How To Create Instagram Stories People Actually Want to Watch

Instagram stories aka IG stories are a great way to connect with your audience, share what your business is up to and showcase your brand and/or products. But we get it, there are so many new features and so many new apps it can be overwhelming with where to start!

At Lustic Media, we’re all about taking it back to basics to dispel any marketing jargon and create a plan of action you can actually follow to create content people actually want to see. Are you down?

Stories are not just a great way to speak to your audience, the mysterious instagram algorithm actually rewards you for using them, and in turn will make your page and content more likely to be viewed in the Instagram feed - a win win!

IG stories, much like anything in life, takes some time and skill to do and do well. So to make your insta-life a little easier, we’re breaking down our top ways to create stories that are both engaging and beneficial to your brand!

1. First things first, tell a “story”

The secret is in the name! Before creating a story, take a minute to stop and think:

Why am I posting this?

What story is it telling?

How am I serving my audience?

It doesn't have to be serious, the purpose of the story could be to make your audience laugh, be inspired, or see behind the scenes on a piece of work you’ve done or take a sneak peek at a new product.

The more context you can give around your story the better, and a great way to do this is through a collection of photos or videos. Just be careful not to make the stories too long though. There’s nothing that encourages people to tap past your stories more than 50 stories shown as tiny dashed lines at the top of their screen. Aim for 10 stories per day and be consistent!

2. Organic, Quality Content For The Win

When doing anything on social media it’s always best to use your own content, and stories is a way to try something new and “real” (whatever that is to you and your brand!).

Shared content and stock photography can work fine if you have absolutely no other option, but using organic content will resonate with your audience and help to build trust in your brand. If you are using your own content, be sure to make highly quality, that means clear images with good lighting in a clean and clear space - remember, instagram is an entirely visual platform. Invest in hiring a good photographer to get some bulk images of your team, business and location etc., these can be repurposed time and time again.

Don’t be afraid to get behind the camera too! Iphone camera quality these days is pretty fantastic and it’s perfect for behind the scenes shots and day-to-day story updates!  Just remember to take photos in good lighting and pop a filter if need be! (see below for our story app suggestions download).

3. Try Out IG Story Stickers

So we know Instagram rewards you for using it’s features, but are you actually using them?

Put the kettle on and take a minute to explore all of the “sticker” options! There’s location tags, mention tags, hashtags, GIFs, date stamps, polls, questions, countdown, heart ratings, temperature and emoji-inspired stickers!

Some of our favourite, go-to client recommendations are geo-tags, hashtags and account tags which act as a great tool to get your stories notices and shared by other accounts, ultimately increasing your story views and engagement.

Other favourites include polls and questions which are not only great to use for engagement but also to find things out about your audience. You can ask questions about what your community wants to see from you, things they love and things they don’t (!), and use this information to create much more meaningful content. GIFs are a great way to have a little fun and make your stories more interesting or funny, and don’t forget the slider, another interactive way to get feedback from your audience and encourage a little love.

4. Keep On Brand

Whatever your brand guidelines, make sure you stick to them in your stories too. (If you’re over there thinking “What brand guidelines?” don’t panic - let us help with that! Until then, keep it simple and be consistent).

People like cohesiveness and they like what they can expect. If you create stories that are totally off-brand (in colour, tone or imagery) it will leave people confused and can derail other marketing efforts.

Tell the story of your brand through stories by using the same colour tones, sticking to one or two fonts throughout and using on-brand imagery.

5. Have Some fun!

Don’t be afraid to get creative, let the personality of your brand shine through, show some behind the scenes and turn the camera on your team to have them featured! Stories aren’t meant to be serious, so keep them light and fun and you’re audience will be sure to love them.

To find out what apps we use to create killer and engaging stories, sign up to our newsletter below to receive your free guide to our favourite story apps!