Engaging on social media is a super important part of growing your following and your racing career. We’ve talked before about the different kinds of social media engagement you should participate in, including today’s topic: Engaging with other people’s content. 

The easiest kind of engagement is liking and replying to comments on your own content, but the most effective way to build those important relationships is to make the first move. Seek out the content of brands and big influencers in the motorsports industry, and even your competitors, and engage with it by leaving a comment or replying to their story. And now is not the time for cheap or off-brand comments; we’re only interested in engaging as your authentic self. So that means leaving thoughtful comments in your brand voice.

Here are some suggestions of great, thoughtful comments to leave and how to incorporate your own brand voice into them:

Be Specific

When you’re commenting on someone else’s post or sliding into their DMs, being generic is so obvious and off-putting in 2023. Be specific in your comments.

So none of:

• “Awesome!”
• “Congrats!” or “Bummer” for race results
• “Love this post!”
• Or only emoji responses

Instead, reference something they mentioned, point out a detail that you genuinely enjoyed, or make a specific compliment. Try something like this:

“That race looked epic!! So cool you got to compete, let alone win! No surprise there, but still awesome. Congrats!”

See? Much more specific and authentic, like you were really having a conversation with that person.

Ask Questions

Real connections are made up of real relationships, and relationships are founded on two-way communication. That means…ask follow-up questions! Image you were on a date with this person, or meeting them over coffee for the first time and they shared with you the content they outlined in the post. What would you naturally inquire next of them?

• If they shared about a race result, ask them how they felt about their experience or how they did in the past.
• If they shared a sponsored post, ask them why they like it better than something else.
• If they shared about a behind-the-scenes experience in the shop, ask them about their process.

Make an Engagement Connection

You likely have so much in common with the people you’re interacting with that it only makes sense for you to share about yourself, too! Add in (tastefully) your shared experiences and stories in a comment. 

• If someone was at a race you were at (even in the past), note it and share your experience. 
• If someone uses the same products that you love, share that you also use and love those products and why.
• If someone shares a heartfelt moment from their race or training, reply with empathy.

Tag Relevant People 

If it makes sense, tag another friend or peer in a person’s post! Invite them into the conversation, and hopefully, they’ll start doing the same for you as well. If someone loves a product that this person is sharing, tag them. If someone you know was at a race this person was at, tag them! You get the idea.

How to Incorporate your Brand Voice into Your Engagement:

So, now that we know what kinds of comments we should (and shouldn’t) be leaving, how do you engage in your brand voice? It’s easy—sound like a real person. If your brand is powerful and masculine, keep your responses short with strong language and little punctuation. If your brand is softer and more playful, keep your responses witty and friendly.

This kind of engagement will become second nature to you, I promise! It’s essential for building your brand and will become part of your engagement routine on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Use my free Beginner’s Guide to Engagement for easy, impactful engagement on social media. Grab your free copy here!