We can easily and funnily share our lives on Instagram by posting photos and videos on our feed, sharing our experiences in short stories, and communicating with other people. However, this is not the only opportunity the platform offers. Business people promote their services and products on social media and engage in full commercial activities. To start earning, it is necessary to promote your page, release content that will attract viewers, and attract new audiences. In this article, we will discuss how to create colorful and interesting posts, as well as list several successful ideas for Instagram stories.
How to make your stories more noticeable – engage your audience
In order for your account to become successful and your posts to be readable, you need to put in a lot of effort and have a creative streak. The section of short stories, which last no more than 15 seconds, will help you find new subscribers. This time is enough to spark the viewer’s interest and make them subscribe to your channel.
The main rule of successful promotion is high-quality and interesting content aimed at a specific target audience. It should be funny (jokes) or useful. Therefore, it is necessary to take the process of creating new publications in stories seriously. For these purposes, you can use standard graphic elements, editing tools and filters, as well as third-party applications.
Let’s consider the main advantages of short stories and why they contribute to promotion:
- Despite their short duration of 15 seconds, stories can hook and generate interest in your page. After all, few people will watch long videos, no matter how interesting they may be.
- You can use various tools to engage and call to action in your posts – create polls, voting, insert links, animations and stickers.
Thus, the story becomes a colorful cover and announcement for your page, which works better than any advertising. The main thing is to find your audience and create worthy content in your unique style. Below are some ideas for pinned stories on Instagram that will help promote your own account and turn ordinary posts into works of art that generate interest.
Stylish templates
When creating a new post for a news feed, the first thing to consider is the visual aspect. Pay close attention to the external design and display method. You don’t necessarily have to develop the style yourself. There are many applications or online services for creating content available on the internet. With their help, you can choose a bright and attractive frame or template, create a collage from several photos.
A bright example is the official program Layout, as well as Canva, which allow you to create a unique image using stylish templates from a wide range.
Colorful design
Any story or publication catches the eye with its design in the first few seconds of viewing. If the layout doesn’t appeal to the user, they are unlikely to watch the video or view the photo to the end. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to convey to the viewer, as attention will be drawn to the overall recording style. Try to follow a few simple tips:
- Select the appropriate color palette according to your target audience. For example, if you run a beauty blog or channel for women, don’t prefer dark colors that will only repel subscribers.
- Arrange the content and information evenly on the image or video.
- Don’t overdo it with stickers and other graphic elements. There should be nothing extra in the publication. Overly colorful recording will only hurt the eyes and not be beneficial.
- Follow the theme of your page. Within one story, only touch on one problem or topic.
Above all, please your guest visually, only then will they pay attention to the content in the main feed.
Captivating Headlines
The next thing to pay attention to when promoting your page is the headings and textual content of your publications. The title should be catchy and encourage the viewer to take action. The main rule is that the text should be brief and informative. If you write a whole Talmud to your story, it is unlikely that visitors will spend time reading it.
Before and after” collage
Collage is a unique way of displaying photos and videos, where multiple images can be posted on a single publication using standard copying or third-party applications. Viewers are particularly drawn to posts in the “before and after” theme, especially if you run a beauty blog. Show your followers how your appearance has changed over time or after using a promoted product.
Real-life video
An important aspect of popularity on social media is openness and honesty. Share stories from your personal and private life, emotions and experiences with your followers, show how you spend your free time outside of the online world. This way, you can bring your audience closer to you and make them sympathize with you. Try not to use additional filters. Remember that your story should be interesting. Don’t publish boring and mundane everyday life, give people only positive and bright emotions.
In the mobile application, you can record content in real-time mode. To do this, go to the section for adding stories and start shooting using the built-in camera of your smartphone. Use different recording methods – boomerang, reverse shooting or slow motion.
Use filters
One of the main advantages of Instagram is the ability to turn a regular gray photo into a work of art using a wide range of built-in filters. They can help emphasize certain colors and make your post more colorful. To apply a filter to a story, you will need to:
- In the main menu of the social network, find the tab for adding stories.
- Choose content from the internal memory of the device or shoot it in real-time mode.
- Set the filter by swiping left, you will see how the photo or video changes in contrast and color shades.
Stickers and GIFs
Colorful GIFs and stickers can grab the viewer’s attention, emphasizing the uniqueness of your publication and adding bright emotions. In the app, you will find a wide selection of standard graphic elements that can be found:
- Launch the story editor on the main page of the service.
- Select the desired material to post.
- Click on the smiley icon.
- A list of all available stickers suitable for different occasions and events in life will be displayed on the screen.
- To speed up the search for the desired image, enter the topic in the search field and select the sticker.
- Finally, place it on the photo or video and post it to the news feed.
Animations
Another tool that will enhance your story is bright and colorful animation. To create it, you can use third-party applications or the built-in Instagram editor. When adding a new story in the editor, find the tab for gifs or effects on the top panel, select the one you want, and apply it. If the standard elements don’t suit you, it all depends on your imagination. There are interesting programs that will help you realize your ideas – Life Lapse, Adobe Spark, Enlight Pixaloop.
Font
The textual component is an important part of the publication. To enter text, you need to select the corresponding icon in the editing menu on the top panel. Attention should be paid to the font and its size. In the standard set of social network tools, you will find only a few styles of letter display – classic, modern, neon, and bold. To expand the functional capabilities, you will need to download an additional utility called Over, in which you can select and add the desired font style to Instagram.
Insert links
Try to make your post a key to your page by inserting links to your account or external sources, such as your website, into images or videos. In the second case, this feature is only available to business account owners or popular pages with a large number of followers.
To insert a link to your Instagram page, use the mention sticker. To do this:
- In the post editing and settings menu, find the sticker icon and open it. It is located on the top panel in the form of a smiley face.
- Find the mention option in the list.
- Now all you have to do is write your name on the sticker and publish the post.
You can also write your page username in the text, but be sure to enter the “@” symbol before the name so that the link becomes active. If viewers like the post, they will follow the link to your account and subscribe.
Tag your followers
You can tag your followers on your stories to generate interest. To do this, insert mentions or their names in the text editor, as described in the section above. After that, the mentioned user will receive a system notification that they have been tagged in the photo or video.
Surveys and Questions
Let your subscribers and guests participate in the development of your channel or page. Create polls or votes to engage your viewers. They will be interested in leaving their vote. Social networks have special stickers for such purposes, located in the story editing menu on the top panel. The following functions are available:
1. Ask me a question. A field for entering text appears on the publication, let readers ask you a question that interests them. This creates a two-way communication between you and your subscribers, which increases interest in your profile.
2. Poll. This is a kind of voting. Write a question to visitors and provide answer options. With this function, you will find out what subscribers want.
3. Quiz. Let your guests strain their brains and try to solve puzzles. Enter a question and answer options.
All of this creates the illusion of user engagement and adds positive emotions.
Live online meetings
Periodically hold online broadcasts with your subscribers, communicate and answer questions. For this purpose, the function of live streaming is implemented. To use it, you need to:
- Log in to your account.
- Go to the stories tab.
- Find the live streaming function.
- Start the broadcast.
- Instagram subscribers will see you and be able to write to you in the chat.
It is recommended to start the broadcast in the evening when there are more users online.
Announcements and hot news
Don’t forget to keep the audience interested by announcing future projects and sharing interesting news. Your followers should eagerly anticipate your new posts and stories. Create stories with a countdown for upcoming events using a special sticker.
The best apps for creating memorable stories
If you are serious about promoting your profile on Instagram, you should know about a number of interesting and convenient services and applications that will help you create a colorful and readable story.
Let’s look at popular utilities:
- Canva – this is a wide range of tools and templates for designing stories. Here you can use ready-made frames or create unique content.
- Over – the program is designed to work with text content. It will help you choose a beautiful font and write bright headlines.
- StoryBeat. The utility allows you to add music tracks and various sound effects to your publication.
- Adobe Spark Post. A convenient program for creating animated graphics and GIF images. A large selection of standard templates and graphic tools.
- Hype Type – an application for implementing animated text.
- StoryLab. Designed for designing stories. The interface has many interesting templates and filters. Here you can choose a color palette, background, frames, and attachments.
It should be noted that many utilities are provided on a paid basis.
The article talked about bright ideas for stories on Instagram. The main task that stands before you when promoting your page is to create high-quality and interesting content. Publications should be interesting and attract new audiences, otherwise viewers will pass you by and ignore you.