The people who watch your Instagram stories are your most engaged following. They are the people your posts will always reach, despite the Instagram algorithm being evil. Your stories are incredibly valuable and show the most of your personality. The biggest difference between your feed and your stories is that your stories show your real life, while your static feed is your portfolio. That’s where you post the best of the best. Your stories can show the behind-the-scenes, and even the messier aspects of yourself, without having to be half as cultivated.
For example, I would post a video of me singing loudly and badly in my car to my stories. I'll post my face halfway through my makeup, bad outtakes of my Reels videos, and anything that my followers might find funny and relatable. Don't let the professionalism of your main Instagram grid stop you from showing your quirks and your personality. Those aspects of yourself will set you apart from the rest!
Quantity over Quality
When it comes to your stories, more is better. Value quantity over quality. Instagram users will just tap through your stories and quickly consume what you did that day, but if you generally only post one a day or less, they’ll stop tapping your icon. Ideally, you want to post at least 5 stories on your Instagram every day. I know, that sounds like a ton. However, it’s actually not hard, you just have to get into the habit of doing it. When you make yourself and your child breakfast, snap a pic of what you made and post it. Take a selfie in the car. Take a pretty picture of some scenery (and tag the location). Got lunch with a friend? Take some photos. Your followers are interested in your life. Let them see what you’re doing. Just decide beforehand what your limits are, and what you are and aren’t comfortable showing.
Utilize Story Functions
One of the best ways to boost your account's engagement is to use Instagram buttons in your stories. If you're deciding between which outfit to wear to an event, post them both to stories and use a poll to let your followers pick! If you're not sure what type of content to post that week, use the question button to ask your followers what they'd like to see from you. I just recently used the question button to ask my followers why they followed me in the first place, and it was not only insightful but allowed me to reconnect with my core following!