With the right use of Instagram Stories, companies can build an even closer relationship with their followers. The stories only develop their full potential if they are properly thought out and spark enthusiasm among the followers. And since many companies are still struggling with the new format, those who put a little more effort into it can stand out in the mass of stories pretty quickly. Here seven tips introduced to help you build your Instagram story. It is definitely worth a try. But with a plan, please!
First, you’d better have basic followers. If you are not with enough followers, try to get some Instagram followers free to manage your Instagram. There are many sites you can try. GetInsta is one of the best sites to get real Instagram followers free. Then you can use the following tips to manage them.
1. Stick to the theme of the story
“What should we post in the story? Nothing funny happens in our company! ” Most social media managers think of that when it comes to Instagram stories. A story doesn’t have to be funny for followers to enjoy it. In principle, the following applies: The content in the story should be an extension of the existing Instagram strategy or complement it. After all, the followers have already got a picture of the content through Instagram account and have the same expectation for stories. As an example: if you post a photo of a finished dish on the Instagram page. The story, on the other hand, shows step-by-step instructions on how the followers can cook the recipe. But the company’s insight, impressions of events, or statements by team members may also be the subject of the story.
2. Prepare the storyline
As the name suggests, “story” means a story and, as is well known, it must have a beginning, middle and end. Therefore, every story should be planned in advance. However, this does not have to mean that every single sequence has to be “scripted”.
I use the stories, for example, to report news about Instagram or to give my followers practical tips. By preparing, I can be sure that I don’t forget anything important and that it doesn’t take me forever to get to the point. Which brings us to the next tip.
3. Pay attention to the total length
If a user looks at an Instagram story, how many photos or videos it contains is displayed in the form of individual bars. And nothing screams “switch to the next story quickly!” More than a packed story that seems to go on forever. Of course, we’ll never be able to keep all users until the end of the story – but with a shorter, to-the-point story, we have a better chance of minimizing the dropout rate. The length of a story will vary from case to case. And although it is difficult to make specifications here, a story should ideally contain between four and six individual contributions and provide variety. See the next point.
4. Create surprises
An Instagram story can contain photos, video clips and so-called boomerangs (short GIF-like videos). To keep the story entertaining, it should offer a mixture of two to three formats. But even if you stick to only one format – for example video – you should create a surprise effect. These can be very simple things such as different camera angles or backgrounds. This loosens up the story and generates curiosity about the next entry . Holding your smartphone in front of your face and posting five to six videos in a row in the same setting, however, should be avoided.
5. Use the editing functions
If you are looking for a funny dog filter, you will be disappointed with Instagram Stories. Lettering, emojis, three different crayons and a few filters are the only ways to give the photo or video a personal touch. However, caution is advised here! Because the stories are also part of the brand and should do justice to it. Here, every social media manager should decide to what extent the colorful emojis can be used.
My tip: Many of the users watch the stories, at least at the beginning, without sound. That’s why I always add a text to my videos that summarizes the most important message of the video as a headline and, in the best case, motivates the followers to turn on the sound. But I also want to make sure that those who sit on the train and don’t have headphones with them, for example, can still take something with them from the story.
6. Equip better technically
I am of the opinion that companies should definitely stand out from “normal” users in terms of the quality of the stories. This not only affects the content, but also the technical equipment. An additional lapel microphone, tripod and a small smartphone light can really work wonders and are also available for a small budget at the large online retailer you trust.
The advantage of such a more professionally designed Instagram Stories is their reusability. Instead of letting the video clips disappear from the story after 24 hours, you can save them on your smartphone immediately after recording (and before drawing on them with pens) and later cut them together into a small video using video apps such as iMovie or VideoShow. This can then be posted on the “normal” Instagram page or on Facebook & Co. – and even on YouTube.
7. Interact with the followers
As with all social media formats, interaction with followers is also an important topic for Instagram Stories. There are no comments and likes here – instead, followers can send a direct message that ends up in the inbox on Instagram. Encouraging this exchange and actively pursuing it can also help attract loyal viewers to Instagram Stories.
I recommend always ending a story with a call-to-action, usually with a topic-relevant question – and explicitly referring the followers to the news function, because for many this is all relatively new. In addition, some users may be reluctant to write because they do not know whether this is desired. Or they think a company won’t answer that anyway. It is therefore very important to actively seek dialogue and to react to the news.
Get some Instagram followers free and start your Instagram journey from building your stories now!
