Making your posts more interactive can help increase engagement, build community, and boost conversions. Some quick answers to common questions about interactive posts:
What are some examples of interactive post formats?
Quizzes, polls, surveys, contests, games, CAROUSELS, chat stories, choose your own adventure stories, augmented reality filters.
Why should I make my posts more interactive?
Interactive posts encourage participation, conversation, shares, and more engagement overall. They also help you get to know your audience better.
What should I include in an interactive post?
Make sure to explain the activity clearly, include concise instructions, and use visuals to make it more engaging. Offer an incentive for participating like a prize, discount, or exclusive content.
Types of Interactive Posts
There are many creative ways to make your posts more interactive. Here are some of the most popular interactive post formats to try:
Polls
Polls let followers vote on a question you pose. It’s an easy way to crowdsource opinions and get quick feedback. Platforms like Instagram Stories and Twitter have built-in polling options. You can also use free tools like SurveyMonkey and Google Forms.
Make sure to:
– Ask an intriguing question with binary or multiple choice answers
– Keep the poll open for 24-48 hours
– Share the results in a follow-up post or story
Example poll: “Which do you prefer: dogs or cats?”
Quizzes
From trivia to personality tests, quizzes are an entertaining way for followers to engage with your brand. They work great on Instagram and Facebook since you can include images and videos for each question.
Best practices:
– Use a mix of multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions
– Keep it short with 6-10 questions
– Include fun facts, education, or helpful tips in each answer
– Share quiz results at the end
Example quiz: “What kind of dog should you get based on your personality?”
Contests
Contests drive participation by offering prizes for winners. Followers must complete a call-to-action (comment, share, etc) to enter. Contests work on every platform and are easy to create.
Tips for contests:
– Share clear rules and deadlines
– Promote it repeatedly to maximize entries
– Pick an intriguing theme like “Caption This Photo”
– Offer prizes your audience will love
Example contest: “Like this post and tag a friend for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!”
Augmented Reality Filters
AR filters use special effects to create an interactive experience. On Instagram and Facebook Stories, users can access your custom filter to try it out. This works great for brands, influencers, artists, and more.
Best AR filter practices:
– Hire a designer to create a quality, on-brand filter
– Release it with a tutorial and call-to-action to use it
– Change up your AR filter for holidays and events
Example: A makeup brand launches an AR filter that lets users virtually try on lipstick.
Interactive Stories
Social media stories allow overlaying stickers, polls, quizzes, sliders, questions and more to create an engaging, interactive experience.
Types of interactive stories:
– Swipe up or tap stickers to reveal more content
– Slider stickers for surveys and questions
– Countdown or meme stickers to boost comments
– Quizzes and trivia questions
– Poll stickers to quickly gather feedback
– Q&A stickers to interact with followers
– AR effects and filters
Best practices for interactive stories:
– Plan your stickers and interactions in advance
– Balance text, visuals, interactions evenly
– Include a strong call-to-action at the end
Example: An influencer posts a story quiz about fashion trends with quiz stickers.
Chatbots
Chatbots allow you to automate conversations and engage followers 24/7 through messaging apps, website chat widgets and comments.
Benefits of chatbots:
– Instantly answer questions and qualify leads
– Book appointments, process orders, provide support
– Collect feedback, email addresses, other info
– Deliver personalized experiences
Tips for chatbots:
– Program responses for common questions
– Use a friendly, conversational tone
– Send promos, content recommendations and more
– Offer to connect users with real humans if needed
Example: A clothing shop uses a Messenger chatbot to provide style recommendations.
Driving Engagement with Interactive Content
Adding interactive elements is key for driving more likes, comments, shares and overall engagement. Here are some best practices for boosting engagement:
Ask Thoughtful Questions
Well-written questions prompt users to respond and start conversations in the comments.
Examples:
– What challenges are you facing right now with [topic]?
– What would you create if you had unlimited resources?
– Which tip was most helpful for you?
Run Engaging Contests
Contests that provide value and exciting prizes will gain a lot of entries and shares.
Examples:
– Share a photo of you using our product for a chance to get it for free
– Tag 3 friends you’d want to travel with for a chance to win a trip
– Show us your very first drawing for a chance to win an art kit
Leverage FOMO
FOMO (fear of missing out) can be powerful! Create anticipation and urgency around interactive content.
Examples:
– First 100 people who register get early access
– Only taking submissions until Friday!
– New stickers available for 24 hrs only in Stories
Gamify the Experience
Gamification techniques like points, badges, friendly competition and more promote interaction.
Examples:
– Earn badges by engaging with certain types of content
– See the leaderboard for top quiz scores
– Unlock exclusive rewards when you reach level 10
Incentivize Sharing
Encourage users to tag friends, share posts and invite others to participate.
Examples:
– Tag 3 friends for extra entries in a giveaway
– Share this post with your network
– Comment with who you’d want to take this quiz
Tools to Create Interactive Content
Here are some of the top tools for making engaging interactive content easily:
| Tool | Details |
| Instagram Stories | Add interactive stickers like polls, quizzes, sliders and Q&As |
| Facebook Stories | Same interactive sticker abilities as Instagram |
| Typeform | Build quizzes, surveys and interactive forms |
| SurveyMonkey | Easy to make polls, quizzes, surveys and more |
| Google Forms | Free simple polls, quizzes, surveys and feedback forms |
| Vyper | Create viral TikTok quizzes and interactive videos |
| Woobox | Suite of contests, quizzes, games and more |
| Snaps | Interactive poll and quiz stickers for Stories |
| Chatfuel | Build bots for Facebook Messenger |
| ManyChat | Create bots for Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS |
Optimizing Your Strategy
Here are some key tips for optimizing your interactive content approach:
Test Different Formats
Experiment with a variety of interactive post types to see what your audience responds to best. Track engagement data to identify the winners.
Find the Right Cadence
Posting interactive content too rarely or too often can backfire. Test content schedules to find the ideal frequency.
Personalize the Experience
Using names, tailored questions and customized recommendations makes interactions feel more meaningful.
Pair with Other Content
Surround interactive posts with other valuable content like educational articles, entertainment and news related to your brand.
Make Participation Frictionless
Minimize barriers to participating like complicated instructions or sign up forms. Make it as easy as possible for people to join in.
Promote Broadly
Leverage email lists, retargeting ads, organic posts and other channels to maximize awareness of your interactive content.
Offer Valuable Incentives
Giveaways, exclusive access and discounts are great reasons for your audience to take part in your interactive content.
Highlight User Benefits
Explain how participating will help your audience have fun, gain knowledge, get rewards and more based on their motivations.
Conclusion
Adding polls, quizzes, challenges, chatbots and other interactive elements to your posts provides many benefits. Interactive content boosts engagement, fosters community, gathers insights, and helps you stand out.
Be creative and strategic with the types of interactive posts you produce. Optimize your approach over time using data and testing. When done well, interactive content can become a valuable pillar of your social media and marketing strategies.