How I Was Able to Increase My Reach on Instagram by 3,556% with One Post

It’s been a crazy couple days on Instagram. With a single post, I was able to increase Instagram reach on my account by 3,556%.

Now, if I had recently created my account and this was one of my first posts, I wouldn’t be so excited. However, I (humbly) have +43,000 followers, so this post was definitely worth writing about.

Lately, I’ve been testing out different tactics in combination with new Instagram auto DM tools from Customers.ai. My latest combo clearly worked and that’s what you’re about to learn in this article.

Here’s the post which continues to garner plenty of attention. The post is embedded into this article, so please follow along and test it out for yourself by commenting “AUTODM” to see how it really works:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Larry Kim (@kim_larry)

But here’s the exciting part: This is the first time I’ve used two of Customers.ai’s tools on my personal Instagram. And it turns out, that without these two tools, there’s no way this post would have reached as many people on Instagram as it did, which is awesome!

In this article, I’m going to show you how to Increase your reach on Instagram using new tools, guaranteed to get a ton of comments on your posts.

Let’s get straight to it! Here are 5 tactics to increase Instagram reach in 2021:

1. Use new auto-reply tools for Instagram.
2. A tool to incentivize more shares of your content on Instagram.
3. New options and great examples of Instagram CTAs (calls to action).
4. Experiment with post structure until you find one that works.
5. Ramp up your Instagram page activity in the days prior to important posts.

5 Tactics to Increase Instagram Reach with Your Posts

Here at Customers.ai, we’re excited about the public launch of new Instagram auto DM tools in the Summer of 2021. Additionally, we’re learning a lot from our beta users – those lucky enough to get early access to Instagram superpowers. 

So, I decided to create an Instagram carousel post because carousels get more engagement than any other type of post on Instagram.

Although this may just look like a slightly above-average post, there are multiple things going on here that the majority of Instagram users are not yet aware of. And that’s not something to worry about, because only so many beta users can be approved by Facebook each day.

However, being ready to emerge as one of the early adopters once these tools are fully public, is something savvy digital marketers, Instagram influencers, and Creators should be ready for.

#1. Tactics to Increase Instagram Reach: Use NEW Auto-Reply Tools

There are two tools driving the successful reach of this post. One is called a Comment Auto-Responder. The other is called an Instagram Story Mentions Tool.

The first tactic we’ll discuss is to use Comment Auto-Responders. By far, the factor driving the increase in Instagram reach for this post is the Comment Auto-Responder.

Using the Comment Auto-Responder, you can send private Instagram automated messages to people who comment on your posts when they use a certain keyword.

To trigger a Comment Auto-Responder, users need to comment on a post using a specific keyword. For this post, you’ll see that the keyword is “AUTODM”.

In order to incentive my Followers to comment on my carousel post, in return I share a link to some special content.

As much as I’m tempted to just show you how the Comment Auto-Responder works, I know you’ll fully grasp the power of this tool by experiencing it for yourself. And yes, I fully acknowledge I also appreciate the extra comments, but it’s not too much to ask, is it? 🤷 😂

Test out the Comment Auto-Responder for yourself by:

1. Going to my Instagram, here.
2. Type “AUTODM” into the comments, just as you see so many doing in the example above. Thank you in advance!

⭐ Note: While the Comment Auto-Responder is still in beta, to experience it, you’ll need to be on a mobile device.

Why Comment Auto-Responders are so effective

Simply put, Comment Auto-Responders are effective because they incentivize engagement with your posts. More engagement means more visibility, also known as reach.

Comment Auto-Responders are a brand new and extremely effective way to:

• Get more engagement on your Instagram carousel posts.
• Increase the visibility of your Instagram carousel posts due to all of the engagement.
• Send traffic from Instagram to your website.
• Create a fun and interactive experience for your followers.

Although this single post was able to increase Instagram reach on my account by orders of magnitude, you can use your imagination here.

The possibilities are wide ranging. When you think about it, receiving a link to content isn’t even that exciting. 

So, let’s say you’re launching a product and you really want to get attention on the post announcing the launch. You’d be willing to provide a discount on your product or service for comments, right?

Here are some other ideas for you to get increase your reach on Instagram with your own Comment Auto-Responders:

• “Comment YES for a 10% discount on your next purchase.”
• “Comment EMAIL and provide us with yours so we can send you a special offer.”
• “Type REVIEW and leave us one for a $25 gift card.” You might want to use Click to Instagram Direct Ads to target actual customers with this one. 😉

Get early access to Customers.ai Instagram messaging tools here!

#2. Tactics to Increase Instagram Reach: Incentivize People to Share Your Content

The other Instagram auto-reply tool I used to increase the reach of this post is Customers.ai’s Instagram Story Mentions tool. As of now, you can consider this a truly brilliant Instagram Story hack.

However, come Summer 2021, the Instagram Story Mentions tool is guaranteed to go mainstream. Here’s how it works:

Once turned on in Customers.ai, every time someone mentions you in an Instagram Story post, your Story Mentions tools will instantly send a custom automated message to the person who mentioned you.

Just think about how cool it would be to get a thank you message from one of your favorite people or entities? Even more so if they offered you something exclusive for sharing!

Although I didn’t include a call to action asking for a tag/mention in this post, I do have one working, and it was triggered multiple times from shares of this post.

Here’s an example of someone mentioning Customers.ai’s Instagram handle in their IG Story:

Then, here’s an example auto-response where the CTA was to mention a brand in return for a sticker. Furthermore, they’ve also taken advance of Customers.ai’s lead generation and lead management tools for Instagram by asking for contact information.

Literally anything that you’re comfortable giving away that aligns with your target audience, which they would find valuable is an option.   

If you do decide to include an ask to share and tag your handle in an Instagram Story, be sure to mention that they’ll receive “the prize” within seconds of sharing. Instant gratification is super powerful, especially on Instagram where attention spans are, well…limited.

Using Customers.ai’s Story Mentions tool is guaranteed to: 

• Increase the reach of your Instagram posts through shares and engagement.
• Encourage Instagram followers to share more of your brand in their Stories.
• Build influence, brand loyalty, and a sense of community.
• Increase the amount of UGC (user-generated content) at your disposal.

So, set yourself apart from the competition, sit back and watch Customers.ai’s Instagram Story Mentions tool amaze your audience and double the reach of your Instagram posts!

#3. Tactics to Increase Instagram Reach: New Call to Action Options on Instagram

The CTA (call to action) for this post is made possible by our own Instagram tools at Customers.ai.

If you go through the post again, you’ll see that I include the following call to action in multiple places: “✨Type “AUTODM” in the comments section below to get instant access to all 15 Instagram auto DM use cases.”

I’ve included the CTA both in the final slide, as well as in the post captions.

Quick Tip: Always include your call to action in the first 3 lines of your Instagram post captions so that it’s always visible!

From tactics #1 and #2 of how to increase Instagram reach, you should already understand the value of Instagram Auto DM tools. However, I want to highlight the significance of these new tools from Customers.ai.

Two of the top 5 most mentioned challenges to business on Instagram are:

1. The lack of ways to ask people to take an action, such as, “click on my bio link” or “please comment on my post.” Not to mention, with no incentive for the person to take these actions.
2. The lack of ways to share a link on Instagram and drive traffic from Instagram to your website.

“Customers.ai not only allows you to include links in any Direct Message, but it also gives you tools to easily incentivize users to take multiple types of action – at scale…

Additionally, the power of instant gratification cannot be under-emphasized. People are much more likely to take an action for something immediately in return.”

The point is, why would you ever make your CTA, “Click my bio link” after knowing these tools exist?

Here are some ideas to incentivize more comments, shares, mentions, and so on to get you started:

• A surprise! People love surprises.
• Discounts or coupon codes.
• Access to premium features of your product or service.
• An ebook or exclusive content.
• Free tickets to your next event.

#4. Tactics to Increase Instagram Reach: Find a Proven Structure for your Posts

Whichever post type you use, it’s important to experiment with different structure types to find the ones that work best for you. Once you find a structure that’s working better than others, use it consistently in order to build brand familiarity with your followers.  

For this post, I decided to follow a structure that I recently picked up from Steven Mellor @thestevenmellor. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t follow the structure completely, however, the post and the CTA (call to action) performed as well as any post I’ve ever had on Instagram.

The reason why this post has garnered so much attention isn’t just because it looks awesome. Yes, appearances on Instagram are extremely important. 

However, the reason why this post reached users far outside of my own followers is because of the CTA paired with the Comment Auto-Responder and Story Mentions Tool. It’s truly great to say that without my own company’s tools, this post would never have performed this well. 🎉

Oh, and just for fun, share this infographic as an Instagram Story. When you do, tag or mention @Customers.ai.ai and @thestevenmellor in the image to experience the Instagram Story Mentions tool in action!

#5. Tactics to Increase Instagram Reach: Ramp Up Activity on Your Page

Have you ever noticed on Instagram and Facebook that after you follow someone new, one of the next times you log on you’ll find that person’s post at the top of your Feed?

Or if you consistently post at least once a day, you start to build up momentum and receive more engagement on your posts? Here’s my suggestion: Next time you have an important post or announcement coming up, be sure to ramp up activity on your page in the days prior.

Before I unleashed this Carousel post on my Instagram, I built up activity around my page by sending a message out to everyone who has sent me an Instagram DM, but doesn’t yet follow me. It worked!

Here are some other ideas to ramp up activity on your page: 

• Follow a ton of new people in order to get follow-backs.
• Hit your email list with a CTA to follow your Instagram account.
• Use Customers.ai’s Instagram Follower Bot if you’re not already.
• Read this: Hacks to get more followers on Instagram.

How to Increase Reach on Instagram: Important Next Steps

Instagram accounts that use MoibileMonkey’s Instagram marketing tools, will generate automated activity and interactions which are perceived as entirely organic. And because you’re able to generate organic engagement at scale, this translates into a huge increase in genuine followers.

Best of all, with Customers.ai, you’ll be working with 100% Instagram-approved engagement tools.

The proof is in the numbers. 75% of consumers also prefer to engage with brands using private messaging channels vs traditional channels.

✅ Get early access to Instagram messaging tools.