Case Study: How Leeds University Union’s Grid Post Boosted Engagement Numbers Dramatically - 900+ Likes

Every Students’ Union (SU) wants its content to shine. You want each post not just to appear good but to engage, connect, and communicate with your student body. And at 1830 Crew, we understand that better than anyone. So when one grid post for our client, Leeds University Union (LUU), earned over 900 likes, the highest interaction(166% increase) they'd had in a long time on a photo-based post, we realised we'd found something worth sharing.

Did we know this would happen, absolutely not. It’s a happy accident of course, but we broke it down from our pov of what went right with this post.

Why Did This Perform So Well?

Three core tactics made this post stand out:

1. Timing: During the Welcome Fair, students are actively looking for information, opportunities, and ways to get involved. We turned it around quickly and it was posted in time slots that garner high engagement according to studies.

2. On-Point Visuals: Eye-catching, high-quality visuals can turn a “like” into a connection. For this campaign, we featured Welcome Fair highlights that made students feel compelled to attend. We focused on a variety of aspects in framing our images making them attractive to different groups.

3. Sharable: The post included a relevant description that spoke to students' eagerness for new experiences and community vibes, allowing the post to perform naturally with high interaction. Lots of happy faces, that enable connection and also spotting friends and sharing.

Planned or Spontaneous? Breaking Down the Post’s Success

So, was it all meticulously planned? In a way, yes and no. We designed the visuals to capture the best of the Welcome Fair experience, hoping it would resonate with students. But we didn’t anticipate how perfectly everything would line up, the timing, visuals, and student sentiment created an unexpectedly perfect storm of engagement.

In this case, it was less about trying to go viral and more about staying authentic to what LUU students wanted to see. Sometimes, the best posts are the ones that feel the least faked, simply letting the excitement of the event speak for itself.

Lessons Learned from This Success

This post showed us that sometimes, organic connections mean more than algorithm-driven tactics. While we put effort into planning and creating top-notch visuals, the biggest factors in its success were timing and authenticity. Followers felt a genuine pull toward the event and responded to the post as a natural extension of that excitement.

How We Can Transform Your SU’s Social Media

Consider your SU's Instagram account loaded with high-engagement posts that receive thousands of likes, comments, and shares, helping to expand your community online and beyond. Partnering with 1830 Crew transforms your SU's social media into a platform for community, identity, and exposure. Whether it's the Welcome Fair or another important event in your academic year, we're here to help you make your voice heard.