When you think about it, it is rather hard to believe that Instagram stories have reached over 300 million daily users, even if this feature was launched only two years ago. This merely points one thing: they are popular, attracting a greater base of followers. Hence, if you didn’t try using Instagram stories in order to grow your account, but you wish to get more followers, you should definitely try the following ideas, as they work like a charm.
1. Use polls for audience research
Polls are one of the catchiest strategies entailed by Instagram and you should take advantage of them. More specifically, introducing a poll allows you to create more engaging content that resonates with your target audience. So, next time you use this, as opposed to asking something for the mere sake of entertainment, ask your audience a serious question – such as what type of content you should create.
Let’s look at an example. If your niche is traveling, you should inquire what destination would appeal to your audience. This way, you’ll know whether you should share more about a destination or not.
2. Mention your competitors
At first glance, this might seem like the most counterintuitive strategy – how could you get more followers by helping others get more followers? It doesn’t really make sense, does it?
Not so fast though – this strategy isn’t suicide. By encouraging the people in your niche, you are actually building relationships. And networking is important, even in the blogosphere. Plus, if you mention someone, you might be mentioned back – which could gain you a couple of extra followers.
3. Use questionnaire templates
While there are many Instagram tools out there that could help you increase your base of followers, this doesn’t mean that simple tactics are ineffective. For example, questionnaires and quizzes are really appealing to followers, as they are entertaining. Plus, by sharing some personal stories about you, you are creating a deeper connection with your followers.
Most importantly, creating a template is really easy. Plus, you can encourage your audience to use the template for free, so that they could further share it.
4. Story takeover
Collaborating with influencers is a trend that is growing in popularity by the day. That’s because it works. However, the traditional approach is paying for a range of sponsored posts and hoping for other people to follow that account. A story takeover is an entirely different strategy. That’s because this doesn’t urge the users to follow the brand, but to follow the account to see what their favorite influencer has been up to.
5. Add story highlights
The inclusion of the highlights feature was highly expected, allowing users to display what their accounts are all about, what they focus on, so on and so forth. Plus, if you want to grow your brand, the highlights section is similar to your brand’s trailer, to put it roughly.
Whether you’re a humble beginner or an established brand, being ahead of the tide on Instagram can be really challenging. But if you’re keen to grow your influence, Stories are a must and they aren’t going anywhere, quite the opposite.