7 Instagram Story Hacks for Better Engagement

With the recent Instagram story collapse update, entrepreneurs and brands who use Instagram for business have been in a frenzy worrying about their reach and engagement in stories getting cut into a quarter of what it usually is. 

And while it may seem alarming, you just need to stay calm and remember this basic principle of Instagram: 

Engagement is the currency of Instagram. 

Instagram has been making a push to support creators and people who are actively making amazing content for their Instagram following by making changes and updates to the platform such as prioritizing REELS and offering more ways for creators to be able to monetize their pages. And while these changes seem benevolent for creators- the real motive is because those creators help to increase the time consumers spend using Instagram platform. 

Remember, Instagram is a business, they want people using their platform because they make money by selling them ads.

So, when a new update comes out- like the story collapse- Instagram is simply trying to weed out the people who aren’t making good content. 

That’s why it’s more important than ever to make Instagram story content people will want to stay and engage with.   

Instagram stories are often overlooked as a way to increase page engagement. People tend to mostly focus on their wall content … but with 500 million + people logging in to watch Instagram stories daily, they’re a great way to boost your engagement and a feature you don’t want to ignore. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with what to do… below are a few ideas to help. 

7 Instagram Story Hacks to Increase Engagement:

1. Use closed captioning 

Research shows more than 50% of people watch Instagram with no sound, so if you aren’t adding CC to your videos, you’re missing out on a ton of potential engagement. Adding a CC keeps eyes on your stories longer (instead of swiping to the next person!).

To do this, simply swipe up on the story video and click on the CC Captions sticker located in the GIF section of your stories (make sure to do this before publishing your story).

2. Use engagement stickers

Instagram comes equipped with a bunch of fun engagement stickers you can add to your stories to get users… you guessed it: ENGAGING. The goal is to get people clicking, typing and reacting in your stories. Those actions are a signal to the Instagram algorithm that your stories are good content and should be shown to more people. 

Polls

Try polling your audience. You can ask them to vote on different topics, to give feedback, and you can even ask them their favorite way to view your content! You can use stories, wall posts, Lives, reels as your options. Use the feedback from your poll to help with your social strategy. 

Questions

Use the question sticker to get direct feedback from your followers. This could be you asking them a question to answer, or letting them ask you questions about a certain topic. Maybe you want to do an Instagram LIVE Q& A to connect with them. Use the question sticker to ask them what time works best for them. 

Slider

We love this Instagram story feature because of its versatility. You can change the emojis on the slider for different effects. Try adding a fire emoji or mad face emoji or hands up emoji to get an emotional response from your audience. Or change it to a finger pointing up with 2 product or graphic options on your story screen so your followers can slide the finger over to the option they like best.

Quiz

Want to test your followers’ knowledge? Give them a quiz! See if they understand your content by asking them questions … then use that feedback to provide more value and solutions. Instagram users LOVE to be quizzed. 

3. Mix up your content!

Yes, behind-the-scenes content is great for Instagram stories, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you post there. While people love seeing your dog and hearing the latest tea from your industry, you need to add focused content as well.

This means creating content specifically focused around your core content, your launch, your products or your latest post. Focused content is the content that gives people a reason to come back and watch more of your Instagram stories to learn more about you, your brand and your expertise. This is where the engagement features above come in clutch!

4. Make branded stories

If you want to grow your Instagram, you need to get serious about growing your Instagram engagement… 

Take the extra few minutes (or outsource to your team) to make your stories pop. You can use apps like Canva, Mojo, Unfold, SCRL and Story Art to create on-brand stories that keep your followers engaged and drive traffic to where you want.

If you aren’t sure how to create stories that will increase your engagement and web clicks, check out our Ultimate Creator’s Vault where you’ll get immediate access to 100 + of our high converting content ideas. 

5. Have fun with a reels showdown

A great way to get your followers engaged (and to get more reel views!) is to do a reels showdown in your stories.

Start with the first story slide inviting them to play along and choose their favorite reel…

Then in the following story slides, share 1 reel you’ve created per slide (maybe add a fun gif on each slide as well).

On the last slide, add a poll sticker asking them which reel was their favorite (1-4 or whatever emoji you used on each slide).

This is a win all the way around because you get story engagement AND extra views (and possible extra engagement) on your reels. 

      
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6. Add web links

Gone are the days where you had to have 10k Instagram followers to be able to “swipe up” and share a link… now anyone can share a website link, thanks to the Instagram stories link sticker. 

While the link in your bio is great for giving followers (and newcomers) a way to connect with you, don’t forget to drive traffic back to your website, promo, blog or podcast from your stories.

Simply add the link to your stories and tell them to click!

7. Use the “Add Yours” sticker 

The Add Yours sticker in Instagram stories is great for starting a trend. This sticker allows you to post a photo or video and then encourage your followers to click it to add their version… creating a chain reaction where their followers do the same, and their followers, and their followers (you get the picture). You can get a LOT of reach using this.

Ideas for using this are as easy as:

Show me your dog

Your favorite workout equipment

Your first office space or house 

Your favorite book

Your best holiday dish

Vacation must-have’s

Favorite holiday memory 

The opportunities are endless and people love to share, so give it a try. 

The bottom line is-  more Instagram story engagement = more reach = more growth 

If you’re sleeping on stories, it’s time to wake up!