Did you know that over 400 million people view Instagram Stories every day? It’s a great way to add personality to your account. Although there’s now IGTV to contend with, Instagram Stories are less daunting to produce, as each clip is up to 15 seconds and only stays live for 24 hours (unless you’ve added it to your Highlights).
The Snapchat-like feature was introduced almost two years ago and remains an easy way to build a connection with your audience. Stories sit above the main feed, so you’re encouraged to keep playing it on a loop.
Don’t underestimate the value of posting these short clips and playing around with the different components. Here’s a few important points to remember when using Instagram Stories and clever tweaks you can make to your strategy:
The first frame is the most important.
It’s critical to land your key message at the beginning. Include any links or brand deliverables in your first frame to capture as many eyeballs as possible and give your content the best chance of performing well.
Monitor the effects of cross-promotion
Experiment with calls to action in captions and use annotations on Google Analytics to track whenever you implement a new strategy. Your followers may prefer to click through to a blog post on a Sunday, so it may be worth doing a weekly recap and sharing double the amount of content.
Look at your impressions, reach and taps backward
What kind of Stories are grabbing more attention? Create more of this kind of content. Note the times and days where content seems to have a higher reach and when sharing may not be as successful.
Improve your aesthetics with apps
Be mindful that different devices will crop your Stories. An IPhone X is narrower than the IPhone 8 for example, so avoid placing links and text too close to the edges of the screen. Not only will they not be seen, but they could also make viewers accidentally swipe to the next frame.
Use new features creatively
It may be better to tailor these features for when you’re covering specific topics or experiences, like travel or you’re a special occasion. Ask for tips when you arrive in a new location, or ask a question on the last day to see whether you’ve inspired people to visit. This is a great way to gather different kinds of engagement for brand collaborations or even get feedback that can be used in your media kit.
