Instagram stories are like butterflies. They’re attractive but have a short lifespan. If you fail to make a story engaging, people will ignore it. That’s why, coming up with awesome Instagram story ideas can make a big difference.
Unlike Feeds, Stories disappear after 24 hours. So, you only have a limited time to grab attention and impress people. You can’t just use the same content as your regular posts. You need more creative Instagram stories ideas to stand out.
What to post on IG stories? It could be anything, from stickers to polls and Q&A. Just use what your audience likes and what makes them engage. But, what if you run out of ideas right now?
Fret not, we’ll share some cool Instagram Story ideas that might boost your engagement and grow your following. Whether you are a brand, an influencer, or a content creator, you’ll find something that suits your niche and style. So, let’s get started!
Why You Need Creative Instagram Story Ideas?
Creative Instagram Story ideas can help you to:
- Increase your reach — 500 million people view Instagram stories every day. And that already happened in 2019, so now surely more people are doing it. That said, if you want to reach more people, make sure to include stories in your content strategy.
- Stand out from the crowd. Almost 86% of people on Instagram use stories. But, you can make your content stand out by using stickers and other features to show your brand identity.
- Showcase your creativity. Instagram Stories allows you to show your brand’s voice in a more spontaneous way. You can post jokes, storytelling, or unique ideas that change daily.
- Promote your products. If you want to promote your product using the FOMO technique, Instagram stories are a great way for your business. Since the stories disappear quickly, people who don’t want to miss your special offer will always keep an eye out for your posts.
- Boost your organic visitors. You can use Stories to share your new blog posts, YouTube videos, or product launches. It helps bring more people to your website and boosts sales.
- Maintain a stronger connection. You can use Instagram Stories to share any content that shows appreciation for your followers. It helps strengthen your connection to them.
Read More: How to Get Followers on Instagram
18 Instagram Story Ideas That Work to Attract Audiences
Here are 18 Instagram story ideas to try out that will make your audiences engaged:
1. Show Off Your New Post with a Sticker
- Category: Cute Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Easy
If you don’t use stickers on Instagram stories, you’re missing out. They can be one of the cute Instagram story ideas to make your stories stand out.
And guess what? Even beginners are recommended to use this handy new feature from Instagram. With stickers, you can give a peek at your posts and ask your followers to tap to see more.
@lipstickfables, a Honduran video creator, used Stories to share stickers with a preview of her latest posts on the Feed. That was when she went to a Latin music event, The Premio Lo Nuestro.
2. Share Updates with Live Videos
- Category: Engaging Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
Posting live videos is an awesome Instagram story idea to engage better with your audience. You can share exclusive events that only you can offer. This will make your followers feel like they’re part of something special.
Let’s say your niche is technology and you’re about to attend the Apple WWDC 2023. You can use your Stories to share updates about the event and the new products Apple will unveil this year.
Or, if you’re a chef, you could post a short live video on how to prepare delicious Kebab for customers. That’s what @cihangir did in his Instagram story.
Doing this can help you show your authenticity and expertise. And yes, this is not just for individuals. It can be one of the great Instagram story ideas for business, too.
3. Ask Your Followers What They Think
- Category: Cool Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Easy
Want to connect with your audience on Instagram Stories? Try using polls. Ask your followers about things in your niche, or current products.
Ask their preferences, opinions, and experiences to get feedback. This can not only help build good relationships but also serve as a source of ideas for improving your products in the future.
Make sure to come up with interesting questions that will make your audience curious and want to interact with you.
For example, @asusrog used Stories to ask their followers which one is the real monitor out of a lineup of the latest Asus ROG products. This is a fun and engaging Instagram story idea that can help boost brand awareness and excitement for new products.
4. Host Q&A Sessions
- Category: Educational Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
If conducting polls isn’t your thing, you can try hosting Live Q&A sessions instead. This lets you answer your followers’ questions right away.
To begin, you can talk about something that interests both you and your audience. Then, you can also try doing “ask me anything” sessions, where people can ask you questions about many different things.
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.
5. Host a Contest or Giveaway
- Category: Interactive Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
Hosting giveaways on Instagram Stories? Why not? It’s one of awesome Instagram Story ideas to connect with your audience, too. Giveaways always attract people, meaning it can help you gain more followers. The idea is simple, you offer a prize to the winners who follow the rules.
Hosting giveaways is an amazing Instagram story post idea to show your appreciation for your followers and promote your brand in a fun and engaging way.
Check out @hawaiicandyfactory. They often have giveaways on Stories with Apple Watches or gift cards as the prizes. They even share pictures of happy winners to build trust and excitement.
6. Share a Behind-the-Scenes Footage
- Category: Cool Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
People are curious about how content is made. If you’re a music creator or videographer, you can show your followers how you make your content and share some secrets. It’s a cool Instagram Story idea for photos and music.
So, the idea is to share your creative process. And to make it more interesting, you can do a series of behind-the-scenes content. But bear in mind that this would take a lot of consistency.
This creative Instagram story idea can satisfy your followers’ curiosity and give them a preview of what’s coming. The possibilities for coming up with ideas are endless. You can post videos of your practice in the studio, share bloopers, or even show how to set up lighting for your streaming.
7. Share User-Generated Content
- Category: Engaging Instagram Story Ideas
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Easy
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
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Content Creator, Social Influencers or Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Professionals, Educators, Influencers
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Business, Organizations
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Business
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Business, Content Creators, or Influencers
- Difficulty: Medium
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
- Good for: Businesses, Influencers
- Difficulty: Medium
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.
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!
