How to create interesting and engaging Instastories on company accounts?

The number is increasing every day. Why? There are many reasons. Short videos, moving and dynamic content are definitely more attractive than static content, i.e. simple photos or graphics. They focus the viewer’s attention, which is what we care about most. Until recently, entire stories could be as short as 15 seconds, but this has now been extended to 30, so it’s up to us to keep the viewer occupied throughout and to make the most of every second.

In the first few moments of the relationship you need to show something interesting, aesthetically pleasing, surprising. A huge advantage of brands promoting themselves on stories is that they are displayed across the entire smartphone screen. The observer, browsing his friends’ accounts, doesn’t know when the ad will appear, so at least for a split second he has to look at it. Do you want to add your logo at the beginning of the video? We definitely say no. Advertising should be non-intrusive and not promote the brand directly, but through the story and engaging content. Avoid aggressive messages – instead of encouraging, they will discourage, or evoke negative brand associations.

Published content

What to publish on Instastory? Content presented by a brand hero or brand ambassador is best viewed. A real character who presents news, products, strengths or tests functionality in a non-intrusive way. The best way to do this is to hire someone who is skilled at speaking in front of the camera and can keep the viewer interested. However, if you cannot afford to do this, or if you want to run your company’s IG account yourself, it is worth bearing in mind a few rules:

1. Practice your speech. Ask someone to record you, see what mistakes you make.
2. Make more recordings, choose the best shots and only then publish the content.
3. Pay attention to your choice of background so that it doesn’t distract the viewer.
4. Ensure an aesthetically pleasing appearance. If you feel insecure, you can use one of the filters available.
5. Don’t distract the viewer with your gestures. Your facial expressions and gestures should not be expressive. It is best to keep your hands busy with a pen, for example, and your gaze focused on one point.

For account owners on Instagram, regularly publishing video content via Instastory simply means increasing the reach for their brand. If you choose not to become a brand ambassador, you can of course publish other engaging content and interesting product videos. The Instagram app gives you many opportunities to add variety to the images you publish. You can add text, gifs, polls, mark the location you are in, emoticons or apply colour enhancing filters. We also encourage you to take advantage of other apps available on the App Store or Google Play to help you create compelling videos, such as Unfold, Mojo, StoryArt and Storio. An important, if not the most important rule is that your Instastories should always be recorded UPRIGHT!

Use stickers

Have fun with Instastory! Record your videos using the features available in the app e.g. Boomerang, Super-Zoom, Layout. Add hashtags, texts of different sizes and font types, GIFs, attach some photos or mention others. The @mention option allows you to tag others in your accounts, which gives you the opportunity to share your stories on other accounts (increased reach!). Organise short polls using the ‘Survey’ option, ask your followers questions. This will give you an idea of their opinions on a given topic, as well as building engagement and keeping your stoires from being boring. However, remember not to overdo the stickers. Always follow the rule ‘the less, the more’! Viewing your account on Instagram should be a pleasure for both parties.

Get rid of boredom!

Routine must not creep into published content! Do not use the same filter or the same functions over and over again. If the viewer gets used to the look of the content or the adverts, they won’t want to watch them anymore. You have to stop the viewer’s thumb! Show different frames, apply different filters: surprise them! An example? You can use the option to blur the photo.

By clicking on the drawing option, choose a colour from the available colour palette and then hold down the screen longer. Using the eraser, erase several elements of the image and create a puzzle for your followers. This way you can also encourage them to visit your newsfeed, where you have just published a new post. Not enough? Publish on your stories appearing mentions of you. Recipients will feel appreciated and are more likely to tag you.

Another eye-catching trick? Make the lettering in a rainbow colour. Select the text, choose a colour and hold down longer until the colour palette appears. At the same time, hold the cursor and slide your finger across the colour palette. Done!

Quizzes, on the other hand, will allow you to test consumers’ knowledge of the advertised product and, of course, increase brand awareness. The recipient stays longer on entries that require a response.

Make relationships stand out

While all stories disappear after 24 hours, Instagram has introduced an option to archive the most important videos. Once published, you can add your stories to ‘featured’, where they are automatically saved to your profile and observers can return to them. However, only keep selected ones, such as coverage of important events, competitions or interviews with famous people.

Swipe up, linking stories

If your profile has more than 10,000 followers, you can add web links in your account. All the viewer has to do is swipe up and they are redirected to the URL you provide. It’s worth letting them know by including an animated ‘swipe up’ or ‘arrow’ gif. This is a great option that will make it easier for potential customers to find the product you are promoting.

If your company account, despite applying the principles described above, is losing reach and the number of followers is falling, contact us! We will analyse your profile and prepare some tips. We can also manage it for you.