One of the biggest mistakes I see small businesses continue to make is not being on stories, or if they are using their stories there is no strategy. They will share their newest post to their stories and then leave.

why should you post to instagram stories?

Your stories are what lead people to your page and explore your feed. Instagram stories helps you start conversations, humanize your brand, and get real-time feedback from your target audience.

what should you post on instagram stories?

Behind the Scenes videos and pictures, new products, new blog posts, polls, and quizzes!

How often should you post to your instagram stories?

Every. Day.

how to make your instagram stories stand out:

Make them engaging!

Whether you love them or hate them, if you are wanting to connect with your audience on a deeper, personal level you absolutely NEED to be posting on your stories every day. Lucky for you I am going to show you how you can do that!

 

1. filters

Don’t want to show up on stories because you don’t look good? Guess what?! That’s why Instagram made the “beauty” filter! Not really, but for real, Instagram has so many beauty filters now it’s unreal. If you are one who is still insecure about hopping on stories, try playing with some of the new AI filters to get you more comfortable!

 

 

2. location

The location tool is great for industries relating to travel and food (obviously). Adding a location can help you increase views since hashtags and locations get their own dedicated space at the top of a search result page.

 

  

3. mention

Not sure I really even need to explain the mention sticker, but just like the hashtag and location stickers the mention sticker can add a fun design element to your story and helps bring people to your page!

 

  

4. hashtags

You might be wondering if you should use hashtags in your stories and the answer is yes! Using hashtags in your stories can help increase your reach organically on Instagram. You can use a total of 11 hashtags in your Instagram stories (10 regular hashtags and 1 clickable hashtag sticker) just be sure you are using hashtags that are related to your content and target audience.

Pro Tip: Watch the video below to see how you can hide hashtags in your stories!

 

5. music

The music feature can help you find a song that matches the tone/feel of your video. For example, if one were to win the lottery and throw their money in the air to make it rain, consider these options: Money by Cardi B, Gold Digger by Kanye, or Money, Money, Money by ABBA.

As of right now the music feature is only available on personal and creator profiles. However, I’m starting to notice a few business accounts are getting access to the feature as well. If you still don’t have the music feature try updating the app, or messaging Instagram’s help desk like I have 5,000 times.

 

  

6. polls

Polls are a great way for you to do some market research. Are you wanting to roll out a new product or service? Ask your audience what they would prefer! I like to use the poll stickers to see what type of content my audience would like to see more of in the upcoming weeks!

 

  

7. gifs

Who doesn’t love gifs?! Using the Create mode on Instagram stories allows you to add any Gif to a story and it will automatically resize, or duplicate to fit the screen. Once you choose a gif you can also add stickers, text or even your most recent post!

 

  

8. questions

Using the question sticker is a great way to get direct feedback from your audience. Once someone answers your question you can either reply to them personally or share their answer with all your followers in another story!

Curious to know how I changed the background in this story? Click here to find out!

 

  

9. countdown

Launching a new product? Hosting an anniversary sale? Hosting a Live? Using the countdown sticker is a great way to encourage people to tap the sticker and set a reminder for when the countdown ends!

 

  

10. sliders

Just like with polls and quizzes, you can you the emoji slider sticker to get your audience more engaged by creating a slider that helps you collect more information. In the example below I wanted to know how often my audience is curating their content, below that is a post relating to content creation vs. curation.

 

  

11. quiz

The quiz sticker is one of my favorite story features! Use the quiz feature to help your audience get to know you and your business. For example you could quiz your audience on when did you start your business, why you start your business, your mission, the possibilities are endless. You can also use the quiz feature like in the example below to again…gather market research.

 

  

12. stickers

Stickers always can add a fun design element to any story! You can also create branded stickers.

Pro Tip: Create a fun Instagram story using text and stickers, save it to your photos and then use it as a moving graphic in your feed!

 

13. drawing tool

You can using the drawing tool to do a few things! You can make a solid background behind your post, or you can use the eraser tool to give a tease of what your newest post looks like (see below).

 

  

14. text

There are five fonts currently available on instagram stories: classic, modern, neon, typewriter, and strong. You can use the different fonts create unique text such as a drop shadow (shown below).

Pro Tip: Add text to every slide you are speaking on! Majority of people listen to stories on silent and they will skip past all your stories if there are no subtitles.

 

Want more instagram story tips?

 

Want help planning and scheduling your Instagram stories?