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Get 'em voting, keep 'em engaged.
If you aren’t currently using Instagram poll stickers on your IG Stories, listen up, because we’re about to change your life — and your engagement rates.
Instagram polls are a great way to boost engagement on your Instagram Stories, because they give your followers a chance to interact with your posts.
Turns out, the best Instagram engagement strategy is to ask questions! Crazy right? But the benefits don’t stop there.
By polling your followers, you can learn more about what they’re interested in and what they want to see from you. 62% of Instagram users say they become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in their Stories, and polls are a great way to jump in and capture their attention.
Trust us, this is one of those tips you’d find listed on a “Great Social Media Hacks” blog. But we’re going to skip straight to the meat and give you some of our best ideas for this often slept-on strategy.
Scroll through this step-by-step guide for a hot serving of creative Instagram Story poll ideas!
What Are Instagram Polls and Why Do They Matter?
Instagram added the polling feature to Instagram Stories back in October of 2017. Poll stickers can be added on top of your Insta story videos and photos, similar emojis and location tags.
Polls allow you to ask your followers a question and see the results in real time. They’re an engaging way to connect with your customers and learn more about their opinions and preferences.
Instagram polls help improve engagement because:
- They’re interactive: Instagram polls are a fun and interactive way for your followers to engage with your content.
- They’re useful: Your polls can be used to gather feedback from followers on topics such as product preferences or event planning.
- They’re easy to use: It only takes a few seconds to create a poll and add it to your story.
- They’re visually appealing: Adding a poll sticker will add life to your Stories and catch the eyes of your followers.
How To Use Instagram Polls
Adding polls to your Instagram stories has multiple business benefits and uses, and should be a part of your Instagram marketing strategy. Why?
Because polling your customers through Instagram is an easy and cost effective way to conduct market research!
A few things to keep in mind when creating Instagram polls:
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Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
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Common Instagram Poll Formats
Polls open up a world of possibility. You can ask anything you’d like, but some questions will get better engagement than others.
Let's take a look at some of the best types of poll formats and templates for success:
Yes or No
Keep it simple with a Yes or No style poll. “Yes” and “No” will be the default answers in your poll when you first add it to your story. These are a great way to get a quick pulse on your audience’s feelings about a potential topic or product.
This or That
A This or That poll is ideal for sparking interest and narrowing down your audience’s focus. Consider running a “versus” style campaign for a couple of your products, or use it as a way to conduct competitive research.
Would You Rather
Would You Rather questions pose two scenarios that your audience must vote between. These polls are particularly engaging because they’re fun and tap into the imagination of your followers. Make sure your scenarios are clear and concise!
Emoji Slider
Emoji Sliders (sometimes called a Reaction Sticker) are another style of poll you can test out. To put an Emoji Slider on your story, you will need to select it in the Stickers menu instead of the Poll sticker.
The Emoji Slider allows your audience to rank their enjoyment of something on a sliding scale, with the “heart eyes” emoji representing their interest.
Sked Tip: For a truly branded experience, use an emoji that you commonly associate with your brand in place of the “heart eyes” emoji.
6 Instagram Poll Ideas to Get You Started
1. Ask your followers’ opinions on a new product or service
A great way to gauge interest in new products and services is by polling your followers with a “This or That” or “Yes or No” question.
Showcase images of two of your upcoming products and ask your followers to vote on which they are most excited for. If you’re promoting a new service, you can also ask questions like: “Would you use this?” or “Are you excited for the next big thing?”
2. Create suspense and excitement for a new product drop or collab
One of the more clever uses for Insta polls that we’ve seen is using them to generate buzz around a product launch or brand collaboration.
Here are some ideas for building suspense with your polls:
- Is your brand teaming up with an influencer for your next campaign? Create a poll asking your followers to guess what you’re working on together. You can even host a giveaway or contest for the people that guess correctly.
- If you’re doing a brand collaboration for an upcoming product, give a shout out to the brands you’re working with in your Instagram poll questions. Sephora has used this strategy in the past to build hype for upcoming products.
- Share a high-quality image of a new product and ask your followers “Do you want to see more?”
3. Drive people to your blog posts or videos
Insta polls are a great way to drive traffic to your blog posts, videos on TikTok or Youtube, or other digital media. Use your polls as a “hook” for your next article, and pose a question that will leave your followers wanting to learn more.
For example, if your latest blog is on the “Top 10 Fall Styles for 2022” you can ask your followers what their go-to styles are. At the bottom of the post, include a call to action that says something like “Click here for some fresh fall fashion ideas.” Then insert a link sticker that leads back to your post.
Sked Tip: You can also use polls to come up with new ideas! If you’re struggling to find a topic for your next blog post or video, drop a question in a poll. Ask followers what topics they’d like to see you write about or what type of video content they’d be most interested in.
4. Learn more about your followers’ social media habits
Looking to do some market research to improve your social media marketing? Go straight to the source and ask your followers.
Run a poll asking what their favorite features are on Instagram, how they spend their time on the app, or what they use their Instagram account for. This is a free way to gather invaluable insight on your target audience, while also providing them with engaging content. That’s a win-win in our books!
5. Create an interactive game
This is one of our favorite options on this list. Who doesn’t love a good game? Create a game through your polls by asking followers to vote on the next step in a series of posts. Use creative imagery and questions to build a story your followers will invest in.
For a fantastic example of how to do this, check out the “Choose Your Own Adventure” style posts used to market a new season of Stranger Things. The Story posts used polls as a way for followers to guide characters through a mini Instagram adventure.
6. Utilize current events and pop culture
Not every post on your story needs to directly relate back to a product or service. Social media should also be used to entertain your audience and connect your brand to their lifestyle. One way to do this is to use polls to discuss current events related to your niche.
For example, if your brand is focused on clothing or fashion, ask your followers to rate the latest fashions worn by celebrities. You can also do this before big Hollywood events, like asking who will win “Album of the Year'' at the Grammys. Another popular option is to run a quiz on the outcome of a big sporting event, like the Superbowl.
There are no shortage of ways to pull current events and pop culture into your polls. It’s the best way to keep your brand relevant.
Get Out There, and Get Creative!
When it comes to building an Instagram story poll, you can’t go wrong as long as you let yourself get creative. Polls are a great way to get feedback from your followers, and they can be a lot of fun too. Be sure to try them out the next time you want to get some input from your audience.
If you're looking for a tool that makes it easy to create and manage Instagram polls, be sure to check out Sked Social's All-in-One Instagram Marketing tool. With Sked Social, you can easily create polls, add them to your favorite story templates, schedule them for future dates, and track results in real time. Plus, there's a free 7 day trial so you can try it out for yourself.