Master Instagram Stories with these 10 tips
If we can name someone responsible for Instagram's current success, it's called Stories. The authentic content platform popularized this new type of post and leveraged Insta to the status it has today. Anyone who wants to succeed at Insta today needs to learn about the tool. You need to master Instagram Stories.
Even if your content is deleted in 24 hours, the possibility of more authentic posts made it perfect for generating engagement among your followers on Instagram. If you still don't know how to use this tool, this article was created for you.
In the next few paragraphs, we'll give you the tools you need to master Instagram Stories. How to generate engagement, how to schedule posts, how to find the best time to publish are some of the things you will learn throughout the article.
So stay with us for a few more minutes and start your journey towards the realm of Stories!
1. Know the different types of Stories
By default, Stories are photos or videos of up to 15 seconds, recorded vertically and published instantly. However, today the platform has changed a lot and there are several types of Stories that you can create and publish.
So don't be afraid to test and discover the different types of Stories. Here are some examples of Stories available on Instagram:
- Free hands: made for those who want to publish videos over 15 seconds. In it, you can create Stories in video of up to 1 minute;
- Text: just choose a colored background and write your message;
It is worth mentioning that these are not the only types of Stories available, so explore all that the platform has to offer. If any of the Instagram news doesn't appear for you, visit this article to find out how to unlock them or get them back up and running.
2. Be present every day
This advice is for all social networks, not just to dominate Instagram Stories.
Consistency is the most important feature for anyone who wants to live off content on these platforms. Instagram Stories is no different.
One of the important factors for Instagram's algorithm is temporality. The more recent, the greater the chances of being further to the left in the Stories bar of the app.
That is, when you publish every day, your followers will always be able to count on your content. This helps to create a connection and deepen your relationship with them.
3. Use interactive stickers to generate engagement
One of the best new features in Instagram Stories is interactive stickers. Available on the Stories editing screen, by posting them, your followers can answer or send questions about a topic they are addressing.
Because they are easy to interact with, stickers often increase your engagement on Stories considerably. Therefore, they end up being essential to generate interactions with your audience.
On the other hand, it is worth remembering that overdoing the dose may end up having the opposite effect, if they realize that you are not using them with authenticity.
See here on AppTuts our guides on how to poll on Instagram, how to create a quiz and a complete guide of what questions to ask on Instagram Stories.
4. Schedule Stories so you don't miss a day
Reinforcing that consistency is fundamental never hurts.
What hinders a more consistent presence on the platform is the inability to schedule Stories natively on the Instagram app. On the other hand, some external apps already allow you to schedule some content and dominate Instagram Stories.
One of these apps is Gerenciagram. Through it, you can schedule the publication of posts in the feed and in the Stories on the day and time that you find most appropriate, as we will mention in the next items.
In addition to scheduling, it allows you to set up automatic interactions to help you gain more followers, brings growth reports about your profile on Insta and also allows you to program automated directs for your new followers.
Gerenciagram allows 5 days of FREE testing of all the functionality of your platform. Now click on the link to find out more!
5. Learn how to use Instagram Stories metrics
To find out if your post ideas are working, you need to learn how to access Instagram Stories metrics.
There are two ways to access them. The first is within your own story. Just click on the icon with small photos, located in the bottom left corner of the screen.
By touching it, you'll know who saw your Stories and which of those followers interacted with you. He will tell you who engaged by answering the story on Instagram Direct or who participated in polls and questions when using the respective stickers.
The second method is by accessing the Contact Information Instagram, located in your settings menu. In it, you can see the list of Stories you published in the last week and access their respective numbers.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and you can see which times your followers most often interact with your posts.
With this information in hand, just schedule your Stories so that you have new posts as soon as they open the app to follow what is happening on the social network.
7. Learn how to use highlights
Instagram Stories are only active for 24 hours. After that, they are removed from your followers' Story bars. But they don't have to go to your Story history.
You can place them in the highlights of your profile. Located between your bio phrases and the Instagram mosaic – where the feed's post history is located – these highlights are Stories that can be accessed as long as you allow.
More important than having highlights is to demonstrate professionalism through the cover images. See now how they are made available on the profile of Instagram specialist Luciano Larrossa:
Knowing how to make a cover on Instagram is important to show that you are dealing with a serious account, whose content is researched and true. This will make users who access your profile feel more compelled to become followers or click on the link to your bio.
Tip: if you sell several products on Instagram and just one link is not enough, did you know that you create a special mini site with several links?
AppTuts.bio is the tool that will allow you to create this and direct your followers to your various sales pages!
Best of all, you can use it for free and check how many clicks each link receives from your audience. Just click on the link to start using it today!
8. Make money from the Best Friends list
One of the recent features of Instagram Stories is the possibility to create an exclusive list that will have access to content that is not available to the public.
Called Instagram Best Friends, you select the followers you care about most. When publishing a story, you can choose that only members of that list will be able to see it.
You know what that means for those who are influencers on Instagram: the possibility to sell exclusive content!
You can create a subscription club, in which subscribers will be able to see tips that are not released to ordinary followers and will still make them feel part of a community.
It is possible to generate this list using common spreadsheets, but they are subject to errors. In this case, it is interesting to use a tool for managing social networks.
Bume is an example of a tool that you can use. He is the only one in Brazil to have a manager of Best Friends, facilitating the administration of the members of this club. In addition, it also makes it possible to schedule posts in the feed and Stories, among other features.
To test Instagram's best friends manager, click the link and get FREE access to all Bume tools for 5 days!
9. Don't ignore lives
Although not a big news, live streams continue to generate a lot of engagement. It is worth mentioning that they also tend to be favored in the Stories bar of their followers.
Instagram lives are a great opportunity to chat directly with your audience. They can be used both to teach classes online and to sell your products, for example.
They are also an excellent way to answer questions and doubts that followers who are considering buying from you gain the confidence to become a customer. See here on AppTuts how to broadcast live on Instagram!
10. Discover apps to improve your content
There are some apps that make it easy to create content on Instagram Stories. They are especially useful on days when you’re not feeling as creative as they usually bring templates and make small edits easier.
Check out three suggestions below:
- Adobe Spark: this app from Adobe brings templates for recording and creating vertical videos, the format of Stories. You can also create videos from photos and include animations and effects unique to the app in the video. Click on the link to learn about Adobe Spark;
- Canva: this application for creating images has exclusive templates for Instagram Stories. Just select the type of image, search the collection and place your customizations to have a post ready in a few minutes. Click on the link to get to know Canva;
- Magisto: for those who prefer video content, Magisto is another interesting solution. It already allows you to record videos in the format of Stories, saving you the trouble of editing them. It is also possible to include exclusive effects and filters. Download the app on your Android or iPhone.
Master Instagram Stories by reading our articles
With these tips, you'll have all the knowledge you need to master Instagram Stories. In a short time, you will soon reach the challenging 10,000 followers on Instagram, necessary to be able to link to Stories.
Want to know how and prepare for when the fateful day arrives? Then access now our complete guide teaching how to insert link in Instagram Stories!