Instagram Stories are the perfect place to engage with your followers and increase your brand’s awareness. 500 million people (you heard that right!) use stories every day, making it an increasingly desirable channel to reach your target audience.
But, for people like me who do not like being on camera, Instagram stories can seem intimidating and out of reach. Putting yourself out there can bring up feelings of overwhelm, insecurity, and downright fear.
So the question is, are Instagram Stories worthwhile if you don’t want to be on camera? The answer is a whole-hearted YES!
Below we’ve included 10 great Instagram Story ideas that don’t require you to show your face, plus we’re giving you tips for how to overcome that aversion in the first place.
Let’s dive in!
1. Share your Story
If you are new to Stories, we suggest creating a foundation first with content about who you are and who you serve. This should speak to anyone who isn’t familiar with you or your brand yet, and introduce them to your unique offering.
Label it something obvious like “Start Here”, and add to it overtime to keep the content fresh. See an example from Halcon's Instagram below!
2. Promote Instagram Posts
Since not all of your followers will see the posts on your feed (dang that algorithm!), stories are a great way to promote new content and up your chances of getting it in front of your followers.
Simply share your post to your story, and you can add stickers or GIFs in order to block out some of the content. Share a snippet to get your followers intrigued to click through and view the full post!
3. Promote Blog Posts
Another great way to use stories is to promote your recent blog posts. Create a few slides to give some of the high-level takeaways from your posts, and include a swipe-up link or add the link to your bio for your audience to view the full blog.
4. Share products
If you are a product-based business, Stories are perfect for introducing new products or featuring existing products.
Not only will this promote engagement with your followers, but it can also increase sales of your product!
5. Create Shoppable Stories
The shopping feature on Instagram is an amazing free resource that is available to all business accounts. To use it, you must have your Instagram linked to a Facebook business page and have a catalog of products associated with it.
Your product will be added as a link to your Story. When it’s clicked, it will open up a sub-window in Instagram to view the product, and an option to link off to view and purchase on your website. It’s an amazing feature that we want to see more business owners using!
6. Share your follower’s content
Are you getting tagged in your customer’s Instagram post or Story? Share it! This social proof is a great way to build a strong reputation with your audience. After all, no one says it better than the customers themselves!
7. Use the Question Sticker
Instagram Stories come with so many built-in engagement tools, and the question sticker is one of the best for creating interaction with your audience.
This allows you to pose a question to your audience, like “Ask me Anything”, and they can answer you directly. Share the answers to your Stories for even more engagement.
This is a perfect way for your audience to get to know you better, and you don’t even have to be on camera!
8. Create polls
Similarly, polls are another awesome engagement tool to use on an Instagram Story. Use these to survey your audience about new topics, learn what they want to hear more of from you, and get to know your followers even better.
9. Instagram Story Takeover
Instagram Story Takeovers happen when you invite someone else to post on your Stories for a specific amount of time. You can invite an expert to speak on a specific topic, have one of your employees take over, or have another business you are partnering with join for the day.
Takeovers bring fresh content to your Stories and have the added opportunity of expanding your audience. Have the takeover person invite their audience to follow along and watch as you get an influx of new people introduced to your brand!
10. Share Behind the Scenes Content
Even if you prefer to keep your pretty face off-camera, you can still let your Instagram followers get a sneak peek at what goes on in your day! This fosters greater connection and authenticity in your brand.
Post your morning coffee, your office set up, a sneak peek at something new you are working on (with the details covered up), or your pup snoozing at your feet. The opportunities are endless! This is an easy, simple way to let you people in on what a day in your life looks like.
Bonus: How to Get Comfortable on Camera
While all the ideas we shared here are sure to drive engagement on your Instagram Story, there is still a lot of benefit to putting in some face time on camera. It can feel intimidating, nerve-wracking, and downright stressful - we know! But there is nothing (repeat: nothing!) that will build a connection with your followers more than letting them 1. See you and 2. Hear what you have to say.
The easiest way to overcome video anxiety is to practice. The more you do it, the less uncomfortable it will get. But, in the meantime, read our post on overcoming IG video anxiety for 5 great tips that will help you feel comfortable on camera. You’ve got this!
