Ghosted? How to Avoid a “Dead” Audience on Social Media
Does your social media feel like it’s being haunted by ghost followers? If your posts are met with eerie silence, it might be time to bring your audience back to life. A "dead" audience—where your followers aren’t engaging with your content—can leave your brand feeling invisible.
So how can you breathe life back into your social media pages and keep your audience active and engaged?
Create Engaging Content
The first step to avoiding a dead audience is simple—give them something to engage with! Posting just to post won’t cut it. Your content needs to stand out like a jack-o'-lantern on a dark night.
Use attention-grabbing visuals like memes, GIFs, and eye-catching videos that make people stop scrolling. You can also share relatable stories and experiences, especially ones that resonate with your audience’s pain points. Or my personal favorite, ask questions that spark conversation. A good question can turn a quiet audience into an active one.
Example: Instead of just posting “Happy Halloween,” try, "What's your favorite Halloween candy? - and why is it Reese’s?"—simple, fun, and it invites your audience to chime in.
And always, always, include a call to action (CTA). Whether it’s asking them to like, comment, or share, make sure you’re directing the conversation. Check out our most recent post for an example of two different ways to add a CTA.
Don’t Be a Ghost Yourself
Creating great content is just the first step. The real magic happens when you start engaging with the people who comment on your posts. Responding to comments, answering questions, and even reacting can turn a one time commenter into a loyal follower.
Best Practices for Internal Engagement:
Respond to every comment. No one wants to hear “thanks” as a blanket reply. Instead, get personal—start a conversation, or give additional advice. Yes, emojis are fine too, but let’s be creative.
Ask follow-up questions in your comments to keep the conversation going. For instance, if someone comments, “I love this post!” reply with, “Thank you! What kind of content would you like to see more of from us?”
Like the comment! Now, if you really want to further engagement on future posts, don’t like the comment at the time you respond. Like it right before or right after you post your next post. This will give them a new, separate notification, reminding them that you exist.
By staying active in the comments, you show your audience that you care about their input, making them more likely to keep coming back.
Haunt Their Posts Too
Social media isn’t a one-way street. If you only focus on your own content, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to strengthen relationships with your audience. One of the best ways to avoid ghost followers is by engaging with their content too.
Regularly like and comment on your followers’ posts. Not just with generic emojis—give them genuine compliments or ask a question to spark a conversation. If they post about you or tag your page, share that user-generated content! When you highlight your audience, they feel seen and appreciated. You can also offer thoughtful insights or replies to their stories too. This shows you’re paying attention and fosters connections.
By being proactive and connecting with your followers on their turf, you create a community that’s vibrant, engaged, and far from ghostly.
Leverage Stories and Stickers
If you aren’t utilizing Instagram or Facebook Stories, you’re missing out on a powerful way to engage with your audience in a more casual and interactive setting. Stories allow you to connect in real time, and sticker prompts make it easy to encourage participation.
Some fun ways to use “stickers”:
Polls: Create fun, easy-to-answer polls like, “Candy Corn, Yay or Nay?” These kinds of quick responses are an effortless way for your followers to engage.
Question stickers: Ask your audience to submit questions, share their opinions, or give feedback. You can also use these boxes for market research!
Emoji sliders/bubbles: Let followers slide or smash the bubble to express how much they love a product, an idea, or even a seasonal theme.
BONUS: Encourage DM responses instead of using stickers. Let me explain, for more personal engagement, encourage followers to reply to your Stories through DMs. The algorithm actually loves this MORE than sticker reactions because this creates a more intimate, one-on-one interaction that helps build stronger relationships. So, for example, ask, “DM us your best Halloween costume idea!”
Avoid Posting and Ghosting! Again, don’t be that person.
A sure way to let your social media account slip into ghost town status is by posting and vanishing. Consistency and follow-through are key. When you post, stick around to engage. Your followers want to know there’s a real person behind the screen. If you are using a scheduling tool (which we highly recommend), no worries! Just schedule 5-10 minutes to engage when it’s most convenient for you. But consistency is going to be your best friend! Develop a consistent posting and engagement schedule that keeps you top of mind without overwhelming your followers. And then don’t forget to monitor your analytics. Keep track of what works best—whether it’s posts, Stories, or types of engagement—and double down on those strategies.
Overwhelmed? Don’t let this scare you!
Take it one tip at a time. Try it out, and play around with it! If you want support around this, the Marketing Hive could be perfect for you! We talk about this stuff all the time, AND we can even help boost engagement if you’re needing a little extra love. You can learn more about the Marketing Hive here: CLICK HERE
But before you go, just remember, keeping your audience alive and thriving on social media isn’t about magic—it’s about engagement! By creating content that resonates, interacting with your audience, leveraging Stories, and being proactive in your outreach, you can keep ghost followers at bay and build a loyal, active community.
Meet today’s guest author!
Meet Lynsey, the powerhouse behind Curated Utah and your go-to Fractional CMO. As the CEO of Curated Utah and host of the Confident Content Creators Podcast, Lynsey helps parent-preneurs navigate the world of marketing while keeping their family front and center.
She’s a mom of two boys who knows how to juggle life’s curveballs—whether that’s helping clients hit their business goals or cheering from the sidelines.
Lynsey is all about creating simple, authentic marketing strategies that drive results without the overwhelm and time-suck of having to spend hours and hours marketing. Lynsey believes in marketing that’s as real as it gets, making sure business owners don’t have to choose between scaling their business and living their best lives. She's here to help entrepreneurs knock it out of the park by boosting their visibility while sacrificing who they are and what they stand for.
When she’s not hosting events or helping her clients, you’ll find her at the ball field with her boys or sneaking in some binge-worthy TV.
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