If you aren’t utilizing Instagram stories, you absolutely should be! People love seeing face behind the account and getting to know YOU. Today, I’m going to share some tips to help you boost your story engagement on Instagram.
Here are some tips that have helped me to boost my engagement on Instagram stories:
Get on stories every day to boost your story engagement on Instagram
Hopping on stories every day, even just for a little bit can seriously help to boost your story engagement on Instagram. It can be something as simple as sharing a cute photo of your dog, your breakfast, your workout, etc. Sharing sales is a great way to create story content for your audience that they can find value in. Sometimes, I’ll hop on and just share a little about my day – even if I’m not wearing makeup or looking my best! People don’t care, in fact, this may help you to seem more authentic and you are actually sharing a real part of your day with your followers.
Use location tags
Did you know that using location-based tags can help you boost your story engagement on Instagram? For example, say I’m recording a story at home. I may use the location tag “St. Petersburg, FL.” This allows my story to be pushed to the “St. Petersburg” story so that anyone who looks at the St. Pete location tag on Instagram can see my stories. You can also hide your location tag behind the text in your story so it doesn’t interfere with the aesthetic of your story post – it will still be functional!
Use hashtags
The hashtag functionality on stories is similar to location tags. You can use up to 10 – this article from Hootsuite details hashtag strategy in 2020 and how many are allowed per IG post and IG story. Just like location tags, you can hide these tags behind a GIF or a text box in your stories. They will function just the same and it will get your post in front of various audiences when they view that hashtag on Instagram.
I talked a bit more about my hashtag strategy on Instagram in this post – definitely check it out to see some strategies to up your hashtag game on Instagram!
Create stories around a theme
If you’re not sure what to post about or don’t feel comfortable just sharing your day-to-day life, creating stories around a theme can be a great way to boost your story engagement on Instagram. For example, you could share a haul of Target finds under $30. Here you could film some videos of you trying on various clothing items from Target to share with your audience. Here, you can even include some swipe-up or affiliate links so you can MONETIZE the story! This post from Easil shares some different strategies and Instagram story ideas that can help boost your story engagement on Instagram.
Use the poll functionality to boost your story engagement on Instagram
Not only does this help to engage your audience and get them to interact with your content, but also, it can help Instagram prioritize your story post as you are using their features! It has often been predicted that Instagram algorithm prioritizes users who are using their features. For example, the poll functionality, Instagram reels, or even the in-app editing features.
Did you know that for every picture I share on Instagram, I edit it ever-so-slightly using Instagram’s features? (tiny changes to exposure, usage of filters, shadows, highlights, etc.) Instagram is known to boost posts that use their features such as editing in-app, polls, reels, etc. This article from Later details how the Instagram Algorithm works in 2020 and some tips for how to make it work for you!
I like to ask questions related to what my story post is when using the polls feature. For example, if I’m sharing my breakfast for that day, I might add a poll that says “Sweet or Savory?” and let my audience select their favorite! This might even lead to a conversation over DMs about which they prefer.
Interestingly enough, I have conducted some polls on Instagram to see what my audience prefers – stories or feed posts? I was shocked to see that the overwhelming majority preferred STORIES! It was split 70-30! I like to use polls to check in with my audience from time to time. I’ll ask them about what type of content they are interested in, what posts they’ve been enjoying from me, etc. I’ll often ask questions like “Stories or Feed Post?” or “Fashion content or Beauty content?” This helps me get to know my audience better, and to create content that is valuable to them.
Use the question box
Using the question box feature goes hand-in-hand with using the polls feature to boost your story engagement on Instagram. I’ll often use this feature when I pop on stories to share a bit more about my day or weekend. When doing so, I’ll ask my audience “What did you do this weekend?” or “Any fun weekend plans?”
I also frequently use the question box to ask my audience what they want to see me post about next. As many of you know, I share tips for new bloggers and influencers every Thursday (#TipThursday) on Instagram (you can view the past ones with hashtag: #EmilyErinTips). Whenever I share one of these posts, I’ll often ask my audience what they’d like to see from me next #TipThursday. Not only does this help me get ideas for my next posts, but it also boosts engagement on my stories AND helps me to provide valuable content to my followers.
I hope that you found the tips to be helpful. Do you have any strategies that have helped you to boost your story engagement on Instagram? Share them below in the comments!
P.S. I’m wearing Red Dress head-to-toe here. Outfit details below:
If you are looking for more resources about Instagram and blogging, check out the below posts:
xo, Emily
