With more than 400 million people watching Instagram Stories every day, brands are more and more taking advantage of the format to engage followers and share content.
However, not all Stories are created equal! Some brands are actually killing it with creative, fascinating, or unexpected content.
In this post, we will share six of the best brands on Instagram Stories and what you could learn from them to inform your own Instagram stories strategy
7 of the best brands on Instagram Stories
1. Everlane
Everlane is a digital-first apparel brand that constructed a powerful Snapchat following before Instagram Stories even existed. This gave them an edge in mastering the format.
They have long been known for featuring the kind of authentic, behind-the-scenes content that their customers love.
Everlane uses Stories to reinforce their core value: transparency. They consistently share honest, detailed information about how each of their merchandise is made. On their Stories, they go even deeper into the origins of each product, which builds belief with their customers and reinforces their brand.
Everlane’s Stories additionally show off the standard and stylishness of their merchandise. They aren’t just FAQs; they serve as lookbooks that promote new offerings and show off their merchandise.
Instagram is transforming how users shop, so showcasing your products to drive more sales is important.
How to make this work for your brand
What makes your brand special among the best brands on Instagram stories? Whether it’s the range of your merchandise, or the quality of your service, Instagram Stories is the perfect place to share what sets your company apart.
The disappearing format means you could dive deep into a specific topic without taking up a ton of useful real estate on your main Instagram feed.
Tip: When you have a Story that really resonates with your clients, saves it to your Story Highlights! Story Highlights live at the top of your feed and do not expire. You could use them to create a series or set up your content by theme, like Everlane:
2. Bon Appetit
Bon Appetit is one of the best brands on Instagram stories which is greatest known for their monthly magazine of delicious recipes and restaurant opinions, however, they also share original and exciting content on social media.
Their Instagram Stories function food tours, tutorials, interviews, recipes, and extra. This content mirrors the high-quality, editorial look of their magazine, which reinforces their brand.
On top of this, they post Stories daily, offering lots of fresh content and encouraging their followers to check in usually to see what’s new.
Bon Appetit’s Instagram Stories usually complement their monthly print editorial themes and Instagram Feed posts, encouraging their followers to engage with them on multiple platforms.
Bon Appetit’s account highlights the fact that while Instagram Stories is a more spontaneous, casual place than the Feed, users are coming to expect high-quality content. In case your brand is refined and polished, your followers will expect that from your Stories too.
How to make this work for your brand
Keeping your Stories energetic with original, thrilling content is an awesome method to engage your audiences and hold them coming back for more.
Use Stories to complement the content you are generating on other platforms, offering further worth to your followers and encouraging them to visit your other channels.
3. Article
Article is a direct-to-consumer furniture firm that depends on digital platforms to reach customers.
Article is great at utilizing Instagram Stories to reproduce the traditional product and service info you’d find on their site, however, in a more interesting format.
For example, Story Highlights include product FAQs and an overview of shipping options. Just because they are informational, does not mean they are boring: they feature quality visuals, humor, and the occasional cute dog cameo. Visual consistency is an important part of building your brand on Instagram, and that goes for Stories too!
How to make this work for your brand
Do you utilize social media to share info with your customers? Instagram Stories could be a useful tool for sharing the type of details you may find in an About or FAQ page, packaged to be fun and engaging.
These Stories could increase consciousness about your services, while also building trust and credibility. And when you throw in a cute dog now and then, they could additionally entertain!
4. Google Maps
I know what you are thinking: Google Maps? That utilitarian app that gives nothing in the way of visual excitement, unless you get a thrill out of urban grids?
Surprisingly, they have a beautiful Instagram Feed filled with incredible photographs. There isn’t a map screenshot in sight (although you could find those on the strangely enjoyable Sad Topographies).
In their Stories, Google Maps shares curated user-submitted photographs of gorgeous places tagged with #OnGoogleMaps. Followers could swipe up to save locations to their own Google Maps account, providing abundant inspiration for avid travelers.
How to make this work for your brand
Even brands that do not make photogenic products or thrilling experiences could curate an outstanding feed. Search for chances to create or showcase high-quality photographs, even if they do not explicitly feature your services or products in action.
This sort of creative thinking proves that Instagram is a platform where any brand could excel if they could find and share amazing visuals. There is no excuse for sharing boring or lackluster Stories; just think outside the box.
5. The New York Times
The Gray Lady is unexpectedly innovative in terms of the best brands on Instagram Stories. They complement their news articles with visually dynamic Stories. The Stories provide an introduction to the longer-form article, with an invitation to swipe up and read the full piece.
These Stories benefit from the high-quality images produced for the paper, however, they also pair each Story with text that hooks the viewer and makes them want to learn more. In this instance, the copy is doing as much heavy lifting as the imagery.
How to make this work for your brand
For brands that produce written content or put money into their blog strategy, Stories can be utilized to increase the life and reach of your content. Consider how you could pull out fascinating ledes or attention-grabbing excerpts that will make your followers want to swipe up for more.
A social media content calendar could help you plan how Instagram Stories could amplify the reach of your blog posts or other content.
6. Aritzia
Aritzia is a brand that excels at Instagram, with impeccable editorial content that showcases their in-house fashion lines.
Fashion firms have an edge on Instagram, given that they are in the business of creating things (and people) look good, however, Aritzia stands out from their peers in terms of utilizing one of Instagram’s newest functions: Shoppable Stories.
Their Stories mirror the sleek and polished look of their feed and feature lookbooks, as-seen-on celeb images, and seasonal inspirations. They understand that their audience is following them to see the newest new products, and they make it simple to move from Stories to purchases in just a few clicks.
How to make this work for your brand
Shoppable Stories are poised to be the next retail revolution on Instagram. Mastering the format now means you could make it as seamless and simple for your customers to find and buy new products (only physical items could be sold via Instagram shopping).
Now that you have a wealth of examples for utilizing Instagram Stories to creatively and effectively engage your followers, you could apply these tactics to create the best brands on Instagram Stories. Happy posting!