engagement

How well do you understand psychology and the human condition?

Running a social media page at full throttle will reveal the gaps in your knowledge.

Here’s the mindset you need to master to engage an audience effectively.

Strategies for engagement

1. Posting frequency and interacting with comments

• Consistency is critical: Post at least once a day to keep your Page growing, and don’t post too much! There’s no break on social media - missing days stalls momentum.
• Engage with your audience, especially early on, by responding to comments. This signals the algorithm to boost your visibility, as platforms reward interaction.
• Avoid over posting, with nuance: Too many posts can seem like feed hogging, which algorithms penalise. However, exceptions do exist:
• If posts are cohesive (connected by a theme or narrative) and initial ones gain traction, multiple posts can amplify engagement - like a winning streak on a slot machine - if the audience is logged in and actively engaging. This works really well when most of the audience is ‘logged on’.
• Rule: Post more if the content is hot and linked; avoid it if posts are disconnected or lack engagement.

2. Involve other creators

• Leverage connections: Platforms favour collaborative engagement. Engage on other creators’ Pages or tag their content in yours.
• Risk: Some creators (especially in competitive cultures like Australia) may see this as encroachment. However, cross audience engagement benefits both—your followers see their content, and vice versa.
• Approach respectfully: Avoid attacking others, as it can turn audiences against you. Playful banter, however, can spark great interaction.
• Collaborate strategically: Partner with creators in similar niches or regions, especially if both have sizable audiences. Joint content drives cross-conversations, boosting growth.
• Mindset shift: Many creators mistakenly view it as a zero sum game. Collaboration fuels mutual success, not competition.

3. Emotional vector in posts

• Go beyond surface content: Simply sharing events or photos with bland captions doesn’t cut it. Every post should evoke a genuine human emotion. Negative emotions often drive the most engagement, but balance is key. Here are emotional triggers to leverage:
• Happiness and joy: Share jokes, funny videos, uplifting stories, or triumphs. Stories of overcoming adversity are particularly engaging, as audiences relate and comment.
• Curiosity (anticipation): Be vulnerable—tease upcoming events or outcomes (good or bad). Pose questions or hint at releases to draw interest. Use sparingly to avoid seeming manipulative.
• Teaching something: Deliver valuable info—news, tutorials, or behind the scenes insights. Authenticity and trustworthiness amplify engagement.
• Love and affection: Highlight relationships, family, or camaraderie. Both positive (e.g., heartwarming moments) and negative (e.g., relationship drama) resonate.
• Pride and celebration: Showcase personal wins or failures—both drive engagement. A story arc from failure to success is particularly powerful. A story arc to greater failure is even better.
• Anger (controlled or uncontrolled): Share your own frustrations or depict others’ anger humorously or empathetically. Use caution as people lose it.
• Sadness/empathy: Cover unfortunate events to foster connection and support.
• Guilt/shame: Vulnerable posts about failure or seeking forgiveness are highly engaging if authentic.
• Nostalgia: Reflect on past times, memories, or old content to spark conversations about change.
• Inspiration: Motivate action with content that pushes people to achieve.
• Belonging: Foster community by making audiences feel part of something meaningful.
• Combine emotions for impact: Blend triggers for maximum effect, e.g., anger over lost nostalgia causing sadness, or celebrating a win while teaching others how to achieve it. Even provocative combinations (e.g., joking about shame) can drive massive engagement if done thoughtfully.
• Caution for non experts: These tactics can ignite explosive reactions—don’t attempt them if you’re not prepared for backlash. With experience, detaching from the outcome feels empowering.

Mindset tricks to succeed

• Separate personal and social media egos: Treat social media as a strategic tool. Define your engagement goals, plan posts tactically, and execute. Positive and negative reactions both fuel growth, it’s not you, it’s the strategy.
• Signal satire or humor clearly: Even with disclaimers, some won’t grasp it and will react intensely—use this to your advantage, as their engagement boosts visibility.
• Direct negative emotions safely: Focus on concepts or beliefs, not specific people or companies, to stay ethical and avoid trouble.
• Handle upset gracefully: If someone reacts strongly, message them good naturedly to explain the satire or include them in the humor. If they persist, apologise, empathise, and engage. Avoid targeting unwilling individuals—it’s unfair and risky.

Key reminder: Each day is a fresh opportunity. Aim for a strong average over time. Balance diverse content with a consistent voice.

Content style tips

• Keep it simple: Avoid complex, perfect prose. Short, punchy writing outperforms long paragraphs.
• Use emphasis strategically: Capital letters or bold formatting highlight key points.
• Incorporate intentional errors: Subtle mistakes in facts or tone can provoke reactions, sparking comments and boosting velocity.
• Encourage comments: Craft posts with prompts or hooks that invite responses—especially if you’ve set up a perception of imperfection to trigger engagement.

Conclusion

Engaging an audience hinges on vulnerability, not perfection.

Provoke real emotions, ignite conversations, and prompt reactions—that’s the game.

Stay consistent, experiment thoughtfully, and analyse the psychological impact of your content. Before posting, ask: Will this spark a reaction, and why?

Master emotional triggers and detach your personal ego from your social media persona to dominate engagement.

Some posts will miss, but practice hones your skill.

It’s not about pleasing everyone—it’s about creating content worth experiencing, ideally leaving people better off. Develop a distinctive voice, embrace bold moments within community guidelines, and dive into the fray with courage.