What to post on Instagram Stories? You can post mostly anything. It’s an Instagram feature to share spontaneous, authentic content that’s different from your regular posts.
But, what if you run out of IG story ideas?
Fret not. We have some awesome Instagram Story ideas here. Whether you’re a brand, an influencer, or a content creator.
With these ideas for stories on Instagram, we hope they can help you get more likes and followers. So, let’s dive in!
Why You Need Creative Instagram Story Ideas?
Creative Instagram Story ideas can help you to:
- Grow your audience by adding stories to your content strategy.
- Make your brand unique with stickers and other features.
- Be creative with jokes, stories, or unique and authentic daily ideas.
- Increase sales by using the FOMO technique in Instagram stories if you are a brand.
- Attract more viewers naturally by sharing blog posts, videos, or new product releases.
- Keep a closer bond with your followers by showing appreciation for them in Instagram Stories.
Read More: How to Get Followers on Instagram
24 Instagram Story Ideas That Work to Attract Audiences
Here are 18 Instagram story ideas to try out that will make your audiences engaged:
1. Add Stickers to Your Stories
- Category: Cute Instagram Story Ideas
Have you tried adding stickers to your Instagram Stories? They can be one of the cute Instagram story ideas to make your stories stand out.
Even if you’re new to Instagram, stickers can help you stand out and add a unique touch. You can give a peek at your posts and ask your followers to tap to see more.
Just look how beauty influencer @lipstickfables used stickers to give her followers a sneak peek of her latest posts from a Latin music event: The Premio Lo Nuestro.
To give this IG story idea a shot, just pick a photo or video from your gallery, hit the smiley icon on the screen’s right corner, and choose from a variety of stickers. It can be hashtags, location, countdown, link stickers, and more.
2. Share Updates with Live Videos
- Category: Engaging Instagram Story Ideas
One of the unique Instagram story ideas is to give your audience a VIP experience. How to do that? Simply go live when you’re at special events or unique locations.
Live videos are uncut and authentic. They show things just as they happen, giving your viewers a chance to be the first to know things. You could be at an exclusive music concert, Apple’s WWDC event, and more.
Or, it could be as simple as showing what you do as a professional live like @cihangir did in his Instagram story. Another example is going live while sewing a closet cosplay outfit and making it an IG story.
There are countless Instagram story ideas about holding live sessions. You can come up with your own unique idea that perfectly fits your niche.
3. Do Questions and Polls
- Category: Cool Instagram Story Ideas
Want to connect with your audience on Instagram Stories? Try using polls. Ask them about their likes, thoughts, and experiences to get feedback on your content, products, or anything else.
And if you want more people to react, use emoji sliders. Research says you can get 15% more attention on your Instagram stories by doing this. Oreo is a good example of how to apply this idea to stories on Instagram.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about the connection with followers. It’s also about coming up with ideas to make your products better in the future.
Is this one of the best Instagram story ideas for 2024? Sure. But remember to ask cool questions to get your audience involved.
4. Ask Me Anything
- Category: Educational Instagram Story Ideas
If conducting polls isn’t your thing, you can try hosting Q&A sessions instead. This allows you to respond to your followers’ interests about you, your products, or certain hot topics in your niche.
This Instagram story idea is often called an “Ask Me Anything” session. A famous content creator, @garyvee, often uses Stories to have live Q&A sessions about things like starting a business, advertising, and social media. Look how he answers questions with enthusiasm.
Or as a content creator, you can share your new merch on Instagram Stories. This idea is very effective because 85% of Instagram users find new products or services from IG stories.
5. Host a Contest or Giveaway
- Category: Interactive Instagram Story Ideas
What is one of the Instagram story ideas that can be a magnet for engagement? It’s tough to skip on giveaways. They really get people excited and help you get more followers on Instagram.
The idea is simple: reward winners who follow your rules by giving them great prizes such as special packages or gift vouchers for engaging with your Story through likes, comments, or shares.
Your followers have the opportunity to win great prizes, while you increase brand recognition and create a stronger community bond. It’s a win-win situation, right?
Plus, to get more Instagram followers, hosting contests or giveaways is what you need. Tailwind states that giveaways can help you get 70% more followers in three months.
Many Instagram accounts use this story idea. @hawaiicandyfactory is just one of them. They do giveaways on Stories with Apple Watches or gift cards as the prizes. Then, they post photos of happy winners to create trust and excitement.
6. Share a Behind-the-Scenes Footage
- Category: Cool Instagram Story Ideas
People on Instagram love behind-the-scenes content. They can’t get enough of seeing how things are made. If you haven’t given it a shot, you’re missing out on a fun way to spice up your posts.
Any Instagram content creator can use these Instagram story ideas. If you’re into music or singing, you can show your followers how you come up with your lyrics. If you’re a streamer, you can share how you set up your new gaming streaming gear.
The idea is to show how you get creative. To make it more interesting, try sharing some behind-the-scenes series or a sneak peek of what’s your upcoming content.
7. Share User-Generated Content
- Category: Engaging Instagram Story Ideas
User-generated content (UGC) is any content made by your followers that you post on your Instagram. This can be one of the Instagram story ideas to get your audience involved and build trust in your brand at the same time.
Many people often use Stories to share reviews and shout-outs. And big brands like Red Bull often promote their products and thank their fans and customers using stories with such UGCs.
Bear in mind that when you share UGC, always give credit to the person who made it. This shows you respect their work.
Read More: What is a UGC Creator?
8. Post Challenges Content
- Category: Creative Instagram Story Ideas
Instagram isn’t as famous for challenges as TikTok. But you can still use them as creative Instagram Story ideas. The good news is that you don’t have to come up with your own challenges. Just use existing ones and encourage your followers to participate.
To make your challenge easy to find and participate in, use a relevant hashtag. You can also use the mention feature in Stories to tag participants and track their submissions.
And if you’re a social influencer, posting challenges can be one of the Instagram stories ideas that can help you engage your audience and build influence.
9. Surprise Your Followers with Some Trivia
- Category: Educational Instagram Story Ideas
People love fun facts. If you want a post that gets lots of engagement and adds educational value, try this Instagram story idea. Just make sure to choose facts that are both intriguing and not widely known.
Sharing fun facts is a great idea for an Instagram story post. It shows that you’re an expert in a certain niche and know your products well. You can use text, emojis, and even polls to make your facts more fun.
Check out @Jungalow for inspiration. They share fun facts about plants and how they help your health. They also show their own products inspired by nature.
10. Highlight Your Business Impact
- Category: Instagram Story Ideas for Business
Like sharing fun facts, sharing your business impact in your Instagram Stories can be a great way to educate your audience and position yourself as a bonafide company.
Tesla is good at this. They share their yearly business impact on Instagram Stories. They show their important accomplishments and how they affect the world. This helps them attract new customers and build trust with their current followers.
11. Tell a Story that Captivates Your Audience
- Category: Cute Instagram Story Ideas
Did you know that storytelling can make products worth up to 2,706%? With such incredible potential, it would be a mistake to overlook storytelling as part of your Instagram story ideas.
It’s not just for businesses, though. Content creators can also use it to build their online presence as professionals. But keep in mind that it takes a lot of skill to tell great stories. And like regular stories, your audience expect to hear stories every day. So, you’ll need to be really creative to make this idea work.
The good thing is that this Instagram story idea can show how valuable and important you are. @natgeo is a great example. They take the most important parts of their long videos and make them into short, interesting videos for their Instagram story.
12. Share Tips and Tricks
- Category: Educational Instagram Story Ideas
Not sure what to post on your IG stories? Share valuable tips and tricks related to your niche. This can make your followers loyal, knowing your authenticity and expertise.
This Instagram story idea works for individual creators and businesses. It can be used for any niche, from technology and culinary to cosplay and games. If you want, you can add details using text or the swipe-up feature in Stories.
@buzzfeedtasty is famous for using this Instagram story idea. And if cosplay is your niche, you can get inspiration from @caseyreneecosplay. She often uses stories to show how she creates costumes from scratch.
Read More: What is Closet Cosplay
13. Share Relevant Infographics
- Category: Educational Instagram Story Ideas
Using too much text in your Instagram Stories can make them boring and unattractive. So, try using infographics instead to share information in a more engaging way.
Creating it yourself seems to take a lot of work. But there are easy-to-use apps like Canva to help you make ones even if you don’t have any graphic design skills. Or, if you do want to share an infographic created by someone else, be sure to credit the original creator.
The important thing is to deliver information in a way that is both informative and visually appealing. That’s what makes this one of the cool Instagram story ideas that your audience will love.
Read More:
14. Interview an Expert
- Category: Cool Instagram Story Ideas
This Instagram idea may not be for everyone, but it can help you get more people engaged. The idea is to interview someone that your audience cares about. You can share their helpful insights, tips, and advice that match your niche or industry.
If you’re a fitness coach, you can interview a nutritionist or a physiotherapist. If you’re a fashion blogger, you can talk to a stylist or a designer. You can plan these interviews or have them happen by chance at events you attend.
15. Announce New Products or Stores
- Category: Promotional Instagram Story Ideas
One reason to use Instagram stories is to announce new products or stores. You can create excitement for your launch by sharing sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes, and countdowns with your followers. You can highlight what your products are, how they work, and why they are valuable.
Many brands and organizations, like Nvidia, Razer, and even Air and Space Museum, use this feature. If you happen to open multiple stores around the same time, you can create a series of stories to build excitement.
If you’re a content creator who sells merchandise to your fans, you can use this cool Instagram story idea, too.
16. Offer Exclusive Deals
- Category: Instagram Story Ideas for Business
To get more people interested in your product, you can try using Instagram stories to share exclusive deals. This idea isn’t new, but it can work well for your business, especially if the deals are only available for a limited time or a certain date.
When you make Instagram stories, be sure to say which products are on sale and how much people can save. Check out @wallmart‘s stories for ideas on giving special discounts and promotions for popular items they sell.
17. Drive More Traffic to Your Blog with a Teaser
- Category: Cool Instagram Story Ideas
You can use Stories to promote your blog posts or other content. You can also repurpose your blog content to make great posts without starting over. Many people use this strategy to get more visitors to their blogs or other channels.
You should try using this Instagram Stories idea. It’s good for businesses and content creators, helping you explain things in detail and show your expertise in a specific niche.
You can find many examples out there, but one brand that consistently uses this Instagram story idea for business is @semrush. Learn from them how to make simple stories. Just show a sneak peek of the blog title, no extra info. Then, add a link to learn more from the blog.
18. Share Customer Testimonials
- Category: Cute Instagram Story Ideas for Business
It’s a good idea to share what customers say about your product to show that people like it and trust it. You can show if customers are happy with it and if they tell others to use it too.
This Instagram story idea is good for any business, like what @doxfordfarmcamping does on their Instagram account by showing happy customers who use their services.
In short, it’s important to include customer testimonials in your Instagram story ideas for business. Just make sure they are real, and if it’s a sponsored post, say so clearly.
19. Try Throwback Thursday Content
- Category: Cute Instagram Story Ideas
Don’t feel pressured to focus solely on upcoming projects in your Instagram stories. They can also feature old photos and memories. This is one of the Instagram story ideas that is a popular trend on social media.
Big names like Katy Perry and even huge companies like Nestlé and Ferrari are into this too. It’s all about showing the before and after transformation of your career or content.
If you want to try this idea for stories on Instagram, you have many options. You can post your personal photos, and professional milestones, or highlight pop culture moments relevant to your audience.
To do this, just choose a good photo, write a great caption, and use hashtags like #ThrowbackThursday or #TBT.
20. Share Quotes of the Day
Want some simple Instagram story ideas to connect with your followers? Share a meaningful quote every day. Just make sure it reflects who you are so that it can really click with your followers and boost their mood.
But why? People love quotes that resonate and inspire them. Sharing these quotes helps build a stronger connection. This is important, especially for influencers wanting to stay close to their followers.
You don’t have to use quotes from well-known people. You can make up your own quotes based on your own thoughts about life, how you see people, or what you think about certain things.
21. Post Your “A Day in the Life”
- Category: Creative Instagram Story Ideas
Maybe you might have watched “A Day in the Life of Kylie Jenner” on YouTube. And you thought it could make for some great Instagram story ideas.
The idea is simple. Just record your day-to-day activities as a professional, no matter if you’re a voice actor, musician, cosplayer, or any other kind of content creator. It’s like a behind-the-scenes concept, but with a twist.
But somehow, you may feel like adapting it to fit the Instagram format might be a challenge, right? Don’t fret. You can still use the concept to make a time-lapse video with photos.
To get things done with this Instagram story idea, you can try using Instagram’s Hyperlapse feature or just snap some photos and then use your favorite video editing apps to put them together.
22. Show Your Outfit of the Day
We can’t skip this popular Instagram story idea, right? OOTD is about sharing what you’re wearing, whether it’s a special outfit or just your everyday look.
And don’t get it wrong, while it’s mostly for beauty influencers, all people and content creators can use this idea.
At first, you can take inspiration from influencers like Alexa Chung or Camille Charriere. You can see how they create amazing OOTD Instagram stories. But don’t hesitate to proudly show off your own daily outfit. You can even mention the brand of the clothes you’re wearing.
The key to making this Instagram story idea special is to use natural light. Also, make sure there are no distracting things behind you. This way, people will focus on your outfit more.
23. Make Gratitude Series
Are you looking for Instagram story ideas that spread some good vibes to your followers? But do you want it easy to create, too? If yes, you can create a series of gratitude stories.
Basically, you’ll appreciate all you have in life, big or small. You’ll post something to show your thanks. Whether it’s a small win or a huge achievement.
This idea is good for Instagram stories because people often focus on problems instead of positives. Research shows that highlighting the good can boost happiness. So posting content like this can make you seem valuable to your viewers.
24. Explore Local Gem
You don’t have to be like Mark Wiens, who always discovers great food spots for food lovers. He tells about everything from local street food to affordable places with delicious dishes.
You can tell your followers about your secret places that not many people know about. It’s one of the best Instagram story ideas to share with them. Choose a place that matches your interests.
For example, if you love books, you can share where you find unique books. If you’re a travel blogger, you can give clues about special places from your recent trip, whether it’s in your town or another country. Or, it could be a local store where you always find what you need for your cosplay outfits.
Which Instagram Stories Ideas are Your Favorite?
In this article, we’ve provided you with various Instagram story ideas for your next post. Whether you’re a business, influencer, or content creator, these ideas will help you connect with your audience better. Bear in mind that not every idea will work for you, so choose wisely.
To summarize, we covered four main categories of Instagram story ideas:
- Cute Instagram story ideas
- Cool Instagram story ideas
- Creative Instagram story ideas
- Instagram story ideas for business
- Educational Instagram story post ideas
- Interactive Instagram stories ideas
Having an abundance of inspiration, it’s time to use those ideas and start posting great Instagram stories. Good luck!
