Instagram Story Ideas For Fan Engagement
With the release of its story' feature, Instagram opened the floodgates on a strong new resource for artists to promote their work. Here we look at some helpful story ideas for helping artists to engage and reel in their fans on IG.
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Guest post by Randi Zimmerman from the Symphonic Blog
Instagram introduced it’s ‘stories’ feature a couple years ago, and everyone has been obsessed ever since. With this feature, you are no longer confined to a single post. You can post a set of as many photos or videos as you want in a slideshow-like format that disappears at the end of the day. This opens up a whole new world of ideas for promotion and the ability to gain more organic insight from your followers in a cool, new way.
Over 250 million people use Instagram stories every day. What’re you waiting for?
Here’s some ideas to help you increase fan engagement through the use of Instagram Stories.
Go Live.
Anything can happen on a live feed, and everyone loves feeling like a part of something that feels exclusive and genuinely authentic. Your audience can comment and interact with you in real time. They can send emojis and ask you questions in the comment section. Fans of yours will love being able to personally interact with you and feel more connected to you and your music.
Use a compelling call to action by adding a Swipe Up link to your story.
Link your music, promote ticket sales or include a link to your merch.
Ex. Check out my newest release on Spotify… Swipe Up.
Give your followers a behind the scenes look at your new projects.
Any time you’ve got things in the works, keep your fans intrigued by sharing pics, boomerangs, or videos of the cool things you do.
Tease an upcoming announcement.
Countdown the days to an event launch or album release. Keep your fans on their toes.
Let someone else take the wheel.
Find artists or influencers to collab with on a live story or let someone else manage your posts for the day to cross over into a whole new territory. This method combines your audience and theirs for the ultimate marketing tactic to connect with more viewers and gain new fans.
Be Different. Make your story stand out with cool stickers and unique visuals.
Instagram Stories lets you customize your posts with emojis, music, and special effects. You can even use your own branded typography by using an app like Canva. Using your own branded text will increase and establish some universal brand recognition. Viewers will appreciate your brand’s unique, personal flair.
Share user generated content.
Releasing a new song or album? Have your fans tag you and your music in their stories or posts, and re-share these on your own story. You can even promote being featured on your page as a way to get your fans even more excited to be involved.
Post a poll to your story.
Posting a poll for your viewers to interact with is a cool way to get more involvement easily and effectively. Ask your audience anything and watch as the votes roll in.
Creating a poll is simple: After recording your story, open up the ‘stickers menu’ and tap the ‘Poll’ sticker. Then, just add your question and customize your answer choices. Your followers will be able to vote and see how the results fluctuate in real time.
