On this week’s Dear Katie, I’m asked a question a lot of creators have: “No one ever comments on or likes my posts. What am I doing wrong?” 

I’ve been there before. You spend a lot of time coming up with a post, hit publish and then…. silence. You poured your heart into a post only for it to get NO:

• Comments
• Likes
• Validation

And then comes the doubt.

Why bother posting? Maybe no one cares!

Before you stop posting, let me first explain that your engagement rate can be low and your content can still be working. 

For example, I’ve landed clients from posts with zero engagement. 

The client never liked or commented on a post of mine that they read, but when they were ready for my services, they reached out to me.

A recent client who joined us at Leaders Online said, “I’ve been following you for years.” 

This exact client has never liked or commented on a single post of mine.

(And often, I hear that when I talk to prospects. They are not typically the ones engaging… ever.)

Engagement is one signal out of a larger story when you make a post. Silent readers, or “lurkers,” often make up a large percentage of your audience. 

Here’s the Thing…

Now let’s talk data and engagement. 

Social media platforms long abandoned the chronological feeds and now use algorithms to decide what people want to see.

What does this mean for you?

Some platforms only show your posts to 2% of your audience. 

(Yep 2%!)

People may not engage with your posts because 20 out of 1,000 followers see them. You’re also up against busy schedules, which make it easy for someone to overlook your posts. 

Likes and comments are skewed data sources. 

Instead of obsessing over these vanity metrics, ask yourself:

• Am I showing up consistently?
• Am I helping people with my content? 
• Are people reaching out behind the scenes (DMs, emails, referrals)?

For firm owners, the answers to these questions provide the real, trackable insights of the impact your posts make on your audience.

That being said, getting more engagement is a good sign. 

That often means your posts are resonating with people more, and when your posts resonate with people, the social media algorithms are more likely to show your posts to more people. 

So if you want to improve your engagement rate, let’s talk about how you can do so.

How to Improve Your Engagement Rate

If you want to boost your engagement rate and visibility, try this:

• Open with a hook. The first two lines of your post are critical. They decide whether someone will keep scrolling or stop and check out your content.
  
• Make it about them. Answer questions. Solve problems. Give voice to their pain points. Forget about yourself and make it about the clients you want to serve.
  
• Ask for interaction. Ask questions that are easy to answer, like “Do you agree?” or “What’s worked for you?” Questions like these encourage people to comment and engage with your posts.
  
  DON’T ask personal questions that people wouldn’t want to answer.
  
  For example, let’s say you’re creating a post about managing cash flow.
  
  Don’t end by asking, “Have you ever had cash flow issues?”
  
  Not many people want to publicly share that they’ve struggled with managing cash flow.
  
• Experiment with different formats. Mix things up. Post text posts, videos, polls and carousels.
  
  Sometimes, a message just needs a new wrapper to appeal to a wider audience. And this wrapper may need to be different for different platforms.
  
  For example, video content doesn’t perform as well on LinkedIn right now as it did 12 months ago.
  
• Engage first. Don’t wait for people to engage with you. Take the lead. Comment on other people’s posts before you even publish your own.
  
  When I talk to people who have low engagement, I ask if they’re putting themselves out there and engaging with people.
  
  Their answer?
  
  Nine times out of ten, they aren’t engaging with others.

These strategies will encourage engagement and help you start building trust with your audience. 

The Real Win

Remember: engagement is just the fuel, not the finish line.

Yes, it can amplify your message. But ultimately, the goal is to position yourself as a trusted expert that your audience thinks of when they’re ready to act. 

So, don’t let low engagement discourage you. 

And absolutely don’t quit before your audience has a chance to really hear you and be impacted by your content. 

Be persistent and keep showing up. There will always be lurkers who won’t engage with your posts but will reach out when they need your services. 

And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.

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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question? 

Submit it here

Until next time, cheers to your success!

Katie