Last week I told you why I think Instagram Stories are the shit. This week I'm going to give you a few ideas for what kinds of stories wine brands should make!

I have three main ways of coming up with Stories ideas:

  1. What stories I want to save as Highlights at the top of my profile;
  2. What kind of content I want to test out before committing to it as a feed post, and;
  3. What is going on right now that needs to be shared in the moment.

 

Highlights: Even though stories need only last 24 hours (that's one of the reasons they are so great!), there are some stories that you may want to live on a little longer. There is a simple way of coming up with what should live on as a Highlight: What items do you have on the menu of your website? 


Here are some examples:

  • Visit us: what are your hours and what do your experiences look like?
  • Wine Club: share information about your wine club and how to join
  • About us: Literally, share your story in your Stories

*Important: be sure to keep your Highlights up to date. I recommend checking in on them once per month to ensure the information is still true

 

Content Testing: Sometimes when I have an idea for a post but I'm not sure how it will be received or if it's worth its own post, I will share it with Stories first. Examples:

  • Tasting notes of current releases
  • Pairing ideas for food
  • Literally asking your audience (using the question box or poll stickers) what kind of content they want to see


In the Moment: The original intention of stories was to show people what's going on right now. So, they are a great place to keep people up to date on what you have going on! Examples:

  • Behind-the-scenes: What's going on in the winery or vineyard right now?
  • Upcoming events
  • Current promotions

Next week we will talk about how to structure your stories for maximum effect but in the meantime… Your action item: Write down at least one story idea under each of the above categories to post in the next week.