These ephemeral (short-lived) posts are goldmines for engagement, thanks to their interactive features and endless customization options. Link stickers, polls, quizzes, music, effects – the possibilities are endless! But with so many options, the question boils down to this: what content should you actually be posting in an Instagram Story Post? We hope to answer that through this blog. 

So, are you ready to elevate your Instagram Story game? Dive right in and discover creative post ideas to keep your audience coming back for more.

13 Instagram Story Post Ideas Every Brand Should Try 

Just to be clear, the ideas are truly limitless when it comes to creating an engaging Instagram Story post for your brand page. We are only covering a few of the most versatile and effective ones among them. Ones that nearly every brand in every industry can benefit from. 

1. Announce your latest and greatest 

An Instagram Story post can be an effective medium to deliver a big announcement. Perhaps a new store opening or a new product launch. 

The Story post here is from the Instagram page of the popular skincare brand Rhode owned by Hailey Bieber. This post introduces their new blush. 

So, how do you make the most of this idea? 

• Create stunning product shots.
• Use relevant lifestyle shots if required. 
• Feature actual people using your new product for a more authentic introduction. 
• Focus on the unique selling point of the product introduced. 
• If it is for a store opening, add glimpses into the new store. 
• Include details about the location of the store and what makes it special. 

KIMP Tip: As for the design of these announcement posts, visuals can be your best companion. In addition to eye-catching visuals that stop the scroll, incorporate exciting Instagram features like their Frames sticker that has a Shake to Reveal option. 

2. A sneak peek into discounts 

When people already know that they can shop from your website, one of the reasons they choose to engage with your brand on social media is to get instant updates. To feel like an insider. Story Posts come in handy for this. Especially because they appear at the top of the page for your followers. 

Considering all these, use your Story posts to give your followers a sneak peek into discounts. Or better yet, add a discount code and a clickable link that takes them to the offer page. 

In the example here, the renowned big-box store, Costco added a series of Instagram Story posts to feature some exclusive discounts for members. 

KIMP Tip: Use copy and visuals to cohesively highlight the value of the discounts featured. In other words, focus on answering what is in it for a customer. Such Story posts will not only keep existing customers engaged but also convince visiting leads to follow your page for such updates in the future. 

3. Share links to articles 

Instagram Story posts can be valuable assets in content marketing. If you have a strong blogging game and wish to increase traffic to your blog or your website in general, a well-crafted Instagram Story post helps. 

This can be a direct link to a blog post on your website or even a guest article or one where your brand is featured. In the below Story, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez adopts the latter. 

KIMP Tip: A simple “Swipe Up to Read More” might not be enough. You need to design eye-catching visuals to go with the Story. This visual should compel followers to click on the link. A good way to do this will be to create something that’s similar to or visually consistent with your blog feature image. 

Need help designing cohesive visuals for your brand’s diverse digital channels? Get KIMP! 

4. Share creative ideas relevant to your target audience 

You can never go wrong with creative ideas and tips relevant to your target audience. You probably have a ton of screenshots and Saved Post Collections on Instagram – filled with impressive ideas you came across. An Instagram Story post that gives useful tips and ideas on your page has a good chance of making it to your customer’s Screenshot album. 

Moreover, posts that share ideas, irrespective of their format, establish you as a thought leader which is great! 

The image here is a Story post from the popular apparel company, TJ Maxx. Along with this, they featured a set of Story posts each giving a different outfit idea for a different occasion. This brilliantly incorporates their product catalog while also delivering something of value to their target audience. 

KIMP Tip: Instead of sounding over-promotional, create engaging visual narratives that present your ideas and seamlessly incorporate your products into them. For maximum impact with this strategy, keep the text minimal and let your visuals do the talking. 

5. Spark engagement with interactive content 

The treasure trove of interactive stickers available on Instagram Stories is definitely one of the distinguishing elements of this format. Therefore, make good use of these. Create stunning themes that include questions, Emoji sliders, or polls that encourage your followers to interact with your Story.

The below Instagram Story post Tic Tac’s page incorporates a poll sticker with an easy question. 

You can also create something relatable and shareable like the one here on Pixar’s page. The post seamlessly initiates conversations about their recent hit Inside Out 2. 

KIMP Tip: Keep the questions clear and relatable because your Story stays on your customer’s screen for a brief few seconds. And within these few seconds, it’s meant to motivate them to interact. 

6. Stay on top of trends 

There are several trends that you simply cannot ignore on social media. This could be because they are relevant to your target customers. However, creating a post for every trend can mess with the aesthetic of your Instagram grid. That’s where an Instagram Story post can be of help. 

Since Story posts disappear in a day, you can create content that aligns with trends without hampering your Instagram aesthetics. 

For example, here, Netflix hopped on the trend of adding “Add Yours” stickers to Stories by featuring a blank of their iconic billboard. 

KIMP Tip: Remember to include any relevant hashtags that go with the trend. Also, if there are any colors or fonts that seem to be retained, they should have a place in your design too! 

7. Customer stories 

Authentic customer stories help build trust. Therefore, one of the best applications of Instagram Stories will be featuring customer stories and reviews. 

If you have a small customer base and if the review was left personally in a DM, ask permission before featuring customer content. Additionally, if the customer agrees, you could also tag them on the respective story to give them credit. 

KIMP Tip: If you do not have a good collection of video testimonials to feature, simply use screenshots of reviews. But for these, use branded templates and creative story formats like collages or text overlays to showcase them in a visually appealing manner. 

8. Shoppable Story posts 

Using your Story posts as a virtual catalog can work wonders. Shoppable Instagram Story posts tackle the paradox of choice and feature a single product recommendation per frame. Of course, you need to come up with a relevant theme to present these recommendations. 

Such shoppable Instagram Story posts can function similar to shopping guides and hence can be particularly useful during sale seasons or even during holidays. 

For instance, in the Story here, Target featured recommendations based on trends. 

KIMP Tip: Data shows that the retention rate for Story posts drops below 75% after the 7th frame. Hence ensure that you do not overwhelm your audience with too many frames.

9. Teaser advertising 

Teaser advertising appears slightly tricky and yet it’s a valuable marketing format. It might appear tricky because the idea is to build anticipation without giving away too much information. Story posts can be of immense help in this regard. These can be for an upcoming product launch or anything exciting that’s brewing in your business. 

Here again, the Frame feature that lets customers shake their smartphone to reveal the update and a DM to reveal option comes in handy. The revelation or response in the DM can be a direct link to the product launch landing page or even an option to sign up with their email for updates. Another idea is to add a countdown sticker so customers can be notified when the big reveal happens. 

In the example here Disney teases the arrival of one of their new attractions. 

KIMP Tip: Use copy and visuals that evoke curiosity. Also, since you might have a bunch of such teasers going on your Instagram Stories until the big announcement, maintain a cohesive visual theme for all these posts. 

10. Tell your brand story 

Stories deliver an engaging presentation of information and are visually intriguing. Therefore, they make a great choice for presenting your brand story to your audience. This is one of those Instagram Story post ideas that can effectively move to your Story Highlights section. 

Furthermore, communicating your brand story is one way to strengthen brand awareness and authenticity. This can be an engaging narrative of how your business started out or your brand values, mission, and vision. 

The Instagram Story post featured here is from the popular dessert brand, Crumbl Cookies. There is a series of posts delving into the brand’s origin story. 

KIMP Tip: Since you are communicating something unique to your brand, something that shapes your brand image, use your brand elements effectively. To achieve this include your brand colors, your brand mascot, or even your brand’s signature visual style. 

11. Unveil the magic with behind-the-scenes stories 

One of the most popular ways in which several brands use their Instagram Stories is to give a peek into what happens behind the scenes. Given the temporary nature of this post format, it lets you share unfiltered authentic versions of your company. These can be glimpses of the process involved in creating, developing, or sourcing your products or even the packaging process or your teams at work. 

For instance, in this Instagram Story post, Walmart gave a peek into one of their offline events. 

KIMP Tip: You can use short videos that are composed of raw footage with minimal edits or even a slideshow of images. However, behind-the-scenes content is meant to be raw and authentic. Hence keep the edits to a minimum. 

12. Shoutouts 

Is there a favorite influencer you would like to feature? Or perhaps a local brand that you wish to give a shoutout to? Then Instagram Stories make wonderful channels for this. 

Instagram Story posts with shoutouts show appreciation and build a sense of community. Furthermore, you foster goodwill, strengthen relationships, and encourage further engagement. This also opens an opportunity for the brands or influencers you feature to get in touch with you for possible collaborations. 

In the below Story, popular supermarket chain Whole Foods featured some of their favorite brands during Pride Month. Taking cues from this combine seasonal campaigns with such shoutout posts on your Instagram Stories. 

KIMP Tip: Pick a relevant post from the chosen account or a suitable visual to represent them. And to make the shoutout more personal, add a line about the brand itself or why you chose to feature them. Finally, do not forget to tag their account to let them know that they were featured. 

13. As a cross-promotion aid  

Instagram Story posts are great for giving instant updates to your existing audience. Therefore, it makes a great place for the cross-promotion of your content from other channels. 

Earlier, we spoke about featuring your blog links. But that’s not all. You can also create short trailers of your YouTube videos to direct your followers to your YouTube channel. Or add an audiogram to your recent podcast episode to increase the reach of your podcast. Similar to what Trader Joe’s has done here: 

KIMP Tip: Your copy should clearly communicate what the featured content is and who it is for. This makes it easier for your followers to decide whether they want to leave Instagram and check out the featured content on another channel. Of course, you need a relevant and prominent CTA to achieve this. 

So there is an abundance of ideas to explore. It all depends on how you execute these ideas. After all, a sloppy Story post is equivalent to posting no Story post at all. For that matter, it can even be even more detrimental as poor design can bring down your brand’s reputation. Therefore here are some design ideas to remember when creating your Instagram Story posts. 

Quick Design Tips for Instagram Story Posts 

Use relevant colors 

Identify the most relevant color palette for your chosen theme and for your target audience. This could align with your brand colors or seasonal colors depending on the purpose of the post. But remember not to overwhelm your audience with too many colors or irrelevant colors. 

For example, the Instagram Story post here uses Christmas colors to resonate with the theme. Furthermore, the use of Christmas symbols accentuates the effect of these colors.  

Use clear and legible fonts 

In addition to the right colors you also need the right fonts to make your Instagram Story post work its magic. 

If you wish to incorporate ornate fonts limit them to the title text and go with clear legible sans-serif or sleek serif fonts for the main text. This makes it easier for users to read the copy without visual strain. But yes, keep the text minimal since each frame stays on the screen only for a few seconds. Long lines of text mean that the user has to hold the frame to read the whole thing which pretty much contradicts the effortless viewing experience that Story posts are known for. 

Create templates for a cohesive look 

In addition to choosing the best colors and fonts, you also need to use them consistently to maximize the impact. Consistency across frames as well as consistency across Instagram Story posts shared on different days further help with strengthening your brand. 

Here’s an example of how cohesive visuals help create an engaging narrative. 

Add a relevant CTA 

Your Instagram Story post needs a CTA (call-to-action) if you wish to boost engagement. This CTA should be a relevant one that takes customers to the next step. Without a CTA, users will just scroll past your Story post and there’s no tangible outcome for your brand. However, ensure that you choose a relevant CTA and include a catchy copy to make the CTA clickable. 

This can be in the form of links to a connected landing page or links to articles or product pages, or even a call to drop a message to get more information. Above all, use contrasting colors and bold text to ensure that users do not miss the CTA. 

Be mindful of Instagram safe zones 

Safe zone is just a fancy term for the visible area in a post on Instagram. In other words, the area that is not shrouded by the interface elements like the user name displayed at the top in the case of Instagram Story posts and the user name, audio track, and description covering the bottom part of the screen in an Instagram Reel. A good practice is to avoid adding too much information and critical details in these areas. 

Leave enough border space so that your message is loud and clear. 

Don’t forget the aesthetics of your Highlights section 

Since Story posts can be saved in the Highlights section on your page for your followers or new users to check out later, we cannot ignore this section as well. A well-organized and aesthetically appealing Highlights section can draw attention to your old Story posts and increase their life span. The Highlights section on the Instagram page of Froot Loops exemplifies this. 

Get KIMP & Design Visually Intriguing Instagram Story Posts 

So, there are ideas and there are design best practices. How do you bring them together to ensure that every Instagram Story post you create works in favor of your brand? By working with professional designers who can bring these ideas of yours to life. With a dedicated design team like the one you get with a KIMP subscription, your assigned team will be working on all your social media graphics including your Story posts and regular posts on an ongoing basis. This lets you steadily shape your Instagram aesthetics. 

Ready to see how an unlimited design service can give your social media presence a boost? Register now for a free 7-day trial of KIMP!