With almost 500 million users viewing Instagram stories every day, this medium is a great way to connect with followers, share anything from personal stories to product reviews and even play bingo if you’re in the mood for it!
Their short nature makes it easier for influencers to quickly communicate certain messages without having to commit to a whole post on their feed. But the real question is, how can you produce quality stories that people will want to actually watch and engage with? Keep reading to find out.
#1 This or That
This and that stickers are a great way to make your followers feel like their opinion matters and allow them to play a part in the decisions that you make. For example, you could post two outfit options and ask them to choose which one they prefer only to wear the one that gets the most votes to the event that you’re attending.
#2 Q&A
With a quick Q&A on your stories, your followers can ‘interview’ you and know more about you while also giving you a clearer idea of what your audience is interested in seeing from you. This Instagram feature can also be used to ask for recommendations from your fans, reaffirming that you trust their judgement.
#3 Contest
There’s nothing more exciting than winning free products! To push your followers to engage with your story, you could ask a question, provide possible answers and give the first 5 people who answer correctly the chance to win some of your products.
#4 Behind the scenes shots
Take your followers backstage and show them what a day in your life really looks like. Whether it’s a video from a recent shoot or bloopers from your latest reel, these shots can make you more relatable and closer to those who look up to you.
#5 Educational content
Think about it for a second. Your followers are checking your stories because they think the content you have to offer is valuable; then why not optimize it and share ‘How to’ or ‘Did you know?’ stories about a certain ingredient in beauty products or even the benefits of eating fruits to prove that you’re really an expert in your own field or niche.
#6 Series
Want your followers to come back for more? What you could do is establish for example a “Review Wednesday” or “Cooking Tuesday” to consistently go on your stories and review your new makeup favorites every week or discuss your recent recipe discovery every Tuesday. This strategy will leave your following count looking forward to the next ‘episode’ of your series.
#7 Templates
Filling out templates can be a fun way for your followers to engage with you while also helping you reach new audiences when they share their version and mention you in their stories.
#8 Personal brand promotion
This one can get tricky as you do not want to seem forcing your products on your viewers. To avoid overmarketing, you can show your followers your favorite ways to use your products or even repost how others are using them, which will encourage people to purchase them if they end up liking the final result.