This is Part 1 of our Instagram Story series: “How to use Instagram Stories for your Business”.

• Part 2: Instagram Story Highlight ideas for Business
• Part 3: 5 Instagram Story Strategies for Business
• Part 4: How to get More Views on Instagram Story

In this blog post, let’s look at 26 best Instagram Story ideas for business, with examples.

So if there’s only ONE thing you should remember from this blog post, it’s this:

Use Instagram Story Stickers.

Stickers = engagement.

Engagement = more views.

26 Instagram Story ideas for business, with examples:

• Morning question
• This or That
• Q&A
• Behind the scenes
• Sneak peek
• Guessing game
• Quiz
• True or False
• Ask for people’s opinions
• Would you rather
• Tutorials
• Inspiration
• Throwback
• Show me a photo of ___
• Share the link of  __
• List
• To-do list
• Challenge
• Template
• Countdowns
• Before and After
• Best sellers
• Story-telling time
• Feature your customers
• Customer take-over
• Testimonials
• Bonus: How to plan & schedule your Instagram Stories

Let’s start.

Insta Story idea #1. Morning question

Try to use the Poll Sticker in the first Story of the day.

If you plan to post in your Stories in the morning, try to use a Poll Sticker first thing in the morning.

This will instantly boost your engagement and get you more views.

Ask a question related to what you are talking about or showing in your Story today.

For example:

• Do you want to see our behind the scenes today? 
• Do you want to see how I make ___?
• Do you want to help me choose the next color?
• Do you need help ___ [write people’s issue]?
• How do you feel today?

Insta Story idea #2. “This or That” Poll

Play the “This or That” game.

This Instagram Story idea is one of the easiest ways to get more views and engagement.

Give your followers 2 choices and use the Poll Sticker.

For example:

• Which color do you prefer?
• Which outfit would you wear?
• Which one would you buy?
• Which one would you give to someone?
• Which one is your style?
• Which one would you eat?
• Where would you go?

Insta Story idea #3. Q&A

Use the “Question” Sticker box to start a Question and Answer (Q&A) session with your followers.

You can start the conversation by asking:

• Ask us anything.
• What question do you have about “product / service”?
• What is your biggest struggle with ___?
• What do you need help with?
• What would you ___?
  • Fashion brand: “What would you wear on a date?”
  • Restaurant: “What would you order on a date?”
• Do you think ___?

Insta Story idea #4. Behind the scenes

Show what you’re up to.

“Behind the Scenes” are great Instagram Story ideas for business. 

After all, Instagram Stories are a way to get closer to your audience.

You can show:

• Your workspace
• Your steps involved in doing something
• Your tools
• Your progress

Insta Story idea #5. Sneak peek (ask to guess)

Do you have a new product or service coming soon?

Show a sneak peek of it in your Stories. You can even ask your followers to guess what it could be.

Which brings us to the next Instagram Story idea for business.

Insta Story idea #6. Guessing game

Use the “Question Box” or the “Poll” Sticker and ask your followers to guess something.

For example:

• Guess what I am working on next
• Guess what our next product is
• Guess what the next color is
• Guess what our favorite ___ is

Insta Story idea #7. Quiz

Quizzes are another way to get more engagement in your Stories.

You can make it fun or serious.

• Use the “Quiz” Sticker
• Give potential answers
• Only one answer will be correct
• Let your followers play and guess what the right answer is

You can create a “Get to know me” quiz related to your product, business, industry or life.

For example:

• When did we launch our business?
• How old is [your business name]?
• What was our first product?
• What was our first product color?
• What is my favorite __?
• How many [products] did we sell in [year]?
• How many clients have joined [your community]?
• How many products do we sell?
• What is one color we will never use for our products?
• Guess how long it took to create [this product / service]?

Insta Story idea #8. True or False

Another fun Instagram Story idea for business is to play the “True or False” game.

For this game, you can use the “Poll” Sticker or the “Quiz” Sticker.

• Use the “Quiz” Sticker if you want to show a real answer once they choose an option.
• Use the “Poll” Sticker if you’re asking the question for fun to see people’s opinions.

You can do a “True or False” game about using fun facts about your product / business / industry.

Insta Story idea #9. Ask for people’s opinions

Ask your followers for their opinions about a specific subject, your business, products or services.

Use the “Question Box”, “Poll” or “Quiz” Sticker to gather responses.

For example:

• What is your favorite product?
• What color / scent / flavor should our next [product] be?
• What is your favorite thing about [your product / service]?
• If you could describe [your product / service] using one word only, what would it be?
• What do you need help with?
• What do you think about this design?
• Would you want [potential product / service]?
• What’s your number one advice on ___?

Insta Story idea #10. Would you rather

Use the “Poll” Sticker and let people choose between 2 options.

It can be fun or related to your product or service.

For example:

• Fashion brand: Would you rather wear “this or that” on a date
• Restaurant: Would you rather eat something undercooked or overcooked?
• Hair stylist: Would you rather have bangs or a bob cut?

Insta Story idea #11. Tutorials

This is one of the best Instagram Story ideas for business:

Show how to use your product.

When people see how it is used / styled / prepared: they want it more.

Tutorials include:

• Hacks
• Ideas of how to use the product
• Demonstration
• How to
• Favorite ways to use it
• Personal tips (which one is right for “you”)
• How to care for [product]

Insta Story idea #12. Inspiration

People love inspirational photos or quotes. They are addictive to watch and can increase your engagement.

Share:

• Inspirational quotes related to your business or values
• Beautiful photos or videos that inspire you

Insta Story idea #13. Throwback

People love discovering your old photos or videos.

As a business, you can share:

• Photos or videos of your previous collections / events / products
• How your business started 
• Photos or videos of previous customers / projects

Share the story behind the throwback too to keep your followers engaged.

Insta Story idea #14. Show me a photo of ___

This is a fun trend going on Insta Story at the moment.

Use the “Question Box” Sticker and ask your followers what they want to see a photo of.

For example, some people might want to see:

• A photo of your team
• A photo of your desk
• A photo of your dog
• A photo of your warehouse
• A photo of your behind the scenes
• A photo of a specific product

This Story idea is a great way to get closer to your followers – and show sneak peeks too.

Insta Story idea #15. Share the link of __

This is a trend a lot of influencers and brands use, especially fashion and home decor brands.

Use the “Question Box” Sticker and ask your followers what link they want.

Some might want a link of:

• The shoes they saw in your post 2 days ago
• That famous blue dress you sell
• The curtains you bought last week

Insta Story idea #16. List

Lists are great to keep your followers engaged, because they likely want to see the “next thing” on the list.

List ideas:

• 3 reasons why ___
• 5 benefits of ___
• 3 mistakes people make when __
• 5 favorite ___

Insta Story idea #17. To-do list

This idea is great for small businesses.

Share your to-do list at the beginning of the day. When you tick something off the list, share it in your Story. You can upload the list again and stick it off.

Insta Story idea #18. Challenge

Get your followers involved by doing a challenge.

For example:

• Fashion brand: Take a photo of yourself in your favorite [brand name] outfit. Tag us so we can re-share it!
• Makeup brand: Challenge of the week: create the perfect eyeliner wing!
• Restaurant: Take the most aesthetic photo of your lunch and tag us for a chance to be re-shared!

Insta Story idea #19. Template

Create a template that people can screenshot and re-share in their own Instagram Stories.

This will increase your brand awareness as new people will find out about you, thanks to the template.

Make sure you write your Instagram username on the template, so people can find you.

It can be a template based on:

• Holidays of the year (example: Gratitude Day) and seasons
• Your brand (example: self-care related if you own a skincare brand)
• Your industry (example: food related if you own a restaurant)

Insta Story idea #20. Countdowns

Use the “Countdown” Sticker to share a countdown until: 

• Your new product / service launch
• Your restock
• Your sale
• Your next tip or Instagram feed post

Insta Story idea #21. Before and After

Want to promote your business? And convert followers into customers?

Show before and afters. 

For example:

• Clothing brand: Before and After getting ready
• Hair Stylist: Before and after a cut / style / color / extensions
• Nail salon: Before and after nails
• Restaurant: Before and after eating / cooking / prepping
• Home decor: Before and after styling or renovating

Insta Story idea #22. Best sellers

Another way to promote your business using Instagram Stories is by sharing photos or videos of your best sellers.

Who doesn’t want to know what other people love to buy, to inspire themselves to buy too.

Share photos or videos of your best selling products or services.

Insta Story idea #23. Story-telling time

Share the story behind the product or service.

For example: 

• Your thought process behind creating this product or service
• Why you created this product / service
• The problem it solves
• How it makes you feel
• Reasons why you love this product / service
• Your favorite thing about it

Insta Story idea #24. Feature your customers

Celebrate your customers, clients and community!

Re-share their feed post, Insta Stories or photos they sent you to your own Instagram Stories.

• Share customer’s posts
• Share customer’s stories
• As seen on ___

Insta Story idea #25. Customer take-over

Take it one step further:

Invite a customer to post in your Instagram Story.

For example:

• Clothing brand: let a customer show your audience how they style your pieces
• Restaurant: let a customer taste your food on camera
• Hair Stylist: let a client “vlog” their hair transformation from start to finish

Insta Story idea #26. Testimonials

Share client testimonials and reviews in your Instagram Stories. 

This will inspire other people who love your products to also leave a comment too. 

And it will motivate more people to buy after seeing how much others love your products already.

Bonus: How to schedule your Instagram Stories?

Schedule your Stories to post consistently and stick to your plan.

The more consistent you are, the more you can accumulate views because people will get used to coming back to your account to watch.

You can use Preview App to plan your Stories.

Preview has an Insta Story Planner on the phone and computer.

• Tap on the “Story” tab on top of your screen and upload your Stories.
• Rearrange the order of your Stories
• Watch your Stories like on Instagram before you post on Instagram
• Create Insta Story folders for different products, services or days of the week
• Prepare your link (for your link sticker)

And more.

That’s it!

Was this blog post helpful?

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.

If you want to brainstorm Insta Story ideas for YOUR business, let me know what your business is about in the comments below.