Instagram Stories have evolved so much since they first appeared on the app. Of all the different areas of Instagram that I call Instagram Neighborhoods, Instagram Stories are the most casual and interactive. Plus, they’re a great opportunity to connect and sell to your dedicated followers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnSRe-3r5ko
Keep reading this blog post to learn how to get people to actually watch your Instagram stories.
In this blog post:
What is an Instagram Story Neighborhood?
You may be familiar with Instagram Stories, if not I recommend checking this out Youtube video. But maybe you’ve never heard of the term Instagram Story Neighborhood. I coined the term “Instagram Neighborhood” a few years ago.
I like to say that Instagram is a “village” and in this village there are different neighborhoods to hang out in. This includes Instagram Stories, Feed Posts, Reels, IGTV and Live. Each neighborhood varies in terms of the format of the content and the ways in which followers can get involved.
It’s not just about getting involved in each of the Instagram neighborhoods on a regular basis. To get the most of your interaction, you need to think about how followers interact with your content.
Post content that is appropriate for the Instagram Stories neighborhood
Now that you know what an Instagram neighborhood is, let’s examine how you can actually get people to check out your Instagram stories.
First, as I just mentioned, you need to publish the content that is appropriate for the Stories neighborhood. Due to the nature of Instagram Stories and how they are presented in the app, they are largely aimed at your existing followers. Essentially, it means that the people who look at your Instagram Stories are likely to be at least a little familiar with your business.
Since Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours, they don’t have to be perfectly polished content either. Your stories can be more real-time, more authentic, and less elaborate content.
When planning your Instagram Stories content, you should also consider the creative elements that will help you attract more viewers. This includes engagement stickers like polls, quizzes, sliders, and question boxes. All of these creative elements will help you start a conversation and build a community.
Remember, retention is the goal. A single Instagram story clip can take up to 15 seconds, so sharing 2 to 8 clips is usually the best approach.
Don’t forget to provide context for your Instagram story
Next, let’s talk about the importance of providing context for your Instagram story. The fact is, most people watch Instagram Stories silently. It is said that 85% of people watch Instagram stories in silent mode.
This is why you need to use the Text Tool to give content to what you split in the first clip. You want to grab your audience’s attention right from the start and get them to watch the rest of your clips.
If you don’t give people a reason to learn more, just keep typing.
Use captions or subtitles
Now I know what you’re probably thinking, “Sue, you already told me to provide context … why do I need to add more text?” The truth is, captions and subtitles serve a different purpose than text for context.
Not to mention adding subtitles ensures that all of your followers, including those who are hard of hearing, can enjoy your content.
To learn how to add closed captions or closed captions to your Instagram Story video, check out this YouTube video.
Why you need a hook on your first Instagram story clip
Finally, here is my biggest professional tip, which I use every day. You should always add a tick to your first Instagram story clip.
You only have a few seconds to prevent users from walking past your content. As subtitles are slowly arriving, the hook gives people a reason to keep looking. You need to tell people why your content is worth their time.
For example, in my story clip, I could say, “Hey guys, this is Sue B. I’m here today to take you behind the scenes of my YouTube shooting day. It’s a lot of glamor, a lot of work and a great team! Can you guess how many people are helping on a YouTube day? “
Then I would add a quiz sticker to increase engagement.
The catch I would write for this story clip is, “Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at my day of shooting on YouTube … Can you guess how many people help me put 8 videos together in one day?”
This text helps to get the attention of my viewers, encourages them to view my content in full and to participate with the engagement sticker.
Ultimately, I know that if you add context to your Instagram Stories, be casual with your followers, use text and captions, and hook your stories, you will absolutely get your followers’ attention. Plus, you’ll turn your followers into super fans and buyers!
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