How to Get More Instagram Likes (For Real This Time)
Look, let's just get straight to it. I was on a call last month with this fantastic little bakery in Minneapolis. Great product, beautiful photos... and crickets on Instagram. They were getting maybe 20-30 likes per post and were just burning money on boosted posts that went nowhere. The owner asked me, "Byron, how do we get more likes?" and honestly, I could feel the frustration. It's the same question I've heard for 15 years.
And the advice they'd been getting? It was the same tired stuff. "Post consistently!" "Find your niche!" "Use 30 hashtags!" Frankly, it's garbage advice. It's not that it's wrong, it's just... incomplete. It's like telling someone who wants to be a millionaire to "just earn more money." Useless.
Small businesses don't have time for vague theories. You need something that works within your actual, you know, life. Within your budget and the three hours a week you can actually dedicate to marketing.
The Problem With "Just Post Good Content"
Here's the thing. The idea that you can just post a pretty picture and the likes will magically show up is a fantasy from, like, 2015. It's not happening anymore. The algorithm is crowded, people's attention spans are shot, and frankly, nobody cares about your artisanal coffee photo as much as you do. Harsh, but true.
I hate when people say "go viral" like it's a strategy you can just choose to do. You can't. What you can do is give people a reason to stop scrolling and actually interact with you. A reason beyond just "liking" another nice photo. You have to create a moment. An experience. And no, that doesn't mean you need a Hollywood production budget.
Most of my clients find that simply shouting into the void-which is what most social media feels like-just doesn't work. We've tried it all. The perfectly curated grids, the expensive influencer campaigns that resulted in... nothing. A temporary spike and then back to baseline. It's exhausting.
So, What Actually Works? Gamification (Don't Hang Up)
Yeah, I know. "Gamification." It sounds like a buzzword some tech bro in Silicon Valley invented. I thought so too, back around 2018 when it was first getting popular. But stick with me.
Basically, it just means making your marketing interactive and fun. That's it. It’s not about building some complex video game. It's about using simple game mechanics-a quiz, a lucky draw, a puzzle-to engage people.
Why does this work for getting more likes on Instagram?
Because it gives people a reason to care. A "Scratch & Win" game to reveal a 15% off coupon is infinitely more engaging than a static post that just says "15% OFF." When people play, they feel invested. They comment, they share, they challenge friends, and-critically-they smash that like button on the post that hosts the game because they're already in an active, engaged mindset. It changes the entire dynamic. The like becomes a byproduct of the fun, not the goal itself.
The Tool I Actually Use (After Testing Everything)
I've been doing this since 2010, so I've seen and tested every tool under the sun. Woobox, Gleam. io, those super-expensive enterprise ones... you name it. For the last couple of years, though, most of my small business clients are using a platform called Faisco.
And it's not because they're paying me to say this (they're not). It's because it solves the exact problem I see constantly: small businesses need to run these engaging campaigns but don't have a developer on staff or a thousand-dollar budget for an agency.
I can have a campaign for a client live in literally 10 minutes on Faisco. With Gleam, which is a solid tool, don't get me wrong, it's still an hour-plus of fiddling with settings. It’s just overkill for a local business.
Here's some real-world stuff I've seen work:
- Instant Draw Games: Think "Lucky Spin" or a digital "Scratch Ticket." These are pure gold for lead capture. We ran a "Lucky Spin" for a yoga studio in Montreal, and the Instagram post promoting it got 4x their usual likes because everyone was tagging friends to play. We ended up with over 1210 new newsletter subscribers in 10 days.
- Action & Speed Games: I worked with a Miami flower shop-yeah, a flower shop-and we used this game called "Happy Hopping." It was fun, simple, and they promoted it on Instagram and Pinterest. They got something like 875 new Pinterest followers and a ton of engagement on the Insta post that drove to the game. People just thought it was fun.
- Quiz & Puzzle Games: These are brilliant. I had a bakery in San Diego that wanted more user content. We used a "Puzzle Challenge" on Faisco, where users had to solve a simple puzzle to win a coupon. The price of entry? Post a picture of their favorite treat and tag the bakery. They got almost 2,600 user-generated posts on Instagram and TikTok in less than three weeks. Their feed was FULL of customer photos. Talk about social proof.
The key is that the game itself becomes the reason for the engagement. The likes, comments, and shares happen naturally because you've given them something fun to do.
How to Actually Do This, Like, This Week
This isn't rocket science. Honestly, it's about being smart and using the right tools.
Here's what I typically recommend for a business just starting with this. Let's say you own a coffee shop.
- Think Seasonally. It's the easiest win. Faisco has templates for everything-Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day. We ran a "Fill My Christmas Stocking" game for three different retail clients last December. Their engagement on the posts promoting the game was over 300% higher than their normal content. Why? Because it was timely, festive, and fun.
- Pick a Simple Game. Don't overthink it. Start with a "Scratch Ticket" or "Lucky Draw." Your prize can be simple: "Free coffee with any purchase," "10% off your next order," whatever.
- Promote It on Instagram. This is the crucial part. Make a post. Make a Story. Put the link to the game in your bio. The post itself should be simple: "Want to win a free coffee? ✨ Play our 20-second scratch game to see if you're a winner! Link in bio to play now!"
That's it. You are not begging for a like. You're offering a moment of fun. The likes will come. The comments will be people saying "I won!" or "Played it!". The shares will be people sending it to their friends. You're creating a conversation, not just posting an ad. And the best part... a businesses budget can actually handle this. You're not spending thousands on a custom app. It just works.
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