In real life and social media, our role remains the same. We have to play the perfect host. Create the right atmosphere, make guests feel at home, and entertain so that they are only too willing to return again and again.
Instagram Story is by far the most powerful tool provided by the social platform to attract and engage with followers. Well, you don’t need me to tell you about the hardest part – to create content that keeps the followers entertained.
Pressure to publish new content can wreak havoc on your mind. Just when the need for ideas is at its highest the brain goes blank. What you need is a slight push in the right direction. I have provided 51 ideas for your Instagram Stories.
These Instagram Story Ideas will act as a spark on tinder, inspiring you to create loads of content that’ll bring in more followers and engagement.
The Importance of Instagram Stories
People visit social media to be amused. Instagram Stories come with the perfect recipe to entertain and engage followers. Like the sweet Turkish Delight, stories are small pieces of heaven that’ll delight with a visual and creative element. Since Instagram Stories only last for a day (24 hours) there is no fear of the content going stale (or outdated).
With the right Instagram Story ideas and content, you can keep the followers engaged for hours. Plus, through stories, you get to understand the target audience better. What are the other reasons to use Instagram Stories?
Improves visibility of your content
Instagram Stories get more views than posts. A colorful ring on the display picture of the person you’re following appears on top of the feed whenever Instagram Story is published. Plus, you’ll receive a notification, making it hard for you to miss a story.
Stories are authentic
A smartphone, a few stickers, and a creative mind are all it takes to create a compelling Instagram Story. Instagram Stories are very popular because they are authentic. There is no script, it requires very little editing, and most of the time the absence of a motive other than to entertain and engage with the followers makes Instagram Stories authentic and relatable.
Lets you engage with the followers like never before
Instagram Stories are captivating because they give the followers access to your heart and home. By giving them a glimpse of your authentic self for a limited time you create a bond of trust.
Since its launch, a few years ago, Instagram Story has steadily gained more and more admirers. The latest statistics show Instagram Story has over 500 million daily users and the engagement rate is increasing every day.
51 Instagram Story Ideas
- Ask Questions: Turn curiosity into stories by asking about your followers’ struggles, interests, and anything that starts a conversation.
- Show and Tell: Showcase your recent cosmetic buys. Talk about the products, their demo, and reviews.
- The Morning You: Give a peep into your Morning routine. Post your morning cup of Joe, your messy hair, your struggle to send your kids to school on time, and your outfit to the office.
- A Glimpse of the Inner You: Share something personal with your followers. Your first love, first puppy, and your take on important issues; anything and everything about you can be used as an interesting Instagram Story.
- Story Takeover: Request another content creator for an Instagram Story takeover. This will add variety to your content and bring in their followers to your page.
- Product Chat: Talk about products and their features. Depending on your target audience this could be anything from health to electronics.
- Inspire Your Followers: Share inspirational quotes and stories. Like a good coffee, everyone needs a dose of inspiration in the morning for a productive day.
- Blast from the Past: Share old Instagram Stories to attract new followers. You can update to add value to the old story.
- Share an Embarrassing Story: Events that are embarrassing to you might amuse your followers. Use hashtags to increase participation.
- Testimonial Story: Stories of what others have to say about you or the product you’re discussing.
- Promote Others: Mention popular Instagram accounts to follow. In exchange, they might promote your profile.
- Convert Your Posts into Stories: Give your posts another opportunity to engage. They’ll appear at the top of the feed and attract more followers.
- Question Time: Encourage your followers to ask questions about you or any topic under the Sun.
- Secret Revealed: Share interesting and funny direct messages you receive.
- DIY Stories: Showcase the handyman in you by documenting the cleaning or construction process. This could be as simple as cleaning a cluttered closet.
- The Favorites Game: Share stories about your favorite things, like books, smartphones, cars, washing machines, etc.
- To-Do List: Share your plans for the day, week, and year. This will inspire your followers to organize their day and week.
- BTS Instagram Stories: Take your audience behind the scenes. Things like, how do you shoot a video, create a story template, etc. can be part of your Instagram Story.
- Cooking Stories: Share recipes, ingredients, and cooking images with followers.
- Trending Stories: Post stories about trending topics on Instagram or elsewhere.
- Do an Instagram Challenge: Post stories about your challenge with other content creators. This could include posting 5 videos in a week, publishing 10 articles a month on a niche topic, and more.
- Themed Days: Gives the audience something to look forward to. You could start Wine Wednesdays, Motivational Mondays, and such.
- Dive into the Gallery: Share old images, from your phone gallery, that never saw the light of day.
- Thought of the Day: A random thought that would amuse your audience.
- Pet Peeve Day: Get it in the open; once in a while, share about things that annoy you. This will encourage your followers to share their pet peeves too.
- Quiz Time: Use short, interesting, and interactive quizzes to improve interaction.
- Cleaning Magic: Share before and after images or videos of your cleaning routine.
- Share a Ghost Story: Christmas is incomplete without a ghost story. This could be part of your Instagram Story Ideas every Friday 13th and Halloween.
- Reveal the Funny You: Tell a joke or make people laugh to increase interaction.
- Go Live: Have a face-to-face talk with your followers. You can also request followers to suggest topics for discussion during the live session.
- Glam Routine: Post before and after images of your makeup, hairdo, and other beauty routines.
- Host a Celebrity: Interview with an influencer or celebrity can boost engagement.
- Host a Contest: A contest and an attractive prize will get your followers involved.
- Shopping Stories: What are you planning to buy this week? This could include products, groceries, and more.
- Dole Out Offers: Share promo codes or discounts on products you’re promoting with your followers.
- How It’s Made: Show how something is made. You can share how to make dolls, sweaters, sweets, etc. at home.
- Invite Suggestions: As for suggestions from your followers. How to keep your pet safe during the pandemic, how to make a detox drink, etc., can be good topics your followers can help you with.
- Conduct a Poll: Start a fun poll to induce participation. The topics can be as simple as ‘Do you like Pineapple pizza?’
- Share a Template: Create a template and share to know your followers better.
- Sneak Peek Stories: Give your follower special access or share exclusive content. This could include a short clip of a longer video you’re planning to broadcast later.
- Share Location Sticker: Get found and attract new followers in your area by sharing stories with a location sticker.
- Countdown: Use countdown stickers to increase your follower’s anticipation of any event or product launch.
- Celebration Stories: Share a success story, big or small. By celebrating the success of others you can inspire and motivate your followers.
- Binge Stories: Talk about the movies and TV shows that have you hooked to the screen.
- Repackage Old Content: Repurpose or update old content like blogs and videos to give it a new lease of life.
- Flaunt Your Skills: Entertain your audience by showing off your skills like magic tricks, science experiments, origami, etc.
- Advertise Your IGTV Videos: Give the audience a preview of your IGTV channel,
- Tips and Tricks Stories: Select a topic and share useful tips that’ll benefit your followers.
- Fashion Stories: From everyday look to party attire, share your fashion stories.
- Decoration Stories: Give your followers a glimpse of how you decorate your workspace, room, or your house for a special occasion.
- Diet Plan: Share the secret of your healthy look or post your daily diet plan.
Tips to Promote Your Instagram Stories
What use is a horse without a saddle? The following tips will help the Instagram Story ideas and content gain better traction and more followers on the social media platform.
- Watch and learn from other Instagram Story creators but don’t copy them.
- Use free graphic designing apps like Canva to create templates for Instagram Stories.
- Monitor statistics to identify Instagram Story Ideas that work.
- Don’t stop with one Story a day. Posting five Instagram Stories or more increases engagement by 70%.
- Be yourself and let your personality shine through your stories.
- Regardless of the length always add captions to your story videos as 70-80% of viewers keep their sound off.
- Increase the life of your best Instagram Stories by using the ‘Highlight’ feature.
- Use hashtags to increase the reach of your stories and gain new followers.
What Not to Do With Your Instagram Stories
Instagram Story is a free feature available to all. But, not all users manage to gain new followers or engage with them. Why? Here are 5 cardinal mistakes to avoid.
- Failing to plan and inconsistency – both can be addressed with Instagram Story Ideas.
- Not taking advantage of Instagram features – use quizzes, polls, questions, swipe up links, location, and other features to drive engagement.
- Content that’s wordy or too formal – humanize the content; keep it lighthearted, casual, and friendly.
- Not using video content – video posts increase views by 48%; viewers retain 95% of information watched in a video.
- Don’t promote products all the time – use the 80/20 rule; post promotional stories only 20% of the time.
Final Thoughts
Now I must bid adieu, but not without the satisfaction that I was of help in some small capacity. You can use the aforementioned Instagram Story Ideas to create so many types of content. There is one common thread that connects all these ideas; they’ll help you build a relationship with your followers.
Do you have more Instagram Story Ideas? What story ideas did you use in the past? Share with us so others too can benefit from your creativity and experience.
