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How to Increase Social Media Engagement in 2024

Crescitaly Staff

Crescitaly Staff

— 3 min read

In early 2024, a 19-year-old creator from Naples uploaded a 12-second TikTok showing nothing more than a cloudy espresso shot. No voiceover, no music, no transitions. Forty-eight hours later, she's on Rai Uno, DMing with brands, and sitting on 200,000 new followers. The secret? Engagement. Comment firestorms, in-video replies, and targeted shareable content pushed her account into the algorithm's embrace.

This kind of success isn’t luck—it's strategy. And as platforms shift toward short-form video and tighter community-driven interactions, social media engagement is more valuable than ever. If you're a marketer, entrepreneur, or creator, knowing how to increase social media engagement isn't optional—it's survival.

Why Engagement Is the New Follower Count

Followers are vanity—engagement is currency. In 2024, platform algorithms prioritize interaction over impressions. A stagnant account with 100,000 followers can get less reach than a hyperactive 10k account that makes people swipe, share, save, and comment.

What Counts as Engagement?

The engagement umbrella includes:

  • ❤️ Likes and reactions
  • 💬 Comments (especially meaningful or threaded ones)
  • 🔁 Shares (DMs, reposts, stitch/duet on TikTok)
  • 🔖 Saves (Instagram and YouTube Shorts care more than ever)
  • 🧠 Watch time and completion rate (particularly on Reels, TikToks, Shorts)
"You don’t need everyone to like your content—just enough people to interact with it hard enough that the system keeps pushing it." — Social strategist for a top Italian telco

Platform-Specific Engagement Strategies

Let’s break down what’s working right now on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Telegram communities.

Instagram’s algorithm in 2024 favors repeat view content. That means carousels are gold mines for engagement—especially when designed to be swiped multiple times.

  • Use post #1 as a setup—ask a bold question.
  • Deliver value in slides 2–6 (e.g., tips, templates, quotes).
  • End slide with a call-to-comment or share (e.g., “Which slide hit hardest?”).

Comments are being weighted higher in engagement metrics, so your captions should spark micro-debates or invite personal takes. Example: “What's the one productivity myth marketers still believe?” generates more than “New video up!”

🎵 TikTok: First 3 Seconds or Fail

With TikTok's scroll-pace accelerating, you have three seconds (maybe two if there's music playing) to grab someone.

  • Open cold. No intros, no “Hey guys.” Start mid-action or with a visual hook.
  • Reply to comments with video responses—the fastest way to create a feedback loop.
  • Use 2024’s trending comment bait: open-ended takes (“Unpopular opinion: X works better than Y”).

According to Crescitaly's TikTok analytics dashboard, content that receives a comment-to-like ratio above 10% typically experiences reach multipliers of 3–5x within 72 hours.

📺 YouTube Shorts: Edutainment and Playful Callbacks

YouTube Shorts have been underestimated. But creators using a hybrid of entertainment and education (“edutainment”) are pulling serious numbers—especially when they link visuals to recurring content themes.

  • Use subtle callbacks in thumbnails (same prop, tone of voice, even wardrobe).
  • End videos with a subtle nudge to the comments: “You’ve tried this too, admit it 👀.”
  • Leverage pinned comments to start conversations and direct traffic to longer videos.

Savvy marketers are seeing Shorts as a distribution engine—particularly when using tools like Crescitaly's advanced panel to test drop times and engagement catalysts before pivoting full campaigns.

💬 Telegram: Community-Led Engagement

Telegram may seem like a dark horse, but it’s quickly becoming the backstage where true engagement happens. Telegram’s tight-knit group features and broadcast channels allow creators and brand managers to foster two-way conversations that carry over into other platforms.

  • Use polls and reaction stickers to collect low-effort feedback fast.
  • Drop content early in channels—build FOMO before public releases.
  • Host mini-exclusive Q&As or time-limited content drops to increase stickiness.

Tools That Actually Help Drive Engagement

This isn’t just about what you post—it’s how you plan, post, and respond. Here are a few tools power users rely on:

  • Notion – for editorial calendars, swipe file repositories, and hook ideas
  • CapCut & Descript – to create high-retention edits with auto-captioning
  • Crescitaly.com – for real-time engagement benchmarking, social media automation, and advanced performance tracking
  • Typefully/Chirr App – to draft comment hooks and conversation starters

Tips From Growth-Minded Creators

"I grew 40K in 2 months not by viral videos, but by replying to every single comment with another question." — @claudiacreates, Instagram Coach
"I stopped using trending sounds and started uploading same-time daily. Consistency became my growth cheat code." — @stefanobrand, TikTok Real Estate Marketer

Conclusion: What Gets Measured Improves

The algorithms are mercurial—but audience behavior isn’t. People engage with content that:

  • Speaks clearly and directly
  • Validates or challenges their beliefs
  • Feels timely, personal, and easy to interact with

While platforms evolve and formats shift, the heartbeat of social remains engagement. Start there, and let reach follow. Whether you're just building a niche community on Telegram or aiming for mass-market Shorts, now is the moment to recalibrate your content strategy around meaningful actions.

Don’t chase followers—chase connection. And when in doubt? Check your post's comment section. If it's empty, so is your growth engine.

Meta Title: How to Increase Social Media Engagement in 2024

Meta Description: Learn advanced tactics to increase social media engagement on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram using proven 2024 strategies.

Tags: Instagram, SMM panel, TikTok growth, YouTube Shorts, social media strategy, Telegram marketing, Crescitaly

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