Instagram Story ideas seem to vary as long as you have a passion for creativity. Also, Instagram Stories have proved to be a place with great potential to engage followers and improve your discoverability. So, if you are wondering how you can make Stories to help you stand out in the crowd, you will find this article a must-read. Here, we are going to discuss 10 creative Instagram Story ideas to engage followers.
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10 Creative Instagram story ideas
The following is a list of creative Instagram Story ideas to make a more engaging Story that creates more opportunities for you and your audience to interact.
1. Place a swipe-up link
A swipe-up link on Instagram is probably the most satisfying feature to add to your Stories for a wide range of things it can promote, such as a blog, a menu, your main website, or any other relevant pages you wish to redirect your followers.
However, the main obstacle for many small businesses and new creators is that their accounts are neither verified nor have more than 10k followers.
If that’s the case, don’t worry at all. The thing is, you can still share a swipe-up link to your Stories to redirect your audience to an IGTV video on your channel. Depending on how effective that video is, this approach has a huge impact on your audience.
Here is how to share a swipe-up link without 10k followers or a verified account.
- First, you need to upload an IGTV video to unlock the feature.
- Next, go to your Instagram account and tap on your profile picture to share a Story.
- Then, tap the chain link icon and select your IGTV video.
- Now, you can tap on the sticker icon to search for a swipe-up sticker or gif. Your Story is ready to be shared with a real swipe-up link on it.
2. Promote a new post on your feed
Similar to IGTV videos, new posts on your Instagram feed can also have a better performance if you promote them on your Stories. It encourages more people to view the post as they are more likely to see your Stories more thoroughly than the posts on your feed.
3. Create excitement about a new launch
One of the most effective Instagram Story ideas is to promote a new product in Stories both before and after the launch. For instance, you can use countdown stickers and questions to make people think about the new product and when it will be available. Then announce it and use Stories to even share people’s feedback on the new product.
4. Go live
Another creative Instagram Story idea to engage more followers is to go live on Instagram and do what your audience is excited to see from you. Then, take your time answering their questions and building up a much closer relationship with your followers.
5. Share user-generated content
You can ask your followers many things to do and send their pictures or videos for you. What’s more, you can be sure that they are always excited to see them on your Instagram Stories.
Also, you can simply share your followers’ DMs if you had asked them a question or feel the need to share some authentic feedback from your followers.
6. Run contests
A little generosity usually makes followers fall in love with you. The prize of an Instagram contest could be anything from a discount to a free trial of your service. The point is that if you run an Instagram giveaway perfectly, you will be able to increase your engagement rate successfully.
In particular, you need to make the rules as simple as possible so that everyone can easily take part in your contest. For example, you can tell your followers to share your Story, DM someone your Story, or use your brand hashtag.
7. Use donation stickers
It is of great importance to society if you show that you care. On the other hand, it should also be important to make a change, if you can. Use your position to increase your followers’ awareness about a social issue and see you taking action. Instagram’s donation stickers are a great tool to directly help charities while your followers are engaging with your story.
7. Share how-to videos
Although it is usually introduced as IGTV content, shorter tutorial videos can greatly impact one of the most useful Instagram ideas. Try giving quick tips to your followers as an incentive to have them watch your Story completely rather than tapping forward instantly.
9. Use before and after images
This can be used as a complementary touch to sharing how-to videos. Revealing a change is something your followers usually find interesting. If you can use your clients, this type of story will look more authentic and real to your audience.
10. Show some behind-the-scene content
Whether it’s a video of a process that shows how hard you work for your customers to meet with their satisfaction or an interesting trick you do to make something such as a photo seem more interesting, this always builds up a closer relationship with followers.
On top of that, you can interview an employee to share their personal experience working with you. Behind the scenes, the content will demonstrate a more human side of your business.
The best app to schedule These Instagram Story Ideas
Having creative Instagram Story ideas never works without consistency, which relies on planning in advance. Many brands and creators use a management tool to schedule their Stories to set aside enough time on it and post it in the future. Here we introduce you to two great apps you can use as your trustworthy assistants to schedule your Instagram Stories.
AiSchedul – Best app to schedule Instagram Stories
AiSchedul is an effective Instagram scheduling tool with a host of features to enhance your performance organically on Instagram. One of its most popular features is its calendar that you can set to have your posts automatically published or removed in the future.
The following is a step-by-step guide to scheduling Instagram Stories with AiSchedul easily.
To begin with, sign up for free on AiSchedul and add your Instagram account to its dashboard. Then tap on “Manage Account.”
- Secondly, choose the “Scheduler” on your dashboard and click on “Schedule,” and select “Story”.
- Next, upload your content and choose whether your wish to post it instantly or in the future. If you choose the latter, you can set the specific date on your calendar and leave the rest to AiSchedul to post it automatically on your Instagram.
You can use the same procedure to schedule posts on your feed and IGTV. What’s more, here are some other features that you can use on AiSchedul.
- Create a contest with the post and reward feature
- Share multiple links to your bio
- Generate Instagram hashtags relevant to your posts
- Utilize monitoring and analytic tools in the “Listen and Repost” tab to assess your performance using hashtags, mentions, saved media, and your account
The price of AiSchedul is quite reasonable. It offers 2 plans at $7 and $15 per month. However, if you are short on budget, you can sign up for the free plan of AiSchedul.
Conclusion
Instagram Stories are a great tool to engage your followers, and fortunately, creative Instagram story ideas seem to be endless with the passion of its creators. As in this article, we introduced you to the top ten creative ideas for your Instagram Stories. You also learned about the importance of consistency and planning, which led us to recommend you two of the most effective Instagram management tools. Try AiSchedul for Free!