or “Like and share!” That’s insanely cringe and gives people no reason to actually engage. Give them a reason.
For example, if you’re posting a hyperlocal Reel about your favorite bars to watch football over the weekend, say: “Where’s your favorite place to watch football in (insert location)?” This will encourage comments.
Or say: “Share this with a friend you want to watch football with.” Instead of an empty “like, comment, share,” be specific.
Watch the end of this Reel where Alyssa Curnutt specifically says, “Share this with a friend in Spokane who you would like to grab coffee with.”
View this post on Instagram
#5: Post something worth sharing.
Is your post funny? Is it new information? Is there easily shareable data? Is it clear?
Always think to yourself: “Would I share this with someone?”
If the answer is no, then someone else probably wouldn’t either. This doesn’t mean every post has to pass this test, but if you’re looking to guarantee engagement, you should validate it with yourself first. If someone can’t identify what is going on in the post in the first two seconds, they will tune out!
None of this is a silver bullet, but if you follow these steps, you’re stacking the odds that your post will perform better. Validate ideas before dropping them on your main platform, post more carousels, encourage conversation early with responses, and make sharing effortless. Do those consistently, and you’ll see more reliable engagement.
