Completely out of ideas for what to post on your Instagram Stories? Well, you’re in luck! Today, I’m sharing my top 10 engaging Instagram story ideas for what to post on your Instagram stories when you don’t know what you want to share next. Instagram Stories are a great way to boost engagement on your account and truly connect with your followers. Let’s dive into these 10 ideas together!

1. Do a Q&A sticker with your audience

There are a ton of things you can do when you use a Q&A sticker. You can have them ask you questions, tell you what they want linked, ask questions about your content, or more.  As followers begin to fill out the answer, you can share their responses and engage more with your audience through the responses! 

2. Share about other accounts you love following

Another easy Instagram Story idea is to share about accounts you love and follow. This is a great way to connect with the people you love and other business owners, but it’s also a good way to share more about you. You can share one of their photos or their grid in your story – and make sure to tag them so they know you shared it! Add in why you love following them and ta-da, you’ve got a great Instagram Story! People who follow you may also like following the accounts you like, too, so it’s a win-win all around! 

3. Share about something you have been loving lately

This sounds super vague, but it’s easy to take it in a lot of directions! You can easily share your photography gear, beauty products, clothes, or other things you have affiliate links for. Think about it – you’re making a smoothie and you share about the blender or the recipe. You could share about your camera gear when talking about sessions. Whatever it is, you’re providing value to your audience and possibly able to make some extra income if you have affiliate links! 

4. Share a behind the scenes of what you do every day

I don’t know what it is, but people LOVE behind the scenes footage from content creators, brands, and small business owners. Honestly, I know it can feel like you’re sharing something “boring” but people are SO curious about what it takes to do what you do! Share your process and bring them along on the journey.

5. Share free + paid offers you have

Sharing about your offers doesn’t have to be anything crazy! Take a moment to share about your free downloads or paid offerings when it makes sense in what you’re talking about. This can be an easy way to grow your mailing list (with your freebies). I know that it can feel like you’re “being annoying” or sharing too much but if you’re a business owner, here’s your permission to share about your offerings! If you know your offerings are valuable and going to serve your audience, you should absolutely be talking about this with your audience!! 

6. Do a poll

Polls are a GREAT way to get some market research on your audience. This can help you plan your blog posts, paid content, or social media content. Polls are a super easy way to find out what exactly your audience actually wants to hear about from you! But, they’re also a lot of fun for silly things – which is great to connect with your audience, too. Remember, social media should be social too! People love giving their opinions on things – so let them! 

7. Re-share an inspiring/impactful post that you read/saw recently

While you were on Instagram recently, what did you save? Share them with your audience – those posts are a way to connect with your audience on a deeper level. It shows them who you are and what you love. YOu’ll be surprised who else wanted or needed to hear that thing! 

8. Graphic to link to something new you’ve put onto another platform

I LOVE using Canva to create graphics that I share when I have a new blog post, YouTube videos, or classes. Those get put on my Instagram Stories and I add a “swipe up” link. If you don’t have the swipe up, have your audience DM you for the link or give them a place to provide their email. PS. Canva is free and you can sign up HERE! 

9. Re-share when someone tags you in a photo

Anytime you share about someone who loves you or your products, re-share them! I know it sounds obvious, but there’s some really strategic reasons to re-share this content. The biggest one is that it builds credibility that other people are using what you put out there! These re-shares show that what you’re building serves your clients well. Trust me, it helps! 

10. Share your personal life

As you probably know by now, I’m a huge fan of growing a personal brand. People want to connect with and buy from people! Again, I know it’s a super vague idea but there’s a lot of things you can do with it. Share a photo, video, or boomerang. You don’t have to share EVERYTHING in your personal life – but pick and choose a few things you’re comfortable with. These little snippets of your life help your clients feel more connected to you. 

Bonus Tip: Mix it up!

All of these ideas are super fun! Make sure you’re mixing them up and creating lots of different kinds of stories. It keeps things interesting for you and your audience! 

Now you have 10 ideas for when you don’t know what to post on Instagram Stories! Remember, Instagram Stories are just one more place you can connect with your potential clients – so have some fun with it. It’s much easier than you think. If you need more inspiration, come follow me on Instagram and see what I’m up to!