25 Instagram Story Ideas To Boost Views and Engagement in 2026

Glossy, hyper-curated content used to rule our feeds, but effective Instagram marketing now speaks a different language. Today’s users have evolved to detect and reject anything that feels too polished, instead of rewarding brands brave enough to show up authentically, imperfections and all.

Instagram Stories offer a unique opportunity to capture their interests. Unlike posts and Reels, Stories are short-lived, disappearing after 24 hours. Because of their ephemeral nature, brands can take bigger risks sharing Stories that are less refined than what they post on their grids, a proven strategy for appearing more authentic.

Here, you’ll find Instagram Story ideas and tips to help you reach your target audience and increase sales.

25 creative Instagram Story ideas for 2025

While Instagram Stories is an excellent sales channel, avoid coming off as salesy. Instead, focus on building trust with your Instagram followers. Effective Instagram Stories will help your brand promote products and content, encourage engagement, and strengthen relationships with your followers. 

Here are 25 Story ideas to consider: 

Product promotion Story ideas

1. Showcase your products

Unlike Instagram posts, Stories allow links, so you can drive traffic to product pages. Highlight seasonal and upcoming items to drum up enthusiasm or showcase a collection. For lasting impact, consider making Highlights so viewers can browse your offerings. 

Fashion brand Sandy Liang used Stories to show its new collection. The brand started by showing all the new products on a rack. Then it shared individual items by name, giving users time to study the products and find them if they want to purchase them.

2. Share discounts and sales

Use Instagram Stories to advertise upcoming promotions, sales, or discounts. Use hashtags to reach a wider audience or offer exclusive deals to your loyal Instagram following.

Ryobi, which sells power tools, implemented this tactic with bold visuals and a thumb-stopping countdown.

3. Make your Stories shoppable

Shopping on Instagram has been a game-changer. In 2024, Instagram’s social commerce revenue topped $37 billion. 

Once you set up your Instagram Shop, simply add a product sticker to your Story and interested viewers can see product details and even add to cart without leaving the platform.

Here’s an example of a shoppable Story from Los Angeles–based handbag brand Clare V.:

4. Promote your loyalty program

Users who follow you already demonstrate brand loyalty. Use Stories to strengthen those bonds and promote your loyalty program. 

Check out this Story Highlight by Pepper explaining its perks program. It incentivizes users to sign up with a simple quiz asking if they want to earn rewards for every purchase. It also highlights extra perks they’ll get—free shipping and exclusive access to sales—for joining. In just two images, it gives customers all the information they need:

5. Announce restocks to your followers first

When bestselling products come back in stock, reward your loyal followers by telling them first. This tactic encourages customers to engage with your page if they want to be the first to know about restocks. 

For example, when Swedish Stockings announced a restock of one of its top-selling tights, it used Stories. The first image stated “Cult favourite back in stock,” which can build excitement for followers who are likely familiar with your products. The next image shows a person wearing the tights, showcasing how followers could style them.

6. Create Instagram Story ads

To increase your reach and build your following, boost Stories through paid promotion. These Instagram ads appear seamlessly between organic Stories, helping you capture new viewers. Bonus: You can run Story ads as long as you want. 

Here’s how Brooklinen uses Instagram Story ads to promote its products. It’s a simple concept: a robe against a blue background. The ad uses large text that reads “Big Sale, Fast Shipping” to hook the viewer, and promises customers that they’ll receive their orders quickly, a must during the holiday season. 

7. Host giveaways

Giveaways can help you gain followers on Instagram; promoting them on your Instagram Stories can generate extra entries. You can create multiple Stories, including branded graphics with rules and entry guidelines. To increase reach, make tagging friends or reposting the Story a giveaway entry requirement. When you’re choosing a winner, record the announcement on your Stories for added engagement.

Here are two examples from Pinsy Shapewear and NoochPOP to inspire Instagram Story ideas for your account: 

The two brands take a different approach to their Stories. Pinsy posted all the information on its Story, making it easy for customers to find what they need. NoochPOP went for eye-catching text to stop customers as they swipe through Stories. 

8. Announce new releases

Alongside email newsletters, your website, and posts to your other social feeds, Instagram Stories is a channel you can leverage for announcing new product releases. Telling customers there can make them feel like they’re in an exclusive club, getting information as soon as it’s publicly available. 

Before you start revealing products, try creating an introductory slide that cultivates suspense. Kylie Cosmetics took this approach when announcing the King Kylie collection. Additionally, the brand’s account saved all of its new items to an Instagram Story Highlight to make it easy for viewers to find again.

Engagement and interaction Story ideas

9. Answer questions with an AMA

Instagram Stories’ built-in creator tools and features let you craft engaging moments. Use Instagram stickers to source questions from your audience, especially before product launches, founder introductions, or when building FAQ content.

Kerrilynn Pamer, founder of wellness brand CAP Beauty, used the Instagram question sticker to encourage followers to ask her anything. Engaging directly with her audience through an informal medium like Instagram Stories helped create authentic connections. 

It also provided the chance for engaging brand storytelling. When a follower asked Kerrilynn how she created a successful and chic brand, the founder praised the people who helped her create the vision.

10. Run a poll

Using the poll sticker in Instagram Story tools, you can survey followers for their opinions on anything from fun, topical subjects to product ideas you’re considering. This tactic can help you crowdsource product development ideas and solicit customer feedback. 

Polls are also a great way to encourage interaction, since people love to share their opinions in an easy, low-stakes way. With Instagram poll stickers, you won’t see the results of the poll until after you share your answer. This helps draw in curious viewers.

Skin care company Dr. Idriss used the poll sticker to generate hype around its tinted lip balms, asking viewers to pick their favorite. Later, the brand shared the results in a feed post, which it then reposted to Stories, maximizing a single Story’s impact. Asking viewers to choose between variations on a product gets them thinking about it, which can increase the chances they’ll remember (and buy) your product later. 

11. Quiz your audience

The quiz sticker is another Instagram Stories feature that can help boost engagement. Test your audience’s industry knowledge with multiple-choice quizzes. Quizzes present a fun way to lead followers through engaging FAQs and teach them about your products or business; this tactic is especially useful in industries rife with misinformation, including wellness, skin care, and performance beverages.

Skin care brand Dieux created a quiz to test its followers’ knowledge of its Baptism gel cleanser: 

Value-added content Story ideas

12. Provide value with bonus content

Make sure you break up your promotional content with photos and videos that provide value. Examples include educational videos, shareable graphics, recipes, checklists, and how-tos.

Nonalcoholic aperitif brand Ghia regularly shares recipes on its Instagram Stories to inspire customers with new ways to use its products. This demonstrates their products’ versatility, while encouraging customers to keep engaging with the account so they see all the new recipe ideas.

13. Share educational tips

Stories are ideal for sharing short, visually appealing tips and life hacks. Use educational Stories to distribute industry facts or explain your brand values.

Here’s how skin care brand Bushbalm uses Instagram Stories to educate customers: 

Behind-the-scenes Story ideas

14. Take users behind the scenes

Instagram Stories give you the chance to be candid. Behind-the-scenes content like factory tours, studio sneak peeks, and “how it’s made” videos humanize your brand and build trust, especially for sustainable brands showcasing their production methods. 

Because behind-the-scenes content lets you show a different side to your audience, you don’t need to curate overly polished snapshots. Flavored milk brand Jubilee’s shares Stories of founder Ashley Waldman doing boots-on-the-ground work. The brand leverages any opportunity to show followers how much time she invests in her company. 

15. Share your daily menu or specials

If your brick-and-mortar restaurant or bakery offers rotating menus or seasonal items, Instagram Stories are perfect for featuring limited-time items and daily menus. 

Magnolia Bakery shares weekly cupcakes and puddings of the month to encourage followers to visit its shops. 

💡Tip: Many of these Instagram Story ideas can also work for Reels. Consider creating a mix of Stories and Reels to meet different business objectives. For example, you can use Instagram Stories for exclusive deals for followers and Reels to build your following. 

Community and user engagement Story ideas

16. Repost user-generated content (UGC)

If you see customers sharing photos of your business, products, or services on Instagram, you can repost their content on your Stories. This lets customers know you appreciate them and builds social proof by highlighting real customer experiences and “mini reviews.”

Here’s how Somos and Pepper shared UGC to their Instagram Stories:

How to repost UGC: 

1. Find the post you want to share.

2. Click the Share icon (it looks like a paper airplane).

3. Click “Add to story.”

4. Add a caption, sticker, doodle, etc.

5. Click “Your story” to post.

17. Share customer testimonials and reviews

Sharing video testimonials and reviews from past customers is a form of social proof that can help prospective customers feel more confident about their purchases. You can use user-generated content (UGC) or create graphics with quotes from real customer reviews. Feature reviews that help customers understand the user experience and that show off your bestsellers.

You can easily reshare any UGC that has your brand tagged in it.

Here, sock brand Bombas has shared an image of its socks that makes the product look good, demonstrates that a customer is happy with their purchase, and points out a bonus feature—the left and right designations on each sock. 

18. Highlight a collab 

Collaborating with an influencer or another brand? Highlight your partnership on Instagram Stories and encourage them to do the same, so you can introduce yourselves to each other’s followers. Remember to tag the collaborator and use the link sticker to drive viewers to the collection or another page. 

When tinned fish brand Fishwife and butter brand Churn teamed up to make an anchovy and lemon butter, Fishwife shared the new release on its Instagram Story along with comprehensive information about both companies’ contributions to the product.

By tagging both Instagram accounts, it was easy for each brand to reshare the collaboration Story.

Promotions Story ideas

19. Promote your Instagram Reels

Increase views on your Instagram Reels by sharing them to your Stories. Because Stories appear at the top of the Instagram feed, they can entice users who might not see your Reels while scrolling their feeds. 

When you share a Reel to Stories, you can move it around the screen, adjust the size, and even change its orientation. Add a caption, GIF, sticker, or other visual elements to the Story to tease your Reels and encourage viewers to navigate to them.

Shapewear company Knix reposts its Reels to Instagram Stories to get maximum reach amongst its followers. While you can only share a snippet of your Reel in your Instagram Story, viewers do have the option to watch the full video from there. 

20. Promote IRL and virtual events

Stories can help boost awareness and increase registration for in-person or virtual events. Tag speakers or special guests, include relevant info, and link your Stories to a signup or ticket sales page.

Olive oil brand Graza used its Instagram Story to share details about a mobile pop-up event as it moved to different locations in New York City. Graza shared updates throughout the day to encourage attendance at every point. 

The brand also created suspense as it teased its next location and free offerings, incentivizing followers to keep checking for Stories.

21. Promote career opportunities

Are you hiring? Use Instagram Stories to promote career opportunities to your loyal fans. Add a link sticker directing candidates to your careers page.

Here are two examples of career Stories from Melsy’s Illustrations and Mid-Day Squares:

Content sharing Story ideas

22. Create shareable branded graphics

Sharing branded graphics on Stories can improve your brand’s reach. Shareable graphics include facts and stats, memes, infographics, and topical thoughts on current events or trends. Use your brand fonts, colors, branded hashtag, and logo to encourage brand awareness and ensure content is attributed to your business, even if users don’t tag you when they share.

Microwave cookware company Anyday switched to plastic-free packaging in 2024. The brand created an infographic for its Instagram Stories to help followers visualize the amount of single-use plastic people in the US use each year: 208 items, or about two bathtubs full of plastic.

23. Promote affiliate content

If you’re using affiliate links to tap into new audiences, make the most of your relationships by promoting the content that creators share. Users who share affiliate links provide UGC that feels authentic and doesn’t appear like a paid advertisement.

Promoting affiliate content builds relationships with the creators who share your affiliate links, encouraging them to continue working with you. 

For example, brands like footwear company Rothy’s promote content even when it contains an affiliate link that they’ll have to pay a creator for successfully using. They understand that affiliate relationships are strategic investments that will help them in the long run. 

24. Share press features

Getting press is exciting. It provides credibility and can give your followers the confidence to purchase. You can amplify your press mentions using Instagram Stories. 

Here, Canyon Coffee keeps it simple and to the point by sharing an impactful snippet from an instantly recognizable media outlet: The New York Times. 

Customers who don’t click through to read the full press feature will still understand the weight of the review, thanks to the inclusion of a brief quote and the newspaper’s logo. At the same time, viewers who need convincing before placing an order can click on the link to read the full article, providing a trusted third-party recommendation for the brand’s coffee.

25. Use memes and other trends

Social media is powered by trends, memes, humor, and current events. Tap into the cultural zeitgeist by putting your brand’s spin on memes or trending topics. 

Remember, Instagram Story success requires authenticity, so this idea works best for playful brands. You don’t have to hop on every meme or trend—pick the ones that feel natural.

You can also share memes from other accounts that fit with your brand’s personality. For example, nonalcoholic drinks store Boisson shared a meme from another user that’s relevant to its community of beverage aficionados. This isn’t an informational post—the primary goal is simply to identify with the brand’s audience and demonstrate an approachable sense of humor.

10 more ideas to level up your Instagram Stories

1. Organize Stories into Story Highlights
2. Increase engagement with the emoji slider
3. Jump on popular hashtags to boost reach
4. Play with text effects
5. Change the background color
6. Use the eraser tool to reveal parts of a photo
7. Use GIFs and effects
8. Add location tags
9. Post often and consistently
10. Create templates that reflect your brand aesthetic

Here are some creative Instagram Story ideas for adding visual interest to your content. Many of these tactics also boost engagement, conversion, and reach: 

1. Organize Stories into Story Highlights

Unlike Reels, Stories disappear after 24 hours. However, you can save evergreen Stories into Instagram Story Highlights, which appear as bubbles underneath your Instagram bio. This is a great way to organize Instagram Stories by product, content type, collection, or content category (press, how-tos, reward program info, etc.).

For example, Dieux organizes its Highlights by different products. 

 

2. Increase engagement with the emoji slider

Like the poll sticker, the emoji slider helps solicit follower feedback. Cute Instagram Story ideas like this engage your audience and showcase your brand personality.

Spacegoods frequently incorporates emoji sliders into its stories to encourage engagement:

3. Jump on popular hashtags to boost reach

Using the hashtag sticker can make your Story discoverable to users browsing that hashtag feed—especially if your account is public. Use hashtags that fit your brand. For example, if you’re a Halloween retailer, you might use the hashtag sticker for #halloweencostumeideas in October to attract seasonal traffic.

4. Play with text effects

There are several ways to add interest to your Stories with text effects:

Use Instagram features

After typing your text, you’ll have access to type design tools to change the color and font, effects, and animations.

Use handwriting

Try the drawing tool to write words or phrases with your finger. You can mix handwriting with typed text to emphasize certain aspects of your Story.

Add drop shadow

1. Add text to your story.

2. Copy the text and paste it to get an identical copy.

3. Select a different color for the newly pasted text.

4. Adjust one instance of the text slightly off-center on top of the other to create a drop-shadow effect.

Here’s an example of how you can use Instagram Story tools to adjust text (left) and create a DIY drop shadow (right):

5. Change the background color 

Some formats—posts and horizontal or square photos—create negative space when you try to fit them to the Stories aspect ratio. To fill it, Instagram will choose a background color for you based on asset colors. Better yet, you can follow these steps to use brand colors:

1. Add content to your Instagram Stories using the share icon under the post.

2. Click on the drawing tool.

3. Choose the desired color from the color selection tool at the bottom (hold down on a color to select from a larger spectrum).

4. Now tap and hold any part of the screen. Your background color will be updated.

6. Use the eraser tool to reveal parts of a photo

Add a bit of mystique or unveil an exciting surprise for your followers by using the eraser tool to showcase the most thumb-stopping part of your Instagram Story.

1. Upload a photo from your album.

2. Use the drawing tool to select a color.

3. Hold down on the screen to cover up your photo.

4. Switch to the eraser tool.

5. Erase part of the color to reveal part of the photo.

6. Add text to complete the Instagram Story.

See how Farm Rio and Olend use the eraser tool to reveal parts of a product and create a sense of mystery around launches and restocks:

7. Use GIFs and effects

Find effects in the top right menu of the content creation window in Instagram Stories. Scroll the options to add filters, color effects, and animations.

GIFs are in the Instagram stickers menu. Tap GIF and use the search bar to find the kinds you want.

Here are screenshots showing how to use Instagram Story effects (left) and the GIF search tool (right):

8. Add location tags

Location tags help users discover content from local creators and brands and can be helpful for brands trying to build local followings or communities. Find location tags in the stickers menu, then type your location in the search bar.

Tap the location sticker, then search for a verified location like this:

9. Post often and consistently

Consistency is key to engaging your audience and keeping your Stories at the top of their feeds. Aim to post one to two Stories a day to maintain visibility.

Remember, Stories are designed for spontaneity and meant to be temporary, so don’t overthink them. Experiment, share candid moments, and test new ideas. Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, each one is a chance for connection without the pressure of perfection.

10. Create templates that reflect your brand aesthetic

In addition to consistently posting, having a clear aesthetic and style that’s visible across your Instagram Stories is crucial for creating a clear sense of brand identity. This is especially important for Instagram Story Highlights, which will live on your profile longer, but even temporary Stories should have a sense of stylistic continuity.

This could be as simple as sticking to a few set fonts on your Instagram Stories and regularly integrating your brand colors into slides, or you can make stylized templates through design tools like Canva. However, if you use templates to add custom fonts or borders to the images you post on Instagram Stories, make sure you still integrate in-app features like stickers and links. 

Fashion brand Dôen does a great job standardizing design elements like flourishes and fonts in its Instagram Stories while still leveraging platform-specific features.

Photography tips for Instagram Stories 

Photographer Sarah Pflug recommends following these photography fundamentals to get the most out of your Instagram Stories:

Use the rule of thirds

This classic theory suggests dividing photos into nine equal quadrants and placing the subject in the right, left, top, or bottom third, not the center. To apply this rule, shoot photos on your phone with the “grid lines” setting on. 

Consider lighting

Before you buy lighting equipment, test natural lighting by placing your subject in front of, beside, and behind your light source. See how lighting placement affects your photos and experiment with shadows, glare, and additional light sources. Simple lighting kits can help you create well-lit Instagram Stories.

Crop before uploading

Uploading a photo to Instagram Stories decreases its sharpness and resizes it to fit a 9:16 aspect ratio. To combat this, edit photos to the appropriate Instagram Story size before uploading them.

Apply these cool Instagram Story ideas today

The best Instagram Story ideas advance your brand goals. Remember your audience preferences and brand values whenever you create an Instagram Story. 

Instagram marketing is all about creativity and play, so try new designs, monitor your Instagram Insights, and post consistently to keep your audience engaged.

Additional reporting by Shuang Esther Shan