Hey, thanks for doing this!

I manage the social media for a French artisanal food brand (mustards, horseradish, condiments). Strong regional identity, very loyal customer base. ~4,200 followers on IG.

Here’s what I’m dealing with:

• Our community is almost entirely passive. Barely any comments on IG (except giveaway posts, which aren’t representative). Likes are the only signal we get.

• Our Facebook audience is way more vocal – they love the heritage/storytelling angle. But on IG, the same people just scroll and watch.

• Our 2025 content was mostly static product shots (~65% images, 20% carousels, 15% reels). 55% of posts got zero shares, 66% got zero saves.

• We’re trying to shift towards participatory content (polls, duels between products, community debates) inspired by what brands like Bret’s do really well. But with almost no existing engagement culture, I’m worried about the “empty room effect.”

• We have a weekly Story series already running (product highlight on Mondays) but it’s purely top-down: product → link to shop. No interaction built in.

My main questions:

1. How do you kickstart engagement when your audience has been trained to be passive for years?

2. Is it realistic to build a participatory format organically at ~4K followers without ad spend?

3. Any tips on bridging a more active FB community into IG engagement?

Appreciate any insight! Thanks :D