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As the social space continues to evolve, users are always looking for the newest ways to get more followers, build their brands, and capture their audiences’ attention. Instagram stories are the new craze! Other platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn have followed in Instagram's footsteps by incorporating stories. So now I have to learn how to post stories on social media?! Don’t worry, we are all in the same boat! Analytics can show us what we need to do to post the best stories, and this blog post explains how to execute the key Instagram story hacks for 2021. We got you!

10 Instagram Story Tips and Tricks for 2021

1. Post Regularly and Frequently

By posting to your story consistently and often, you have a better chance to appear in the top of your audiences’ story posts. When your audience knows when you post and looks forward to seeing your content, they are more likely to view and engage with your stories. Including a theme day for specific Instagram story posts such as “Monday Morning Tips, Shoutout Saturdays, etc.” can give your audience a specific day and time to tune in to view your story posts.

2. Stay on Brand

Posting Instagram story content such as branded photos, videos, and behind-the-scenes footage shows authenticity and reinforces your brand's signature look and feel. Users may even tag you and/or use your branded hashtag, allowing you to reshare their posts. Other branded content ideas to share via your Instagram story posts include sales/discounts, business or operational announcements, polls for your customers, or even interviews with team members and strategic partners.

3. Use Metrics to Find What Works

Instagram stories have the capability to provide valuable insights you can use to help guide your social media content strategy. Story posts allow you to see metrics regarding reach as well as the number of replies, taps, link clicks, and impressions. Once you have your stories posted, you can start to see the types of content your audience likes, engages with, or skips right past.

4. Share Your Feed Posts

Is your feed post not getting as much engagement as you thought? Posting your important feed posts to your Instagram story can help you get more eyes on the post and create the engagement you are looking for. Posting feed photos can also help when your audience needs a reminder about a specific post that could contain a giveaway, special sale, or important event coming up. For example:

5. Diversify to Keep it Fresh

With your choice of photo, video, or boomerang, you can change up your medium to help keep your content exciting and fresh. You also can take full advantage of Instagram’s editing tools to help your post stand out.

6. Get Creative to Spark Engagement

Speaking of Instagram's editing tools, there are a ton of font, color, and sticker variations you can use to spark creative engagement. You can insert questions, polls, emoji sliders, and a variety gifs to help with audience interaction.

7. Leverage Your Location

One of the best tags you can add to your Instagram story posts is the location tag. The location tag is your best opportunity to address a specific demographic or audience. You also create an avenue for users to easily find you.

8. Apply Hashtags

Just how hashtags are used in feed posts, your story posts can also prosper from using them. You can increase your brand exposure by using your branded hashtag in your story posts along with adding prominent or trending hashtags that relate to your post content.

9. Showcase Highlights

Do you have a really great story post that is useful and important to your brand? With the Instagram stories' highlights option on your profile page, you can save any story that you want to keep permanently so your followers can watch it at any time. This is one of the quickest and easiest Instagram story hacks for 2021 and beyond!

10. Tag, Reshare, Repeat

Use tags to your advantage in your Instagram stories. Whether you tag other users in your stories or you get tagged in other users' stories, this engagement creates a high reach volume. When you tag another user and they reshare your story to their story, that user's followers can see and engage with your post... thus presenting you with the opportunity to expand your reach organically. When other users tag you, you also have the option to reshare to your story. By doing so, you are not only saying “thank you for sharing” but you are also showing your current audience that others find your content engaging and relevant. Capitalize on the social graces and the social proof! 

Instagram stories are known for their creative and interactive features. With these 10 Instagram story tips and tricks for 2021, you will be well prepared to begin using those features to widen your brand's reach, drive more website traffic, and gain more followers. Or, if social media marketing isn't your full-time job, outsource your social media content strategy to the pros at THAT Agency. Give us a call at 561-832-6262 to learn more!