Instagram Stories are here to stay. They are becoming more and more popular. In some industries, Stories are more popular than regular posts. Besides, they are a powerful tool that you can use for your marketing. You can use them in many different ways. Whether it’s a video, photo or live stream, Stories offer you many creative possibilities. The more often you post Stories, the more you work on your visibility. Do you also think it’s hard to find inspiration for your Stories? In this blog, I will discuss 80 themes full with inspiration that you can use for your Instagram Stories.
Getting started with Stories
Instagram Stories is a feature on Instagram where you can tell stories using different media (such as pictures and videos). The features of a story are:
- 1 part (clip) of a story lasts 10 seconds.
- Multiple parts in a row form a story.
- A story disappears after 24 hours (a story is temporary).
- You can save a story and keep visible in Instagram highlights.
Instagram is a fairly static platform, which is why Stories work so well there. Stories are active and reactive. In a story, you create interaction with, for example, a question sticker, a poll, or a live video. Maybe you have to get over your fear of making videos, but once you start, you won’t be able to stop.
Ninja tip: Don’t know where to start? Find your perfect story template on Snappa or Canva.
Instagram Stories for extra visibility
When people view your Stories regularly, Instagram sees it as a sign that they are interested in your content. As a result, your posts will appear higher in their feed. Stories are also a fun way to show more of yourself and your life. This strengthens the relationship with your followers, and it can lead to more engagement. Did you know that Stories also increase your reach? Especially if you add hashtags and/or geotags to your story. You can easily create these with a sticker.
The Stories also have some advantages compared to regular content. Because non-followers can also see your Stories: it’s a great tool to increase your visibility. A story is only visible for one day. You can see it as an effective screenshot: you can let go of your perfectionism and just get to work with videos, for example.
Ninja tip: Did you know that you can also add hashtags to each story? That way, followers can see exactly what it is about.
1. Share your knowledge and expertise
Many (start-up) entrepreneurs do not immediately see themselves as experts. But they are. Keep the following in mind: in the land of the blind, one eye is king. Stories are an excellent way of profiling yourself as an expert. How do you do that? It’s very simple: share information about your expertise in Stories. Keep it general, and make sure not to make it ‘salesy’. That is often counterproductive. When it comes to your expertise, you can put anything in your Stories. You probably have enough to share.
Here are some suggestions for great Stories in which you share expertise:
- Share a screenshot of your most recent blog.
- Solve a problem in a few clear steps.
- Share a useful technique or tactic.
- Share valuable knowledge and “did you know” facts that your target audience probably doesn’t already know.
- Share information about current developments in your field.
- Create a series on the topics that are trending right now.
- Share your opinion on current issues within your field.
- Explain how you solve a common problem.
- Share tips on questions that recur regularly.
This way, you make your target audience happy with valuable content, and you actively work on your expert status.
2. Aim for inspiration
You want to inspire your target audience. Stories are perfect for doing this. Think for example of quotes. Who isn’t inspired by them? If you link the text of the quote to something you own, you can create inspiring Stories. This way, you can create a real emotional bond with your target group. For example, link a quote to an important life lesson that you have learned. Or tell a story that inspires your audience to (continue to) believe in their dreams.
You can also be a source of inspiration in many other ways. Especially within your field of work. Are you a baker? Share delicious recipes. Are you a beautician? Share your secrets for good skincare. Try to zoom in on what makes your service or product so special.
You can also draw inspiration from your personal experiences. Often you are already an expert in your own field of work. Inspire your target group with personal anecdotes: explain a certain approach, that things can be done differently, or that difficult goals can still be achieved.
3. Put your business and yourself in the spotlight
I can’t say it often enough: you are your business. People do business with people. So, make sure that your target audience learns all about you and your company in a fun way. You can create engaging Stories about the most diverse things in this area. Your target audience would like to know everything about you, as long as it is presented in a fun way. You can do this perfectly with Stories.
Think of the following:
- Share a business story.
- Share your WHY: why do you do the thing you do?
- Share impressions of your offerings and your products.
- Share your most wise lesson from entrepreneurship.
- Show the results of a recent project.
- Share your most amazing business experience.
- Share snippets from your event (e.g. training, workshop).
- Share interesting facts about yourself (past and present).
- Create a fun quiz with questions about your personality.
- Share something you are incredibly proud of (personal or business).
Remember that it’s not a problem if you make yourself vulnerable sometimes: you are only human. It is precisely because of your humanity that you can build a real connection with your target group.
4. Aim for relaxation and fun
You don’t always have to be serious. You can also alternate your usual content with a joke, the description of an embarrassing situation or a funny movie. How about a quiz or a poll? Another fun thing is an “unboxing” video. You know, the type of video where someone unwraps a package and tells all sorts of things about the products that come out of the package. Suppose you sell handmade candles: you can unpack a box of your own products and talk about it.
Or do something with a ‘before and after’ concept. The standard before and after videos or pictures still perform well. Think about makeup, hairstyles or clothing. But it can be more original as well. How about fun before-and-after pictures of the events you organized? Or of a great dish? For example, post a before picture of all the ingredients and then post an after picture of the delicious food served on a nice plate. You can come up with a nice before-and-after for almost everything. Be creative.
Contests or guessing games are always fun too. Suppose you are developing a new product, include your target group in the preparations with a guessing game. Give them a sneak peek with a picture of a small part of the product. Or give them some hints about your new product and let people guess what it is.
5. Share a look behind the scenes
Besides sharing things about yourself and your company, you can also share a look behind the scenes. This can involve all sorts of things from your daily practice. Behind-the-scenes Stories can be very versatile. It can be something special, but it is also nice to include ‘ordinary’ things in a story. People can be very curious, and behind the scenes content can be just the thing they want to see.
Here are some examples of what you can share:
- Share an impression of the atmosphere of your workplace.
- Share certain processes from your company (for example, the production of a product or how you approach your services).
- Introduce any team members or parties you work with (this also includes sharing is caring: tip 8).
- Share pictures of your relaxation moments (with a cup of tea or during a walk).
- Share something about what you will do during the day.
- Share something about the conclusion of your workday.
- Share something about the things that make work enjoyable for you.
- Share your to-do list for the upcoming week.
- Share your business trips.
- Share the start of a new job/ the development of a new product.
- Share training sessions or events that you attend.
- Showcase your products or services.
- Show where you work and when you are somewhere other than your standard workplace.
As you can see, “behind the scenes” is a broad term. You can let your creativity run wild.
6. Share your successes
Sometimes things go well and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes you have to overcome obstacles, and when you do, the victory is even greater. Remember that every success counts: celebrate both your big and small successes, and share them proudly!
I will give you some inspiration as to what successes you can share:
- You’ve completed a course or a training.
- You received a great review from a customer.
- Today you have finally managed to do something very complicated.
- One of your customers achieved his/her goal.
- Today (this week, this year) you have been an entrepreneur for x years.
- Today is your birthday (or your husband’s, child’s or pet’s).
- You completed something last week.
- You got your degree.
- You re-arranged your office.
- You won something.
- Or just something completely different that you’re incredibly proud of.
Share these kinds of personal things with your target group. Because they get motivated by your successes and victories, and they learn from your mistakes. If you make yourself vulnerable, you will probably get a lot of support, and your target group will get to know and trust you more and more.
You can also turn it into a question for your target group to create more interaction:
- Share your success/victory from this week.
- What mistake have you ever made which you will never make again?
- What mistake have you learned from the most?
7. Aim for creating connections and ask questions
Everyone likes it when you ask questions. You show interest, and people like to talk about themselves. That often creates reactions and interactions. And that’s exactly what you want to achieve on Instagram. So, you need to engage with your target audience. But how?
You want to attract attention, but not in a boring way. Use Stories to ask questions. Make use of the extra options such as polls and question stickers. Come up with some questions you want to know the answer to, and ask them to your audience. You can do this with a nice video or with a few pictures.
There are several categories that you can ask questions about:
- Ask your target audience how they feel about certain things.
- Ask your target audience what they are interested in.
- Ask your target audience about certain experiences.
- Ask your target audience for feedback.
- Ask your target audience for suggestions and tips.
Ask simple questions and formulate them in a very specific way. This way, you will get clear responses with you can use.
8. Sharing is caring
Sharing is caring: share content from others. It is a good idea to alternate your Stories with information that others have shared. This can be a message/post or blog from a company, entrepreneur, or a service that is related or complementary to your company. But it can also be something entirely different from a colleague in your field. Or from an influencer: think broadly.
The advantages: you have new content, your target audience will also appreciate this information, and the party you put in the spotlight will also be grateful for it. Be sure to tag the creator in your story.
I will give you some ideas:
- Share your favorite Instagram account.
- Share the most inspiring post of the day.
- Introduce your favorite influencer.
- Share a screenshot of an interesting article about your area of expertise.
- Attend events of colleagues (with complementary areas of expertise).
- Share interesting book titles from your area of expertise.
- Share informative blogs from your area of expertise.
- Interview another expert (someone who does something complementary to your expertise).
This was my overview full of suggestions for your Instagram Stories. Pick something that appeals to you and turn it into a great story. Good luck!
Do you want me to explain to you step by step how getting clients on Instagram works? What you can do, how to do it. Ideas, inspiration, tricks and tips. Shall we get started together? Sign up for 365 Days of Instagram Success:
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