If rising engagement is your purpose, the proper Instagram Story concepts will get you there.
Instagram is the most-used social media platform for Gen Z (ages 16-26) and continues to quickly rise in reputation amongst all ages, now rating third with 50% of U.S. adults. Plus, Instagram customers of all ages spend probably the most, being twice as prone to spend over $1,000 in comparison with customers on different social media platforms.
Instagram Tales is a singular format that helps construct belief, attain new individuals, and nurture your present viewers. These are the highest content material concepts to develop proper now.
Bonus: Declare your free pack of 30 Instagram Story background templates created by Hootsuite’s skilled graphic designers. Simply customise them in Canva, and take your Story sport to the subsequent stage at present.
11 Instagram Story concepts for rookies
1. Share a product photograph
Video is nice for Instagram Tales, however a easy photograph works wonders too. You don’t want a flowery photoshoot. Maintain up a product, snap a pic, title it, and share.
Supply: @winners on Instagram
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Share a latest shot from a photoshoot or product photograph and add a hyperlink sticker.
Bonus: Add a hyperlink sticker to buy that product in your web site.
2. Characteristic a assessment
Share buyer testimonials to your Instagram Story, both one instantly from a buyer’s Instagram feed submit or create your individual with a photograph, the client’s assessment, and their title (if relevant).
Supply: @getsproutsocial on Instagram
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Pair a assessment with a hyperlink to the product or one other name to motion.
3. Share new Reels and posts in a Story
Add a contact of thriller to your Instagram Story and direct individuals to your newest content material.
Personally, I discover a considerable enhance in likes, feedback, and shares after I share one in every of my Reels or Instagram posts to my Instagram Story. It’s a fundamental thought, however extremely efficient at boosting engagement.
Supply: @wulfsnacks on Instagram
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Share new Reels, carousels, and posts to your Story and slap a “New Put up” sticker over high so viewers must faucet on it to see your full submit.
4. Share user-generated content material
Much like the above, repost content material the place your viewers mentions you to your Story — it’s nice social proof!
Supply: @vsp.consignment on Instagram
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5. Ballot your viewers
Nobody can resist a one-tap, a number of alternative ballot sticker. Nobody!
It solely takes somebody a second to reply your ballot and every click on counts as engagement. Plus, it’s an amazing alternative to subtly drop product options to coach your viewers.
Supply: @thelocalspace on Instagram
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Ask for suggestions out of your viewers about what merchandise they need to see, or different priceless insights.
Use a ballot to coach your viewers by posting it alongside “Do you know” fashion questions along with your product options because the solutions.
6. Quiz your viewers
Quiz stickers are interactive and a enjoyable technique to gamify your Instagram Tales.
Ask your viewers trivia questions on your model or merchandise, or have them attempt to guess what’s developing at your upcoming launch.
Supply: @wiseguytriviayyc on Instagram
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Mega engagement Instagram Story thought: Hyperlink to a product web page, then use a quiz to ask questions. Enter those that received the proper solutions into giveaways.
7. Have fun milestones
Reached 50,000 Instagram followers? 100,000? Offered your one centesimal or 10,000th order? Thank your viewers with a fast Instagram Story to commemorate the event and specific your gratitude.
Supply: @trexorobotics on Instagram
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Host a celebration double whammy by having a workers get together. That manner each your workers and viewers really feel appreciated.
8. Use hashtags
Identical to hashtags on posts and Reels, Instagram Story hashtags are searchable and will help increase attain and model consciousness.
Supply: @aircanada on Instagram
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In the event you’re posting about an occasion, remember to use that occasion’s hashtag to be added to the content material individuals are discovering for it.
Encourage your viewers to share UGC content material utilizing a selected hashtag to make it straightforward so that you can discover.
9. Characteristic a buyer
Begin a weekly or month-to-month sequence to focus on your V.I.P. clients, or as Tourism Kelowna does right here, members of their enterprise group. It’s an effective way to share your values with out being self-promotional.
Supply: @tourismkelowna on Instagram
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10. Ask for suggestions
Use query stickers, polls, and even ask individuals to message you to assemble opinions. The knowledge you collect might assist make merchandising selections, establish upcoming traits, or crowdsource new product concepts.
Supply: @designmehair on Instagram
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Unsure what to ask? Begin with asking for product opinions or your viewers’s opinion on present traits, then department out into particular questions designed to get clients concerned in your artistic course of.
Save the Story as a spotlight as a digital “suggestion field” individuals can use anytime.
11. Use location tags
Alongside along with your Story’s content material, the Instagram algorithm makes use of location tags to focus on who it thinks will likely be enthusiastic about your content material to increase attain.
Folks may also search Insta posts and IG Tales by location tag. Tags will be cities, companies, public areas like parks, and extra.
Supply: @nhljets on Instagram
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Internet hosting an organization dinner? Assembly a consumer for espresso? Touring to a brand new metropolis? Tag the locations you go to be added to the Instagram Tales of these areas within the app’s map.
You probably have a bodily enterprise location, tag it typically in Tales.
18 extra artistic Instagram Story concepts
12. Use customized font colours
You’re not restricted to the default textual content or brush colours Instagram provides you. When including textual content to your Story, faucet the eyedropper icon on the backside left. Drag it round your picture to make use of that coloration for the textual content or drawing instruments.
Supply: @photoallison on Instagram
Font colours assist your Tales seem on-brand, however as Instagram skilled and journey blogger Helene Sula says, authenticity is way more necessary:
“To create a really highly effective Instagram I consider in creating an Instagram theme or aesthetic. However generally your content material doesn’t at all times suit your theme. That’s why you should use IG Tales to share. You even have the chance to share your character.”
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Stand out with only some seconds of effort by matching your Story textual content to your model coloration(s), or to colours throughout the photograph.
13. Add a countdown
Generate buzz about an upcoming occasion with the countdown sticker.
Supply: @wandrd on Instagram
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Countdown to a product launch, sale, or different occasion.
Pair it with a sneak peek video for extra pleasure.
14. Share behind-the-scenes content material
It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in, you’ve gotten some type of “behind the scenes” teasers to point out your viewers. You possibly can present every part out of your warehouse and the staff members who preserve your deliveries going out or the artistic processes of the individuals essential to your success, corresponding to this function on the prop grasp of a TV present.
Supply: @cbc on Instagram
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Curiosity will get engagement: sure, even probably the most boring-seeming behind the scenes content material will be fascinating to your clients.
15. Host a Q&A
Use the Instagram Tales query sticker to get your viewers to submit questions that you may reply in Tales. Reply questions on your merchandise AMA fashion, or “Ask Me Something.” Or usher in an skilled for a particular Q&A, corresponding to Really’s instance beneath. The skincare model had a dermatologist reply viewers questions.
Supply: @trulylifestylebrand on Instagram
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After the Q&A is completed, put it aside as a spotlight so your viewers can entry the dear info anytime.
Share generally requested questions in a FAQs spotlight.
16. Tag different manufacturers
Construct bridges and potential collaborative relationships with different manufacturers by tagging them in your IG Tales. This may encourage the opposite model to share your Story to their very own, and even probably attain out to collaborate additional on campaigns.
Supply: @reapercustoms_ on Instagram
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Begin with manufacturers you employ in your enterprise, corresponding to one of many paint manufacturers you employ on your work.
Share your sincere assessment of the model’s product or the way it contributes to your individual success.
17. Supply Tales-only reductions
In the event you’re particularly on the lookout for artistic Instagram Story concepts to develop engagement on Tales, there’s no higher manner than providing an unique low cost in Tales.
Supply: @experienceflyover on Instagram
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Put up concerning the low cost in your Instagram feed however make individuals watch your Tales for the code.
18. Preserve Tales highlights up to date
In the event you use Instagram Tales highlights to speak info, preserve them up to date.
Supply: @tsa on Instagram
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Begin a sequence on IG Tales it can save you as a spotlight and preserve updating, such because the TSA’s prohibited objects one above which is informative and infrequently humorous.
19. Use interactive stickers
Punch up your Tales with one in every of Instagram’s built-in interactive stickers. They’re fast and simple for individuals to have interaction with. For instance, this “emoji slider” sticker solely takes one faucet and drag for viewers to answer.
Supply: @michelle.lynn.martin on Instagram
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Query stickers are nice, however require extra effort for somebody to fill out. Make life straightforward for them (and make it extra seemingly they’ll interact with you) by swapping a “lengthy reply” ask to an emoji slider.
20. Supply a sneak peek
Put up a sneak peek of one thing thrilling and ask your viewers to guess what it’s. This is among the greatest Instagram Story hacks for saving time as a result of you’ll be able to publicly share the responses in Tales for nice content material all day.
Supply: @scienceworldca on Instagram
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Use a query sticker to gather guesses, or use different interactive parts just like the emoji slider or a ballot.
21. Present your course of
Give your viewers a glimpse into how your product is made with this Instagram Story thought for product-based organizations of all sizes. Folks love figuring out what goes into making the objects they purchase, particularly when these are hand-crafted or made by small companies.
Supply: @dbldesigns3 on Instagram
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Create a video, GIF, or photograph slides exhibiting how your product is made, or the steps in delivering your providers. Infuse your ardour for what you do into it.
22. Share a collage
What’s higher than one photograph? A couple of photograph. Collages provide you a chance to creatively exhibit your merchandise.
Supply: @bikepackingcom on Instagram
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Present your product from totally different angles, or sandwich a video between two photographs for a scrumptious engagement sandwich.
Characteristic a number of buyer posts in a single Story, or snaps of a latest occasion as a recap.
23. Layer a picture on high of a photograph
Create an attention-grabbing visible by choosing a photograph on your Story’s background as traditional, then layering one other photograph on high utilizing the photograph sticker.
Supply: @nhlflames on Instagram
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Take a screenshot of buyer testimonials and layer that on high of a product photograph for a straightforward Instagram Story thought.
Mimic this impact by sharing a brand new feed submit and layering it on high of a photograph.
24. Use emojis
This Instagram Story thought wants no introduction.
Supply: @oddbunchcanada on Instagram
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Utilizing both common emojis or Instagram’s emoji-style stickers can flip a fundamental photograph into one thing hilariously memorable.
25. Make your Story shoppable
In the event you promote on-line, tagging your merchandise in Instagram Tales is a large alternative to transform consideration into gross sales. With one faucet, a viewer can checkout with out leaving Instagram.
Supply: @nataliemariejewellery on Instagram
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In the event you haven’t already, arrange your Instagram Store to have the ability to tag merchandise.
Ask influencers you accomplice with to tag the product they speak about of their Instagram Tales too.
26. Preserve a Story spotlight on your rewards program
Your Instagram Tales highlights are an amazing place to speak key insurance policies or applications, together with your rewards program.
Supply: @threeshipsbeauty on Instagram
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Summarize this system, add a hyperlink sticker to enroll, and put it aside as a spotlight.
27. Share a tutorial
Present your viewers the right way to use your product or ideas for one of the best expertise. Or educate them on one thing associated to your enterprise, corresponding to this hair tutorial from a hairstylist.
Supply: @nicolepommehair on Instagram
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In the event you’re unsure what you can create a tutorial about, ask your viewers what they need to be taught.
28. Have a careers Story spotlight
Discovering high quality workers is a problem for all organizations. Whether or not you’re hiring for particular positions or at all times looking out for expertise, social media is a superb place to get the phrase out. Share careers-related information in your Tales and save these as a spotlight in your profile to make it straightforward for candidates to search out.
Supply: @cherrypick.vtg on Instagram
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Create Instagram Tales for open positions and save them to a careers spotlight.
29. Strive artistic textual content
Instagram Tales has numerous choices for artistic textual content, from coloration choices to drop shadows, outlines, mixing fonts and sizes, add emphasis with stickers, and extra.
Supply: @theapartmentlife on Instagram
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Begin small: Combine two totally different fonts or colours in your subsequent Instagram Story.
Ramp it up: Mix a textual content impact with a number of different artistic Instagram Story modifying methods for a really distinctive Story.
7 experimental Instagram Story concepts for daring entrepreneurs
30. At all times have lively Tales
At all times having lively Instagram Tales means you’ll preserve exhibiting up close to the highest of your followers’ Instagram feeds once they open the app. Meaning you’ll have the next probability daily of reaching your viewers.
You don’t must spend hours per day on Tales both. Our latest experiment discovered that posting simply 1-2 Instagram Tales per day yielded one of the best engagement outcomes. That mentioned, discover what works for you. Don’t be afraid to check out posting extra.
Supply: @shopgoodboy on Instagram
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No must reinvent the wheel seven days every week. Combine easy-to-create content material with extra concerned Tales to make sure you don’t run out of Tales to submit.
Additionally no must personally submit every day: schedule Instagram Tales with Hootsuite for computerized publishing.
31. Use Instagram Tales as a menu
In the event you’re a espresso store, restaurant, or different enterprise the place your services or products change typically, think about using Instagram Tales as a fundamental technique to talk these modifications.
Supply: @oldtownbakeryladysmith on Instagram
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Listing your every day menu, class schedule, or appointment availability in a every day Instagram Story.
Save your Story template in Canva on your favourite Instagram modifying app.
32. Strive Instagram Story Advertisements
Instagram Story advertisements will be very efficient and are straightforward to get began with (particularly should you create an Instagram advert marketing campaign in Hootsuite). Story advertisements seem periodically as customers browse natural Tales and mix in very properly, distinguishable solely by the small “Sponsored” textual content underneath the Instagram account title.
Supply: @fablehome on Instagram
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33. Educate your viewers
The varieties of social media content material individuals really need will be simplified into two classes: instructional and leisure, as we present in our Social Tendencies 2025 report.
Supply: @nikonusa on Instagram
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Whereas instructional content material is necessary, it’s equally necessary to make it entertaining. Take into account making a video to speak your info (and repurposing it for different channels).
Save tutorials as Story highlights to increase the lifetime of them previous twenty-four hours.
34. Share memes
Meme humor isn’t one of the best match for all manufacturers, but when memes resonate along with your viewers, add them to your Instagram Tales technique.
Supply: @customcatcribs on Instagram
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Sharing memes from different accounts is an effective way to construct relationships and save time with content material curation.
35. Accomplice with a creator for a Tales takeover
Partnering with a creator is an effective way to get unique, customized content material with out having to make it your self.
Supply: @travelandleisure on Instagram
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Have an influencer accomplice with you for a full day of Tales content material centred round their expertise along with your model and distinctive viewpoint.
Cross-promote the takeover on each accounts for optimum engagement potential.
36. Get on digital camera
Don’t be shy! For a private contact, get in entrance of the digital camera for authentically on-brand movies, whether or not you’re a solo enterprise or giant firm. Instagram Tales are all about authenticity, and nothing is as highly effective for constructing belief along with your viewers.
Supply: @evolutionstudios on Instagram
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As a substitute of posting a photograph of a brand new product, movie a brief video of you speaking concerning the product as you maintain it. Or, speak about why you began your enterprise or classes discovered alongside the way in which.
Repurpose video utilized in IG Tales for Instagram Reels, advertisements, and extra.
Plan and schedule Instagram Tales, Reels, and posts—and all of your different social platforms—from a single dashboard. Strive Hootsuite free at present.
