Use engaging imagery and video
One of the most important things you can do to improve the quality of your Facebook stories is to use visually engaging images and video. People respond much better to dynamic visual content than blocks of text. When creating a story, take the time to select a high-quality, eye-catching image or an interesting video clip to accompany your text.
Images and videos will make your story stand out in the viewer’s feed and are more likely to capture their attention. Just be sure to choose media that is relevant to the story and makes sense with the text you are sharing. An engaging image that is on-theme will draw readers in.
Write an interesting opening line
Along with strong visuals, writing an interesting opening line is key to getting people’s attention right off the bat. Don’t just start your story with generic text like “Hi friends!” or “Check this out!”. Instead, try opening with a surprising fact, an interesting question, or something personal that will spark curiosity and get people to want to keep watching.
For example, you could start with a unique statistic about your business or product, an anecdote from a customer, or a thought-provoking question for your audience. The opening line is your chance to set the tone and make people intrigued to continue viewing your story. Take advantage of it!
Keep it short and concise
Facebook stories are meant to be brief, snackable content. You don’t want to overload viewers with too much text or have stories that drag on and on. Aim to communicate what you want to say as clearly and concisely as possible within the limits of the medium.
Use just a few descriptive sentences to explain or highlight something interesting. You can always link out to a blog or website for more in-depth information. But the story itself should be tight and focused. Don’t feel like you need to tell your whole life story from start to finish in one post. Keep it short, sweet, and compelling.
Add interactive stickers or questions
Adding interactive stickers and questions to your Facebook stories is an excellent way to get higher engagement from viewers. When you incorporate polls, questions, quizzes, emoji sliders, and other interactive elements, it actively involves your audience rather than having them passively consume content.
Questions give them something specific to respond to and a reason to type a comment. Polls and quizzes get them participating and sharing back their thoughts, opinions, and results. Have fun coming up with some questions related to your story topic or creative ways to use interactive stickers. The more you engage viewers, the better your overall response will be.
Check for spelling/grammar errors
This may seem obvious, but it’s always important to double and triple check your Facebook stories for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors before posting. With the casual, ephemeral nature of stories, it can be easy to overlook typos or poorly constructed sentences.
However, just because content is fleeting doesn’t mean you can disregard proper spelling and grammar. In fact, people are more likely to notice errors in short stories, and it looks unprofessional. Always proofread thoroughly because the quality of writing directly impacts your brand’s image and reputation.
Find the best time to post
You want to make sure your Facebook stories are being posted at a time when the bulk of your target audience is actually online and likely to see it in their feeds. Some simple research into when your followers are most active on Facebook can help optimize your timing.
You may find posting first thing in the morning or during the mid-afternoon works best for engagement. Look at your past analytics on previous posts to get a sense of when your viewers tend to be most responsive. Figure out your peak posting time and schedule stories for when you know people are scrolling through their feeds.
Use a consistent voice/style
While you want your stories to feel natural and conversational, it’s also important that they align with your brand voice and style. There should be some consistency from story to story so your audience recognizes it’s coming from you.
Consider the tone, vocabulary, humor, formatting, etc. you typically use in your messaging. And aim to create stories that match this same style so everything on your channel meshes together cohesively. This helps reinforce your brand identity through stories.
Make it personable
The most compelling Facebook stories allow viewers to get a personal glimpse behind the scenes or make an emotional connection. Therefore, don’t be afraid to sometimes get personal and show the actual people behind your brand.
Give a peek at employees in the office, share a funny anecdote from a company party, or capture an intimate family moment. This adds a layer of humanity and relatability that audiences love. Just be sure to exercise judgment and maintain some professional boundaries where appropriate. Find the right balance of being personable while still on-brand.
Tease upcoming content
Stories are a great place to tease any exciting content you have coming down the pipeline like an upcoming product launch, rebrand announcement, new blog series, etc. Share some sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes looks, or cryptic hints to build anticipation.
But don’t give away all the details in the story. The idea is to entice people to stay tuned for the big reveal. This creates a sense of mystery and desire to keep checking back for the complete news. Use stories to generate buzz and trailers leading up to your new content drops.
Take viewers behind the scenes
As mentioned above, Facebook users love getting a glimpse behind the curtain of brands they follow. Stories give you the perfect opportunity to bring followers into the inner workings of your company. Show them inside meetings, the creative process, events prep, office culture, etc.
These inside looks make your brand so much more relatable and humanized. Let people feel like insiders through your stories. Just don’t share anything too proprietary or sensitive! Find a balance of insider access while still being professional about what business aspects you share publicly.
Run polls and contests
Interactive polls and contests are extremely shareable story formats that get high engagement. Come up with intriguing poll questions related to your brand like asking fans to weigh in on a new product design, name ideas, upcoming initiatives, etc.
You can also run simple contests like giving away promotional items for those who share the story or correctly answer a question. These make people feel invested in your brand’s direction when they get to provide feedback and input through your stories.
Collaborate with influencers
Partner with relevant social media influencers in your industry to collaborate on Facebook stories together. This could mean having them guest post on your account, co-creating content, or coordinating cross-promotions.
Influencers already have strong followings of their own who you can gain exposure to through stories. Plus it brings fresh perspectives and ideas from trusted industry voices that fans will enjoy. Just be sure to choose influencer partners who truly align with your brand.
Add text formatting
Take advantage of text formatting options in stories to make your words stand out. You can experiment with different fonts, colors, backgrounds, animations, and placements to bring visual interest to your text.
For example, try highlighting key phrases in bold or italics. Use contrasting colors to make certain words pop. Add some moving effects like sliding text. Get creative with how you present text to make it more eye-catching. Just don’t go overboard with too many distracting effects.
Link to websites/blog posts
If you have blogs, articles, website content, or other longer-form media that you want to drive traffic to, add links in your Facebook stories. For example, if you mention a new video, product launch, podcast episode, etc, include a swipe up or sticker link to that destination.
Stories are a great top-of-funnel format to use for seeding awareness and interest in your latest content. The links take interested viewers straight from your story to the website for more information. Just make sure the content you are linking out to is optimized for mobile.
Add location tags
Location stickers are a fun way to tag where a story takes place if it is at a relevant business, restaurant, venue or somewhere people may recognize. This adds helpful context and often gets better traction in that geographic area.
For example, if you are sharing a story while at a conference, tag the venue location. Or if you are posting about a new product available locally, tag your store location. Where possible, let followers know where you are and drive location-based traffic.
Make it educational
Stories are a great format for quickly teaching your audience something interesting and educational related to your niche. You can provide tips, hacks, advice, how-tos, and other short lessons.
For example, a cooking brand could use stories to demonstrate quick recipes or kitchen tips. A beauty brand could share makeup tutorials. Make it bite-sized valuable information that is easy to absorb and helps build community value. Just focus on concise need-to-know points instead of in-depth tutorials.
Do a Q&A or AMA
Engage your followers by opening up the floor for questions with a Q&A or AMA (ask me anything) in your stories. Let people submit questions via DM or sticker and then pick some to feature and answer in your stories.
This gives fans a direct line to your brand to get their burning questions addressed. Plus it provides you with valuable insight into what your audience wants to know more about. You can even turn the questions into inspirations for future content.
Conclusion
The most important tips for creating quality Facebook stories include using eye-catching visuals, writing good opening lines, keeping it concise, adding interactivity, maintaining your brand voice, and providing insider access. Leverage the casual, conversational nature of stories while still presenting polished, on-brand content.
Take advantage of creative multimedia options, strategic posting times, collaborations, contests and teasers to make engaging stories. Provide educational value and give followers what they want with Q&As. Follow these best practices, and your Facebook stories will capture attention and effectively connect with your target audience. Just have fun with it and let your unique brand personality shine through!