Chewy has become a favorite brand for many people. It’s not that Chewy’s audience needs more squeaky toys or leashes every week, but the user-generated content (UGC) the company shares on its Instagram is an endless source of amusement. Who doesn’t want a daily dose of adorable animals? Plus, audience members can keep an eye out for Chewy’s fun giveaways, a bonus for humans and pets.
Getting your audience as involved as Chewy’s takes a little creativity, but it’s well worth it. Here are some great audience engagement examples to inspire your next campaign.
What is audience engagement?
You probably spend a lot of time passively scrolling online (everyone does!). Maybe you write the occasional comment or share something with a friend, but that’s about it. Most social media users do this, too.
Audience engagement happens when users stop just consuming content and start interacting with it. This engagement can take many forms, including:
- Clicking a product link
- Entering a raffle
- Responding to a survey or poll
- Writing comments
Genuine engagement is a precious gift in the digital world. When customers look past other online distractions enough to interact with your brand, it builds loyalty. Plus, they’re more likely to think of your business the next time they need the type of product or service you provide.
Types of audience engagement
People often associate engagement with social media contests or giveaways. But there are audience engagement examples on many platforms and in many forms, such as:
- Digital/online: Email campaigns and social media can inspire clicks.
- In-person: Live events give you the chance to chat with customers face-to-face.
- Emotional: Content that sparks powerful feelings in your audience can spur them to act.
- Community: Events like open houses and festivals are a powerful way to engage local customers.
15 effective audience engagement examples
There are many ways to build rapport with customers — so many, in fact, that it’s sometimes hard to know where to begin! Here are a few examples of audience engagement to jumpstart your efforts.
1. Interactive email campaigns
Every instance of email marketing is a chance to interact with your audience. Use a platform like Constant Contact to add dynamic content, such as quizzes and games. You can also offer virtual or physical rewards, like Hipcamp’s Earth Day patch giveaway.
2. Social media polls and questions
Disrupt your audience’s passive scrolling with a provocative poll or question. You’ll get valuable feedback while building a sense of community — a win-win situation.
3. Live video Q&A sessions
You can’t interact with all your customers in person, but live videos let you get some quality face time. Invite your audience to stop by your Zoom office hours to ask questions one-on-one. Or, you could host a live Q&A session on social media to engage your followers.
4. User-generated content (UGC) campaigns
Producing all your content yourself could get repetitive for you and your audience. Shake things up with a fun UGC contest, a cost-effective audience engagement example. These campaigns give your customers the chance to show off their creativity and demonstrate what they love most about your brand. Just be sure to ask permission and credit the creator for anything you share.
5. Interactive quizzes and assessments
Any Buzzfeed fan knows there’s something incredibly tantalizing about answering quizzes — at least, when they’re not for a grade. Test your audience’s knowledge with fun quizzes or give them personalized product recommendations based on their answers.
6. Contests and giveaways
Everyone loves freebies! Attract even the most passive consumers by hosting giveaways around major holidays or exciting events. Just be sure that you’re following all relevant regulations. For example, American companies can’t require a purchase to enter a giveaway.
7. Community forums and groups
Give your customers a place to discuss trending topics or issues in your niche. Be sure to chime in on the conversation, too, but avoid sounding too salesy or promotional. These spaces help foster community and allow you to engage with your audience on a much more personal level.
8. Personalized content experiences
Attentive’s 2025 Consumer Trends Report found that 96% of customers are likely to buy when brands send them personalized messages. Meet this demand using click segmentation to deliver increasingly tailored emails. You can also share personalized product recommendations based on each client’s behavior.
9. Interactive webinars and workshops
Hands-on events allow your audience to interact with your team while learning about trending topics. Be sure to set aside time for a Q&A to inspire even deeper engagement.
10. Gamification elements
With its emotional allure, gamification is one of the hottest digital marketing trends. Consider offering rewards when your audience completes certain actions or adding mini-games to your emails.
11. Behind-the-scenes content
This audience engagement example is one of the easiest to adopt! Treat your audience to sneak peeks of new products or exclusive videos showcasing your business. Service providers could bring audiences along on a day-in-the-life video for an employee, and product-based businesses can highlight their production or packaging processes. Viewers will feel like a trusted confidant as they explore your brand from new angles.
12. Customer spotlight features
Celebrate your clients by highlighting their achievements. These feel-good audience engagement examples show you genuinely care about your audience and might inspire other viewers to leave supportive comments.
13. Interactive website elements
Unlike social media, where new features take time to develop and roll out to all users, you have total control over every aspect of your website. Push the boundaries by experimenting with interactive features, like a playful animation or a clickable map.
14. Crowdsourcing initiatives
Strengthen your relationship with your audience by crowdsourcing their ideas or content. This example of audience engagement can lead to fascinating innovations and make customers feel more invested in your success.
15. Storytelling campaigns
A good hook is just what you need to engage your customers on an emotional level. Create narratives that showcase your brand’s values, impactful customer stories, or are just plain entertaining.
Measuring audience engagement success
No matter how audience engagement factors into your marketing efforts, make it a priority to track how customers interact with your brand. Use these strategies to ensure you’re on the right track:
- Identify a few key metrics, such as Instagram likes and click-through rates.
- Research industry benchmarks and use them to set feasible goals.
- Use software to gather engagement data. For example, Constant Contact has powerful email analytics tools.
- Adjust your strategy by focusing on the content that gets the most engagement.
Audience participation vs. engagement
Not every interaction counts as true engagement. Many people participate in marketing campaigns with shallow actions, such as liking posts, viewing disappearing Story posts, or clicking ads only to immediately exit out of them. True, valuable engagement involves a deeper connection with the brand.
Focus on participation when you want to get a lot of eyes on your content quickly, like if you’re promoting a holiday sale or limited-time event. However, your main goal should always be building long-term relationships through more sustained engagement.
Creating your audience engagement strategy
Set yourself up for success by developing a detailed plan for engaging your audience. Follow these simple steps:
- Research your target demographic to learn about their content preferences. (Funny TikTok videos? How-to guides?)
- Map out a content calendar that gives your audience multiple ways to interact.
- Assemble the necessary people and tools. For instance, you might hire a web developer to build a forum for your site or invest in social media marketing software.
- Don’t expect to energize your audience overnight. Set a realistic timeline of at least three months to give yourself time to build momentum.
- Look for ways to make all your marketing efforts more engaging, from social media and email to website and blog content.
Common audience engagement challenges and solutions
While interacting with your customers is often delightful, it’s not always smooth sailing. Here are a few issues you may encounter and how to address them:
- Engagement fatigue: Are your interactions slowly fading? Consider dialing back the frequency of your campaigns to give your audience a break.
- Content saturation: Quality is key. Don’t churn out half-hearted content just for the sake of it. Prioritize creativity and intention — your audience will feel your passion and start engaging.
- Privacy concerns: Be transparent about how you’re using customer data, and never share UGC without permission and proper credit.
- Resource limitations: Focus on budget-friendly channels, such as social media and email campaigns. You can do a lot with a little!
Go from shallow participation to meaningful engagement
Don’t settle for one-off likes and accidental clicks. Take your customer relationships to the next level by creating more immersive experiences. As your audience’s engagement grows, so will their loyalty.
You never know what will captivate your customers, so experiment with these audience engagement examples! Need more inspiration first? Check out our interactive email guide for our favorite tips and tricks.
