10 Ways to Nail the Perfect Engagement Selfie

Getting engaged is a BIG deal and the first thing you’re going to want to do is tell the whole world as quickly as possible. In times gone by, an engagement announcement in the local paper was the way to go, but in today's digital age, an engagement ring selfie is a must. 

In fact, in 2021 more than half (59%) of newly-engaged couples chose to share their happy news on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, according to our National Wedding Survey. With so many revealing their engagement this way, it’s important that you and your partner stand out from the crowd. 

Once you’ve decided to make it social media official, there’s lots of different ways to get creative with your engagement post, whether that’s a quirky engagement caption or an inventive selfie pose. If you're stuck for ideas, read on for our top ideas for engagement ring selfie pics.

We've analysed Instagram* to see which engagement selfies get the most likes, so you can make sure you're posting the best picture possible, after all - you want your engagement announcement to be your best picture yet!

Creative Engagement Ring Selfie Ideas to Guarantee Likes

Here are the key components to making sure your engagement ring selfie is super popular on social media, plus some of our favourite examples!

1. Casual Clothes

Turns out, in 60% of the most liked engagement selfies on Instagram, the couple were wearing casual clothes as opposed to being all dressed up in their finery. People really do love relatable content, don't they?! Whatever engagement photo outfit you decide on, it's your ring that will take centre stage.

Be inspired by Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli, who shared this super cute engagement selfie in their casual attire, but that ring brings all the glamour. 

2. Have the Ring on Show

It sounds like a no-brainer, but to get those likes you need to have your ring on show! We love this shot - and so did 147,807 other people - of Eva Longoria, which displays her beautiful ruby engagement ring as she kisses Jose Antonio Baston.

Over 52% of the most-liked engagement posts on Instagram had the ring on show. 

3. Couple Standing Side by Side

Turns out, although people want to see the ring, the couple standing side by side is preferred to seeing you both in a passionate clinch like Eva's!

Over 84,000 people liked Princess Eugenie's fairly formal engagement announcement picture with Jack Brooksbank, which makes sense as over a third (36%) of the most liked engagement posts on Instagram showed the happy couple side by side. 

4. Showing the Ring to the Camera

It seems like your Insta followers want to feel really involved, as they love to see the ring being shown to the camera. It makes sense that 32% of the most popular posts had this aspect as it allows the viewer to feel like they're sharing in your excitement and are personally celebrating with you.

Pitch Perfect stars Anna Camp and Skylar Astin nailed this with their engagement selfie. Even though they've now both gone their separate ways, at least they'll always have this cracker of an engagement selfie... 

5. Mid-Proposal

People really like that sense of involvement - so much so that they want to see the proposal! Instagram engagement selfies that showed the proposal taking place featured highly, with 28% of the most liked ones containing this.

That explains why over 264,000 people liked this picture of Bonnie Chance getting down on one knee before Beanie Feldstein!

If you're planning to propose, look into a proposal photographer to make sure you get those all-important proposal pictures. 

7. Location, Location, Location

Turns out the location is a huge factor when it comes to getting the likes - tied for position seven in our analysis were pictures of couples on a beach, on a mountain and surrounded by flowers. They all featured in 18% of the most popular photos, as well as the woman being shown on her own (assuming there is a woman!). 

That explains why nearly 7.5million people liked this picture of Travis Barker getting down on one knee before Kourtney Kardashian on a beach, surrounded by flowers!

8. The Couple All Dressed Up

Whilst casual clothing is the most popular factor when it comes to a winning engagement selfie, there's no need to worry if you like dressing up! 14% of the most liked engagement selfies included a dressed up couple - pop legend Ciara posted this picture of herself all dressed up to celebrate her engagement and received nearly 410,000 likes.

9. The Eiffel Tower Features

There was a lot of competition for the 9th most important factor in your engagement selfie - don't worry if you didn't get engaged in Paris though, you don't need to schlep over there to get the perfect engagement selfie.

The other popular factors, each featuring in 12% of the most popular pics were having the ring box visible, a beautiful dress, the couple are embracing or they're in a garden or a park - so you've got options!

Avril Lavigne got engaged by the Eiffel Tower and raked in over 1.6million likes - just sayin'! 

10. Close Up Shot of the Ring

Obviously everyone is so happy that you're engaged and they want to read your gushing engagement caption - but let's not forget that all-important ring close up. One in 10 of the most liked engagement selfies on Instagram feature a close up of the engagement ring.

The number 10 spot was hotly contested, and a skyline view and the couple holding hands were also key factors. But let's all remember Britney's iconic engagement selfie, showing off that top tier celebrity engagement ring with a playful post that put it front and centre. 

Stuck on how to pop the question? Check out our list of 61 romantic and inspiring proposal ideas that will get you a resounding yes!

*Using Instagram on Desktop, each of the ten most popular hashtags were analysed, where trends from each of the nine “top posts” available that day were noted and similarities tracked across fifty images overall. Data accurate as of 24/10/2022