How to Use Instagram Polls to Boost Engagement in Your Stories

Did you know the best way to drive engagement on Instagram is to ask your audience questions? That's why the poll sticker is such a valuable feature. It lets you interact with your followers, gather feedback, and learn more about their interests and preferences. At the same time, you're boosting engagement in your Stories.

Poll stickers work because they're fun, eye-catching, and easy to use. In addition, everyone loves to give their two cents. People can't help answering when they see a poll. To help you take advantage of this feature and maximize engagement on your Stories, here's everything you need to know about it and how to use it creatively.

How to Make Polls on Your Instagram Stories

Before you can get creative with your Instagram polls, you must know how to make them first. Fortunately, they're easy to set up in your Stories and won't take you more than a minute or two. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create polls.

• 1. Tap on the + icon to create an Instagram Story.

• 2. Upload or take a photo or video you want to use as your Story's background. You can also choose a solid color or gradient.

• 3. Look for the sticker icon at the top of the screen. You can also swipe up to see the selection of stickers.

• 4. Select the poll sticker, type your question, and enter the options. You can also customize the color by selecting the color wheel. Tap “Done” when you're satisfied.

• 5. Drag and drop the poll sticker to your preferred spot on your Story.

• 6. Publish your Story.

• 7. Once your poll is live, you can check the results by swiping up and tapping the eye icon.

Tips to Remember When Creating Instagram Polls

When crafting your questions and answers, here are some tips you can keep in mind to make your polls as impactful as possible.

• 1. Keep your questions short and sweet. No one wants to spend more than a few seconds reading a poll.

• 2. Avoid posting complicated questions. Your audience shouldn't have to think too hard about their answer. They might skip over your Story entirely if the question is hard to understand.

• 3. Use eye-catching images, videos, stickers, and gifs, to make your poll more attractive to your audience and encourage them to participate.

• 4. Post Stories when your users are most active. You can check this on Instagram Insights. That way, you can expose your poll to a large number of followers.

Five Creative Poll Ideas to Boost Engagement in Your Stories

In its most basic form, Instagram polls have one question and two possible answers. But there are many ways to be creative with it and gain valuable market research data. Here are some fun and interactive ways to engage your audience with Instagram polls.

• Ask Your Audience How They Feel About a New Product or Service

  If you're in the process of launching new products or services but are having trouble making the final decisions, you can get the insight you need through polls. By asking "Yes or No" or "This or That" questions, you can gauge your followers' interests and make the right decisions ahead of your launch.

  If you have to decide between two prototypes, you can post their pictures and ask your audience to vote for their favorite. But if it's a new service you're working on, you can ask your audience if they would use it or if they're excited about it.

• Build Hype for Your Product Launch or Collaboration

  As simple as the poll sticker may seem, it can generate a lot of hype for an upcoming product launch or collaboration with another brand. If you have a new product in the works, you can share a teaser photo or video of it and create a poll asking if they're ready to see more. If you're teaming up with another brand or creator, you can mention or tag them in your Story and ask your followers to guess what you're cooking up together.

  You can build even more hype by using the poll feature with other stickers. The countdown sticker reminds your audience about the exact time and date of your launch or collaboration so that they don't miss out. On the other hand, the emoji slider lets them express how excited they are about the event.

• Play an Educational Game

  The poll sticker is surprisingly versatile, and one of the most creative things you can do with it is quiz your audience. Everyone loves a fun trivia game, and you can do them regularly for your audience through poll stickers. You can reward those who get the answers right with little prizes. Not only are you entertaining your followers and making them happy, but you're also driving engagement in your Stories.

  Another benefit of playing trivia through polls is people become more aware of your niche. If you sell jewelry, for example, you can quiz your followers on the different types of gemstones. Or if you're a sneaker brand, you can test their knowledge of the various shoe styles throughout the decades.

• Drive People to Your Catalog, Website, and Other Platforms

  Instagram polls aren't just for driving engagement in your Stories. You can also use them as a segue to your other platforms. Content creators, for example, can use polls to direct their Instagram followers to their YouTube channel or blog. Meanwhile, brands and businesses can promote their Instagram catalog or website.

  The technique is to craft a relevant poll question and follow it up with a call to action. If your latest YouTube video is about autumn fashion, you can ask your followers how they like to style their pieces. You can then include a sticker link that leads to your video.

The Bottom Line

The poll feature tends to get lost in the mix. While there are a lot of other Instagram trends to try out, you should reach for the poll sticker more regularly. It's an effective way to interact with your audience, get their feedback, promote your products, and drive engagement in all your platforms. You'd be surprised by how creative you can get with polls and how much value you can get from them.