Say goodbye to the traditional social network feeds because, for the first time in history, the ‘Stories’ format is on track to surpass feeds as the primary way people share things. This shift towards these ephemeral videos is no surprise. In fact, Stories creation and consumption is up 842% since early 2016. Just take a look at Instagram. Instagram Stories has over 300 million daily active users. This means that approximately 60% of Instagram’s 500 million daily active users are also viewing or publishing Instagram Stories content. To help stay ahead of the curve on this growing trend, here are a few tips to help you step up your Stories game.

Tips to Enhance Your Instagram Stories

In order to make enough of an impact with your Instagram Stories to attract new viewers to your content, consider incorporating these strategies:

  • Leverage the power of polls– Polls are a fun and easy way to increase audience engagement and obtain viewer feedback. Results are presented in real-time, giving creators an active pulse into how viewers are enjoying their content. Instagram Stories polls keep the conversation flowing and are a great tool to ask your audience what they would like to see next.
  • Increase discoverability with location & hashtag stickers– By adding location and hashtag stickers to your Instagram Stories, your content will show up in more search results, making it easier for new followers to find your content. Instagram has even made it possible to follow specific hashtags or locations, offering you an additional way to connect with new audiences.
  • Be bold (literally) with a clear call-to-action (CTA)– The Instagram Stories you post should have a clear and concise CTA that is easy for your viewers to follow. While the messaging itself should remain short and simple, you can use Instagram’s different text tools to make the message stand out and really grab your viewer’s attention. Consider writing your CTA in big, bold font. You can even draw arrows to create a shadow effect to draw viewer’s eyes to your main message.
  • Showcase your best content with Instagram Stories Highlights– This feature allows you to add value and organization to your Instagram profile. In addition to spotlighting your best work, by grouping your top Stories into relevant categories, you will make it easy for your audience to watch content that is specific interest to them.
  • Keep it cohesive by staying on brand– You will want to make sure your Instagram Stories compliment your brand’s aesthetic and reflect who you are as a creator. A great way to ensure you are producing consistent, high-quality content is by utilizing a photo/video editing app. One of our favorites is Instasize.

Instasize will provide you with the tools you need to grow your audience and build a brand presence on social media. The app is packed with an exclusive array of photo/video filters, beauty tools, collage frames, and text editors to give your Instagram Stories a customized and professional touch they need to really stand out. We are constantly using Instasize to format, edit, and publish one of our most popular Instagram Stories series, our weekly #StaffPicksPlaylist that helps us highlight some of the top performing videos on our platform! If you are interested in learning more about Instasize, make sure you download it today.

Don’t forget to check back next week for tips and tricks.