How do you increase your Instagram stories engagement?
In the current state of social media marketing, it’s all about engaging the audience you currently have. It’s not always about the views or reach of our activities, but more about how many people are taking action when they see these posts.
1. Tell A Story
First and foremost, the easiest way to improve your Instagram Stories engagement is to actually tell a story. One with a beginning, a middle, and an end. I know it’s easy to just throw a photo up (I’m guilty of this myself), but giving your audience a little context makes the experience better for them.
2. Add Captions Or Let Viewers Know To Keep Their Sound On
A simple and clever thing to do to increase your Instagram Stories engagement is to add captions to your video stories. Let’s be honest here – most people don’t have their sound on when their browsing through their phones. Instead of just being a talking head in a video, take a little time to write out what you’re saying.
3. Use Stickers
Instagram Stories stickers are so fun and make your stories more interactive already. There are 2 stickers in particular that could help you wit your stories engagement:
Question Sticker: Although you can simply prompt your audience to ask you a question in your stories, using the stories sticker has its own benefits. When you repost the question submitted, the person who asked gets a notification that their question has been answered (giving you an automatic view on your story). Ask your audience to ask you about a particular subject, what their biggest challenge is, or what they’d like to see from you next.
Poll Sticker: People love polls! Use the poll sticker to get in on your audience’s preferences, let them help you make choices in your business (like the next flavor in your line), or just general feedback. A cool thing about the poll sticker is that you have easy access to a list of people who answered your poll. You’ll be able to send them a direct message for 24 hours after the poll has concluded and take the conversation further.
Don’t think that these are the only 2 stickers that will improve your stories engagement. Remember that using location stickers and hashtags within your stories call help you get in front of more eyes. Learn more about Instagram Stories for business here.
4. Use Prompts
Sometimes you have to tell people what you want them to do. In the case of Instagram Stories engagement, you can use prompts to increase time spent on your story or retain viewership through a multiple tile story. Here’s how:
Stories Contests: Gamifying any experience is a great way to increase engagement. Apply this mentality to your Instagram Stories. You can award a prize to people who fill out your survey or fill in the blank or create a standalone giveaway using the screenshot and repost prompt. Again ask entrants to tag you or use a hashtag within their story or send it via DM.