How to Create Instagram Posts People Actually Want to Comment On

How to Create Instagram Posts People Actually Want to Comment On

This blog was proudly written by a human and not a robot.

Apple | Spotify

If you're anything like most of the small business owners I speak to, you're wishing you could get more comments and engagement on your Instagram posts. So, I'm here to tell you how to make it happen.

Put simply, give people a very clear reason to comment.

Every Sunday I publish a Reel on Instagram where small business owners can introduce themselves, tell us what they do and, importantly, browse the comments and connect with each other - think of it like a networking event on Instagram without the stale coffee and awkward small talk. My Sunday shout-out posts now regularly get hundreds of comments from small business owners and people have told me they've gained new followers, made brilliant new connections and even made sales from them! This makes my wee business heart happy.

Funny thing though, someone messaged me after the last post telling me the post had "blown up overnight", and I had a giggle, it absolutely hasn't. I've been doing some version of it for around four years! It made me think of Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach and his "overnight success" story - 10 years in the making. Learn more about Joe's Wicks success story here.

What HAS changed recently though is something really simple:

I've got much more specific about what people will get from taking part.

And that's what we're talking about in this episode of Growth Addicts.

🎧 Hit play on the podcast player above to listen to the full episode.

How My Instagram Post Went From 12 Comments to Almost 300

Let's compare two Sunday shout-out posts.

An earlier version used the hook:

"Call me old fashioned, but working for yourself doesn't have to mean working by yourself."

Lovely sentiment but if you're a small business owner scrolling Instagram on a Sunday morning, does it give you a reason to stop? Not really.

That post reached around 700 people and got 12 comments.

Now compare it to this more recent hook:

"Apparently some small business owners just scroll past this post on a Sunday, missing out on the chance to get new follows, make new connections and even sales. I've never related to anything less in my life."

Same Sunday shout-out concept.

Same kind of simple everyday B-roll.

But this time I'm telling you exactly what's in it for you.

That post reached around 4,500 people and had almost 300 comments when I recorded this episode.

That's quite the difference.

Want More Instagram Engagement? Get More Specific

The more specific I've become with the hook on these posts, the better they've performed.

Another one said:

"Your next lot of new follows and maybe even sales are in this post. Don't believe me? Try it."

Around 200 comments.

Another:

"For the small business owner who wants to use their scroll time to actually get new follows and new business today, this is a post for you."

Around 170 comments.

I'm telling my ideal client:

This is for you and THIS is what you could get from stopping and taking part.

So if you're creating content and wondering why no one comments on your Instagram posts, look at your hook. Does it simply sound nice? Or does your ideal client immediately understand why they should stop by?

Don't Just Ask People to Promote Themselves

There's another important part of these posts that I think makes them work, they're not somewhere to just dump your business link and run. We've all seen those promotional threads in Facebook groups with hundreds of comments that are essentially: "Here's what I sell!" nobody is actually reading anyone else's comments never mind replying.

On my Sunday post, I actively encourage people to mingle. Introduce your business, yes, but then browse the comments. Say hello. Follow someone. Start a conversation. Buy something if you spot something you love. Book them. Sign up.

Connect!

And I reply to every single comment myself too, even when there are hundreds of them. If you've taken the time to come into my little corner of Instagram and introduce yourself, I want you to feel welcomed there.

Could You Create Something Like This for Your Ideal Clients?

YES! And you don't need an audience of small business owners to do it.

The point isn't to copy my Sunday shout-out post. Take the idea and make it relevant to YOUR ideal client.

If you're a maternity photographer like The Small Business Community's Faye McRae (Ayrshire newborn, maternity and family photographer extraordinaire!) you could create a regular post where mums-to-be introduce themselves, meet other expectant mums and share what they're excited or nervous about.

If you're an artist like another Small Business Community member Nicola Lester Art and sell something designed around creativity, slow living and making more time for yourself, you could create a regular space where your ideal clients share what they're doing with their downtime, what they're reading, creating or enjoying that month. Lovely!

Think about your own ideal client.

What could you help bring them together around?

A shared stage of life?

A hobby?

A challenge?

A goal?

Something they want to learn?

Something they could help each other with?

You're creating something useful for them while also creating a pool of the exact people your business exists to help and, as a bonus, you'll probably learn a lot about your target audience from reading the conversations too.

You Don't Need Complicated Reels

The Reels I use for these posts are ridiculously simple... Me walking along the beach... Me walking down a rainy street with what was almost certainly a hot chocolate...Me sitting at the kitchen table painting a ceramic skull. Just everyday B-roll.

The video isn't important here, the text hook is doing the heavy lifting.

So please don't read this and think you now need to plan a cinematic production every Sunday, I'm certainly not 🤣 Grab a simple clip from your camera roll and spend your time thinking about the bit that actually matters: Why should my ideal client stop scrolling and take part?

Your Instagram Challenge This Week

Create one post that brings your ideal clients together. Give them something to discuss, share, learn from each other or connect over then get really specific with your hook.

Don't just tell them what the post is.

Tell them what's in it for them.

And when you start getting what you wished for - more comments on your Instagram posts - don't disappear! Get involved, reply, introduce people, ask questions, build relationships. The goal isn't really to get 300 comments on Instagram, it's what can happen because of those 300 comments that matters.

🎧 Listen to the full episode using the podcast player above.

And if you try this yourself, PLEASE tag me on Instagram at @growthaddictspodcast or @amandahughes.uk I want to see what you create, and I especially want to know what happens as a result!

Need help getting more engagement on your business posts on Instagram?

The hooks I've used in all of these Sunday posts came from the Weekly Marketing Pack inside The Small Business Community because of course I use the pack myself too! Come, join us in a business community membership where you can learn from vetted experts, truly connect with fellow small business owners and grow your business in the best way possible - together! Find out more and join The Small Business Community here.

Shop Small This Christmas

Before you go, I want to shout from the rooftops that The Small Business Community's 2026 Christmas Gift Guide is officially live! And a huge thank you to member Holly of The Inner Hearth for bringing it all together for us.

The Small Business Community Christmas Gift Guide 2026 features 20 independent businesses, all members of The Small Business Community. The guide is organised into five categories: handmade and personalised gifts, gifts for families and food lovers, experiences, wellbeing and self-care, and gifts for small business owners meaning there truly is something for everyone.

So if you're starting your Christmas shopping, or just want to have a nosy just now and save some ideas for later, have a flick through the Christmas Gift Guide here.