Photo by Antoine Beauvillain on Unsplash

Why Instagram Stories Are Great

A short video is the new way of communicating

I’ve been reading articles about people not understanding why Instagram stories exist. Or understanding why others love it so much.

So, here’s my personal breakdown of Instagram’s 15 seconds video feature.

If you don’t know what Instagram Stories are, it’s basically short (max. 15 seconds) videos that will disappear after 24 hours. It was originally what made SnapChat so great.

Instagram Story

A communication channel that demands your daily attention

Because the videos disappear after 24 hours, your loyal followers will always check on your stories. It creates a sense of “fear of missing out”, commonly known as FOMO. They wouldn’t want to be the only person to not know that you had your wisdom tooth removed.

For celebrities, influencers and brands, this feature help to keep your community alive.

For common folks like us, we don’t really need our followers (for me, it comprises of mostly my friends) to have FOMO about what we post. I don’t think my primary school friend cares if she didn’t see a 15-second video of me zooming into my cat’s face.

Example of me zooming into my cat’s face

A way to bring your followers on your everyday journey

Instagram story wasn’t meant to be fancy. It’s a fun way to capture the moment and play around with the in-app filters & stickers.

That time I shared cooking chicken using coke

I absolutely enjoy watching my friends’ stories showcasing their travels, foods, etc. Sometimes, it could be videos of them goofing around.

Back when I was working in an office setting, I’d share the joys of working for that company on Instagram stories. These included stupid jokes my colleagues made, the preview of what I was writing, behind the scenes of our video shoots.

Sometimes, acquaintances I haven’t met in a long time will strike a conversation based on the stories I’ve posted and vice versa.

It’s fun.

It’s super engaging

Instagram constantly add new features (gifs, quiz, open-ended answer box) that you can add to your Stories and engage with your audience.

The result of me asking which design my followers like better

Designing a new logo and can’t decide between the 2? Ask your followers. Want to know what your friends think of your new house? Shoot a quick tour and ask your followers for their opinion.

My sister using the quiz feature

The latest feature is a quiz. My sister has been posting a lot of questions and it made me realise how much I didn’t know about her.

Promote your work without flooding your feed

Although I don’t get much traffic from Instagram, it’s still a channel you should consider posting on. It’s quick and easy.

For me, I’d just post a screenshot and call to action with a link in my bio.

It’s a little blur because it’s a gif

Why not post a full-length video on Facebook or YouTube?

The beauty of the Instagram story is its bite-size content.

We are always on the move and might not have 10 minutes to watch one person’s video. With 15-seconds, you can easily swipe past those that don’t interest you.

Instagram has made it so easy to view people’s stories. It’s always at the top when you launch the app. I’ve watched more stories than actually scrolling and liking photos.

If you’d like to post something longer than 15 seconds, Instagram allows you to do so. Simply post it on IGTV.