Facebook Stories have become an incredibly popular way to share photos, videos, and updates with friends and followers on Facebook. With over 500 million people using Stories every day, it’s a great opportunity to connect with your audience in a casual yet engaging way.
But simply posting random selfies and mundane updates isn’t going to cut it. To truly capture attention and stand out in the highly competitive News Feed, you need to get creative with your Facebook Stories. Here are some tips to make your stories pop and keep viewers hooked!
Use Creative Camera Effects & Stickers
Posting raw, unedited photos and videos will make for a pretty boring Story. Take advantage of the many camera effects and creative stickers available within Facebook Stories to spruce things up. Some ideas:
- Fun filters like black & white, vintage, bright colors to change the look and feel
- Face filters like cat ears or sunglasses to showcase your personality
- Time lapses of cooking a meal, getting ready or commuting
- Text and emoji stickers to highlight key moments
- Interactive polls and quiz stickers to get your viewers involved
- Music stickers or trending audios to set the vibe
Feel free to get creative and even make your own custom stickers! This adds an extra personal touch that followers will love. But don’t go overboard – subtle and tasteful effects are best.
Show Behind-the-Scenes Moments
Give your audience insider access to your life with behind-the-scenes glimpses at events, travel adventures, hobbies or your work life. For example:
- Capture prep and pre-event moments at a conference or wedding
- Show a hike from beginning to end compressed into a quick video
- Snap arts and crafts projects step-by-step
- Share your unique office culture or day-to-day work grind
- Show a helpful tip that gives viewers insight into your world
People inherently love feeling like they’re getting an inside look into other people’s worlds. Satisfy their voyeuristic tendencies with an authentic peek into your day-to-day happenings.
Collaborate with Others
Team up with a friend or influencer in your niche to create a collaborative Story. You can interact via splits screens, boomerangs, question prompts and more. Some creative collaboration ideas include:
- Challenging each other to a dance off or lip sync competition
- Playing a demo of a new song and getting their reaction
- Co-creating an art piece and showing the process
- Debating lighthearted topics like favorite movies or travel destinations
- Roleplaying funny scenarios like a first date or awkward small talk
Collaborations feel fresh and exciting for both of your audiences. Just make sure to promote each other’s pages and any affiliated brands or causes as part of the partnership.
Host a Q&A or AMA Session
Engage your audience by opening the floor for questions in your next Story. You can either plan for a set Q&A time or keep it more casual by responding to questions as they come in. Here are some tips for running a great Q&A:
- Let your followers know about it ahead of time so they can prepare questions
- Categorize questions into themes like personal, business, health, etc. to stay organized
- Answer lighthearted questions in between more serious ones to keep things fun
- Don’t feel pressured to answer everything – keep it casual and authentic
- Follow up on unanswered questions in future Story posts or regular feeds
Q&As help strengthen relationships with followers as you provide value by answering their burning questions. Listen carefully and engage in genuine conversation.
Post User-Generated Content
User-generated content from your followers is an excellent way to drive engagement. Some ways to incorporate UGC into your Story:
- Feature fun arts and crafts projects inspired by you
- Compile Stories of people using your product in real life
- Repost vacation photos tagged at your business location
- Showcase followers rocking your merch or product
- Give reposter shoutouts by name or user handle
People love seeing themselves featured on brand pages. Run a themed contest or UGC content campaign to make it even more interactive.
Share Recaps of Live Videos
Did you host a compelling live talk, interview or event? Repurpose highlights into your Story as short recaps. For example:
- Teaser clips showing the most interesting moments
- Screenshots of your slides or visuals paired with key insights
- Behind-the-scenes clips of you prepping and getting ready
- Shoutouts and tags for guests, hosts or sponsors
- Viewer questions that came in with your off-the-cuff answers
Recaps allow you to extend the lifespan of live content for anyone who missed it. Even viewers who saw the original broadcast appreciate bite-sized takeaways.
Go Live!
Speaking of live, broadcasting live videos directly into your Story is hugely popular right now. You can go live solo just talking to the camera or bring on special guests. Ideas include:
- Live product demos and tutorials
- Behind-the-scenes tours and events
- Q&As and interviews with interesting people
- Sharing live reactions as you watch a TV show or event
- Announcing giveaway winners or special promotions
Going live allows for authentic engagement with followers in real time. Just give followers a heads up beforehand so they can tune in!
Curate Hashtags & Challenges
Make your mark on the Stories community by curating branded hashtags and challenge prompts. For example:
- #ShowMeHowYou[Brand] for user-generated content
- #[Brand]Faves for product recommendations
- #TryThisTuesday for testing new menu items, products etc.
- #[Brand]Challenge posing a funny dare or creative contest
Successful hashtags can take off virally beyond just your followers. Track related hashtags for reposting opportunities too.
Partner With Influencers
Collaborate with influencers in your industry to expand your Story’s reach. Ideas for partnerships include:
- Takeovers featuring their content and audience for a day
- Back and forth interviews or Q&As
- Co-created content like trying each other’s products
- Reposting each other’s content and interactive prompts
- Shoutouts promoting each other’s pages
Work with influencers who authentically align with your brand and have an engaged, relevant follower base. Compensate appropriately as per FTC guidelines.
Promote Causes & Current Events
Show your brand’s values and principles by highlighting timely causes or current events like:
- Raising awareness for social justice, health or environmental initiatives
- Supporting local charities through donations or volunteering
- Celebrating cultural events and national holidays
- Sharing company philanthropy like employee donation drives
- Responding appropriately to major news events
This connects with followers on an emotional level beyond just products. But stay authentic to your brand voice – forced political or social commentary can backfire.
Share User Reviews & Testimonials
Positive user-generated reviews and testimonials are powerful social proof for your products or services. Pull authentic quotes and photos into your Story from:
- Product reviews on your website or listings
- Testimonials from satisfied long-time customers
- Direct positive feedback from DM’s or comments
- Happy comments shared on users’ own pages
- Positive reviews and ratings on third-party sites
Always ask permission before reposting others’ content. Tag reviewers by name whenever possible too.
Drive Traffic to Your Link In Bio
Your Instagram bio link is valuable digital real estate – use Stories to drive traffic to it. Promote:
- New blog posts and videos
- Shop product launches and sales
- Lead magnets like quizzes, freebies and webinars
- Special events like contests and giveaways
- Time-sensitive deals and offers
Urge viewers to click your bio link for more info. Tracking UTMs allows measuring Story traffic and conversions too.
Tease Upcoming Content
Build anticipation for upcoming content drops by teasing them in your Story first. For example:
- Preview snippets and clips from an upcoming video or podcast
- Show samples of a new product line launching soon
- Share behind-the-scenes sneak peeks of an upcoming event
- Poll followers on new content topics coming down the pipeline
Little teasers get followers excited and prime them to engage when you fully release the content. Just don’t give away all your best material beforehand.
Run Educational Campaigns
Position your brand as an industry leader by launching educational and informational Story campaigns. Ideas include:
- Explainers on how your product works
- DIY tutorials and hacks
- Definitions of industry terms and concepts
- Stats and data on trending topics
- Thought leader tips and advice
Educate and empower your audience with valuable, shareable info – not just product pitches. Useful content establishes expertise and trust.
Give Exclusive Deals & Offers
Sweeten the pot for existing followers with exclusive deals and offers just for them. For example:
- Limited-time coupon codes and discounts
- Free gifts and bonuses for being a loyal follower
- First dibs on new product drops or limited-edition items
- Access to special members-only giveaways and contests
- Behind-the-scenes and insider content
Exclusive perks add immense value for current followers while attracting new ones curious about the deals.
Do Fun Stunts & Challenges
Showcase your playful side and go viral with fun stunts and physical challenges. Trendy ideas include:
- Unique yoga poses or exercise feats
- Crazy food challenges like giant burgers or extreme hot wings
- Outrageous magic/illusion tricks
- Epic planking attempts or other records
- Viral dances or lip-sync performances
Challenges and stunts capture attention through sheer entertainment value. Just pick ideas aligned with your brand voice and personality.
Tell Short Stories
Share short visual stories spanning multiple posts using photos, captions, text and stickers. For example:
- A day-in-the-life view into your average workday
- The origin story of how your business got started
- A profile of one of your employees, partners or influencers
- The step-by-step production process for your product
- A photo tour of your office, store or event space
Bite-sized stories allow showcasing interesting content that’s too long and in-depth for a single post. Spread it out over multiple Story slides.
Host Polls & Trivia
Actively engage your audience by prompting polls and running trivia contests within your Stories. Ideas include:
- Personality and lifestyle quizzes
- “Would you rather” scenarios for debate
- Trivia and polls related to your industry
- Guessing games for prizes and bragging rights
- Seeking feedback on upcoming products or content
Prompt responses through poll stickers, emoji sliders and question prompts. Offer prizes for top participants to incentivize engagement.
Close Out Stories with a Clear CTA
End each Story series with a clear call-to-action so viewers know what you want them to do next. Ideas include:
- “Swipe up to shop this look!”
- “Click the link in our bio for full details!”
- “Head to our website to schedule a free trial session!”
- “DM us your mailing address to claim a special prize!”
- “Comment below if you have any other questions!”
Wrap up the story journey by motivating your audience to take action. Track clicks and conversions to see what CTAs perform best.
Promote Your Best Content
Draw attention to your most evergreen, popular content by re-sharing it in Stories. Ideas include:
- Your highest-performing website posts
- Popular YouTube videos driving lots of views and engagement
- Successful email campaigns with high open rates
- Acclaimed portfolio projects and case studies
- Award-winning products and top-rated services
Great content often deserves an encore performance. Re-promoting to Stories helps reach new people who missed it the first time around.
Spotlight Customer Success Stories
Highlight inspirational stories of customers who achieved transformations or success using your product or service. For example:
- Before-and-after photos/videos
- Reviews of how the product/service impacted their life
- Testimonials given directly to camera
- User content showing them enjoying the benefits
- Reposted content where they tagged or mentioned you
Success stories showcase real-world value versus just marketing fluff. Get customer permission and anonymize when needed.
Conclusion
Facebook Stories represent a fun, casual way to engage your audience through photos, videos, polls and more interactive content. While you can simply post random selfies and updates, truly creative brands use Stories for so much more.
Use special effects, give exclusive access, collaborate with others, host Q&As, promote UGC and events, go live, leverage hashtags and influencers, highlight causes, curate reviews and more. Treat Stories as your own personal content channel versus just ad space.
Most importantly, showcase your unique brand personality through authentic, value-driven Stories. This establishes an emotional connection with followers that keeps them eagerly coming back day after day.