Today, I want to talk about something that sounds too simple to matter — but the data says otherwise. Replying to your comments.

At Sircle, we always say that community management is the most important — though maybe the least sexy — part of any social media strategy.

And now, the numbers back that up. According to Buffer’s latest engagement study, replying to comments can increase engagement anywhere from 5% to 42%, depending on the platform.

I want to zero in on one of those platforms today: Instagram.

Buffer analyzed over 700,000 Instagram posts from nearly 70,000 profiles, and the finding was crystal clear. When creators or brands reply to their comments, their posts perform better — by about 21% on average.

The study controlled for things like account size, audience niche, and even whether a post had comments at all.

When you engage back, your posts outperform your usual baseline.

I think this is one of those moments where the data just reinforces what good social media managers already know: If you want engagement, do engagement.

It’s not about tricking the algorithm or replying with emojis just to check a box. It’s about showing up — making your audience feel seen and heard.

That one reply might spark another comment, which signals activity to Instagram, which bumps your post in the feed, which gets you in front of more people.

And here’s the best part — this isn’t just true on Instagram.

Buffer found the same trend across multiple platforms — Threads, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X — each one showing an engagement lift when creators replied to comments.

If you want to see the full breakdown by platform, check out Buffer’s engagement report.

So next time you post something, don’t just wait for the likes to roll in — jump into the comments. Because that one small action could boost your engagement by 21% — and probably a lot more in terms of community trust and connection.

And this is something our Social Media Managers at Sircle Media already do every day — in fact, they execute community management three times a day, per platform, to make sure no comment goes unanswered.