
If rising engagement is your objective, the suitable Instagram Story concepts will get you there.
Instagram is the most-used social media platform for Gen Z (ages 16-26) and continues to quickly rise in reputation amongst all ages, now rating third with 50% of U.S. adults.
Plus, Instagram customers of all ages spend probably the most, being twice as prone to spend over $1,000 in comparison with customers on different social media platforms.
Instagram Tales is a novel format that helps construct belief, attain new individuals, and nurture your current viewers. These are the highest content material concepts to develop proper now.
Bonus: Declare your free pack of 30 Instagram Story background templates created by Hootsuite’s skilled graphic designers. Simply customise them in Canva, and take your Story sport to the following degree right now.
11 Instagram Story concepts for novices
1. Share a product photograph
Video is nice for Instagram Tales, however a easy photograph works wonders too. You don’t want a flowery photoshoot. Maintain up a product, snap a pic, identify it, and share.

Supply: @sacheu on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Share a current shot from a photoshoot or product photograph and add a hyperlink sticker.
- Bonus: Add a hyperlink sticker to buy that product in your web site.
2. Characteristic a evaluate
Share buyer testimonials to your Instagram Story as a part of your Instagram advertising and marketing technique, both instantly from a buyer’s Instagram feed publish or create your individual with a photograph, the shopper’s evaluate, and their identify (if relevant).

Supply: @getsproutsocial on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Pair a evaluate with a hyperlink to the product or one other name to motion.
3. Share new Reels and posts in a Story
Add a contact of thriller to your Instagram Story and direct individuals to your newest content material.
Personally, I discover a considerable improve in likes, feedback, and shares after I share certainly one of my Reels or Instagram posts to my Instagram Story.
It’s a primary concept, however extremely efficient at boosting engagement. Bonus tip: add trending music or a enjoyable sound to make it much more partaking and vibey.
Add a contact of thriller to your Instagram Story and tease your newest publish or Reel, type of like how individuals tease a full TikTok in Tales.

Supply: @vavadesignercakes on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Share new Reels, carousels, and posts to your Story and slap a “New Submit” sticker over high so viewers should faucet on it to see your full publish.
4. Share user-generated content material
Much like the above, repost content material the place your viewers mentions you to your Story — it’s a easy option to spotlight community-driven content material creation and nice social proof!

Supply: @lumierecafe_broadway on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
5. Ballot your viewers
Nobody can resist a one-tap, a number of alternative ballot sticker. Nobody!
It solely takes somebody a second to reply your ballot and every click on counts as engagement. Plus, it’s an excellent alternative to subtly drop product options to coach your viewers.

Supply: @thelocalspace on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Ask for suggestions out of your viewers about what merchandise they wish to see, or different precious insights.
- Use a ballot to coach your viewers by posting it alongside “Do you know” model questions together with your product options because the solutions.
6. Quiz your viewers
Quiz stickers are interactive and a enjoyable option to gamify your Instagram Tales.
Ask your viewers trivia questions on your model or merchandise, or have them attempt to guess what’s arising at your upcoming launch.

Supply: @wiseguytriviayyc on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Mega engagement Instagram Story concept: Hyperlink to a product web page, then use a quiz to ask questions. Enter those that received the right solutions into giveaways.
7. Have a good time milestones
Reached 50,000 Instagram followers? 100,000? Bought your one centesimal or 10,000th order? Thank your viewers with a fast Instagram Story to commemorate the event and categorical your gratitude.

Supply: @trexorobotics on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Host a celebration double whammy by having a employees occasion. That method each your staff and viewers really feel appreciated.
8. Use hashtags
Identical to hashtags on posts and Reels, Instagram Story hashtags are searchable and might help increase attain and model consciousness.

Supply: @aircanada on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- For those who’re posting about an occasion, make sure to use that occasion’s hashtag to be added to the content material individuals are discovering for it.
- Encourage your viewers to share UGC content material utilizing a particular hashtag to make it simple so that you can discover.
9. Characteristic a buyer
Begin a weekly or month-to-month collection to spotlight your V.I.P. prospects, or as Tourism Kelowna does right here, members of their enterprise neighborhood. It’s an effective way to share your values with out being self-promotional.

Supply: @tourismkelowna on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
10. Ask for suggestions
Use query stickers, polls, and even ask individuals to message you to collect opinions. The knowledge you collect might assist make merchandising choices, establish upcoming tendencies, or crowdsource new product concepts.

Supply: @designmehair on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Unsure what to ask? Begin with asking for product opinions or your viewers’s opinion on present tendencies, then department out into particular questions designed to get prospects concerned in your inventive course of.
- Save the Story as a spotlight as a digital “suggestion field” individuals can use anytime.
11. Use location tags
Alongside together with your Story’s content material, the Instagram algorithm makes use of location tags to focus on who it thinks might be eager about your content material to develop attain.
Folks also can search Insta posts and IG Tales by location tag. Tags might be cities, companies, public areas like parks, and extra.

Supply: @livestock on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Internet hosting an organization dinner? Assembly a shopper for espresso? Touring to a brand new metropolis? Tag the locations you go to be added to the Instagram Tales of these areas within the app’s map.
- When you’ve got a bodily enterprise location, tag it usually in Tales.
18 extra inventive Instagram Story concepts
12. Use customized font colours
You’re not restricted to the default textual content or brush colours Instagram offers you. When including textual content to your Story, faucet the eyedropper icon on the backside left. Drag it round your picture to make use of that shade for the textual content or drawing instruments.

Supply: @photoallison on Instagram
Font colours assist your Tales seem on-brand, however as Instagram knowledgeable and journey blogger Helene Sula says, authenticity is far more vital:
“To create a really highly effective Instagram I imagine in creating an Instagram theme or aesthetic. However generally your content material doesn’t at all times suit your theme. That’s why you should utilize IG Tales to share. You even have the chance to share your character.”
Swipe this concept:
- Stand out with only some seconds of effort by matching your Story textual content to your model shade(s), or to colours throughout the photograph.
13. Add a countdown
Generate buzz about an upcoming occasion with the countdown sticker.

Supply: @styll.ca on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Countdown to a product launch, sale, or different occasion.
- Pair it with a sneak peek video for extra pleasure.
14. Share behind-the-scenes content material
It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in, you could have some type of “behind the scenes” teasers to point out your viewers. You possibly can present all the things out of your warehouse and the group members who preserve your deliveries going out or the inventive processes of the individuals essential to your success, similar to this function on the prop grasp of a TV present.

Supply: @cbc on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Curiosity will get engagement: sure, even probably the most boring-seeming behind the scenes content material might be fascinating to your prospects.
15. Host a Q&A
Use the Instagram Tales query sticker to get your viewers to submit questions which you can reply in Tales. Reply questions on your merchandise AMA model, or “Ask Me Something.” Or usher in an knowledgeable for a particular Q&A, similar to Actually’s instance under. The skincare model had a dermatologist reply viewers questions.

Supply: @trulylifestylebrand on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- After the Q&A is completed, put it aside as a spotlight so your viewers can entry the precious data anytime.
- Share generally requested questions in a FAQs spotlight.
16. Tag different manufacturers
Construct bridges and potential collaborative relationships with different manufacturers by tagging them in your IG Tales. This may encourage the opposite model to share your Story to their very own, and even probably attain out to collaborate additional on campaigns.

Supply: @reapercustoms_ on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Begin with manufacturers you utilize in your corporation, similar to one of many paint manufacturers you utilize on your work.
- Share your sincere evaluate of the model’s product or the way it contributes to your individual success.
17. Supply Tales-only reductions
For those who’re particularly on the lookout for inventive Instagram Story concepts to develop engagement on Tales, there’s no higher method than providing an unique low cost in Tales.

Supply: @experienceflyover on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Submit in regards to the low cost in your Instagram feed however make individuals watch your Tales for the code.
18. Maintain Tales highlights up to date
For those who use Instagram Tales highlights to speak data, preserve them up to date.

Supply: @tsa on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Begin a collection on IG Tales it can save you as a spotlight and preserve updating, such because the TSA’s prohibited objects one above which is informative and sometimes humorous.
19. Use interactive stickers
Punch up your Tales with certainly one of Instagram’s built-in interactive stickers. They’re fast and simple for individuals to have interaction with. For instance, this “emoji slider” sticker solely takes one faucet and drag for viewers to answer.

Supply: @michelle.lynn.martin on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Query stickers are nice, however require extra effort for somebody to fill out. Make life simple for them (and make it extra doubtless they’ll have interaction with you) by swapping a “lengthy reply” ask to an emoji slider.
20. Supply a sneak peek
Submit a sneak peek of one thing thrilling and ask your viewers to guess what it’s. This is among the finest Instagram Story hacks for saving time as a result of you may publicly share the responses in Tales for excellent content material all day.

Supply: @scienceworldca on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Use a query sticker to gather guesses, or use different interactive components just like the emoji slider or a ballot.
21. Present your course of
Give your viewers a glimpse into how your product is made with this IG Story concept for product-based organizations of all sizes. Folks love realizing what goes into making the objects they purchase, particularly when these are hand-crafted or made by small companies.

Supply: @dbldesigns3 on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Create a video, GIF, animations, or photograph slides displaying how your product is made, or the step-by-step means of delivering your providers. Infuse your ardour for what you do into it.
22. Share a collage
What’s higher than one photograph? A couple of photograph. Collages supply you a chance to creatively exhibit your merchandise.

Supply: @bikepackingcom on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Present your product from totally different angles, or sandwich a video between two pictures for a scrumptious engagement sandwich.
- Characteristic a number of buyer posts in a single Story, or snaps of a current occasion as a recap.
- Create a collage of selfies together with your product to highlight your neighborhood and increase credibility.
23. Layer a picture on high of a photograph
Create an attention-grabbing visible by deciding on a photograph on your Story’s background as regular, then layering one other photograph on high utilizing the photograph sticker.

Supply: @nhlflames on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Take a screenshot of buyer testimonials and layer that on high of a product photograph for a simple Instagram Story concept.
- Mimic this impact by sharing a brand new feed publish and layering it on high of a photograph.
24. Use emojis
This Instagram Story concept wants no introduction.

Supply: @oddbunchcanada on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Utilizing both common emojis or Instagram’s emoji-style stickers can flip a primary photograph into one thing hilariously memorable.
25. Make your Story shoppable
For those who promote on-line, tagging your merchandise in Instagram Tales is a big alternative to transform consideration into gross sales. With one faucet, a viewer can checkout with out leaving Instagram.

Supply: @nataliemariejewellery on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- For those who haven’t already, arrange your Instagram Store to have the ability to tag merchandise.
- Ask influencers you accomplice with to tag the product they speak about of their Instagram Tales too.
26. Maintain a Story spotlight on your rewards program
Your Instagram Tales highlights are an excellent place to speak key insurance policies or packages, together with your rewards program.

Supply: @threeshipsbeauty on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Summarize this system, add a hyperlink sticker to enroll, and put it aside as a spotlight.
27. Share a tutorial
Present your viewers the best way to use your product or ideas for the most effective expertise. Or educate them on one thing associated to your corporation, similar to this hair tutorial from a hairstylist.

Supply: @nicolepommehair on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- For those who’re unsure what you may create a tutorial about, ask your viewers what they wish to study.
28. Have a careers Story spotlight
Discovering top of the range staff is a problem for all organizations. Whether or not you’re hiring for particular positions or at all times looking out for expertise, social media is a superb place to get the phrase out. Share careers-related information in your Tales and save these as a spotlight in your profile to make it simple for candidates to seek out.

Supply: @cherrypick.vtg on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Create Instagram Tales for open positions and save them to a careers spotlight.
29. Attempt inventive textual content
Instagram Tales has numerous choices for inventive textual content, from shade choices to drop shadows, outlines, mixing fonts and sizes, add emphasis with stickers, and extra.

Supply: @theapartmentlife on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
7 experimental Instagram Story concepts for daring entrepreneurs
30. All the time have energetic Tales
All the time having energetic Instagram Tales means you’ll preserve displaying up close to the highest of your followers’ Instagram feeds after they open the app. Which means you’ll have the next likelihood daily of reaching your viewers.
You don’t have to spend hours per day on Tales both. Our current experiment discovered that posting simply 1-2 Instagram Tales per day yielded the most effective engagement outcomes. That mentioned, discover what works for you. Don’t be afraid to check out posting extra.

Supply: @shopgoodboy on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- No have to reinvent the wheel seven days per week. Combine easy-to-create content material with extra concerned Tales to make sure you don’t run out of Tales to publish.
- Additionally no have to personally publish every day: schedule Instagram Tales with Hootsuite for automated publishing.
31. Use Instagram Tales as a menu
For those who’re a espresso store, restaurant, or different enterprise the place your services or products change usually, think about using Instagram Tales as a primary option to talk these modifications.

Supply: @oldtownbakeryladysmith on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Listing your every day menu, class schedule, or appointment availability in a every day Instagram Story.
- Save your Story template in Canva on your favourite Instagram enhancing app.
32. Attempt Instagram Story Adverts
Instagram Story adverts might be very efficient and are simple to get began with (particularly should you create an Instagram advert marketing campaign in Hootsuite). Story adverts seem periodically as customers browse natural Tales and mix in very nicely, distinguishable solely by the small “Sponsored” textual content below the Instagram account identify.

Supply: @fablehome on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
33. Educate your viewers
The kinds of social media content material individuals truly need might be simplified into two classes: instructional and leisure, as we present in our Social Developments 2025 report.

Supply: @nikonusa on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Whereas instructional content material is vital, it’s equally vital to make it entertaining. Take into account making a video to speak your data (and repurposing it for different channels).
- Save tutorials as Story highlights to increase the lifetime of them previous twenty-four hours.
34. Share memes
Meme humor isn’t the most effective match for all manufacturers, but when memes resonate together with your viewers, add them to your Instagram Tales advertising and marketing technique.

Supply: @customcatcribs on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Sharing memes from different accounts is an effective way to construct relationships and save time with content material curation.
35. Companion with a creator for a Tales takeover
Partnering with a creator is an effective way to get unique, customized content material with out having to make it your self.

Supply: @travelandleisure on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- Have an influencer accomplice with you for a full day of Tales content material centred round their expertise together with your model and distinctive viewpoint.
- Cross-promote the Instagram takeover on each accounts for optimum engagement potential.
36. Get on digital camera
Don’t be shy! For a private contact, get in entrance of the digital camera for authentically on-brand movies, whether or not you’re a solo enterprise or massive firm. Instagram Tales are all about authenticity, and nothing is as highly effective for constructing belief together with your viewers.

Supply: @evolutionstudios on Instagram
Swipe this concept:
- As an alternative of posting a photograph of a brand new product, movie a brief video of you speaking in regards to the product as you maintain it. Or, speak about why you began your corporation or classes realized alongside the way in which.
- Repurpose video utilized in IG Tales for Instagram Reels, adverts, and extra.
Plan and schedule Instagram Tales, Reels, and posts—and all of your different social platforms—from a single dashboard. Attempt Hootsuite free right now.