25 Ways to Use Instagram Stories Highlights For Brand Storytelling

Instagram has once again set the world of social media ablaze through the feature known as Instagram Stories Highlights.

This tool provides an innovative platform for brands to interact with their audience, while sharing their brand narrative in an engaging and nuanced manner.

This not only ensures that their story is permanently visible but also gives them the space to showcase what truly sets them apart.

Through a strategic utilisation of this feature, brands can truly reshuffle their marketing techniques and influence their growth trajectory.

However, to effectively use Instagram Stories Highlights, one needs a clear insight into how it can effectively be woven into brand storytelling.

In this article, we offer a comprehensive breakdown of viable strategies to accomplish just that.

Ways To Use Instagram Stories Highlights For Brand Storytelling

1. Showcase New Products or Services

Within the realms of Instagram Stories Highlights, one of the most impactful methods to bolster your brand storytelling efforts is to consistently showcase new products or services.

When followers are immersed in your Instagram Profile, they’re keen on discovering what new offers you bring to the table.

Consider using the allure of Instagram’s ephemeral nature to tease new product releases, creating a sense of urgency and excitement.

Short, engaging clips can not only enthrall viewers but can also provide crucial insights into your new offerings, reinforcing the brand’s narrative.

Ensure to include product unboxings, demo videos, and even live-streamed product reveals to ramp up interest.

Successful brand storytelling fosters an emotional connection, and creating excitement about a new product or service can result in memorable shared experiences with your audience.

These moments further enhance your customers’ emotional investment in your brand, strengthening their brand loyalty.

Equally crucial is to engage with your audience in the post-launch phase.

Utilize Instagram Stories Highlights to answer product queries, address their concerns, and clarify doubts, thereby fostering a responsive brand impression.

This interaction instills trust and validates their decision to patronize your brand, a pertinent aspect of brand storytelling.

For a more detailed understanding of the nuances of a successful product launch, I encourage you to explore this resource:

Remember, every product or service launch is a chance to reiterate and fortify your brand’s story.

Consistency in your messaging and catering to your target audience’s needs can lead to highly engaging, effective storytelling.

The power of Instagram Stories Highlights, when leveraged well, can transform your product launches into captivating chapters of your brand’s unfolding narrative.

This strategy has the potential to elevate your brand image, making it stand out amongst the competition, and become memorable in the minds of your customers.

As an ongoing journey, successful brand storytelling lies in maintaining dynamism, and consistently bringing new, exciting narratives to the forefront.

2. Feature Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials are an invaluable tool for boosting your brand’s credibility.

It allows potential clients to get a real, unfiltered glimpse into the experience of others who have used your products or services.

User-generated content, which includes customer testimonials, can be seen as more credible and objective, informing the purchases of prospective customers and instilling trust in your brand.

The use of customer testimonials in your Instagram Story Highlights can have a significant influence on your audience’s purchasing decisions.

Turning your customer reviews into neat visuals or short video clips can make them even more engaging and thus, have a higher impact.

Being visual by nature, Instagram is the perfect platform for sharing such content.

To create a greater sense of authenticity, consider asking your customers if they would be willing to record a short testimonial video.

While written reviews are beneficial, having a real person expressing their satisfaction with your product or service can have a much stronger impact.

In your Instagram Stories Highlights, create a separate section specifically dedicated to customer testimonials.

This way, it will be easy for your followers to find and navigate through them whenever they wish to learn more about the experiences of your previous customers.

Customer testimonials can also be used as a powerful tool to showcase different use-cases of your product.

Your audience will be able to see exactly how your product or service can be used to solve their problems and meet their needs, as explained through the eyes of a satisfied customer.

This also conveys that you value your customers’ feedback and are confident in the effectiveness and quality of your product or service.

Furthermore, featuring customer testimonials can serve as a source of inspiration.

Potential customers can envision how your product or service could fit into their own lives and thus, be more inclined to make a purchase.

This strategy not only builds trust, but it also creates a sense of community around your brand, enhancing the overall brand experience.

3. Highlight Events and Tradeshows

Sharing highlights from events and tradeshows is a powerful way to engage your Instagram followers.

Tradeshows provide ideal opportunities for brands to showcase their latest and innovative products.

Not all followers can physically be at tradeshows, thus by creating Instagram Story Highlights of these events, your followers can feel part of the action.

A highlight reel can feature a range of activities from these events.

This can vary from unveiling of products, booths set ups, speaker sessions or even casual, fun moments that bring out the human side of your brand.

Creating Instagram Story Highlights for these events also serves as valuable post-event collateral to extend the life of the event longer than just the day itself.

They act as virtual scrapbooks, enabling your followers to relive any moments they may have missed or want to revisit.

In the process, they can also learn more about your brand, products, and values.

Depending on the length of the event, brands can choose to create one single highlight or have several segmented by day or topic.

Interactive elements, such as polls or Q&A features, can also be incorporated to increase engagement.

Additionally, don’t forget to involve your audience by encouraging them to share their own Stories and tagging your brand – it’s a great way to increase brand visibility.

These shared Stories can be added to your own highlight reel to further illustrate the community around your brand.

One trade show that demonstrated how effectively you can use Instagram Story Highlights is the 2022 STN Expo Conference & Trade Show.

By creating a compelling highlight reel, they were able to effectively share the experience with those who might not have been able to attend.

Watch the show highlights here for more insight and inspiration:

Remember, while tradeshows and events are time-bound, their Instagram Story Highlights are evergreen documents that can be revisited time and again, reinforcing your brand storytelling strategy.

So, be careful to only include relevant and engaging content to keep your audience interested in the long run.

4. Show Behind-The-Scenes Content

One of the most powerful methods for brand storytelling on Instagram Stories Highlights is showcasing behind-the-scenes content.

This unfiltered, authentic viewpoint of your brand helps establish a deeper and more personal connection with your followers.

Behind-the-scenes content can be expressed in different forms, such as showing the creation process of your products or services, even workplace interactions and daily routines.

This largely depends on your industry, company culture, and what you think your audience would find meaningful.

By showing this kind of exclusive insider content, your brand can increase its transparency and trustworthiness, essential elements for meaningful customer relationships.

For instance, if you own a fashion brand, you could show the entire process of a dress being designed and created.

From the initial sketch to the final fitting, letting your followers into this chores in spe not only teaches them about what goes into your products but also creates an appreciation for the finished item.

Companies providing services, such as a digital marketing agency, could showcase strategy sessions, brainstorming meetings, or internal training.

Fitness brands can present a day in the life of a personal trainer; cafes might show ‘making of a latte’.

The potential options are nearly limitless, and every company has something unique to share.

It’s important to remember that while your behind-the-scenes content should be authentic and raw, it should also align with your overall brand image.

A chaotic, disorganized environment, for example, would not benefit a brand trying to communicate a message of luxury and precision.

You can also include your employees in behind-the-scenes content, showing their personalities and a glimpse into their working day builds a human connection with your brand.

This simple step can transform abstract firms into communities of likeminded individuals.

Thus, sharing behind-the-scenes content on Instagram Stories Highlights is a powerful way to engage with your audience on a deeper level, construct an open and trustworthy brand image, and craft a compelling brand story.

While it requires a degree of strategic planning, the potential to create lasting connections with your audience is unbeatable.

Ultimately, showing behind-the-scenes content puts a real face to your brand, making it more relatable and within reach to your customers.

5. Introduce Team Members

In the realm of Instagram Story Highlights, there are countless opportunities to enhance your brand storytelling.

One particularly impactful method is introducing your team members.

Getting to know the humans behind the brand often personalizes the experience and fosters a deeper sense of connectivity.

By providing glimpses into the lives, perspectives, and roles of your team members, your audience can gain a sense of your company culture as well as the collective passion that drives your brand forward.

However, it’s essential to remember that authenticity is crucial.

Showcasing the real, unfiltered aspects of your team can significantly enhance relatability.

Stories that highlight the unique personalities, skills, and contributions of your team members can profoundly humanize your brand and strengthen your audience’s trust and loyalty.

This is not about pushing a perfect image but about demonstrating the genuine personality and spirit that your team brings to the table.

Furthermore, consider diversifying the content you share.

A video tour of your workspace, day-in-the-life content, or a peek into team-building activities can make for engaging stories.

Created correctly, these stories can also depict the values your brand upholds .

Is your team dedicated, fun, creative, or all the above?

Your stories can reflect this.

Just as importantly, introducing your team members is an opportunity to celebrate diversity.

Highlighting the different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives within your team can express inclusivity and representation.

Watch this video to get a sense of how such behind the scenes glimpses can be compelling.

Ultimately, introducing your team members via Instagram Story Highlights can offer a layer of transparency that audiences appreciate.

It can also serve as a platform to recognize your team’s hard work and dedication.

Thus, it is a valuable investment to put effort into crafting these stories, both to build relationships with your audience and to showcase the essence of who you truly are as a brand.

Remember, Instagram Story Highlights are not just about product promotion, they are a chance to narrate a more holistic, human-centric brand story.

So, consider leveraging this feature to introduce your team members and allow your audience to connect with the faces and hearts that make your brand what it is.

6. Share ‘How-To’ Tutorials

Instagram Stories Highlights can serve as an incredibly effective platform for sharing ‘how-to’ tutorials related to your brand’s products or services.

These can greatly assist in not only showcasing your offerings in an interactive way but also educating your audience on the usage and benefits they can reap.

Remember, ‘how-to’ tutorials should be simple, step-by-step, and easy to understand.

Consider breaking down complex procedures into simplified tasks.

Make sure the instructions are clear enough that even a person unfamiliar with your product or service can follow along.

Use the Stories Highlights feature to compile these tutorials in one place, thus allowing users easy access to the instructional content whenever they need it.

Video tutorials are particularly effective as they can visually demonstrate each step in the process, making it easy for viewers to replicate.

Remember to slow down, speak clearly, and show each step in detail during video tutorials, as these details increase viewer comprehension and engagement.

Don’t forget to mix up your content by also offering graphics-based instructions, annotated photos, or even animated tutorials, giving your viewers a variety of learning styles to choose from.

When conducting a tutorial, make it a point to share the benefits or outcomes one can expect after implementing your instructions properly.

This will allow your audience to see the tangible benefits of using your product or service in real time.

Consider including a call-to-action at the end of your tutorial, like asking your viewers to share results, or encouraging them to comment any queries related to the shared information.

Engaging directly with your audience in this way allows them to feel more connected to your brand and more inclined to continue interacting with your content.

Finally, remember that a ‘how-to’ tutorial on Instagram needs to be as visually appealing as it is informative.

Invest time in creating high-quality, engaging visuals that will attract your audience’s attention, and make sure your brand’s look and feel is consistent throughout.

You may want to utilize filters or add text overlays to your tutorial images and videos to further boost their appeal and comprehensibility.

Sharing ‘how-to’ tutorials as part of your Instagram Stories Highlights offers a brilliant way to add value for your followers and to further cement your brand’s reputation as knowledgeable and helpful.

7. Highlight Brand Achievements

A critical aspect of brand storytelling on Instagram Stories Highlights is showcasing your brand’s achievements.

Sharing your successes not only builds credibility but also fosters a sense of pride among your audience.

A brand that often celebrates and shares its accomplishments with their followers creates an atmosphere of mutual victories.

Often, these achievements can be anything from hitting a significant milestone, winning awards or industry recognitions.

Remember, highlighting your brand’s achievement subtly shows potential consumers the value and quality they can expect receiving from your products or services.

The viewers can relate to your brand’s journey, and it gives them a special feeling of being part of that success story.

Moreover, when you highlight your achievements, you develop a positive image of your brand, which naturally attracts more people towards your offering.

Transparency and authenticity play a massive role in building consumer trust in your brand.

Sharing your hurdles and how your brand managed to overcome them, often leads to better consumer relations.

While praising your own accomplishments, it is also crucial to acknowledge the role of your loyal customers in your brand’s success.

This gesture enhances your bonding with the audience and increases their trust, engagement and loyalty towards your brand.

Recognizing your brand’s milestones in the form of a story creates a narrative that engages viewers and makes them feel more connected to your brand.

Furthermore, this strategy can significantly influence the purchase decisions of potential customers.

So, do not shy away from flaunting those numbers, awards, recognitions or any other accomplishments of your brand publicly.

If you relate to what we’re saying here and want to see this in action, check out this video:

8. Explore the brand’s history

Instagram Stories Highlights is a fantastic platform for storytelling, and one of the aspects that can be leveraged is exploring your brand’s history.

A brand’s history is usually rich in narratives that can resonate with customers and potential clients, cultivating a deeper relationship with them.

Accordingly, it is an engaging way of showcasing how far you have come and the challenges you have surmounted to get where you are now.

Indeed, exploring the brand’s history gives an authentic voice to your story, adding value and credibility.

It’s also worth mentioning that, highlighting key milestones or achievements in your company timeline can celebrate your successes and keep the followers invested.

Moreover, it’s beneficial to commemorate moments that impacted your operations or changed your business philosophy.

In the same vein, highlighting your brand’s humble beginnings or phases of massive growth could inspire and motivate your customers or other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Remember to make it interesting and engaging, possibly using photo and video contents from your archival resources if available.

In addition, giving a sneak peek into your early days, showing your first office or your first product can elicit emotional responses, fostering a sense of nostalgia and connectivity.

Moreover, sharing the stories of key figures in your brand’s history can elucidate the brand’s persona and affirm your values and principles.

The advantage of using Instagram Story Highlights for this purpose is that you can chronicle your brand’s history in a series without having a time limit since they don’t disappear after 24 hours.

Also, followers who missed the original Stories can access and watch them at their convenience.

Lastly, using Instagram’s features such as polls, stickers, and questions can further engage the audience, encouraging interactions and spark discussions around your brand’s journey.

In summary, diving deep into your brand’s history and sharing it on Instagram Stories Highlights can lead to a positive brand image and strong customer connectivity.

9. Address Frequently Asked Questions

Using Instagram Stories Highlights to address frequently asked questions is a strategic way to engage with your audience and provide quick and easy answers to their queries.

Creating a designated ‘FAQ’ Highlight can be beneficial for both the brand and its followers.

This way, you not only efficiently manage your client communication but also demonstrate transparency, thus boosting your brand’s trustworthiness.

Moreover, it saves time for your team as users can source their answers directly from your Instagram Stories Highlights instead of sending repetitive inquiries.

Addressing FAQs on your Instagram Stories Highlights acts as a functional and accessible customer service tool.

Consider common questions you receive pertaining to your products, services, shipping details, return policy, upcoming events, practices, and more to create your FAQ Highlight.

If you find certain questions popping up regularly in your DMs, comments, or emails, those are the perfect ones to include in your FAQ Highlight.

You can make it interactive and engaging using the Q & A sticker on Instagram, that allows followers to submit their questions.

Then you can make a story answering each question separately and add them all to the FAQ highlight.

In addition, you can use creatively designed templates to answer these questions, which would maintain brand consistency and make the Highlights aesthetically pleasing.

Also, this presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase your brand’s personality through the tone and language you use in response to these questions.

Customers appreciate it when they feel heard and personally addressed.

Having an easily accessible FAQ Highlight can enhance your customers’ overall experience with your brand.

For inspiration, you can visit different brands’ Instagram Highlights and see how they address their frequently asked questions.

You can check how it’s done by visiting this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3RF3ifn5YQ

Incorporating FAQ Highlights in your Instagram Storytelling strategy can be helpful for brands, regardless of your industry.

Therefore, start noting your frequently asked questions and use Instagram Stories Highlights to communicate responses to your audience effectively, and creatively!

10. Preview Upcoming Releases or Collaborations

Previewing upcoming releases or collaborations is an excellent way of using Instagram Stories Highlights for brand storytelling.

Your followers can get exclusive insights into your upcoming products, services, or collaborations from these previews.

By providing sneak peeks, you establish anticipation and excitement, which can boost engagement and conversion rates when the product is eventually launched.

These previews can act as teasers that create a sense of suspense and curiosity among your followers.

Another advantage of previews is the immediate feedback you can get from your audience.

This feedback can be used to make last-minute tweaks to the product, make the launch more effective, or gauge potential reception of the product.

Collaborations too, when previewed, can amplify the effect of the launch as it combines the audiences of both the brands, thus expanding reach.

Moreover, giving your audience glimpses into future collaborations can tease their interest about your brand, as well as the brand you’re collaborating with.

While making such previews, ensure that they are visually compelling as Instagram is largely a visual platform.

Use this opportunity to showcase your creativity and make it as engaging as possible so that your followers have something to look forward to.

You can also use this platform to announce the release dates or any special event related to the release.

Tools such as countdown stickers available on Instagram can be used to further boost the anticipation.

Always remember to update these previews consistently to maintain the generated thrill and anticipation.

These Instagram story previews can be categorised and featured in a highlight, specifically created for upcoming releases under titles like ‘Coming Soon’ or ‘Sneak Peek’.

By leveraging the feature of Instagram Stories Highlights, a brand gets to keep the buzz alive even after the story has expired, thus allowing an extended reach and influence.

Therefore, using Instagram Stories Highlights to show previews of upcoming releases or collaborations is a strategy that has the potential to considerably boost a brand’s visibility, engagement, and eventually, sales.

11. Share snippets of brand events

Instagram Stories Highlights are a fantastic tool for sharing snippets of brand events directly with your audience.

Whether it’s a major product launch, a community initiative, or a standout customer testimonial, highlighting these moments adds life to your brand’s story.

By focusing on noteworthy events, you create dynamic content that resonates with viewers and forms a deeper brand connection.

Showing off your brand’s human side through event footage can have a significant impact on audience engagement and loyalty.

These behind-the-scenes glimpses are valuable to your followers, giving them a sense of genuine connection and inclusion in your brand’s narrative.

Moreover, brand events offer perfect opportunities to collaborate with influencers, showing your audience another perspective of your brand.

You can also use event snippets to highlight partnerships or sponsorships, indirectly promoting other brands and expressing gratitude for their support.

Within your Instagram Stories Highlights, consider showing steps of the event planning process, engaging viewers from inception until execution.

This narrative approach towards event sharing boosts transparency and presents a realistic image of your brand.

Additionally, user-generated content from the event provides an indispensable marketing tool; there’s no better endorsement than happy customers sharing their positive experiences.

Don’t forget to keep a record of all the event’s highlights in a separate Stories Highlight in order to provide a quick and easy recap for your audience.

When done effectively, sharing these snippets helps your brand stand out in an overflowing digital world and captivates your audience’s attention more effectively.

12. Feature Partnerships or Sponsorships

When it comes to brand storytelling on Instagram Stories Highlights, featuring partnerships or sponsorships offers an excellent opportunity to showcase the impact of collaborations.

By highlighting the brands you partner with or sponsor, you reveal another dimension of your brand story and signal your business’s values.

Through sharing these affiliations, you might enhance your business’s image as a collaborator, a key player in your industry, or a company that supports certain causes or initiatives.

Your audience, in return, gets insights on the kind of collaborations you do which might strengthen their trust and loyalty towards your brand.

Depending on the nature of your partnerships and sponsorships, your brand can highlight various facets of these associations.

The highlights could include joint promotional campaigns, event partnerships, product collaborations, sponsored charity initiatives, or simply shout-outs to your partner brands.

To do this effectively, you need to supplement your Instagram Stories Highlights with engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes views of partner events, co-branded products, or testimonial videos from sponsored projects.

Such content encourages your audience to engage with your brand in a more meaningful way, possibly leading to increased social media engagement and conversion rates.

Beyond boosting engagement, featuring partnerships and sponsorships on Instagram Stories Highlights enables you to provide your audience with tangible proof of industry recognition, thereby improving brand credibility and consumer trust.

It could also lead to new opportunities for other organizations to partner with you because they have seen the success of your previous partnerships.

This approach gives your partners an opportunity to reciprocate by highlighting your brand in their social media spaces – a win-win situation for both parties.

Care should be taken, though, to feature only those partnerships or sponsorships that align with your brand’s ethos and values.

You don’t want to confuse your audience or dilute your brand message by associating with brands that don’t align with your image.

Remember, authenticity is key in brand storytelling and it comes through in the partnerships or sponsorships you choose to highlight.

Effective storytelling is all about building connections, and showcasing your associations with other businesses is a powerful way to expand your brand’s narrative on Instagram Stories Highlights.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this, brands should explore a variety of methods, formats, and content types when planning to highlight their partnerships or sponsorships.

13. Show Product Creation Process

The product creation process is an exquisite narrative that can create a deeper connection between brands and customers.

Instagram Stories Highlights offers an engaging and interactive way to share this journey in an immersive way.

Start by taking your audience on a journey from the initial concept development of a product.

This is when you bring the abstract to life, turning ideas into reality.

The next story you could focus on is the design phase.

This is a perfect opportunity to share sketches, mood boards, prototypes, and other elements that contribute to the crafting of the end product.

Then, depict the full-fledged process of manufacturing, taking care to depict the meticulous attention to detail that your brand puts into each product.

Highlight the intricacy, effort, and expertise involved in products that customers otherwise might take for granted.

Document the quality check process.

Here you could showcase rigorous testing methods and stringent quality control measures, adding value to the finished product.

Discuss the packaging and delivery part of the process.

Show your commitment to quality even in the smallest details, ensuring that the product not only meets but exceeds customer expectations at every level.

Interviews with team members could be another interesting addition to your product creation story, humanizing your brand and adding a touch of authenticity.

Display customer satisfaction after purchasing and using your product.

Sharing these glowing testimonials adds credibility and oomph to your brand story.

Utilize user-generated content of customers using and loving your products.

This gives you great content to highlight and also motivates more customers to join in.

Before-and-after visuals work great in showing the transformation a product brings about.

This makes the process of creation less abstract and more relatable.

You might get inquiries or doubts from customers regarding the product creation process.

Be sure to address these frequently asked questions as part of the story.

To better illustrate the manufacturing phase, you can watch a video we posted previously, which illustrates the process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM2ERbQls5A

Remember, a good story isn’t just about telling.

It’s about making your audience feel involved and invested in the journey.

The product creation process in your Instagram Stories Highlights can do just that.

Promote transparency, authenticity, and dedication – and watch your brand narrative blossom.

14. Highlight Causes Your Brand Supports

When leveraging Instagram Stories Highlights for brand storytelling, one compelling way to do so is to highlight the causes your brand supports.

People are increasingly differentiating brands not only by the products or services they offer, but also by their values and advocacies.

Therefore, weaving these elements into your brand’s narrative can generate greater emotional resonance with your audience.

Branded content that is aligned with a cause not only uplifts your brand image but also helps deepen connections with your audience

For instance, if your brand supports environmental sustainability, you can dedicate one Instagram Story Highlight to show tree-planting activities, recycling initiatives, or eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

This would not only engage your current followers, but also attract potential ones who share similar advocacies.

Sharing these stories also makes your brand more relatable to an audience beyond mere clients or customers.

It can attract the interest of NGOs, eco-conscious influencers, and other parties who could potentially amplify your brand’s message.

Another way to effectively highlight causes in your Instagram Stories Highlights is by featuring collaborations with NGOs or engaging in programming related to your advocated cause.

This gallery of advocacy-in-action affirms your brand’s commitment to its cause and can inspire your followers to take action as well.

Remember, the key is not to make these highlights feel promotional, but rather to showcase genuine care and commitment to these causes.

People can spot insincere marketing tactics a mile away, and this could lead to bad publicity and a loss of trust in your brand.

The last thing any brand wants is to appear opportunistic instead of genuinely invested in their cause.

By thoughtfully showcasing the causes your brand supports on Instagram Stories Highlights, you may find a far-reaching and profound way to communicate your brand’s story.

This practice not only builds your brand’s reputation but also contributes positively to the community and the world at large.

15. Share Day-In-The-Life Content

Instagram Stories Highlights introduces new opportunities to show the authenticity behind your brand, and one crucial element is sharing day-in-the-life content.

Your followers are always curious about what goes on behind the scenes, and this is your chance to give them a peek.

By sharing your day-to-day activities, you can showcase the human side of your business, making your brand more relatable and approachable.

This type of content lets your followers see the effort, dedication and passion that fuel your brand’s operations.

This authenticity fosters a deeper sense of connection between your brand and your audience.

It’s also a great way to show that your brand values transparency and honest communication.

This storytelling approach can feature anything from a busy workday at the office, to production processes, to crafting marketing strategies.

When your audience understands your struggles and victories, they appreciate your brand more.

Short videos or photos depicting typical activities offer a dynamic and immersive approach to showing a day in your brand’s life.

Remember, you do not have to restrict yourself to office-related content.

You could also share team building activities, brainstorming sessions or even fun and relaxing moments.

By doing so, you display your corporate culture and team spirit, and this openness creates a family-like bond with your followers.

Don’t forget, to keep your followers from feeling overwhelmed or bored, it’s wise to aim for a balance between professional and personal content.

You should also use captions to provide context and engage further with your audience.

Take a quick look at this example of a day in a life of a hardworking individual:

As you can see, day-in-the-life content on Instagram Stories Highlights offers a window into your brand’s world, contributing to your overall storytelling strategy.

16. Showcase Influencer Collaborations

Engaging in influencer collaborations has become a powerful tool in any brand’s marketing strategy, and this can be showcased effectively on Instagram Stories Highlights.

Through this, brands can not only reach a wider audience but also build trust and credibility.

Influencers’ endorsement of your products or services has a great impact, as their followers often value their opinions.

Featuring such collaborations on your Instagram Story Highlights can help you magnify this impact by preserving these stories beyond the typical 24-hour lifespan of a regular Instagram story.

For example, an influencer might create a tutorial using your product, share a discount code, or feature your product in their daily life.

These stories can reach thousands or even millions of followers, depending on the influencer’s fan base size.

The association of their name and image with your brand can enhance your own brand’s image and increase recognition.

This is particularly effective if the influencer chosen aligns well with your brand’s values and targets a similar or overlapping demographic.

Such successful collaborations can show potential partners and influencers the level of professionalism and success they can expect when working with your brand.

Instagram Stories Highlights allows you to preserve and categorize these collaborations for easy access and reference.

This makes it easier for other users to discover them and for you to guide new visitors or potential partners to check them out.

The permanent nature of Instagram Story Highlights also gives the influencers themselves a sense of permanence and value in their collaborations with your brand.

Furthermore, potential customers can see the effectiveness of your product through the eyes of someone they admire and trust.

This can lead to increased interest, followers, and ultimately, conversions for your brand.

To further leverage these collaborations, consider combining them with behind-the-scenes content, showcasing the collaboration process.

This not only adds a sense of authenticity to the content but also gives your audience a unique insight into how your brand operates.

17. Share Daily Quotes or Inspirations

Brand storytelling does not hinge on sales pitches or product promotions alone, it’s about creating a meaningful connection with your audience.

One effective way to establish this connection is by sharing daily quotes or inspirations on your Instagram Stories Highlights.

These quotes might be brand-specific, motivational, or even humorous.

The goal is to evoke emotions, inspire thought, and foster a sense of community among your followers.

By sharing powerful and inspiring quotes, you create an impression that your brand is more than just a business…

…it’s a driving force that seeks to motivate, inform, and add value to people’s lives.

It’s important to ensure that the quotes or inspirations you share align with your brand’s identity and values.

For instance, a sportswear brand might share motivational quotes about perseverance, strength, and resilience.

On the other hand, a lifestyle brand might share inspirations about sustainability, slow living, or wellness.

Celebrities or famous personalities who embody the values of your brand can also serve as good sources of inspiring quotes or messages.

These posts can also be designed to reflect your brand’s aesthetics; use your brand’s colors, fonts, and style to curate quote posts that will not only inspire your audience but also strengthen your visual branding.

For instance, you might designate certain days of the week for specific types of content, like ‘Motivational Mondays’ or ‘Thoughtful Thursdays’.

This strategy can create a sense of anticipation among your followers, who may start to look forward to these regular posts.

Lastly, don’t forget to encourage your audience to share these quotes and inspirations with their own followers.

This will not only enhance visibility for your brand, but also help cultivate a more engaged and committed following.

18. Highlight Seasonal Product Collections

Highlighting seasonal product collections is an important aspect of leveraging Instagram Stories for brand storytelling.

It provides an excellent avenue to showcase items that are relevant for a particular season or occasion.

Additionally, it enables brands to tap into the current mood of their followers and therefore, potentially increase the likelihood of sales.

It’s also a great way to demonstrate the diversity of your product range, making it an essential aspect of your Instagram Stories strategy.

It is imperative to make these Stories visually appealing to seize the customers’ attention and to make your products more likable.

When choosing the products to highlight, brands should also consider what their followers would be interested in during that period.

For instance, swimwear would be perfect for the summer season, while jackets and sweaters would be ideal for winter.

Additionally, it’s advantageous to provide exclusive looks at your seasonal collections to get your audience excited.

This could be coupled with teaser content and countdowns for product release dates.

Furthermore, including links or ‘swipe ups’ to shop the product on the website directly from the Stories can help drive sales.

It’s also important to engage with your followers directly, asking their opinions about the collection.

Brands can use features like the poll tool or the question sticker to gain insights into the preferences of their followers.

This, in turn, would help tailor future product lines and the overall content of the Instagram Stories.

For example, Instagram’s feature of Highlighting Stories can be used to create a dedicated highlight for every seasonal collection.

This would act as a mini-catalog, allowing followers to browse through the collection at their own pace and convenience, increasing the likelihood of purchase intent.

Thus, Seasonal Collections serve as more than mere product promotion; they tell a story about your brand’s versatility and mindfulness towards consumer needs and preferences.

19. Share Brand Values and Commitments

In the sea of consumerism, one must not overlook the importance of brand ethics and the values it stands for.

Instagram Stories Highlights presents brands with a unique opportunity to showcase these to their followers.

The best businesses, like Apple and Nike, understand how crucial it is for their customers to resonate with their brand values.

It’s not just about selling a product, it’s about selling a lifestyle, a belief, and an aspiration.

Sharing your brand’s values and commitments through Instagram Stories can create a deep personal connection with your audience.

They can see what your brand stands for, and get a glimpse of the difference you are trying to make in the world.

By integrating core principles into your Stories Highlights, audiences are more likely to become loyal followers and advocates of your brand.

This tactic not only allows brands to showcase their ethical side, but it can also enhance transparency and credibility.

Given that modern consumers value businesses that are authentic and genuine, this can build trust and strengthen your relationship with them.

Your brand promises are not just mere words.

They encapsulate what your business is all about and the value it brings to its customers.

Sharing these through visual storytelling on Instagram makes your brand more relatable and meaningful.

Note that these stories should not only consist of plain text or images.

Instead, capitalize on the diverse range of features that Instagram offers like videos, gifs, boomerangs, and more, to make these stories compelling and engaging.

This way, your audience not only sees your values but experiences them.

They can virtually participate in your brand’s journey, supporting the causes that are important to them and to your brand, creating a deep sense of connection and loyalty.

Whether it’s about sustainability, empowering local communities, or standing up for a social cause, let your audience know the ‘why’ behind your business.

You’re not just sharing a product; you’re sharing a story which speaks volumes about what you believe in.

This can become a part of your consumer’s story, making them feel valued and involved.

Remember that brand values communicated genuinely can turn casual followers into devoted consumers.

After all, it’s these ideals and morals that customers relate with, which can differentiate you from the competition.

Lastly, storytelling doesn’t have to be complex.

With Instagram Stories Highlights, you can mix creativity, simplicity, and truthfulness to create engaging stories about your brand values and commitments.

Are you curious how big corporations, like Apple and Nike, have successfully branded and resonated their values to consumers?

Check out the conversation in the video below:

20. Highlight User-Generated Content

Due to the popularity of social media, one of the most effective ways to utilize Instagram Stories Highlights for brand storytelling is by highlighting user-generated content.

User-generated content (UGC) offers a unique and authentic perspective of your brand from the customers themselves.

It provides a platform for customers to express their feelings and experiences about your brand or products, creating a community of brand enthusiasts.

By showcasing UGC, you not only acknowledge and appreciate your customers but also demonstrate your brand’s commitment to customer satisfaction and engagement.

Highlighting UGC can serve as a powerful testimonial, as customers trust other customers’ views more than a brand’s own advertising.

By integrating UGC into your Instagram Stories Highlights, you can show potential consumers the real-life applications and benefits of your products or services.

This approach also presents an opportunity for you to encourage increased interaction and engagement from your customers, as they strive to be featured on your platform.

As a brand, it’s key to consider strategies for encouraging high-quality user-generated content that aligns with your brand story.

You could encourage the creation of UGC through incentives such as contests or special features for customers who share exceptional content related to your brand.

Remember to always seek permission before you share someone else’s content on your Instagram Stories Highlights, considering how it might be perceived by your audience.

Ensure that the UGC you choose to highlight aligns with your brand image and values to maintain consistency and credibility.

Moreover, it’s beneficial to credit the original content creator, as this can boost their engagement and show your appreciation.

Overall, UGC on Instagram Stories Highlights is a significant tool for modern brand storytelling, making your brand more relatable and trusted amongst potential customers.

By giving your audience the chance to contribute in shaping your brand story, you strengthen the relationship between the brand and its audience, fostering a sense of community.

No story is as powerful as one told by satisfied customers, hence highlighting user-generated content provides brands a golden opportunity to leverage their impact.

21. Showcase Industry Awards or Recognition

Industry awards and recognition play a crucial role in shaping your brand’s reputation.

They serve as a testament to your hard work, dedication and exceptional service or product quality.

By showcasing these awards on your Instagram Stories Highlights, you demonstrate your credibility to your audience.

Nothing speaks louder of a brand’s credibility than industry recognition.

Sharing these achievements on your Instagram Stories Highlights offers an excellent way to engage with your audience, fostering an environment of trust and admiration.

This not only boosts your brand image but also provides your followers with another reason to choose your products or services.

Moreover, celebrating your success with your followers helps foster a deeper connection between them and your brand.

Connection is a key element in customer loyalty, and by sharing these moments of joy, your brand becomes something more than just a business to your followers.

It becomes a realised dream and a symbol of success and integrity.

An example of an effective way to showcase your awards or recognition is to talk about the significance of the award, the journey towards it, and what it means for your brand.

Adding a personal touch to your stories makes them more relatable and ensures your followers feel part of your journey.

Remember, enthusiasm is infectious; if your followers see that you are genuinely proud of your brand’s achievements, they will feel the same.

While showcasing your awards, always remember to express gratitude towards your team and customers.

Without them, none of these achievements would be possible.

Check out this inspiring video that encapsulates all that we’ve been talking about:

Lastly, by highlighting your awards on Instagram Stories Highlights, you’re not only showing off your accolades; you’re also reinforcing the quality, credibility, and reputation of your brand.

Storytelling in this manner can be a powerful way to engage your audience, turning followers into fans, and fans into customers.

22. Share Creative or Fun Office Moments

In the world of Instagram Stories, one of the most engaging ways to strengthen your brand’s storytelling is to share creative or fun office moments.

Highlighting these instances allows followers to get a glimpse into your brand’s culture and personality.

Whether it’s the birthday surprise for a team member, a successful project celebration, or simply the day-to-day fun, these creative office moments can be very captivating.

Not only can it boost morale within the team, but it also humanizes your brand and helps forge a stronger connection with your audience.

Remember, each clip, photo or GIF that you share is another chapter in your brand’s story, and including fun and creative office moments adds depth to that narrative.

You’d be surprised at how interested your audience can be in your behind-the-scenes content.

Keeping it authentic and relatable is key to increase viewers engagement.

As simple as it may seem, sharing office fun moments can actually provide profound insights into your team’s dynamics, inspiring others while showcasing what separates your brand from the competition.

These moments help highlight how your company values its employees, and this can significantly weigh in a potential customer’s purchasing decision.

This strategy also serves as a recruitment tool, giving potential employees a taste of the positive work environment your company offers.

It’s crucial to always keep the material lighthearted and fun, as these stories should serve as a pleasant intermission from more product-focused content.

Beyond just sharing random fun moments, also be creative with your posts.

Include fun overlays, stickers, or interactive elements like polls and questions to make the stories more engaging.

And remember, these moments are meant to create a sense of authenticity and closeness with your followers, so don’t be overly concerned about polishing every little detail.

Like all Instagram Stories, your shared office moments are temporary, disappearing after 24 hours, but by adding them to your Highlights, they can really reinforce the unique narrative of your brand.

So, take out your smartphone, start capturing those fun office moments and let your brand’s story unfold organically through the day-to-day happenings.

And don’t forget: Instagram is a visual platform, so always strive for quality and creativity in your posts to keep your audience engaged and eager for more!

23. Reveal Teaser Content for Promotions

The art of storytelling is about evoking curiosity and excitement.

One way to achieve this on Instagram Stories Highlights is by revealing teaser content for promotions.

Teaser content plays a vital role in building anticipation among your audience, which can lead to higher engagement rates and conversions.

These types of posts work exceptionally well when revealing a new product line, introducing a big event, or announcing an upcoming collaboration.

Clever and intriguing teaser content can keep your followers checking your stories regularly in anticipation of the big reveal.

It provides a unique storytelling opportunity that engage your audience while keeping your brand at the forefront of their minds.

Creating compelling teaser content requires an understanding of your audience’s interests and how to build excitement around your brand.

You might choose to use graphics, short videos, or a series of images to create a gripping narrative about an upcoming release or promotion.

Keep in mind that your teaser content should not give everything away; the goal is to evoke curiosity and anticipation.

This technique can be especially effective when you use it to clue your followers into an exclusive deal or sneak peek that they wouldn’t want to miss.

Remember that the essential element of any teaser content is the storyline.

Make it as engaging and exciting as possible.

An exciting storytelling approach can be a powerful tool for boosting interest in your promotional content.

Teaser content not only drives customer engagement but also encourages your audience to act on a call to action, whether that’s visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or checking out your latest products.

Incorporating this technique into your Instagram Stories Highlights can have a significant impact on your brand’s visibility and customer engagement.

So, make sure to plan your teaser content carefully.

Also, make sure your teasers are consistent with the overall look and feel of your brand for a seamless storytelling experience.

Here’s a fantastic clip which is a good example of how to build a narrative around a teaser.

It is an effective influence on building anticipation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7mWd4Nzv1k.

Overall, using teaser content for promotions on Instagram Stories Highlights, is a powerful tactic for original and compelling brand storytelling.

24. Feature Blog Posts or Other Content

Featuring blog posts or other content on Instagram Stories Highlights can be beneficial for any brand.

This strategy incorporates a more holistic approach towards content marketing.

Blog posts offer comprehensive information about the brand, its products or services, or industry related topics that your audience might be interested in.

By linking these in your Stories Highlights, you are essentially creating a curated library of your brand’s articles.

Furthermore, these can be outstanding resources for your followers when they are looking for specific information or trying to understand your products.

Sharing a wide variety of content keeps your audience engaged and interested in your brand.

Another amazing feature is that you can use this approach to showcase any form of content, not just blog posts.

You might want to feature press releases, industry reports, infographics, or tutorial guides.

This gives your Instagram Stories Highlights a dynamic feel and helps you cover a broader scope with your content marketing objectives.

Moreover, this strategy allows you to amplify your content’s reach significantly.

Instagram has a massive user base and by sharing your content here, you are opening it up to a wider audience.

It can also drive traffic back to your website or blog, increasing the chances of lead generation and conversions for your brand.

Don’t forget to always include clear call-to-actions (CTAs) directing your followers to the actual blog post or content.

This not only promotes engagement but also improves the user experience by offering them easy access to any content they might find interesting.

Whether it’s blog posts, podcasts, case studies or eBooks, your Instagram Story Highlights should be tailored around reflecting the versatility and depth of your brand.

25. Show Company Culture and Team Spirit

The power of Instagram Stories Highlights is not limited to showcasing products or revealing teasers.

Instead, it presents a unique opportunity to show company culture and celebrate your team spirit.

These delicate slices of a brand’s life can give a personal touch to your business and create stronger bonds with followers.

By highlighting behind-the-scenes moments, business successes, everyday routines, and fun office games, you allow your followers to feel like they’re part of the family.

People tend to trust and stay loyal to businesses they resonate with, especially one they feel shares their ethical stands or welcomes diversity.

Presenting snaps of birthday parties, team-building exercises, holiday celebrations, or informal gatherings helps depict the connective atmosphere and adds a layer of authenticity and relatability to your brand.

It also shows your brand’s concern for its employees’ well-being and a commitment to a nurturing work environment.

However, this needs to be done carefully and consistently.

Make sure that the messages you convey align with your brand’s values and mission.

Sometimes showing your team working late hours to meet a project deadline might impress some audience members, but may also project a negative image about work-life balance in your organization.

To mitigate this, always show the rewarding part too.

Perks or benefits offered, special leaves, or acknowledge the hard work of your team with features or awards.

You aim to create an image that your company not only works hard but also plays hard.

Don’t forget the element of humor.

No matter how serious your business domain is, a dash of humor or fun can always make your brand more likable and approachable.

Think of an occasional meme day, social causes your team champions for, or even your office pets.

These snippets present the human side of your business, building an emotional connection with your audience.

While exhibiting company culture, let your team members take the limelight.

Share their experiences, hobbies, and interests.

This not only makes them feel valued but also enables your followers to understand that your brand is not just a corporation — but is made out of real, passionate individuals.

Here’s a glimpse of how we do it at our office.

Showing your company culture and team spirit on Instagram Stories Highlights is a great way to make people feel connected to your brand and encourage them to advocate for it.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, curating a diverse and engaging range of content is vital in sustaining a competitive brand presence in the current business landscape.

Whether it’s showcasing new products, highlighting brand achievements, or featuring customer testimonials, these strategies help not only to increase the brand’s visibility but also to foster consumer trust and loyalty.

Capitalizing on behind-the-scenes content, team member introductions, ‘how-to’ tutorials, or user-generated content can further humanize the brand and enhance user engagement.

Prioritizing transparency through addressing frequently asked questions or sharing the brand’s values can significantly augment brand credibility.

Creative tactics such as highlighting seasonal collections, sharing daily inspirations, or revealing teaser content can also stimulate interest and keep consumers excited for what’s to come.

Ultimately, weaving all these elements together builds a solid and captivating brand narrative that resonates with and appeals to today’s discerning consumers.