Skip to main content

An influencer coach breaks down how to use Instagram Stories successfully, from the number of slides to how often to post

* Instagram Stories have become a central component in how influencers interact with their followers and make money, especially during the pandemic. * A growth in reach and engagement on Instagram Stories and Instagram Live posts has been recorded by several industry reports and insiders during the pandemic.  * Britney Turner, a micro influencer and content creation coach, broke down these trends and shared the advice she gives her clients for the best Instagram Stories practices.  * For instance, Turner said she encourages her clients to share five to eight slides on their Instagram Stories a day.  * Subscribe to Business Insider's influencer newsletter: Influencer Dashboard. Instagram Stories have become a central component in how influencers interact with their followers and make money, especially during the pandemic, which has increased the usage of both stories and Instagram Live. Daily views on stories jumped 21% in the middle of March, according to a survey of over 1,000 Instagram creators by the influencer-marketing platform Klear. "With everyone being at home during this time, influencers and brands have really made it a priority to create more of a conversation in Instagram Stories to further connect with their audience," said Britney Turner, a lifestyle influencer with 27,000 followers on Instagram and content creator coach. As a "micro influencer" herself with a background of four years in social media and influencer marketing, Turner coaches other creators on how to land brand deals and pitch themselves. One thing she has seen in the past few months is that brands want to incorporate more Instagram Stories into their agreements with creators, she said. "Interaction and driving engagement has been vital," she added. Stories with 8 frames (or more) seem to be a sweet spot In a recent report on Instagram Stories, the analytics company Conviva found that eight frames or more led to higher reach rates on posts. The more frames, the higher the reach — which peaked at 20 frames per story with about a 3.5% reach rate. For the first 20 frames of a story, completion rates remained steady at 70%, Conviva reported.  "I advise five to eight story slides filled with impactful content," Turner said. "If you want to share longer-form content (i.e. a day in the life, clothing haul, a routine, etc.), I'd say limit your stories to 15 to 20 slides. Anything past this will cause drop off unless you're adding value." Regularly posting stories is also important, according to Turner. Starting the day off with a video addressing your audience is a good way to grab viewers' attention and keep them engaged, she said. She encourages her clients to share story posts every day, especially if they aren't posting static posts in their feed each day of the week. Content is changing and adapting As influencers faced canceled events and campaigns with brands due to the pandemic, many pivoted their content to sharing their at-home lifestyle. Klear said that "talk shows," "fitness sessions," "cooking lessons," and "virtual parties" had all become trending topics. "With everyone being at home during this time, influencers and brands have really made it a priority to create more of a conversation in Instagram Stories to further connect with their audience," Turner said. "Whether it's sharing your work from home routine, Zoom makeup routine, or cozy loungewear." In an April survey conducted by the marketing firm Influence Central, 73% of 389 influencer respondents said they had "addressed COVID-19 and the new 'stay-home' economy" in their content and invested less time in "normal" posts. "I've been using stories more in the last few months than I ever have," said Ava Jules, a YouTube creator with 1.3 million subscribers and an Instagram following of over 600,000. "I started posting more stories about random things I was doing at home, what I was eating, and how I was staying sane." Instagram also said that usage of its Instagram Live feature jumped 70% in March. That presented an opportunity for brands. "People are more apt to spend 30, 60, or 90 minutes on an influencer's or branded livestream, whereas they're typically only engaging with a static photo on a feed for a couple seconds," Ellie Jenkins, an influencer-innovation manager at the marketing firm Mavrck, told Business Insider in April. Engagement and reach is highest for micro influencers Accounts with 10,000 to 50,000 followers, which fall into the category of "micro influencer," saw the highest levels of reach and engagement per follower on Instagram Stories, according to Conviva's report. In Convia's report, it broke down Instagram Stories reach rates for several ranges: * 10,000 to 50,000: 13.3% of followers * 50,000 to 100,000: 9.6% * 100,000 to 250,000: 7.0% As Instagram Stories become more important for creators, those engagement rates have implications for what type of influencers brands are looking to hire. In a March report by influencer-marketing firm Linqia, micro influencers were the top category brands were looking to hire in 2020. And Turner said she'd seen a growing interest in micro influencer partnerships from her work with brands. "Their audience is so loyal and it's easier for them to convert to the website or drive purchases for brands," Turner said.  For more information on how influencers are adapting to new trends and circumstances, read these Business Insider stories: * A new 30-page report breaks down how to use Instagram Stories effectively in 2020. Here are 4 key takeaways for influencers, brands, and businesses: A report by Conviva, a social and streaming media analytics company, outlines the changes in Instagram Stories so far in 2020.  * A new survey of 1,021 Instagram influencers shows how the social-media platform has changed in recent weeks and what areas they're leaning into: Influencers are leaning into Instagram Stories and "Live" stories according to the influencer-marketing platform Klear. * How the coronavirus is changing the influencer business, according to marketers and top Instagram and YouTube stars: Business Insider has kept up with influencers and industry leaders throughout these last few months to report on all of the changes to influencer marketing that have been caused by the ongoing pandemic.  Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Why electric planes haven't taken off yet
https://bit.ly/30MqMBo

Popular posts from this blog

Tokyo installed see-through public toilets in a park to let people inspect their cleanliness before using them, at which point the glass turns opaque

* Two see-through bathrooms have been installed in public parks in Tokyo. * They are made from "smart glass" designed so people can see how clean they are inside before using them. The glass turns opaque when the bathroom is locked and in use. * The stalls are part of a project that is redoing 17 of the city's public bathrooms with different designers to make them more accessible and appealing. * The goal is to fight assumptions that public toilets are "are dark, dirty, smelly, and scary," said the nonprofit foundation behind the project. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Tokyo has installed two see-through bathroom facilities in public parks, allowing people to see how clean they are before deciding to use them, at which point they turn opaque. The bathrooms are made of colored "smart glass," which turns opaque when the stalls are locked, said Shigeru Ban, the architect behind the designs. You can see how it works her...
Read more

Bill Gates says the world would need as many as 14 billion doses of a coronavirus vaccine to stop the virus

* The world could need as many as 14 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Bill Gates said on Thursday in a blog post about the race to develop a way to make people immune to the disease. * "We need to make billions of doses, we need to get them out to every part of the world, and we need all of this to happen as quickly as possible," Gates said. * Gates said he had his eyes on eight to 10 promising candidates, adding that healthcare workers and people in low-income countries should be first in line once we find one that works. * While potential vaccines are progressing with historic speed, they're still months, or even years away, and the biggest challenge lies ahead in proving whether they are safe and effective in humans. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Bill Gates believes we may eventually need to produce as many as 14 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally and that we're anywhere from nine months to two years away from making tha...
Read more

Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck London fintech Lanistar used to raise $19 million at a $190 million valuation

* London-based fintech startup Lanistar has raised a £15 million ($19 million) funding round from Milaya Capital.  * Founded in 2019, Lanistar is building a personal financial management platform that will launch later in 2020.  * "We're expecting a huge amount of growth upon our launch and have already seen strong interest among our sign ups," Gurhan Kiziloz, founder and CEO of Lanistar, told Business Insider. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.  The coronavirus lockdown in the UK has brought the importance of managing money into sharp relief. A recent study from Money.com shows that 71% of UK households have saved cash during lockdown, and, with uncertainty about jobs and the economy looming, money management is now front of mind for many. Lanistar, a banking platform with a focus on personal finance, is one company offering tools for consumers to better manage their money. It has just raised a £15 million ($19 million) funding round from Mil...
Read more