Do Authors Need to Be on Instagram Stories?

A question I’ve been getting a lot lately is, “What’s the point of using Instagram Stories if I already post in the feed?” 

It’s a valid question. What do Instagram Stories provide that the feed doesn’t? So I wanted to provide you with some information as you consider adding Instagram Stories to your overall social media strategy. 

Become More Visible 

You need to remember that the post you share in the main feed doesn’t necessarily show up in everyone’s feed. Instagram’s algorithm will show your post to your followers that it has determined will be most likely to want to see it. And if they respond, they will show it to more people. It filters content so our newsfeeds are only full of posts that Instagram calculates we will be interested in. 

All that to say, our posts are competing for a spot in the newsfeed. But with Instagram Stories, your avatar will show up right at the top of all of your followers’ feeds with a nice ring around the image to indicate that a new story is available. 

So use Instagram Stories regularly to stay at the top of your ideal reader’s feed - and mind. 

Boost Engagement 

Engagement is the name of the game on Instagram. You want people to like, comment, share and interact with what you’re sharing. And your Stories feed into that engagement and show Instagram that people are interested in your content and want to see more. 

Sharing in Stories helps to boost your engagement, which in turn will help boost your visibility in the feed. It all works together. 

Offer a Variety of Content 

Many of us have a certain style of content or a specific look that we want to go on our main profile. But with Stories we can change things up and share content that doesn’t necessarily stick to our feed’s aesthetic. 

For example, a few weeks ago I shared an image of my friend’s new album that I loved and wanted to help support. That didn’t really fit into what I share in my main feed, so I shared it in Stories. And Stories are only available for 24 hours, so there is a sense of urgency or exclusivity that makes people want to catch what you’re sharing before it goes away. 

Be More Personable 

Instagram Stories are a great way to share content that enable readers to get to know you more and see more of your personality. It’s a way to let readers see quick and spontaneous behind-the-scene images and videos that aren’t a part of your regular content schedule or more strategic posts. 

For example, I don’t post images of my son in the main feed since I want to keep our main feed focused on content that helps authors. But I do share pictures of him, my husband, our dogs, and more fun stuff using Stories that show my personality and our life so readers can get to know me better. 

Have Fun 

There are some really cool features in Instagram Stories that aren’t available in the regular feed. You can decorate your posts with animated stickers, drawings, emojis, and overlay some added text. It’s a great way to show some creativity! 

You can also ask questions, post some polls, and get some great information from your readers that don’t really work as well in the main feed. It’s a different way to connect with readers and gain more information that you might not be able to get otherwise. 

Using Instagram Stories as a part of our content strategy helps us build engagement, adds more freedom and flexibility to what we post, and it’s also a lot of fun to use. I would encourage you to try it if you haven’t used it before. You don’t have to get it perfect right away - just give it a go and play around with it a bit. 

And if you’re stuck with what you should share or post in Stories, I have 40 suggestions that will help you get started!