23 Instagram Story Ideas For Brands

Instagram Stories are all the rage! Haven’t you heard? If not, let me be the bearer of good news: they’re used by some 300 million people every day. Say it with me: daaaaaamn!

You might have noticed the recent changes to the Instagram algorithm messing with your engagement numbers. If that’s the case, using Stories is more important than ever to keep your existing followers engaged and to captivate new ones.

Need some inspiration? Here are 23 Instagram Story ideas you can steal borrow to get started in the Story game today.

1. Daily Wisdom

My local coffee shop has a chalkboard out front where they write daily wisdom, like “with coffee all things are possible.” Come up with a few witty one liners related to your industry and share them every morning.

Some coffee wisdom from @coffeedosecm

2. Outside Our Window

It’s likely that you have some customers who will never set foot in your office. Use your stories to give them a peek at where you spend your time and the area around it.

3. Follower Shoutouts

Do you have a super-fan who always likes your posts or tags your products? Give them a shoutout! Even better if you can send them a freebie or some other perk and get them to take a picture with it.

@Thehavenly regularly features followers’ projects

4. How To’s

In order to buy from you, customers need to be able to envision your product or service as a part of their daily life. Help them see it with some how to’s showcasing what you sell.

5. Lunch Date

We’ve all gotta eat! Show us what’s on your plate when you’re having something particularly yummy or interesting

6. Expert Advice

Your unique expertise is one of the things that sets you apart. Promote that expertise by giving insider advice that your followers will find valuable.

For an added element of engagement, ask for questions from your followers and answer them in a story series.

7. Customer Poll

One cool thing about Instagram Stories is the poll feature. Give customers the choice between two options and see what the results are. It might be something serious, like feedback on your product, or something lighthearted, like which team followers are rooting for in an upcoming game.

I love how @era81_official engages their audience using polls

8. City Spotlight

Show your city some love by capturing some of your favorite places. Use the location tagging feature, which will also help your story get discovered by others in the area.

9. Hashtag Piggyback

Hashtags work the same way as location tagging in that they help new people discover your stories. Jump onboard and use a trending hashtag in your stories to get in on the action.

10. Silly Selfie

Who can resist the dog filter? Have a little fun and show your followers your goofy side with a shameless selfie.

11. Birthday Love

If you work on a team, there’s bound to be a birthday or two coming up! Wish the birthday boy or girl well with a dedicated story shoutout.

12. Lighthearted Rant

People are drawn to conflict. It’s why we love reality TV. Give your followers a little bit of drama by sounding off on something that’s bugging you. It might be a legitimate rant about something in your industry that grinds your gears, or something light that everyone can relate to like being stuck in traffic.

13. Funny Story

Did you trip over thin air in your office lobby? See a squirrel stealing French fries by the picnic tables? Share the story and a laugh with your followers.

14. On Our Playlist

Instagram Stories aren’t just limited to visuals; they can include audio, too. Snap a story of the album you’re currently playing on repeat with your favorite track running in the background.

15. Solve Our Problem

Debating between two new logos? Not sure which image to use on your homepage? Pose the question to your followers and ask them to weigh in.

Not only is this a great form of engagement, but a means to get actual, useful audience feedback from real prospective customers

16. Age Old Debate

Coffee or tea? (Coffee.) Mountains or beach? (Beach.) Blue cheese or ranch? (Ranch or you’re some kind of psychopath).

Clearly we all have our opinions. Ask your followers for their take on one of these age-old debates.

17. Boomerang

Boomerangs are those fun, short little video clips that play on repeat. Frivolous? Maybe. But users love them!

For best Boomerang results, focus on capturing one fluid motion, like a sales associate pulling new merchandise out of a box or you raising a toast with your cup of coffee.

18. Sneak Peek

Everyone loves an inside scoop! Let your followers in on what’s coming soon for your brand, be it a marketing campaign, new product, office update, etc.

@scribnerslodge used stories to build excitement about the summer season

19. Top Secret Countdown

One of my favorite bands does this on Instagram Stories each time they’re about to release a new single or announce a set of tour dates. It works well to build excitement surrounding whatever it is you’re about to unveil, and keeps your followers coming back to see the big reveal.

To do it, pick a countdown window like a week or a day and post regular updates with teasers and the amount of time left until the reveal.

20. Influencer Takeover

An influencer takeover is exactly what it sounds like; an influencer takes over your Instagram account for the day and posts a series of stories detailing their experience with your brand.

Influencers love doing takeovers because they build credibility and help them reach new followers. On the other side, they’re great for brands because you get an entire day’s worth of authentic, user-generated content out of the deal.

You can secure an influencer takeover by offering something like a free product or entry into an exclusive event, or simply by paying the influencer a flat fee.

21. Brand Crush

We all want the same thing: to build our audience and make more sales. Why not spread some love by sharing some positive words about a brand you admire?

You’ll not only build goodwill and pave the way for possible future collaborations, you might even get a sweet shoutout of your own in return.

@escapebklyn shares some love for a nearby restaurant

22. Trending Topic

Whether it’s the Super Bowl, the Royal Wedding, or Laurel versus Yanny, trending topics aren’t just fun; they’re a ripe opportunity for brands to capture attention! Tap into the trend and build camaraderie with your followers by sharing your comments in an Instagram Story.

23. Goals

Sharing your goals means being vulnerable, but it’s a quality audiences want to see. Use an Instagram Story to outline your goals as a brand for the year ahead. Then call on your followers to support you along the way!

The nice thing about Instagram Stories is that they’re fleeting; they’re only around for 24 hours, so it’s okay for them to be a bit more improvised and spontaneous than your normal posts. Have fun with it and let your personality shine.