5 Instagram Story Optimization Strategies to Increase Follower Interaction

Instagram Stories is a feature that allows users to share photos or videos that will disappear within 24 hours of being uploaded. This feature also allows users to add text, stickers, filters, or other effects to their stories. 

Users can view stories from accounts they follow at the top of their Instagram homepage or through the profiles of users who have active stories.

There are great benefits for business brands to use the Instagram Story feature to increase interaction with followers. In optimizing the use of Instagram Stories, business brands can utilize several strategies to provoke follower interaction.

Here are 5 Instagram story optimization strategies to increase follower interaction:

1. Use the question-and-answer or poll feature to provoke follower interaction. 

You can ask questions on relevant topics or create polls to gather your followers' opinions.

For example, a cosmetic brand utilized the poll feature on Instagram Stories to get feedback from its followers. The brand uploaded an image of a new cosmetic product and added a poll feature with the question "Are you interested in trying our new product? Vote YES or NO."

Once followers had made their choice, the brand provided feedback based on the poll results on their Story, as well as thanking their followers for their participation. Through this interaction, the brand can gain insights into followers' interest in their new product, as well as show appreciation to followers who have participated in the poll.

In addition, brands can also leverage polls on Instagram Stories to ask followers for their opinions on color choices or new product designs, thereby increasing interaction and strengthening relationships with followers.

2. Use the location feature to show your location and attract followers from the same area.

You can add interesting information about the location, such as the best places to eat or other interesting things.

For example, a New York-based fashion brand utilizes the location feature on Instagram Stories to showcase its stories about fashion and life in New York. They tagged popular locations such as Times Square and Central Park on their Story and posted interesting images, such as their new outfits and models at these locations.

The fashion brands also include captions and hashtags relevant to New York and fashion, making them easy to find by users searching for related content. In addition, they invited their followers to participate by tagging their favorite New York locations and using the brand's hashtags.

In doing this, the fashion brand was able to increase interaction with users and strengthen relationships with them through experiences and stories related to the locations they visited. In addition, by tagging popular locations in New York, the brand can reach a larger audience and attract the attention of users who are looking for content related to New York and fashion.

3. Use hashtags related to your content so that it is easier to find by users looking for the same topic.

Make sure the hashtags used are relevant to the content or topics discussed in the Story. This will help your content be found by users looking for related content.

For example, a Los Angeles-based real estate agency uses the hashtag feature on Instagram Stories to increase engagement and reach a wider target audience. They tag hashtags that are relevant to the property and location, such as #housesforsale, #losangelesrealestate, #beverlyhillsproperty, and #luxuryhomes.

4. Create stories that are interesting and relevant to your brand. 

Make sure your story is easy to understand and provides benefits or entertainment for your followers. an illustration is as follows:

A London-based vegan food brand wants to introduce its new product, a legume-based vegan burger. They created a story on Instagram Stories that showcased the process of making the burger, from the ingredients used to the frying process.

The food brand also included captions and hashtags relevant to vegan burgers and vegan food, making it easy to find users who search for related content. In addition, they invite their followers to participate by sharing their experiences with vegan food or tagging friends who love vegan food.

For a few days after the story was posted, the food brand also added several stories featuring their customers who had tried the vegan burger, leaving positive reviews and tagging their store locations.

In doing this, the food brand was able to increase engagement with followers and introduce its new product to a wider target audience. Additionally, they can strengthen relationships with their followers by sharing experiences and stories related to vegan food and their new product.

5. Use the link feature to direct followers to your website or promotional page. 

This can help increase traffic to your website. An example is as follows: in the story, the online cooking course brand provides a sneak peek of some of the recipes and cooking techniques that will be learned in their course. They also include a clickable link in the Instagram Story, which directs followers to their course enrollment page.

Hopefully, by effectively utilizing the Instagram Story feature, brands can achieve their marketing goals and continue to strengthen relationships with loyal and actively engaged followers.