Instagram is by far the most celebrated, easy, engaging, and cost-effective social media tool to reach audiences all around the globe. You just need to brew your creative minds and pour the delicious coffee from your brain directly onto your Instagram and voila, it will be savored by people living nearby and oceans apart. And one such feature of Instagram is “INSTAGRAM STORY”.
What is an “Instagram Story”?
So, basically, it is a portal where you can upload a photo or a video which will stay on your profile for the next 24 hours. If you have a private profile, only your followers can view it and if you have a public profile, anybody can view your post. It is fast and engaging at the same time. Unlike your Instagram post, your Instagram stories can be spontaneous and reflect your day-to-day life; and you can add multiple stories at the same time.
More so, unlike an Instagram post, you can add multiple creative effects like GIFs, Boomerangs, Live Features, and many more things! Stories have maximum reach and increase engagement on your profile more than static posts.
You can also know who saw your story! On the home screen, click your profile picture on the top left of the screen to view your recently posted stories. Now, swipe up to see the usernames of everyone who has seen your post. Here you can as well as download, delete, or post the image to your main Instagram feed.
That’s great! But how to go about it?
So the first thing is finding the story button on your profile. On the left-side corner, press on your profile picture. A dialogue box will appear with the “Add to your story” option. Click on it and you will be directed to a blank camera screen with multiple options. If you want to click a photo, click on a white circle at the center bottom of the screen to capture the image. If you want to post a video, hold it with a circular button for a longer time. You can also directly upload photos or videos from your gallery.
Once you’re done, explore all the filters and select the best one you like for your post. Now, POST!
What is the use of putting in all the effort? To attract viewers, right? To have the right audience. Now that you have the audience how to interact with them? Your viewers want to know you, your life. They want to know the person behind the creatives they saw. So, show your personality! Here are a few things you can do:
You can go live more frequently and chat with the live audience.
You can have an “AMA” (Ask Me Anything) and reply to all the questions your followers have asked.
Keep updating them with your whereabouts and what you are doing (be it reading writing, evening walk, or just sitting and having coffee)
Upload a photo or boomerang of your office/work sneak peek.
Bring your family or friends to live with you.
Ask for their suggestions for things like what to read next, which is the best place to have lunch or any random thing which all of us have in common so that they can answer.
So, by now you must have gotten a hold on the nerves of Instagram. These tips will help you increase followers and engagement on your profile. So go ahead and try all these suggestions and see the magic unfold on your Instagram profile. Do not forget to tell us in the comments section.