100 Instagram story ideas to engage your audience!

Instagram is a social network in a league of its own! Instagram stories are a fun and creative way to engage your audience, compared to other inbound digital marketing levers. Whether it's introducing them to a new product, giving behind-the-scenes insights or showing off your brand's personality, there's no limit to the possibilities! In this article, we're going to introduce you to lots of Instagram story templates. The aim is to show you what's out there, what's possible, so that you can tame these Instagram story ideas for yourself and stimulate your personal creativity.

But, before that, we're going to take a look back at the origin of Instagram stories. Happy reading (from the whole Boostfluence team)!

Why publish engaging Instagram stories?

Making engaging stories is all about getting your audience to interact with you and stay interested in your content. If people interact with your Instagram stories, they're more likely to follow up with other engagements like liking a post or visiting your website. With so many brands vying for attention on the platform, making sure your content stands out is essential!

Today, it's proven that Instagram stories are used for SEO on this platform. Therefore, as part of your marketing strategy, you absolutely must create stories. In this article, we'll take you through the best practices for doing so. If you're a community manager, this article is perfect by way of training on the subject.

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How to make good Instagram stories?

Creating good Instagram stories comes down to a few key points. You need to make sure your stories are visually appealing, tell an interesting story and fit in with your brand's theme. In addition, you should consider using interactive features such as polls and questions to keep your audience engaged.

Don't forget that stories are part of a broader social media content strategy. So even if you apply our tips, they need to fit into your broader brand image. Here are our tips for making good Instagram stories in more detail.

Take good photos

Make sure the photos you use are of high quality and reflect your brand's aesthetic. If necessary, don't hesitate to edit them! Editing tools like Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed and VSCO can help you improve the look of your images or videos.

Use Instagram stickers

Instagram stickers are a great way to make your stories more interactive. You can use them to ask questions, present polls and surveys, add music or simply create fun animations.

Use drawing tools

Drawing tools such as pen or text are perfect for making your stories stand out. You can use them to draw attention to certain elements of the image, add captions or quotes, and much more.

Get inspired by templates

There are tons of Instagram story templates online that you can use for inspiration and to make your stories more creative. Just make sure the template is relevant to your brand's theme.

Searching for incredible story ideas

If you're looking for even more Instagram story ideas, there are plenty of places to look. You can search for hashtags on Instagram or Pinterest, browse industry magazines and blogs or find inspiration from your competitors.

Creating engaging Instagram stories is a great way to increase engagement on your page and keep your audience interested in what they're doing. If you're particularly proud of a particular story, we recommend posting it as a headline story.

20 Instagram story ideas for your followers

• Question in the form of a poll
• Educational content
• Wishes for the holidays'year
• Q&A session
• Promote product launches
• Talk about upcoming events
• Share testimonials and customer reviews
• Present user-generated content
• Share news and updates from the'company
• Propose exclusive discounts and offers
• Show people behind the scenes
• Present members of thex27;team
• Showcase the positive effects of your company or products
• Talk about current trends related to your industry
• Organize contests and giveaways for your subscribers
• Create videos featuring the'using your products
• Make live tutorials
• Share inspirational and motivational quotes
• Share interesting facts or anecdotes about your business
• Propose practical tips and quick fixes related to your industry

Using these story ideas, you can create more engaging content that will keep your followers interested and engaged. Whether you're a small business or a larger enterprise, Instagram stories can be a fun way to engage with customers and potential new prospects. Start by doing:

Put questions in the form of polls to your audience

We recommend putting questions in the form of polls to your audience. This stimulates interaction because, as a rule, users love to give their opinions. So it's great for the algorithm. On top of that, it allows you to legitimately question your audience about strategic choices.

You can, for example, ask them which photo they prefer or where your next event should take place.

Share educational content

You can use stories to share educational content related to your business or your industry in general. For example, if you're a fashion brand, you can post a tutorial on how to style different looks with your company's products. If you're a technology company, you canshare tips and tricks for using your products or services.

Wish your followers a happy holiday season

The festive season is the perfect opportunity to create special stories for your followers. You can create fun animations with festive decorations or add music to make it more engaging. You can also use holiday-related hashtags to get more views on your content.

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These are killer posts that garner many more interactions than classic posts. So you can take advantage of the festive season to get more visibility, and therefore a consequent gain in followers.

Make Q&A sessions

Your followers love interacting with you, so why not use stories to make Q&A sessions? You can ask your followers questions about your products or services, then answer them in a video. It's a great way to show you're interested in their feedback.

The best thing is to organize this Q&A session beforehand, by asking questions. For example, you could post a story "We'll answer all your questions tomorrow: what topic would you like us to answer'". This way, you can prepare for your session, and take the pulse of your audience.

This format is called an FAQ, an acronym that stands for "Frequently Asked Questions". It's become a very popular format on Youtube, so much so that these are sometimes the most viewed videos on influencers' channels.

Promote product launches

Whenever you have a new product launch, use Instagram stories to promote it. Post a video introducing the product and its features. You can even do the same with existing products to remind followers that they're still available.

Also don't forget to add a link to where customers can buy your products! This will help you increase your sales. You can put links directly in your stories, just like you can put them in bio. It's up to you!

Talk about upcoming events

If you're organizing an event or planning a special promotion, you can use these stories to keep your followers informed and give them exclusive access. You can post previews of what to expect from the event or create a countdown to increase anticipation.

Don't forget to add location tags either! This way, more people will be able to find your content on Instagram.

Respond to customer reviews

If you receive positive and negative reviews from your customers, use your stories to respond to them.

For positive reviews, thank them for their kindness and emphasize the importance you place on customer feedback. For negative reviews, apologize for any frustration they may have felt and let them know that you're working hard to improve.

This shows your commitment to customer service and also shows your customers that you're listening.

Share user-generated content

The user-generated content is a great way to reach more people. Ask your followers to share their experiences with your products or services and use these stories as testimonials.

You can also create hashtag campaigns, in which you ask your followers to post photos of themselves using your product. This will increase engagement and help you grow your follower count.

As a general rule, remember that user-generated content is a virtuous circle for your Instagram account. Once you post content from your followers to your own account (quoting them in story), you encourage other users to post content, which you will republish, etc.

Share your company news

You can post updates on new products or services, promotions and ongoing developments in story. This will make your followers feel informed about what's going on in the company, and they'll appreciate this transparency. Novelty helps renew interest around your company.

Propose exclusive discounts and offers

Who doesn't love a bargain? Offer exclusive deals and discounts to your followers to encourage them to keep buying from you. This will also help you fidelize your customers.

At the end of the day, Instagram stories are a powerful tool for engaging with current and potential customers. Using the tips above, you can ensure that your stories manage to pique your followers'interest.

In effect, your users will feel privileged and highlighted with this offer reserved just for them. This stimulates consumption of your products, as it attributes more value to them in the eyes of your subscribers.

Show the company behind the scenes

Backstage images - such as views of your headquarters, production processes or office culture - help customers feel connected to your brand. They also give them an insight into how things work in your company and create a more personal connection with them.

Finally, don't forget to include a link to where customers can buy your products! Especially if you reveal a few of their trade secrets.

Present team members

Finally, don't forget to introduce your team members on Instagram stories and show the human side of your business. This helps customers make a more personal connection with you and gives them the opportunity to discover the people behind the product.

You can also use stories to build relationships between customers and team members.

Highlight the positive effects your company has (on the planet, for example)

If you're a company committed to sustainable development, use Instagram stories to highlight the positive effect your products and/or services have on the environment. This will help you connect with environmentally conscious customers and show them that you care about preserving nature. For example, explain how you're getting in line with the AGEC Act.

This is also a great way to start conversations about important topics like climate change or the circular economy.

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Talk about current trends in your industry

Spend some time talking about current trends in your industry. This will help you establish your authority and show potential customers that you're an expert in the field. As a result, they will be more inclined to trust your brand and products.

Organize contests and giveaways for your subscribers

Finally, don't forget to organize contests and giveaways from time to time to keep your subscribers interested. Ask them to leave comments or post photos of themselves with your product, for example. This will help you increase engagement (likes, shares) and build customer loyalty.

This way, you can boost your account with the Instagram algorithm. If your interactions increase sharply, Instagram will certainly choose to highlight your account, and thus get new subscribers, and reach new people.

Create videos featuring the'use of your products

Make captivating videos featuring the'use of your products or services. It's a great way to showcase their features and benefits, while giving customers an idea of what they're buying. These videos can also help you stand out from your competitors.

Don't hesitate to use influencers who will be using your products. By relaying these videos in story, you're sure to attract new subscribers to you, who just happen to appreciate the influencer in question. It's an excellent lever, especially if you sell your products online via an e-commerce site.

Nowadays, stories work in B2B as well as B2C. Whatever your end product, with the right editorial line, you can gain followers easily. And get a return on your investment! So, what are you waiting for'to invest in stories (and more broadly in content marketing)?

Make live tutorials

Make live tutorials as a IG story. It's a simple and effective way to showcase your brand's product range or services on Instagram.

By publishing a story, it allows you to gain visibility and create engaging content that remains available 24 hours, ideal for making maximum impact.

Your own story will allow you to share practical information or present statistics via an infographic, to keep your subscribers up to date with your company's progress.

Share inspirational and motivational quotes

Share inspirational and motivational quotes. It's a great way to promote your business and tell your story.

Quotes can be published as an Instagram post or embedded in IG stories, with stickers to add a personal and interactive touch, like polls or quizzes.

It's simple and effective for engaging your followers and can lead to more people interacting with your brand, directly on your profile.

Using the share quotes feature is a thoughtful effort that just clicks to share, making your blog posts more visible to your audience.

Share interesting facts or anecdotes about your company

Getting the word out about your company through interesting facts or anecdotes is ideal for driving traffic to your site.

By creating a story on Instagram to share relevant or entertaining information, you can showcase how your product stands out.

IG stories are particularly effective when enhanced with interactive stickers like countdown stickers, creating a sense of urgency.

This keeps your followers informed and engaged, long after they've been published, compared to other platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn.

Propose practical advice and quick fixes related to your industry

Propose practical advice and quick fixes through a story can take shape by publishing photos or using quizzes and polls, making your advice more interactive and engaging.

IG stories are an ideal way to present your company's products or services in an informal way, creating content that serves both educational and promotional purposes.

Infographics and countdown stickers can create a sense of urgency and encourage followers to act quickly.

Don't hesitate to take a screenshot of your blog posts and share them in your story, this will help attract more visitors to your site.

Conclusion: use Instagram stories now to create engagement with your followers

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creating engaging Instagram stories for your followers. With a little creativity and a little effort, you can come up with even more interesting story ideas that will help you stand out from the crowd. So don't be afraid to try something new! Distributing your content in Instagram stories requires you to obey certain rules. It's not like Linkedin posts, or natural SEO, but it's no less effective.

Instagram stories are a great way to engage with your followers and create a link between customers and the company. Use them wisely and you'll be sure to see an increase in engagement, loyalty and sales! Good luck!