Honestly, Here's How to Get More Likes on Instagram
Listen, I'm going to be straight with you. I was on a call last month with this great little bakery in Minneapolis. Fantastic croissants, beautiful photos on their Instagram... and they were getting like, 12 likes per post. The owner was pulling her hair out, trying every "hack" she read on some guru's blog. More hashtags, posting at 2:17 PM on a Tuesday, I mean, all the stuff that sounds good in theory but just burns you out.
It's the same story I've heard since I started doing this back in 2010.
The obsession with how to have more likes on instagram is a trap. We all fall into it. But frankly, chasing likes is like chasing the wind. It feels productive, but at the end of the day, your bank account doesn't change. Likes don't pay the rent. What you need is real, genuine engagement-people who actually care about what you're doing.
The Problem Isn't Your Photos, It's the "Ask"
Here's the thing. Most small businesses are just... asking for stuff. "Like our post!" "Follow us!" "Buy our thing!" It's a one-way street. And after a while, people just tune it out. They'll scroll right past the most beautiful photo of a latte you've ever seen because they've seen a million of them. It's not their fault, it's just human nature.
I hate when people say you just need to "go viral." What does that even mean for a local yoga studio or a B2B consultant? It's the worst advice out there. You do not need to go viral. You just need to give your existing (and potential) audience a reason to stop scrolling and actually do something. Something fun.
The Buzzword I Hate But Secretly Love: Gamification
Okay, I know. "Gamification" sounds like a term invented by a marketing bro in a Patagonia vest. I get it. But stick with me, because this is the single most effective strategy I've used for my clients in the last five years.
It's simple, really. Instead of just posting a photo and begging for a like, you give people a game to play. A little dopamine hit. A chance to win something. Suddenly, you're not a business asking for a handout; you're the cool brand that's offering a moment of fun in their boring afternoon. People don't share a picture of your product... but they will absolutely share their high score on a game you sponsored to challenge their friends, and that's the whole ballgame right there, because now their friends are seeing your brand in a context that is actually fun and engaging, not just another ad.
I've been deep in this space since around 2015, and I've tested pretty much every tool out there-Gleam, Woobox, you name it. For a while, they were too complicated or expensive for my typical clients. That's why I'm so high on platforms like Faisco these days, because they finally made it... accessible.
Here's What This Looks Like in the Real World
This isn't theory. This is stuff I've actually deployed for my clients.
- I worked with this small art gallery in Miami, they needed to get people to an event. We deployed Faisco's "Lucky Spin" game on a simple landing page. The prize? A free print or a VIP ticket. In two weeks, they got 167 new event attendees who had RSVP'd.
- Then there was a bakery in Montreal, really struggling to get any traction on TikTok. We set up a "Puzzle Challenge" game. To enter the prize draw, people had to post a video of them trying the bakery's new cronut. They got 2,289 new user-generated posts on TikTok. In two weeks!!
- Or a yoga studio in Nashville. Classic case. Great service, dead email list. We used the "Star Seeker" game-it's a speed game where you have to click stars. To submit your score and get on the leaderboard, you had to enter your email. They got 1,336 new newsletter subscribers.
It works because it taps into basic human psychology. We love to play, we love to compete, and we love to win.
Most of my clients find these games work best: For getting leads: Instant Draw games like "Lucky Spin" or a "Scratch Ticket" are gold. The conversion rates are insane, I've seen 40%+ on a landing page because the reward is immediate. For engagement: Reactive games like "Whac-A-Mole" or "Find Differences" get people to spend more time with your brand. They share their scores. For education: Quiz games like the "Treasure Hunt Challenge" are brilliant for qualifying leads or just teaching people about what you do.
And the seasonal stuff... honestly, it's genius. Faisco has pre-built game templates for every holiday. I used their "Fill My Christmas Stocking" game for three different retail clients last December, and every single one saw over a 300% jump in engagement compared to their usual holiday posts.
Okay, Byron, But How Does a Game Get Me Instagram Likes?
Right, the whole point. Look, the game itself doesn't live on Instagram (the platform's too locked down for that). It lives on a simple landing page that you can set up in minutes.
Here's how you get the likes:
- You promote the game on Instagram. You make a post, a Reel, a Story. "WIN A $50 GIFT CARD! We built a fun little game for you. Swipe up to play and enter!"
- The game is the hook. People click the link because they want to play the game, not because you begged them to.
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The "entry fee" is the action you want. Inside the game's interface on Faisco, you can set entry conditions. Before they can spin the wheel or submit their score, they have to complete actions. And what are those actions?
- "Follow us on Instagram"
- "Like our most recent post"
- "Tag 2 friends in the comments"
See? You're not just asking for a like anymore. You're creating a fair value exchange. "Play our fun game, and in return, give us a follow and a like." It changes the entire dynamic. People are so much more willing to do it. The likes you get from this aren't empty clicks-they're from people who are now actively engaged with you. They played with you.
Frankly, most tools get this wrong. Their integration is clunky. But I've found Faisco's connection with Instagram, TikTok, etc., actually works. It can verify if someone completed the action. And for my small business clients, it's way more affordable and less of a headache than something like Gleam. io, which is solid, but honestly overkill for most people and costs a minimum of $39/month. I can get a client's Faisco campaign live in under 10 minutes. It just... works.
So if you're stuck chasing likes, just stop. Take a breath.
If you do one thing this week, think about what little game you could create for your customers. It doesn't have to be complicated. A simple scratch-off ticket for 10% off can do wonders. Stop asking people to like you and start giving them a reason to love you. That's how you win.
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