The question isn't whether you should post Instagram Stories, but rather "how can you use Instagram Stories wisely?"
To answer that, here are 15 ideas to get ahead of the competition with Stories that stand out!
Also take a look at our selection of apps to create stunning Instagram Stories.
1. Story highlights to introduce your brand
New users arriving on your Instagram don't know you. To introduce themselves, many brands rely on a short, punchy bio.
Today, with the new "Highlights" feature, you can tell your brand's story differently than with a bio.
Highlights are stories you save to your profile and can add to as you wish. To present your business, you can create storytelling that showcases your values and services visually.
Regularly direct users to this story so they can learn more about you.
Source: Starbucks
2. Offer polls
Polls are very effective at sparking your audience's interest. They can also help you discover topics your followers care about or their preferences regarding your products.
Instead of asking questions just for fun in your Stories, ask your followers what interests them and what they expect to find on your Instagram account.
3. Hand your story over to an influencer
Collaborate with influencers It's trendy… and effective.
For most brands, it's simply about paying Instagrammers for sponsored posts, which will be posted on their account and possibly in one of their Stories.
But you can stand out and offer a different type of partnership. For example, for one day, hand over your Instagram account to an influencer of your choice. They can publish attractive content and create their own story on your profile.
Source: Musilac Festival
4. Short videos
To get noticed, you can create short videos that are uniquely yours and that users won’t find on any other account. You’ll just need to be creative when filming yourself, your team, or your products.
Keep in mind that you only have 10 seconds per video!
Source: Musilac Festival
To help you create original animations, use apps like Boomerang, Cinemagram, or Friendstrip.
5. Use curation
The ideas of community and mutual support are rarely put into practice by companies on Instagram.
Giving a boost to another account can be intimidating given how tough the competition is. Yet sharing high-quality content (that’s relevant to your audience) from other accounts has many benefits.
By posting content from an influencer or a complementary brand, you get quality content for free and you help someone who will likely return the favor. It’s a win-win!
So don’t hesitate to create stories that include content from outside your company.
6. Repurpose content from another platform
Creating certain content takes time and resources. That’s the case for videos, market studies, white papers, long blog posts, or infographics. Why not make the most of them by turning them into Instagram stories?
Here are some ideas for repurposing content:
- Summarize a blog post into a mini-clip that showcases the main points. One slide = one tip or a striking statistic. Also a good idea for summarizing an infographic or a market study.
- Resize and condense a YouTube video. You can split it into several 15-second parts to offer brief, entertaining, and useful information to your followers.
- Post a screenshot of your tweet, Facebook, or LinkedIn post — especially if it’s a pertinent tip or a positive user testimonial.
7. Promote your latest Instagram post
Simple and effective, this idea will immediately give your posts’ organic visibility a boost. Just click the arrow under a post:
Then choose “Add post to your story”:
Take the opportunity, if needed, to add an extra tip, a link, or a poll to generate engagement on the post.
You can also reshare the Reels and the Guides in the same way.
8. Present statistics and solutions
Do you want to grab your audience’s attention and show them that the market is favorable to using your products or services? Create Instagram stories featuring convincing numbers that will surprise your community while making them aware of the benefits of your offers.
To make your content engaging, consider adding animations, emojis, but also polls.
At the end, you can offer a link to learn more about the figures mentioned. This should point to your blog, an infographic published on your website, or a white paper. The goal is to recruit leads from your Instagram account.
9. Share messages from your followers
Customer testimonials constitute a social proof relevant asset that wins you potential customers. To make them even more authentic, take a screenshot of private messages or comments posted by your customers and share them in a story.
Of course, avoid making public any messages containing private information and don’t forget to tag the customer. They should feel valued by your approach. As for other followers, they’ll also want to appear in your stories. Result: they’ll be encouraged to leave you positive messages in turn!
In the example below, Swello does not hesitate to share positive tweets about its tool in an Instagram story:
10. Showcase your packaging process
For small businesses, packaging is a game-changer. This story idea will allow you to engage your existing customers while showcasing your customer service to followers who haven’t made a purchase yet.
It helps show the care you put into every order. A practice that enhances your business and builds trust with potential customers.
So, small businesses and local shops, don’t hesitate to showcase your logistics process in a story! La Fourche has embraced this transparency and often highlights its warehouse and how orders are prepared:
11. Create wallpapers
Everyone likes pretty phone wallpapers. And guess what? Stories are exactly the right format for a smartphone screen.
You can use this to manage your brand image by offering your followers the chance to turn your story into a wallpaper. If you’re a hotel or a tourist destination, use a beautiful photo of the place where your business is located. Every time your followers open their phone, they’ll remember your brand.
When you publish a wallpaper, remember that your followers will take screenshots, so don’t write anything on it. Also leave space at the sides, because people will probably crop the image.
You can put a call-to-action text on your first story like: “Be ready to take a screenshot!” That way the user knows what to do.
You can also use the “Swipe Up” feature to link to a Dropbox or Google Drive file.
12. Share the view from your offices
Nothing beats this for humanizing the brand! Share photos and videos of your offices, factories, or warehouses. If you have distinctive rooms or an attractive setting (for example, if your business is in the middle of nature), showcase them in your stories, like the A. Vogel brand does:
Feel free to focus on your teams at work, or even on break, to humanize your business. By sharing behind-the-scenes content, you create a connection with your followers. You bring them fully into your world, where your offers, products, or services are developed.
Moreover, if you’re a recent company, this approach can reassure prospects. By showing you exist and that there’s a real team behind you, hesitant people may convert to customers.
13. Offer a game
Effective for engaging your Instagram community, games they expand your reach, encourage interaction, and generate positive buzz for your brand. Bingo, quizzes, color-by-number drawings, true/false, treasure hunts, riddles, puzzles… There are plenty of ideas to entertain your audience!
Adapt these famous games to your brand to offer your followers a unique recurring event. You can even include a contest and reward the people who find the answers.
This kind of story builds loyalty among your followers and encourages them to check your posts regularly in case of a new contest or entertaining content.
14. Revisit your brand's goals and commitments
What are your brand’s commitments? Even if you’ve talked about them before, a reminder is always welcome. Regularly share your actions in your stories! You can even outline your company’s objectives for the coming months.
Another tip: lean on international days to highlight your commitments. For example, on World Environment Day you can mention the eco-friendly measures taken at your premises, or donations made to environmental protection organizations.
Instagram even offers a "Donate" sticker that lets you publicly support a charity. By adding it to your stories you encourage your audience to donate to a social, societal, or environmental cause.
This sustained, explicit commitment shows that you share the same values as your community. It strengthens your followers' sense of belonging and can attract new followers who align with your commitments.
15. Reintroduce yourself
The more followers you gain, the more important it is to reintroduce yourself from time to time.
Indeed, newcomers may not know all your brand values, work processes, or company culture. As with commitments, a little reminder is always welcome!
Remember to re-share regularly:
- A video or a series of slides presenting your brand and what you do.
- Questions to spark engagement from new followers and get to know them.
- Your promotional offers, such as a discount granted for any first order.
Also remember to save these stories to your highlights so followers can view them at their convenience.
For example, HubSpot has an archived story called "Culture Code" in which the company reiterates its values and those of its team:
Conclusion
Here are 15 great ideas to implement on your Instagram account, if you haven't already! And if you need support with your social media strategy, post an ad on Codeur.com.
