If you’re looking to engage with your audience and grab their attention, Instagram Stories polls are a great way to stop your followers from swiping past your story!
Instagram Stories polls not only grab your audience’s attention, but they also create an opportunity to hear directly from your followers and customers.
Instagram now has two different poll stickers you can add to your stories: the classic poll with two customizable answer options, and the newer emoji slider.
Not sure how to use Instagram Stories polls for your business?
Whether you’re asking for opinions or simply want to entertain your followers, we’re sharing 6 creative ways to use Instagram Stories polls in your next story:
#1: Use Instagram Stories Polls to Crowdsource Ideas and Gather Feedback
What better way to get feedback on your products or services than by going straight to the source?
Instagram Stories poll stickers are a great tool for businesses to crowdsource ideas, collect product feedback, or find out what content your audience wants to see more of.
Including your Instagram followers in the creation of your new products is a great way to engage your audience, and by asking questions with polls you can get direct feedback from your target customers!
When using polls in your Instagram marketing strategy, it’s important to not only ask the right questions, but also let your audience know you’re listening. Once your Instagram Stories poll is complete (after 24 hours), don’t forget to share the results!
Take celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin for example, who recently partnered with Calpak to create her own luggage collection. While promoting the launch, Jen shared the results from her Instagram Stories polls from last year, along with the features her followers helped create that can now be seen in the collection today:
If your Instagram Stories poll results are driving a change, let your audience know! Your followers will love to see that their input made a difference and are much more likely to continue interacting with your stories when they know they’re being heard.
#2: Drive Traffic Back to Your Website with Instagram Stories Polls
Instagram first introduced the ability to add links to Instagram Stories in 2017, which made it easier than ever to drive traffic to a brand’s website.
Since then, businesses have been looking for new and creative ways to get people to swipe up on their stories. To make their “swipe up” stand-out, businesses are using Instagram Stories polls to get their followers attention and drive traffic to this link.
Just look at Who What Wear. The leading online destination for fashion content often uses Instagram Stories polls to drive traffic back to their blog posts.
For example, they used a poll to make their followers guess “How much does Meghan Markle’s entire tour wardrobe cost?” then directed them to swipe up to discover the answer:
The Zoe Report also uses a similar tactic. In a recent Instagram Stories post, they teased audiences with the statement: “This is how much you should have in savings by 30”, then asked a question that could only be answered after reading the article:
Once their followers swiped up to read the article, they could return to the story and submit their poll response, whether “it is more or less than you thought”.
Using Instagram Stories polls to entice your followers to swipe up for more is a great way to generate a ton of interest and drive traffic back to your website.
Instagram Stories are a free, easy, and effective way to stay engaged with your Instagram followers – even if they don’t see your regular posts. Learn how you can grow your business using stories in our free 45-minute video course:
#3: Use Instagram Stories Polls to Learn More About Your Audience
One of the easiest ways to get to know your followers (and get them talking) is to simply start asking questions!
Instagram Stories polls are a great way to find out your followers’ likes, dislikes and what they’d like to see more of from your account.
Would they rather see more content in your feed or stories? Do they prefer more behind-the-scenes content or editorial shots? Do they like reading long or short captions? You won’t know the answers to these questions, unless you ask!
Asking these types of questions can help you build deeper connections with your audience and keep them coming back for more as you tailor your content strategy to suit their likes and dislikes!
#4: Use Instagram Stories Polls to Educate Your Audience on Your Brand
Using Instagram Stories polls is a great way to help your followers get to know your brand.
Whether you’re launching a new collection or just want to share what makes your brand unique, adding a poll to your story is great way to stop viewers in their tracks, grab their attention, and keep them tapping forward for more!
Take Girlfriend Collective for example. The Seattle-based activewear brand uses Instagram Stories polls to catch their viewers attention and create excitement around a big brand announcement:
Businesses can use Instagram Stories polls to share product updates, brand announcements, or anything else you share with their followers! No matter what you’re sharing, using polls is a great way to add a fun, interactive element to your stories that your followers will love.
Want to save time with your Instagram marketing? You can now schedule your Instagram Stories posts with Later!
#5: Entertain Your Followers with Instagram Stories Polls
Instagram Stories Poll stickers are a great tool to get your followers talking and interacting with your brand.
It’s also an easy way to show your followers you’re approachable and that there’s a real human behind your account.
Take Fan Club Clothing example. They recently asked their audience a simple (and fun!) question, “Where does your nostalgia lie?”, followed by polls featuring famous rock stars of the ages:
The “game” aligned perfectly with their brand and was a great way to entice their audience to stop and interact with their stories. These kinds of questions don’t require a lot of thought, are fun to answer, and are a great way to create a lasting memory with your followers!
No matter how you use Instagram Stories polls, just be sure it aligns with your brand and overall business goals. When you take the time to think about answers your target audience would like to see, you’re much more likely to get them engaging with your content.
#6: Use the Emoji Slider Poll to Give Your Followers More Choices
Have you ever wanted to ask your followers a question but wanted to include more than just two answer options?
Now you can!
Businesses are doing exactly that by getting creative with the emoji slider to give their followers more choices, and stepping away from the standard ‘yes/no’ questions! By adding text next to your slider, you can create more answer options since users can drag the slider left or right and release to submit their response.
Take Oceana as an example. The environmental foundation adds text to their story, next to the emoji slider to teach their followers about different types of wildlife:
You can also make the emoji slider vertical or horizontal to better fit with the image and options you’re sharing:
The emoji slider is a great opportunity for brands to create unique, personalized poll responses in a fun and creative way!
How to Add Instagram Stories Polls to Your Posts
Adding a poll to your Instagram Stories is easy!
Start by tapping the poll sticker after uploading a photo or video to Instagram Stories. You can either choose the classic two-option poll, or the emoji slider.
First, select your poll then type out a prompt. For example, you could write, “How do you drink your coffee?”
If you’re using the classic poll, you can edit both the prompt and the answers. If you’re using the emoji slider, you’ll have the option to edit the text prompt and the emoji that animates when followers make their decision:
Once you’ve written your prompts, place it wherever you’d like on your image or video and share it to your story!
Using this feature in a consistent way can add a personal element to your Instagram Stories and help you build a loyal following. You can get a step-by-step Instagram tutorial about how to add the classic poll here, or the emoji slider here.
Hopefully, this gives you all the inspiration you need to start using Instagram Stories polls in your own stories! Whether you’re looking for input from your customers or simply want to start a conversation, Instagram Stories polls are a great tool to start engaging with your audience!
Did we miss anything? How do you plan to use Instagram Stories polls to engage with your audience? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s time to take your stories seriously – watch our free Instagram Stories for Business course today!
