Snapchat was the first to launch Stories, but it was Instagram’s version that brought the format into the mainstream and how.
To put things into perspective: In 2024, over 900 million users are actively tuning in to watch Instagram Stories every single day! Unsurprisingly, with such a massive user base, brands in the US are now dedicating over 31% of their Instagram marketing budget to IG Stories.
For social media managers and marketers, this leads to one key challenge: coming up with fresh and trending Instagram story ideas that will compel the audience to interact with your brand. Whether it is tapping the product link or reaching out via DM, you’re more likely to make cash when the user engages with your content.
This blog is your guide to exactly that. I will list 22 creative Instagram story ideas that will be a game-changer for your social media strategy. Let’s check these Insta stories ideas out now!
Whether you’re hitting the 10k follower mark or selling out on a product, it is all due to your incredibly amazing and engaging community.
So, share the good news with everyone by adding a heartfelt post to your list of Instagram story ideas.
Here’s how @muchable.nl is showing some love to their followers on reaching the 25k milestone.
Coming from a fellow retail therapy fan, there can be nothing cuter than a chance to save money.
Add an Instagram story offering a special discount for your followers with a limited-time coupon code. Also, make the best use of all new Instagram features and add the website link to make it easy for the user to complete the purchase.
If you want to build trust and relatability, giving your followers a sneak peek at your team and work environment is the best way to go.
Doing so will help put a face to your brand and create a more personal connection with your audience.
It would be unfair to wrap up the list of cute Instagram story ideas without talking about pets!
Either share pictures of any pets you have at your workplace or ask your followers for the same. You can also collaborate with pet influencers for the same.
Longer pieces of content can’t be consumed instantly and that’s why you need to build up anticipation by sharing a teaser on your Instagram story.
Such types of ideas for stories on Instagram work best when you’re coming up with a YouTube video, blog post, or interview.
Next on the list of creative Instagram story ideas is educational content being promoted smartly.
I really like how National Geographic is spreading awareness about increased plastic use with this sequence of IG stories.
Sure, content calendars are important — but sometimes you can break the monotony by posting spontaneous content.
One such example is content regarding national and international days, with a quick glimpse of how you celebrate them at your office.
If you’re specifically looking forward to getting more engagement on Instagram, interacting with your followers can be a good idea.
Host AMA sessions, ask questions, or maybe even take their opinion regarding what to post next.
Want to understand the general sentiment around your product? The best way to go about this is by using a reaction slider on your Instagram stories.
Not only will this let you know the audience’s reaction, but it will also improve the algorithm’s understanding of content quality.
Did you know that 70% of Gen Z buyers only want to shop from brands they believe are ethical?
Let your followers know about core values so that you can build business-client relationships based on common interests and values.
For a change, what if you could let someone else take over the reins? An Instagram story takeover by an influencer or someone else from your industry can be one of the easy cool Instagram story ideas to implement.
That’s exactly what USA Today did with Olympic skier Winter Vinecki when the Winter Olympics were going on.
If brand awareness is one of your primary social media marketing goals, you can think about posting screenshot-able Instagram stories that your users might want to share.
Some ideas include this or that polls, fill-in-blank worksheets, inspirational quotes, or stories.
What if you could let someone else do the creative work and reshare it on your IG story?
Branded content can be quite repetitive at times. To give your audience something fresher, repost your follower’s content on your profile.
Also, UGC is a great way of building social proof as people are more likely to trust real-life recommendations.
If one of your primary goals is keeping people hooked, start a weekly or bi-weekly series of sharing valuable tips.
Doing so will ensure that your audience keeps coming back for more hacks and further share them with their followers.
To leverage FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), you can start a giveaway or some other form of contest on your Instagram stories.
For a contest, you can set conditions like:
For example: Check how this brand is celebrating its business milestone with a giveaway.
Remember all those Instagram contests you participated in and never heard back from?
Ghosting doesn’t really build confidence amongst your followers and can demotivate users from ever participating again.
But if you go ahead and announce the contest winner on your Instagram story, non-winners (or non-participants) will feel more inclined to participate next time.
This trick works best for the fitness and beauty industry where they can show before and after results of customers using their services or products.
Add a call-to-action button and redirect the user to your landing page or anywhere on the website. With the swipe-up button, your Instagram story is likely to get more interaction from the audience, thus hiking up your overall KPIs.
Sure, actionable content is important, but it can get a bit exhausting at times. That’s why you need to switch up the mood with eye-catching visuals or aesthetics.
One great way to do so is by creating a photo collage on your Instagram stories.
Quickly showcase last year’s growth with a photo collage and celebrate your company’s anniversary. This will serve as a reminder to employees and customers of the impact of their continued support.
Next for birthday Instagram story ideas, you can start by wishing your employees or customers on their birthdays. This one-day spotlight serves as a great reminder of how much your company values them.
Sharing new Instagram reels or posts on your Instagram story is a common practice that can direct users to engage with your content.
This trick especially works well when your Instagram stories get more views than likes on feed posts.
PS: New post Instagram stories are a great way to build curiosity amongst your followers!
Once you start implementing these 22 Instagram story ideas, you are more likely to get more engagement even on Instagram feed posts, which ultimately will lead to more followers and social exposure.
Vaizle’s Instagram Free Analytics tool can help you monitor the account performance from one single dashboard — while providing the latest insights about KPIs, day-wise content analysis, and top-performing content.
Additionally, you can also find the best time to post on Instagram or conduct competitor analysis by benchmarking your account performance against other industry leaders.
If you’re also active on other social media and ad platforms, you can sign up for the exclusive marketing analytics suite by Vaizle. Begin your 7-day trial now at $1.
Mamta is an SEO Analyst with 2 years of experience. Currently, she is spending her time on content roadmapping to drive organic growth and engagement for SaaS businesses. Mamta is also an avid cinephile who spends her spare time watching latest action and sci-fi flicks from around the world.
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