More people are turning to Instagram Stories to view content from their favorite businesses. The latest data shows an incredible 500 million people tune into Instagram Stories every single day!
And those people are interested in your business and the products and services you have to offer.
But to find success on Instagram Stories, you need to post consistently. Instagram experts like Chalene Johnson advise posting at least 10 times per day on your Stories.
That might seem like a lot of content, which is why we put together a list of creative Instagram Story ideas so you never run out of things to post!
Plus, we’ll show you how to use Moovly—our free video editor—to batch create Stories for your Instagram account!
26 creative Instagram Story ideas for businesses
We’re breaking the Instagram Story ideas up into three distinct sections:
Instagram Story ideas to showcase your offerings
1. Introduce a new product
Have a new product? Use your Instagram Stories to feature it. Because your Stories are only up for 24 hours, you can—and should—post several Instagram Stories over a period of several days to announce your latest product.
Starbucks announces a new product on their Instagram Story. Image via @starbuckscanada
2. Product explainer videos
Explainer videos help current and future customers understand what your product does and how they can use it.
Love Wellness goes into detail about one of their products on their Instagram Story. Image via @lovewellness
But keep in mind that Instagram Stories only have a 24-hour lifespan. For content you want to keep longer than that, add them to your Instagram Story Highlights. This way, new followers can learn about your products even if they weren’t a follower when you initially posted your explainer video.
2. Product explainer videos
Explainer videos help current and future customers understand what your product does and how they can use it.
Love Wellness goes into detail about one of their products on their Instagram Story. Image via @lovewellness
But keep in mind that Instagram Stories only have a 24-hour lifespan. For content you want to keep longer than that, add them to your Instagram Story Highlights. This way, new followers can learn about your products even if they weren’t a follower when you initially posted your explainer video.
Feature your explainer videos on your Instagram Story Highlights for current and future followers to watch beyond a 24 hours. Image via @lovewellness
3. Share information about your products
Crafting informational posts and adding them to your Stories helps customers better understand the products you have to offer.
Since you’re working with limited room on your Stories, it’s best to keep your informational posts brief, just like Banana Republic has done.
Banana Republic shares brief information about their products. Image via @bananarepublic
Feature your explainer videos on your Instagram Story Highlights for current and future followers to watch beyond a 24 hours. Image via @lovewellness
4. Mini tutorials
Tutorials serve two purposes: to help current customers use your product better and to show prospective customers what using your product is like.
Add mini tutorials to your Stories as well as your Instagram Story Highlights so followers can watch them whenever they like.
Quick tutorials, like the one Tailwind put together, can help your audience use your products. Image via @tailwindapp
Feature your explainer videos on your Instagram Story Highlights for current and future followers to watch beyond a 24 hours. Image via @lovewellness
Use Moovly to create professional video tutorials complete with music, text, and video transitions!
5. Highlight a promotion
Have an upcoming sale? Use your Instagram Stories to build hype before and during the promotion.
Several pill bottles with the text “you’re invited to our biggest sale of the year.”
6. Do a sneak peek for new offerings
Giving sneak peaks to your newest products via your Stories can make followers feel like they are part of something exclusive.
Chanel shares a glimpse into their latest collection on their Instagram Story. Image via @chanelofficial
To drum up excitement, make sure your sneak peak looks professional. Using Moovly, you can edit your footage, add music, and other effects and transitions to your video.
7. Countdown to a new product
Countdowns on Instagram are perfect for announcing something exciting to your followers. With the countdown sticker, encourage your followers to tap for a reminder. This way, when your new product goes live, your followers will get a notification, and you’ll potentially get a boost of sales!
Use the countdown feature to build excitement about a launch. Image via @girlfriend
Instagram Story ideas to showcase your business
8. Give a behind-the-scenes (BTS) tour
Let your followers take a peak and post videos of what goes on behind the scenes. Customers value transparency, and letting them see your operations can build trust.
General Electric used their Stories to share a BTS look at the making of a new jet engine. Each Story was educational and featured experts discussing the creation process.
Share behind-the-scenes videos with your followers. Image via @generalelectric
Before uploading your behind-the-scenes video, use Moovly to trim and edit any unnecessary footage.
9. Company introductions with your staff and CEO
On the topic of transparency, your customers want to see who works behind the brand. Put faces to your business and establish a strong connection between you and your followers.
Love Wellness establishes credibility by showcasing the experts on their team. Image via @lovewellness
10. Q&As with select team members
Your team is likely full of experts in different departments who can answer questions from your followers. Take the San Diego Zoo, for example. They hosted a Q&A with one of their experts to chat about hippos.
The Q&A sticker on Instagram lets you answer questions from your followers. Image via @sandiegozoo
11. Answer your FAQs
Every business should have an FAQ Instagram Highlight. Not only can it cut down on the amount of direct messages you get from people asking questions, but it also improves your user’s experience while interacting with your brand.
Answer FAQs and save them as Instagram Highlights so followers can refer back to them. Image via @saltyseadogdesigns
12. Share industry-related information
Position your business as an expert by sharing something about your industry. Annie Blay is an editor with The Zoe Report (a style and fashion brand) and recently shared her favorite beauty products to their Instagram Stories.
Through a series of Instagram Stories, Annie Blay discusses beauty industry trends. Images via @thezoereport
13. Host a Live event
Going Live is an Instagram feature you shouldn’t ignore. When you go Live, your account gets prime real estate in the Instagram feed—right at the front of all the other Instagram Stories.
Going Live puts you at the front of the Instagram Stories feed for followers who interact with your brand
Promote your Live on your Instagram Stories prior to the main event so people know to tune in. You can go Live by yourself, or invite other industry experts to join you.
Promote your Live on your Instagram Stories so people know when to tune in. Image via @larocheposay
14. Share hiring posts
Finding and hiring employees is expensive. If your followers are also your ideal employees, consider putting out a hiring blast through your Instagram Stories. Attract top talent and people who are already passionate about your business.
Reach potential talent by promoting job postings. Image via @hm
Instagram Story ideas to repurpose your content
14. Share a new Instagram post to your Story
Want an easy way to get more likes and engagement on a new post? Share it straight to your Instagram Story. Followers can tap onto the original feed post if they want to leave a comment or a like.
Share posts from your Instagram feed to drive more engagement. Image via @thetorontozoo
15. Share a blog post with your followers
Add a link—in replace of the newly-retired swipe up feature—to your Instagram Stories and share your latest blog post.
Share blog posts through Instagram’s link sticker. Image via @magnolia
16. Share what you’re currently working on
Your audience wants to see what new things are in the works, and letting them peak behind the curtain gives a sense of exclusivity.
Let your followers see what you’re working on right now. Image via @canva
Instagram Story ideas using user generated content (UGC)
17. Share video testimonials
72% of consumers say reading testimonials and reviews builds their trust towards a business. Take your video testimonials and add them to your Instagram Stories, your Instagram Story Highlights, or do what Ilmakiage did, and add them to an Instagram Ad!
Use customer testimonials to build trust with your audience. Image via @ilmakiage
18. Share posts from your customers using your products to your own Story
Want more engagement on Instagram? Incorporate user-generated content (UGC) into your strategy. UGC drives 6.9 times more engagement than brand-generated posts. Why? It feels trustworthy and more authentic.
And as an added bonus, it cuts down on your content-creation time, too!
When people tag you in posts, share them to your story. Image via @girlfriend
19. Screenshots of customer reviews
Another form of user-generated content is customer reviews, and like we’ve already mentioned, testimonials and reviews build trust.
Have a mix of video testimonials and written reviews from your customers. Both boost your credibility and can nudge your followers to become customers.
Screenshot written reviews and testimonials and add them to your Stories. Image via @saltyseadogdesigns
20. Customer interviews
There’s a subtle difference between customer interviews and testimonials. Testimonials are explicit reviews about your product, whereas customer interviews tend to be much longer. You still discuss your product, but you give your customer the opportunity to talk about themselves as well.
Customer interviews let potential customers identify with the person they’re watching. If they see someone who reflects their values, they may turn into a customer themselves.
Talk to customers and share their perspectives with your followers. Image via @airbnb
21. Repost Stories that mention you
Reposting Instagram Stories that mention your brand is an easy way to build credibility, especially if you’re being mentioned by other big brands or influencers.
Just as you can share Instagram feed posts, you can also share Stories that mention your brand. Image via @a24
Instagram Story ideas to engage your followers
22. Poll your followers
Polls are a fun way to interact with brands, and they require little effort to answer on behalf of the viewer. Make your polls easy to understand and answer by asking questions related to your brand.
Polls are a simple way for followers to interact with your brand. Image via @nike
23. Ask for suggestions
Asking your audience what they want from you can give you future content ideas and help you understand which offerings of yours they like best.
Use different Instagram Story features to ask your audience for content ideas
24. Gauge their feelings on a new offering with the slider
Use the slider to do some market research. Understand what types of things your followers like and dislike so you can create future products and content they’ll love.
The slider lets you understand how your audience feels about something you post. Image via @ikeausa
25. Host a contest
Hosting a contest on Instagram not only gets you more engagement, but it can also get you more followers if you ask people to tag someone as an entry rule.
Promote contests on your Instagram Stories. As a bonus, ask people to share your Story or tag someone in a post for more exposure. Image via @indigo
26. Create a quiz for your followers
With the quiz sticker, see how much your audience knows about your industry by quizzing them. At the end of the quiz, you get to see the results. Create content around questions most people get wrong to educate your audience.
See how much your audience knows about your industry with a quiz. Image via @nespresso.ca
Put these Instagram Story ideas to action
You can make Instagram Stories right in the Instagram app, but it’s clunky, imprecise, and the lack of design elements leaves your Stories feeling flat.
Using Moovly, you can quickly batch create striking Instagram Stories! Here’s how.
First, sign up for your free Moovly account.
Open Moovly’s video editor and switch the aspect ratio—under Stage Properties—to Instagram Stories Video. This turns your workspace into the right size to create your Instagram Stories.
Change your aspect ratio to the Instagram Stories Video
Next, you can upload your own media elements to use in your stories (like pictures or videos of your products, videos of your team, or your logo) or search through our libraries. Our libraries have millions of photos, videos, graphics, animated objects, and sounds for you to use.
You can choose from many different libraries to find media elements for your Instagram Stories!
After choosing the media objects you’d like, drag and drop them onto the stage.
Then add text, animate your text and objects, and then export your video. After creating your first Instagram Story, swap your media elements with something else, change the colors and text, and then you’ll have a brand new story ready to go. Do this multiple times to create a week’s worth of Instagram Stories in one sitting!
Grow your account with engaging Instagram Stories
Use the above Instagram Story ideas to get your creative juices flowing and then use Moovly to bring those ideas to life.
Ready to get started?
Sign up for a free Moovly account and create engaging Instagram Stories today!
Dana is a freelance writer who works closely with B2B SaaS brands to create content people enjoy reading. When she’s not working, you’ll find her sipping on a warm cup of tea and reading a good book (the scarier, the better). See what she’s up at www.dananicoledesigns.com
