How to Take Your Instagram Stories from Meh to Amazing
Magic pixie dust for your Stories.
This month, you've learned why you should be using Stories, what kinds of Stories to make, and how to structure them. This week, we will take all that we learned this month and add a little pizzazz *insert jazz hands here.*
Here are a few simple ways to take your Stories to the next level:
Mix your Media:
It can get a little stale if every single slide of your Story looks too similar. So my recommendation is to mix your media! For example, if slides 1-4 show videos of you talking to the camera, make slide 5 a photo or graphic. This can often be just jarring enough to make your audience pay attention if they're starting to slip into zombie tap mode.
TIP: Use these "break" slides to summarize the key points from the earlier ones. It gives viewers a moment to catch up and keeps them engaged.
Use Stickers:
Engagement stickers are a great way to, well, engage your audience. Often, throwing a poll or even a slider sticker every couple of slides can help your audience pay attention, just as mixing your media can.
TIP: instead of having the answers of a poll be “yes” or “no," put more words in your audience's mouths. For example, if the poll is asking “Have you tried our rosé before?” Your answers could be “So Delicious!” & “Not yet!”
Brand Them:
This is a super simple thing, but ensuring you're using your brand colors on your Stories can not only make them look clean, but they can also make them look recognizable. For example, you're likely to know that you're watching my Stories without having to see my username because I use yellow for most of my captions.
TIP: here is an older video on how to use your brand colors in Stories
Use Captions:
Something like 70% of people watch Stories with sound off, so it would benefit you to add closed captions to your stories (either by using the captions sticker or by typing them out yourself).
TIP: I prefer typing mine out even though it takes a bit longer because sometimes people want to read it all at once rather than waiting for you to get to the point.
Chunk your Stories Down:
Instead of posting, say, 15 Story slides in a ten-minute period, I find it helpful to space them out into chunks. I have found that spacing them out means they get more views overall.
For example, post five slides in the morning, 5 in the afternoon, and 5 in the evening so that if the first chunk “expires” after 24 hours or if someone has already viewed the first chunk, the next chunk will get pushed to their attention later.
Do a Stories Cleanse Once a Week
Every now and then, it’s nice to give your audience (and yourself) a breather. I recommend taking a 24-hour break from posting to Stories at least once per week (meaning, let your last story slide expire before posting the first slide of your next story). This resets the Instagram algorithm and can actually help boost your visibility when you return.
Remember: Rest is a part of a healthy and sustainable social media strategy
Remember to Make Your First Slide Count
As we talked about last week, your first slide is everything and can make the difference between someone tapping through or exiting immediately. I often recommend starting with a still photo with a bold visual or headline or juicy question to hook people’s attention right away.
Example: “Can you believe bloom is happening already?!” or “Your next favorite wine is incoming in 3… 2… 1…” or “What’s in the boooooxxxxxxx???? Tap to find out!”
Incorporating one or more of these strategies will help make your stories shine, which will result in more views, more engagement, and a very happy you!
Join the Instagram Stories Challenge!
We are officially kicking off the Instagram Stories Challenge on Monday, June 2! If you’d like to participate, make sure you’re subscribed to my Instagram Broadcast Channel (if you’d like emails about it, subscribe here) — that’s where I’ll be posting your daily prompts, tips, and encouragement.
The goal: post 3–5 Story slides per day, 5 days a week, and (hopefully) double your Story views by the end of the month!
It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s designed to help you show up consistently without burning out.