The 101 on Creating Effective Instagram Stories

In the realm of Instagram, creating a personable and unique account is vital for the growth of your brand. 

On the platform, you can make Instagram Stories, short instant video snaps that can be viewed for 24 hours. This is an effective way to attract and connect with those who follow you and those who don’t. 

In this post, we discuss how to use this fun, expressive tool to its fullest potential to expand your audience and increase business.

What’s an Instagram Story?

Taking a page from the SnapChat playbook, Instagram released the story feature in 2016. According to Buffer, more than 500 million Instagrammers post to their stories daily. 

Instagram Stories allow users to post pictures and videos that vanish after 24 hours. This is different from regular posts because short snaps can be added throughout the day, with fun stickers, GIFS, filters, and music to make them creative.

It’s a fun way to show off your brand’s personality and connect in a way that your followers can relate to. 

Where can I find Stories?

When you first click onto your Instagram App, you will notice a gallery of profile pictures above your normal feed, surrounded by a red/pink/orange circular gradient. This is the home of newly posted stories by accounts that you follow.

If you’d like to view the story, all you have to do is tap on the illuminated profile picture. You can also access a user’s stories by going directly to their Instagram account.

Making Stories That Hook Followers

Because of their short life span, Instagram Stories are great tools for posting quick updates or giving a brief look into the day-in-the-life of the user, company or brand. 

Making effective stories means posting updates that will interest your viewers, for example, if you are a small business that’s about to release a new product or service use the story feature to post sneak peeks.

Instagram Stories also provide an interactive element. With stories, users can post polls, yes or no questions, location tags and more. 

The question/poll feature on stories makes it easy for brands to receive quick feedback (in large quantity) from viewers on products or posts. 

These real-time responses are helpful for brands needing to decide on a quick pivot on the direction of their posts, as well as giving valuable insight into what your consumers want.