Quick Tips For Creating Instagram Stories - Episode 19

Today we're going to be talking all about Instagram Stories and I wanted to share some quick tips on how to create them with ease! 

Click play to listen to the episode from the podcast in full:

 Why share on Instagram Stories? 

Instagram stories is the one place that your audience REALLY gets to know you. It's like inviting someone into your home or business and giving them a little behind the scenes. The people that generally see your stories are people that either already know you - or they have liked something you've shared before... so there is a more relaxed, less formal feel to them. 

How are all these things on Instagram different?

The way I like to think about them is this: 

Your Instagram Grid = Your Storefront (where you put your best foot forward and leave a good impression)

Your Instagram Reels = Your Sales Floor (getting you discovered, seen by new people!) 

Your Instagram Stories = Your Back Room (Organized but way less formal, more real life!)

Tips For Creating Instagram Stories

- Follow a formula. I like to share 5 different types of content on Instagram stories... this is what I do: 

1. A poll (Rotate between business & personal but really leverage polls so you can get to know your audience and so your audience has a change to interact with you!) 
   Pro Tip - Engage back with the followers that vote in your polls. Send them a DM and start a conversation - not in a sales way, but in a human discussion type of way!
2. Show your face: Talk to the camera and share a few thoughts with your audience. Now this is really specifically for small business owners, service providers and coaches. If you are a small business, a solopreneur, you have to show your face, talk to the camera, share a few thoughts, use your voice for the audience to get to know you. This is how they start to build that know, like & trust factor in you and your business. 
3. Share a post: This can either be your own recent post from your feed or it can be a post that resonates with you from your community. This is a great way to show your values and support others to help create a stronger sense of community around you and your brand. This is also a great way to share products with your audience as well - if you have a favorite product share them with your audience - they. might just love it too!
4. Another poll: This time make it different to the first. Use a question box for a Q & A type post or use the slider tool. The main thing here is to increase the interaction on your account and encourage your followers to get used to engaging with you. 
5. Show your face again: If you feel weird talking on camera so much, don't be afraid to use a filter and pretend you are face-timing a friend. It will get easier the more you do it, I promise. If you're teaching something and you start to get flustered with your words, don't be afraid to give yourself some bullet points and put them on a sticky note in front of your face - do what you need to do to make it as easy as possible for yourself! 

So I hope those tips have helped you plan out what you want to share on your Instagram stories and remember, it's important to share some of your back room with your followers - you'll be surprised how much they love to see the behind the scenes. 

Now if you're feeling like your a slave to your social media - I want to share with you 5 tips to help you stop the scroll and take back your energy, while still using social media as part of your marketing strategy. Join the Stop The Scroll Challenge for bonus tips and some accountability in minimizing your time on social media (without sacrificing your business goals!)