Coming up with creative Instagram content isn’t just for your feed aesthetic, it’s also a useful tool to help your account grow. Learn how to create shareable Instagram content that people will want to share and help your account grow at a faster pace.
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In just a few simple steps it’s easy to create highly branded Instagram Stories.
#1 Creative Instagram Captions
How many times have you caught yourself treating your captions as an afterthought? In addition to beautiful photos and videos, captions are a critical part of telling your brand story. Whether your captions tug at the heartstrings or make people chuckle, it should draw people in so they want to keep reading. In particular, long Instagram captions are a big trend right now. Instead of a quick sentence or spattering of emojis, businesses and brands are using the 2,200 Instagram caption characters to better connect with their followers. One account that does a great job crafting shareable captions is the No Bull Project. As a health and fitness brand focused on people serious about training, No Bull is always sharing motivational and tough love captions. Take a look at the number of shares on their Instagram posts and it’s clear that their strategy is resonating with their followers.
#2 Strong Call-to-Action
No one should ever finish reading your Instagram post and ask themselves “what was the point.” A strong call-to-action is always a good strategy – no matter what you decide to post. A call-to-action, also known as a CTA, tells your followers exactly what you want them to do. It’s about more then telling your followers to tap the link in your bio. A better strategy is to use a variety of CTAs. Try to think outside the box about how you can encourage your followers to engage with your content. People scroll through Instagram fast, so oftentimes it’s better to include your CTA halfway through the post. That’s exactly what Sandy Cousens, a studio owner and artist, does with her Instagram posts. By including an emoji of fingers pointing up, Sandy is giving her followers a clear visual reminder that she wants people to save her Instagram post.
#3 Share a Giveaway
Sometimes it can feel like everyone on Instagram is sharing a giveaway. But here’s the thing, if you share a giveaway that’s true to your core business and aligned with your followers’ interest then you can stand out from the competition. And just like your goal with your CTA is to drive more engagement, you can use a giveaway to better connect with your followers. The goal should always be to offer something valuable to your followers, so they don’t feel like your spamming them with unrelated content. For example, Pop Sockets loves sharing giveaways. Not only do they promote high-value giveaways on a semi-regular basis, but all of their giveaway posts are aligned perfectly with Pop Socket’s brand aesthetic. Even better, the directions for the giveaways are clearly spelled out in the Instagram post caption.
#4 Creative Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are not the newest change to Instagram, but they’re still extremely popular. Whether it’s sharing behind-the-scenes peeks or providing a deeper look at what drives their business, brands of all sizes are rolling out strong Instagram strategies. With a ton of creative tools to choose from, the possibilities to customize your Instagram Stories can seem almost limitless. If you can share Instagram Stories that feel unique to your brand, you’re more likely to build brand recognition with your followers. Check out how Inspire Me Co uses polls and question stickers to get feedback from their followers. From asking for opinions on future vision board kits to sparking conversations in the Instagram Direct Message, all of Inspire Me Co’s Instagram Stories reflect the mission of the brand.
How to Change an Instagram Story Background Color
While we’re talking about Instagram Stories branding, it’s also easy to change the background color of your Instagram Story. Here’s how to do it:- First, open Instagram Story and pick a photo
- Then, tap on the text tool (it’s the A icon)
- Next, pick the background color
- Finally, tap and hold your finger on the Instagram Story background
In just a few simple steps it’s easy to create highly branded Instagram Stories.
