Top tips for a strong Instagram Stories strategy

Make IG Stories interactive

“There are so many features in the Stories format that can give ad content an interactive edge, especially when it comes to calls-to-action. Incorporating visual action cues that draws the eye towards the desired action, ie. towards the swipe up-arrow can help increase engagement,” said Jose Sanchez, Head of Creative Studio, Smartly.io. “For non-video Stories content, it’s also a great idea to make sure that the brand is recognizable in the ad. If it’s a Stories Carousel ad, it can make sense to take advantage of that longer narrative and create a visual element that travels across all three Carousel cards, as the ad is running, to give the whole “story” the same branding.

Ensure clarity of message

“The most important thing is clarity: make sure your main value proposition is conveyed quickly and simply,” said Sanchez. “For Stories that are in video format, it’s important to keep them as simple and quick as possible, less than 15 seconds has performed well for our customers. Additionally, although the Stories format wasn’t necessarily built for sounds. 60% of users have the sound off, meaning that nearly half still watch with sound, make sure you incorporate sound as well.”

Make IG Stories timely

“Finally, no matter how interesting or interactive a Stories ad may be, it’s still incredibly important that the ad resonates with the audience. During the holidays, even if a brand doesn’t have a seasonal offering, like baby diapers, for example, it still needs to reflect peoples’ realities back to them by speaking to them about things that are happening to them,” said Sanchez. “It can be as simple as incorporating mere holiday décor into the background of an ad. Something as simple as that for a non-seasonal product can resonate deeply with consumers this time of year.”