How to use Instagram Stories stickers

How to use Insta Stories stickers for maximum engagement
How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

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Last year, Instagram announced that 500 million people use its Stories function every day.

 

It’s a staggering number. 100 million more than were using it in June 2018, and 314 million more than are using Snapchat in total. The soaring popularity of the temporary photo and video sharing function proves that anyone who’s serious about growing their influence on social simply can’t afford to not get on board.

Every day, Stories are becoming more polished and interactive, as Instagram introduces new functions, and one of the most commonly used Stories tools is stickers. From emoji sliders, to polls and GIFs, these added extras can help you interact with your followers in fresh ways, and boost engagement – if, of course, you know how to use them correctly.

In this post we’ll cover exactly that – let’s start with the basics.

‘Add yours’ Sticker

 

What it is: This new interactive sticker allows users to prompt others to respond to their Stories content with their own, relevant images. For example, a creator could post an OOTD Story and include the ‘Add Yours’ sticker to encourage their followers to share their outfits of the day.

Why you should use it: It’s a great new way to encourage more engaging reply threads to Stories posts. They also have the potential to go viral. Click here to learn how.

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Caption Sticker

 

What it is: Use this new Story sticker to add closed captions or subtitles to your Story videos.

Why you should use it: It improves the accessibility of your Story content. Anyone watching with the sound off or someone who is deaf or hearing impaired will still be able to understand the context of your video.

caption-sticker-Instagram-story

Link Sticker

 

What it is: The link sticker drives viewers to an external link of your choosing. This sticker is replacing the Story swipe up function, so external links in Stories are now to be tapped, instead of swiped.

Why you should use it: For users who had access to the swipe up function, this will now be the only way to add external links to Stories. Link stickers give you more creative control and can further drive website or blog visitors if positioned strategically on your Story frame.

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Challenge Sticker

 

What it is: Use this new challenge sticker to participate in social challenges and nominate another account to join in. Instagram provides you with the most popular challenges at the time but you can also search for one you’re interested in. Once you’ve selected your challenge, you can tag your nomination.

Why you should use it: Staying up to date with the last social trends and challenges is a great way to improve your social strategy and engagement, as it’s something you can inspire your audience to interact with. This sticker could be used for campaigns or for company culture activities.

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DM Me Sticker

 

What it is: This new chatty sticker prompts your followers to send you a DM about a topic of your choosing. Brands can set the topic of discussion to things like “What is your favourite product of ours and why?” or “What new products would you like to see from us?” Or, if you just want to generally interact with your customers, Instagram provides you with auto topics when you click the dice icon, such as ‘Make me laugh’ ‘Send memes’ or ‘Need to talk?’

Why you should use it: Not only is this a great way for your followers to provide you with honest and open feedback, it shows that you value their voices and opinions, which can increase brand authenticity. This new DM sticker can also encourage more engagement, as it may bring upon DMs from new followers, bumping your account up in more algorithms.

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Stay Home Sticker

 

What it is: Created when COVID put majority of the world in lockdown, the Stay Home sticker adds the logo to your story ring. It also puts your story onto a separate Stay Home Story sequence, with every other account you follow that has used the same sticker.

Why you should use it: This sticker encourages your audience to stay home during this pandemic to help stop the spread and can even provide stay-at-home activity ideas, with your products or services, to those who are struggling to keep themselves entertained. Not only that, having your Stay Home Story added to a second sequence is going to offer extra visibility.

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Support Small Business Sticker

 

What it is: Supporting SMBs became a whole lot easier when this new sticker launched. It allows users to @mention their favourite small businesses and them share with their audiences, creating brand exposure and encouraging more people to purchase from them.

Why you should use it: ‘Pay it forward’ and promote SMBs who have some seriously great products that you know your audience will appreciate, but may be doing it tough during this time. If you’re a SMB with multiple businesses under your sleeve, use this sticker to cross-promote your other accounts.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

Quiz Sticker

 

What it is:

The quiz sticker is an interactive feature that you can customise to your desire. You simply create a quiz question such as “What is my favourite emoji?” and then add in all the options you want people to try and guess from. Make sure you don’t forget to click which one is the correct answer before posting.

Once all are posted onto your story, your followers are then able to take your quiz. They’ll be notified if they got it correct or not before clicking through to the next one.

Why you should use it:

Using this feature is a great way for your follows to interact with you and learn more about your brand, helping them grow a more personal connection towards your product or service. It also allows for you to drop some brand facts straight to your audience in a fun and light way.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

Chat Sticker

 

What it is:

This chatty new feature gives you the opportunity to create a group chat for your follows to request to join. If accepted by you, they will be able to take part through their DM’s, allowing them to talk with likeminded people. You have the ability to name the chat something specific, like an event or discussion topic.

Why you should use it:

This is another great way for your followers to communicate with you and each other, beyond the comments section. It gives them the opportunity to share opinions, experiences or advice. This allows for a discussion to be sparked, pushing for further engagement from your followers.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

Hashtag Sticker

 

What it is:

Hashtag stickers on Stories work in the same way as they do in captions, dropping your into a grouping of similarly tagged content – though only if Instagram thinks the post is strong in both quality and engagement.

Why you should use it:

Hashtag stickers provide the potential to reach thousands of Instagrammers in your region and/or within your industry with similar interests. They can also help reiterate a brand message, threading together a campaign.

instagram-story-sticker-hashtag

Location Sticker

 

What it is:

The location sticker enables users to tag where they are, and when clicked, this tag takes the user to other photos and videos posted from the same location, as well as displaying it on a map.

Why you should use it:

Imagine someone’s following a restaurant account because they’re thinking of paying it a visit. If they follow that location link to all of the amazing content you and your customers have posted there, it might be the final persuasion they need.

Tagging a location can also help to boost your Story’s discoverability. Instagram users can search a specific location and see a compilation Story from all the other Story posts by users which include that location sticker. If you can get your local business in there, you might earn yourself some extra visits.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

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Mention Sticker

 

What it is:

The mention sticker enables you to tag another Instagram user in your story. When clicked, the tag takes the user to that person or business’ profile, and Instagram notifies the user that you’ve tagged of the mention.

Why you should use it:

Instagram recently made it easier than ever for users to share Stories in which they are mentioned. That means that if you tag someone, they’re likely share your story with all of their followers too, increasing your reach.

In addition, it can also be a great way to share user-generated content. If you ask your customers to tag you in their stories, you could get some great authentic content to share on your Story feed.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

GIFs

 

What it is:

A wide selection of moving and static graphics you can overlay on to your image.

Why you should use it:

Instagram Stories is a great way to showcase the fun, whimsical side of your brand personality, without interfering with your carefully curated feed. GIFs make it easy to add some humor and interest to otherwise conventional imagery.

Remember, to keep the interest of your followers, you should be offering them value at every opportunity, and a moment of entertainment definitely counts.

instagram-story-gif

Music Sticker

 

What it is:

library of songs, categorized by ‘popular’, ‘moods’, and ‘genres’. Listen to previews, pick a track, then select the exact part of the song you want playing during your Story.

Why you should use it:

Like GIFs, music can add another element to your Story to set the scene, add emotion or convey personality. The music you choose can help your followers identify your brand personality, while it also gives you a rare chance to set your content to music, without any rights issues.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

Poll Sticker

 

What it is:

An interactive feature that can be customised, enabling you to pose any question to your followers, and giving them two options to choose from. They tap their chosen answer and the results are delivered to you.

Why you should use it:

It gives your followers an easy and instant way to interact with you, beyond the traditional likes and comments, which can help to form deeper connection. Not only can an instant poll from your customers prove useful in making product decisions (hello instant focus group), but it can also show your followers that you care about and consider their opinions.

instagram-story-sticker-poll

Question Sticker

 

What is it:

A prompt for your followers to ask you question. The sticker box shows both the prompt you’ve typed – for example “Ask us anything” – and a box for your followers to type into. Their response gets delivered directly so can answer, again via Instagram Stories.

Why you should use it:

Q and A can really galvanise your followers, and give you some insight into the type of things they’re most interested in. Whether you answer directly as a brand, or use it as another way to showcase your ambassadors, the Q and A can become a piece of content in its own right.

A fashion brand for example, could use a stylist to answer style questions and suggest outfit solutions, shoppable from their answers.

If you plan on hosting an Instagram Live session, it can be helpful to gather some standby questions ahead of time. Increasingly, brands are also using this function to collect data for their ‘frequently asked questions’, or just for general feedback.

How-to use-Instagram-Stories-stickers

Countdown Sticker

 

What is it:

A sticker that counts down to a date and time that you set.

Why you should use it:

It’s the perfect way to build momentum around a product launch or event, while the option helps you maintain this interest too, since your followers can subscribe to your countdown event (which then sends them a reminder when the time is up).

They’re also able to share the countdown with their own followers, boosting the reach of your message. The sticker can be used for a function, as well as for fun – for example, letting your followers know the deadline for weekend delivery slots.

instagram-story-sticker-count-down

Emoji slider

 

What is it:

This sticker is a question, followed by a sliding scale with a emoji attached, giving your audience a chance to communicate how much the like or dislike something by placing the emoji.

Why you should use it:

It’s a fun, and fast way to ask: “What do you think of this?” It’s a similar premise to the poll, but thanks to the element of gamification, your followers might find the interaction even more irresistible. It’s worth trying out both with your followers to see which they respond best to.

instagram-story-sticker-emoji-slider

Shoppable tags

 

What is it:

First appearing in feed, shoppable tags can now be added to Instagram Stories also. When clicked, the tags display additional product information, including links to an eCommerce page where they can make a subsequent purchase is desired.

Why you should use it:

These tags are one of the most eagerly anticipated Instagram Stories features for brands, because they provide a smoother alternative to the current ‘link in bio’ process. By giving potential customers an (almost) frictionless path to purchase, at the moment you have their interest, you decrease the chance of losing them on the way – and increase the chances of making a sale.

instagram-story-sticker-shopping

Try to consider your Instagram Stories content as a strategy in its own right – thoughtful use of the functions (including the new ones which are being rolled out on a regular basis) can provide brands with significant opportunity and insight, which shouldn’t be wasted.

With growing concerns about the Instagram algorithm limiting the visibility of posts in the main feed, Stories provide a valuable alternative option in which to reach your audience.

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