For a lot of people, Instagram stories are intimidating. You get a chance to show yourself in the matter of a few seconds. Whether it’s a video or a picture, instagram story ideas can be a little difficult conjure up and execute with confidence!
What do you post? How do you remain succinct but also create dialogue in order to keep people watching? This blog post is here to give you a start on cute instagram story ideas in a way that will help you find your footing on what makes you shine.
This post may include affiliate links, which means that if you end up buying something, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Because I’ve consulted with clients of all sizes, I’ve found the tried and true topics to talk about in order to keep exposure at an all time high, and I’ll let you in on those below.
But first, it’s important to say that the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to be authentic.
Whether you’re creating a business or you’re trying to be an Instagram influencer, if you’re not authentic, people will be able to read between the lines.
The best way to gain followers on Instagram is to not lose your current ones. So, make sure that you’re posting things that engage with the ecosystem you’ve already built. Your Instagram Story will be a powerful tool as you gain even more followers, but never lose sight of your Why.
The great thing about Instagram stories is that it provides you more exposure, and easily. How, you ask? There are two reasons Instagram stories shows you off to more Instagram users:
- It’s easier to be seen in your Instagram stories by your current followers than it can be to be seen (not scrolled past) on a permanent post. A lot of people tend to scroll straight past permanent posts. Followers’ likes are like currency, and they don’t want to “spend them all in one place” sometimes. Or they just forget to double tap your photo. With stories, you get your message out there, and quickly.
- Instagram stories are easier to be seen in the explore feature, especially if you use unique hashtags that someone might be following. Potential followers sometimes follow hashtags. And they might find you via those unique hashtags that you use on your Instagram stories.
The Instagram algorithm is known to constantly change. One thing has always been for certain: utilizing every feature Instagram has to offer boosts your engagement and exposure.
12 Cute Instagram Story Ideas:
1. Daily life
If you’re looking to get more personal, sometimes just telling people what you do in a day is helpful! They don’t call it SOCIAL media for no reason. It’s a time to discuss what’s going on, and what you’ve got going on. There’s no better place to do that than in your Instagram Stories.
2. Story times
Those quirky, weird, interesting stories that you might have should be shared! You’re giving personality to your Instagram page by doing so. It could be a story that just happened, or it could be something that stuck with you from a while ago. If you’re good at telling stories, then talk advantage of that in your Instagram Story.
3. Cooking
Cooking up with a meal with your social media friends can go a long way. Talking with them while you’re cooking, or just showing what goes into your meals is interesting. Even if your target demographic isn’t revolved around food, everyone has to eat. And it’s good to mix up your content on your stories to diversify yourself.
4. Something unique to you
Whether you’re a master organizer, or a photographer, you should always be sharing something unique to you and something that you’re passionate about. That’s basically the root of your Instagram, right? To share things you’re passionate about with people from all over. Well share it! What might be mundane to you will be like striking gold to some of your followers!
5. Life hacks
People LOVE to learn and be educated. Maybe not formally, but they want to learn something. If you’ve got some life hacks up your sleeve on how to make things easier for people, throw it up on your Instagram Story. Create a dialogue with your followers!
6. The Real stuff
This one is hard for some people because they don’t want to get too vulnerable online. But sharing the real stuff is how you get followers to STAY with you. If you’re going through a rough time or dealing with something or someone that let you down or scared you, share it!
We shine brightest through our cracks. Perfection and trying to show a perfect image can only last so long. Stay true to your brand (yourself) and stay positive, but don’t be fake.
7. Collections
In general, we all have something that we collect. Show it! Whether it is shoes, stamps, rocks, postcards, books, or something else, your collection is unique to you. Finding likeminded people who are interested in the same or similar things will create a network that YOU will love and nourish.
8. Questions
Use what Instagram gives you. There’s a question portion that is begging for you to use it. Whether it’s fielding questions to answer for your followers about yourself, or asking them for recommendations on a movie or otherwise, using this function will be extremely helpful.
But make sure that when people respond to your story, that you repost it. It will create a natural dialogue that’s organic and help you grow a solid following.
9. Polls
Again, Instagram gives you this feature to be used, so use it! With polls, you can ask your followers which they like best between two options. Sometimes, I’ll have people throw up two photos and ask which they like best. Or I’ll have them throw up a quote to see if people like it. With your voters, it might help you also decide what content you should be making.
10. Quizzes
Another Instagram feature to take advantage of. If you’re looking for a 3 truth and a lie, or you’re wanting to quiz someone on their history knowledge, the quiz feature is a great tool. Use it to educate people and follow up with a few Instagram Stories to discuss whatever you quizzed your followers on.
11. New post notification
As I said earlier, when you post a permanent post, it’s more difficult to get exposure. Yes, hashtags help (that’s a different post that I’ll be writing later), but you can easily post your permanent post onto your story to tell your followers know about it. They’ll be able to visit that post quickly by holding down and clicking “View Post” when prompted.
12. Throwbacks
Even if you posted something a while ago, it’s not too late to bring it back! You probably have a few new followers since then, so show them and old post, and drive traffic back to it! There’s absolutely no harm in using old content that you’re still proud of.
Get started with these cute instagram story ideas. And if you have questions, leave a comment!