Master the Algorithm and Boost Engagement on Instagram Stories
Instagram has become one of the top social media platforms for connecting people to a business or brand through engaging visuals. From sharing videos and photos on your Feed to creating organic Stories and Reels, Instagram’s evolution has given creators and businesses new ways to grow their following. In reality, if you want to increase your engagement, Instagram Stories are not optional – they are the key to growing your engagement on the platform.
Since sharing Instagram Stories is vital for growing your platform, BeFunky’s Graphic Designer is stocked with an impressive array of Instagram Story templates. These are pre-designed by professional graphic designers and fully customizable to suit your Instagram Story vision. With just a few drag-and-drops, you can create engaging Instagram Stories in no time.
How to Master Instagram’s Algorithm for Better Engagement
What you want to make sure of when using Instagram is that you are creating content that gets favored on Instagram’s algorithm. Instagram’s algorithm is a set of rules that rank content on the platform to correctly pair users with the kinds of content they like engaging with. The most important factors in the current algorithm is the relationship between the viewer and creator, the interests of the user, and the relevancy of the content you are producing. If you are constantly liking coffee-related images, you will get more coffee-related companies and content curated for you.
Even further, there is a specific algorithm for Instagram Stories as well. The top influences for the Stories algorithm are the information included within your story like music, stickers, and engagement on the story including likes, polls, and replies. The more you interact with certain profiles, the more you will see their content pop up and vice versa. If you’re a company, the more people interact with you, the more likely you are to show up during their session.
Top 3 Ways to Boost Engagement on Instagram Stories
Posting to Instagram Stories is a great way to increase engagement on your Instagram account. Not only this but they can help funnel your followers to your website by using creative stickers that are built right into the platform.
The goal with engagement is not to simply get more engagement for engagement’s sake, but to use the engagement to fulfil your deeper goals like brand awareness, increasing sales, etc. Here are some of the best ways to increase engagement on your Instagram Stories:
1. Add a Sticker Link to Increase Customers
Instagram Stories are built to be interactive. Instagram Stories include a swipe up feature for business accounts with over 10k followers, which means you are able to link directly to any URL you want. If you aren’t quite there with your following, Instagram Stories gives you the ability to link to any site you want with their sticker links. Quickly direct your followers to a new blog post or a sale page in your online shop.
This option can be found in the Sticker section. Simply select the Sticker tool from the top navigation bar in Stories and then select Link. Add your custom link. Once added, you can change the color of how the link is presented by clicking on the link in your story before you share it.
2. Tag Your Geolocation to Grow Organically
Using the Location sticker and location-specific Instagram hashtags is a great way to increase engagement simply because it increases local discovery. Remember, the more interaction you can have, the better your Engagement and the better you will perform in the algorithm. This is also one of the top ways to attract people who aren’t currently following you.
As a note, be careful about posting your location to your profile while you are still currently at the location. This could potentially let harmful users know exactly where you are and if you are with other people or alone. I generally will wait to post my stories from the day until I am in a safe location for the evening. You could also wait to post the previous story until you are at your next location. Always remember to stay safe when using social media!
3. Use Polls to Boost Story Engagement
You can use stories to take polls or ask questions directly to your followers. Not only does this increase your engagement, but this also allows your brand to become more approachable by building trust, all while helping you gain feedback from your audience. An overall win, win kind of situation.
The Perfect Instagram Story Templates for Engagement
Now that we know about Instagram’s algorithm and a few tips to help you boost your Instagram engagement, let’s take a look at some Instagram Story templates BeFunky’s Graphic Designer has to offer. At the time of writing, we are heading into the colder months, so we’ve included our favorite seasonal templates as inspiration. Most already include excellent CTAs and aesthetic graphics, so all you have to do is customize them to fit your needs!
While I love to create stories that are in alignment with a brand’s visual style and I love to create Instagram Story sets, posting a pre-designed template can give you a big boost without much thought or effort!
Fall Instagram Story Templates
Whether you need to hire a seasonal employee or boast about your new fall recipes, we have tons of fall or autumn Instagram Story templates to choose from. If you like the design of another template, you can simply change the colors of it to match the theme you are going for.
Holloween Instagram Story Templates
It seems people have been gearing up for Halloween months before the actual day. If you want to join in or prep your social media for the month of October, you can do a This Or That, Halloween Edition, or advertise for a sale you will be having. Don’t forget to use the geolocation tagging above in your Instagram Story post.
Thanksgiving Instagram Story Templates
During this time of year, you can share a sale you have going on, or more importantly, you can simply share a motivational quote that you think would resonate with your audience. These have a high share rate, especially if you post them to your Feed so that people can save and share them with their friends.
To use a tip from above, use polls during this time to see your audience’s preferences and get more engagement on your Stories.
Christmas Instagram Story Templates
If you have a blog and want to share some tips about how to take good family photos, want to share a digital version of your holiday card, or simply wish people a Happy Holiday or Merry Christmas, your Instagram Stories are a great place for it. With so many influencers sharing holiday gift guides, you can also create an Instagram Story set to do just that!
Grow Your Instagram Stories Engagement
Ready to boost your Instagram engagement? It’s time to design your next Instagram Story in our Graphic Designer. Use our tips above to not only create design-worthy Instagram Stories, but to make Stories that increase your engagement.
