An In-Depth Look at Instagram Stories: Tools, Features, and Uses
Instagram Stories can help your account profile grow, but many don’t know how they work. With a variety of tools and features—such as stickers, polls, and swipe-up links—Instagram Stories provide endless possibilities for creativity and interaction. But how can you make the most of these features to enhance your social media strategy?
Contents
This post will examine Instagram Stories, their features, and how to use them. Mastering Instagram Stories is essential for increasing engagement and driving traffic to your website. For those aiming to boost their story views, the option to buy Instagram story views with Apple Pay offers a convenient way to increase visibility and reach a larger audience.
First, What Are Instagram Stories?
Instagram Stories are video and photo posts designed to disappear after 24 hours. These posts can be preserved longer if you add them to your highlights. Instagram Stories can be shared with your public followers or with your closest friends.
Tools and Features of Instagram Stories
There’s more to Instagram Stories than meets the eye! Let’s look at some of their features.
Music
Instagram Stories let you add music to them. You can select from a vast library of songs, giving your posts more personality and also changing their place in the algorithm. If your chosen song is something your target audience listens to, they are more likely to see your post.
Polls and Quizzes
Instagram Stories lets you add polls and quizzes to them through their stickers. You may ask a time-sensitive question and have people give their thoughts by voting. Or, you may quiz your audience’s knowledge on a particular subject.
Other Custom Stickers
Instagram Stories have other stickers you can put on them. These stickers can be aesthetically pleasing or have their own use. For example, there’s a URL sticker that lets you put a link to something in it. You have mentioned stickers that link to someone’s profile. Stickers can enhance your work and improve engagement.
Story Highlights
As mentioned, Stories last for only 24 hours. So, what happens when you want to have a Story around for longer? You simply add it to your Highlights. Story Highlights last for longer than 24 hours and are the first things someone sees when they look at your profile.
Public Views
Other types of Instagram content don’t show who viewed it—only who liked or commented. But Instagram Stories will show you who is viewing them. This can give you a better look at who your most dedicated fans are.
Instagram Story Uses
Now that you know what Instagram Stories are and their uses, you may be wondering why people use Instagram Stories to begin with. Let’s look at some ways people use Stories.
To Vent
Some people try to maintain an aura of positivity on their Instagram, but sometimes, you need to vent. You may need to rant about something that happened to you or bring attention to an important issue. Either way, the 24-hour nature of Stories means you can get it out to the world without it staying on there for too long.
Flash Deals
If you’re a business, you may have flash sales, which are short-term discounts. Because Instagram Stories are 24 hours long, this gives people a sense of urgency. Promoting a sale through Instagram Stories may result in more sales.
To Feel the Audience
Stories can be an excellent way to know more about your audience. You may ask them basic questions that let you know more about their character. Putting up polls can let you know about your audience’s preferences. If you run a brand, it’s crucial that you learn what your audience likes, dislikes, and how they think.
Give Them a Say
Many brands will use Stories to have their audience vote on what the account does next. You may ask what color the product you’re creating should be. If you’re a fashion influencer, you may use a Story poll to let your audience pick today’s outfit. The possibilities are endless.
Build Engagement
Finally, the most important use of Stories is to build engagement. Engagement can push your posts further up in the algorithm. Keeping your audience consistently engaged is the evergreen secret to growing your Instagram.
Final Thoughts
Instagram Stories are disposable posts, but they have many uses. They can boost engagement, let your audience see something more personal about you, and have many interactive features, like stickers. If you haven’t used Stories yet, you should.