Holy smokes, we've made it to the last week of what I'm now referring to as “Stories Month!” (I know, the name could use some work, but at least it's descriptive)


This month you've learned why you should be using Storieswhat kinds of Stories to make, and how to structure them. This week we will take all that we learned this month and add a little pizzazz!

Here are a few simple ways to take your Stories to the next level:


  • Mix your Media: It can get a little stale if every single slide of your Story looks too similar. So my recommendation is to mix your media! For example: If slides 1-4 are showing videos of you talking to the camera, make slide five a photo or graphic. This can often be just jarring enough to make your audience pay attention if they're starting to slip into zombie tap mode.  TIP: This slide is a good one for summarizing the previous slides.


  • Use Stickers: Engagement stickers are a great way to, well, engage your audience. Often throwing a poll or even a slider sticker every couple of slides can help make your audience pay attention in the same way mixing your media can. TIP: instead of having the answers of a poll be “yes” or “no," put more words in your audience's mouthes. For example: “Have you tried our rosé before?”: “So Delicious!” “Not yet!”


  • Brand Them: This is a super simple thing, but ensuring you're using your brand colors on your Stories can not only make them look clean they can also make them look recognizable. For example, you very likely know that you're watching my Stories without having to see my username because I use yellow for all of my captions. TIPhere is how to use your brand colors in Stories


  • Use Captions: Something like 70% of people watch Stories without sound on, so it would benefit you to add closed captions to your stories (either by using the captions sticker or by typing them out yourself. TIP: I prefer typing mine out even though it takes a bit longer because sometimes people want to read it all at once rather than waiting for you to get to the point.


  • Chunk your Stories Down: Instead of posting, say, 15 Story slides in a ten minute period, I find it helpful to space them out into chunks. I have found that spacing them out means they get more views overall. For example, post 5 slides in the morning, 5 in the afternoon, and 5 in the evening, so that if the first chunk “expires” after 24 hours or if someone has already viewed the first chunk, the next chunk will get pushed to their attention!


Incorporating one or more of these strategies will help make your stories shine, which will result in more views, more engagement, and a very happy you!


Need more support? Book a 1:1 Strategy Session with me and we can outline a whole-ass plan for you to absolutely crush the Instagram game. We can focus on Stories, Reels, or any other feature you're struggling with to help make you more confident and actually enjoy your time using this app!