Instagram Stories are a great way to connect with your followers and allow them to keep up with you without creating static posts. Stories are mostly used for showcasing unedited photos and in-the-moment videos, however, there’s so much more that can be shared to keep your followers engaged. If you’re looking for creative content ideas for your Instagram Stories, keep reading.

Polls

There’s no better way to keep your followers engaged than using the polls feature. The polls feature allows you to let your audience choose between two options. You can use polls to understand what your audience wants to see more of or you can get creative with them and ask random questions. This or that questions do really well; think Coke or Pepsi? You can also ask them whether or not they’d rather see Instagram Story posts or static posts from you.

Countdowns

Posting countdowns are another way to boost engagement. Count down to important events or new launches. You can share related photos with your countdown. To get Story replies, ask your audience what important events they are counting down to.

Templates

Templates are great to share in your Stories, and they can help promote your account if you include your Instagram handle on the template. You can create your templates in Canva or customize their ready-made ones. You can share or create ‘this or that’ templates, favorite templates, random question templates, you name it. The end goal is to get your followers to screenshot and repost their Stories. This is a great way to gain new followers.

Challenges

Social media challenges are all the rage. When your challenge takes off and goes viral, it can boost engagement and gain a ton of visibility. The ‘Add Yours’ Story feature allows users to add a Story connected to a specific thread. So, let’s say your Instagram account focuses on makeup and beauty; you could post a Story that says ‘Show your favorite makeup product right now’ or ‘Let’s see your most-used beauty product.” It’s a fun and interactive way to connect with your followers, keeping everyone engaged.

Live Updates

Sharing live updates with your followers about a show or movie you’re watching can be a lot of fun, especially if it’s something popular that everyone is watching. Share your thoughts on what’s happening, and ask what your audience thinks of certain parts to get those replies. You can also share the replies you receive for even more engagement.

Q&As

Live Q&As do really well. Even if you don’t want to go live, put up a Question sticker with an attractive photo and tell your followers that you’ll be answering their questions for the next so many minutes or hours. Share the best questions on your Story with your answer. This is really fun and allows your followers to feel connected to you.

Food

Everyone loves food content. Share what you’re eating for the day. If you try a new restaurant, share a video and do a little review of it. You can share photos of your food and ask if it looks good, would they eat it, or what their favorite food is. There are so many ways to boost engagement when it comes to food content.

Fun Facts

Get creative with Canva and create fun graphics with interesting facts about yourself. Ask your audience if they can relate to any of the facts and ask them to tell you an interesting fact about them. Everyone loves to get to know their favorite followers a little better.

Others’ content

Be sure you’re sharing other creators’ content as well. Share other people’s Reels and TikToks that you love or are related to the type of content you share. Be sure to tag them when you do. You never know what type of collabs you may cook up.

Behind-the-scenes

Followers love to get behind-the-scenes looks at what you have going on. If you’re shooting content that day, share bits and pieces. If you’re doing a photo shoot, share sneak peeks. If you’re hanging around the house, share regular, mundane tasks that you’re doing. Your audience can relate to the simpler things. Have fun and get creative.

Do you use Instagram Stories often? If so, which of these ideas will you add to your content planning? Leave a comment below!