How to Boost Your Instagram Engagement During The Summer Slowdown

If you’ve been feeling like your Instagram posts are landing a little… flat lately, you’re not alone. I’ve been in this business for seven years, and every summer, like clockwork, engagement dips. Fewer comments, fewer likes, fewer views.

That’s because your audience is busy. They’re traveling, taking digital breaks, spending time with family, or just not as plugged in as they are the rest of the year. But here’s the thing — summer is the perfect time to fine-tune your content game and give your account a little extra love.

Why? Because once fall and holiday season roll around, you want to be top of mind and in your audience’s feed — not scrambling to get their attention.

Here’s what we recommend to boost engagement during the slower summer months:

1. Engage More to Get More

Social media is just that — social. Spend a few extra minutes each day engaging with your followers and community. Comment on posts, reply to stories, share user content, and don’t be afraid to start conversations. A little love goes a long way, and often it’s returned tenfold.

2. Increase Your Posting Frequency

You don’t need to go overboard, but even one additional post per week can give your engagement a noticeable boost. More content = more chances to be seen and to connect. And don’t stress about always creating something brand new — it’s perfectly okay to repurpose content. Only about 10% of your followers are seeing any given post, so chances are, most people missed it the first time anyway.

3. Get Intentional in Your Stories

People connect with people. So, show your face, talk to the camera, and remind your followers there’s a real human behind your brand. Use story stickers like polls, questions, sliders, and quizzes to invite engagement and make your audience feel involved.

4. Refresh Your Hashtag + SEO Strategy

Instagram is acting more and more like a search engine, so now’s the perfect time to sharpen your SEO game. Identify the keywords your ideal customer is using to find businesses like yours, and start naturally weaving them into your captions. As for hashtags? They still work, but focus on 3–5 high-impact tags per post that are truly searchable. Think location-based (#naplesmarketing), niche-specific (#SWFLBusiness), and solution-oriented (#SocialMediaMarketing). Less fluff, more strategy.

5. Revisit Your Content Mix

Add a few different post types into the mix: carousels, reels, memes, personal stories, testimonials. Keep things interesting. Summer is a great time to test new formats before the busy season hits.

The key takeaway? Don’t panic when things slow down. Use the time strategically. Boost your engagement now so when Q4 rolls around, you’re already on a roll.

Need help putting this into action? That’s what we do. Let’s chat. Email [email protected] to learn more!