Over 70% of US businesses use Instagram, constantly competing for users’ attention. Instagram Stories – is one of the best tools to get more eyes on the content. Multiple pictures and videos easy to make, 24 hours of a life span, max limit – 100/day. But what if your Stories get fewer views than feed posts?
Fortunately we know how to hack the system!
People love narratives, especially if interactive and well-structured. Here are 13 ways to make a perfect Stories that increase views:
1) Structure is a must
IG Stories, like any other good book or movie must be interactive and have a structure: the beginning, the middle and the end. It keeps your audience engaged and lower the early exit rate (i.e. the number of users who leave your Story).
2) Try all IG formats
To achieve a good mix of content try to make: photos, videos, boomerangs, text, and GIFs.
3) Use a storyboard
With the help of a storyboard, you can try different themes, fonts, and colors to decide on the best option so that every Story frame doesn’t look out of place.
4) Design-wise
Your Stories should not only be consistent conceptually but also design-wise. Make sure your Stories’ graphics resonate with your page theme and brand aesthetic.
5) Begin with a strong “hook”
Make the beginning slide of your Story juicy. Grab their attention right from the beginning by asking a question, including a controversial statement, using an interactive sticker.
6) Caption your Stories
Stories with subtitles ensure your content is more accessible to more people.
If you don’t want to caption every single word – add a summary of your Stories at the end.
7) Use hashtags
Determine your target audience > search for the popular hashtags > choose 10 per frame mix of hashtags: popular and the not-so-popular ones.
And don’t forget to include your custom brand hashtag like Nike’s #JustDoIt.
8) Use stickers
Quiz, Question, Poll stickers, Emoji slider, Countdown and Hashtag stickers. People engaging with these stickers allow IG to know that your Stories are engaging. As a result, it pushes your content to more people!
But remember, post content consistently that’s relevant to your audience.
9) Reply to messages
You receive a reply to a Story – respond to it as quickly as possible. Stories for interacting and building connections. So, it’ll encourage your audience to send more replies, which leads to more engagement!
10) Give shutouts
Are your customers regularly sharing content about your brand or tagging you in posts? Great! Now, reshare their content on your Story.
Giving such shutouts leads to reshares of your Story. On a regular basis, it will help to become a love mark.
11) Use location tags
Whenever someone checks a geotag, there’s a high chance they will see your Story in the Stories section of that specific location.
12) Be consistent
One-off Story posts – don’t work. Define your own level of consistency and be regular.
13) Use Instagram analytics
Get key information through Instagram Insights and Facebook Business Suite to improve your content and double down on what your audience already likes.
Conclusion
Creating a successful story strategy – takes time and effort, but absolutely worth it! Try to implement all of these tips and you will see the results! Millions of story viewers will be yours just by posting an Instagram story.
