How Journalists Can Use Instagram Stories to Their Advantage

Nowadays, most people receive their news from social media. The journalism field has rapidly shifted ever since social media became so integrated into everyday life. It benefits journalists to engage and build connections with each other and their audience across our social media platforms. Instagram has been one of the most effective tools for journalists to bring their content to a wider audience with relative ease. 

Social media moves at a breakneck pace and using the Instagram Stories (aka Reels) feature is a simple way for journalists to maintain audience visibility. It can be tough to know where to start, if using the app in this way is unfamiliar, but thankfully there are plenty of resources available to get the ball rolling.

Effective Audience Engagement

Consistent engagement will go a long way and using the Stories feature puts the user right at the top of the page. That makes a difference—the audience is more likely to see it. Otherwise, journalists must rely on users who interact with regular Instagram posts as they scroll through an endless stream of content. Journalists can also go through their Stories Archive too and pin the Stories they want to the top of their personal profiles if they want more eyes on specific posts after they disappear. 

Posting regularly is a great start, but it is necessary to directly engage with the audience too if journalists want to build one more efficiently. For instance, if journalists receive any comments, they should be replying to as many as they can to foster a better connection. They should focus on building a community by following other journalists and publications on Instagram, engaging with their content as an audience member themselves.

Since Reels are such a popular feature, journalists will have to make sure attention is grabbed in just a few short sections. For their Reels, journalists can stand out by picking fonts, colors, and a style that fits their own. Then, if they stick with this particular style, the audience will immediately identify them when swiping through reels. Additionally, it's important to keep content diverse by incorporating a mix of text and image-based posts. This will ensure that a journalist’s channel eschews predictability, increasing the chance that their audience will remain interested.

Other Ways to Use Instagram Stories

Reels offer a useful opportunity to share how articles come together. Journalists can provide insights into their work process or promote the latest interviews they've conducted. They should always make sure to include links to their work in every Story so their intended audience immediately knows where to learn more. Journalists can even speak directly to the camera while promoting their work. Putting a face to their own work increases the likelihood that the audience connects with it and that it will keep their attention.

Instagram Live is a great way to do this considering a notification to check out the live feed will show up in peoples’ lock screens if they have Instagram notifications set to “active.” Ideally, journalists should be alternating between all the aforementioned audience engagement methods and posting at least once every day. If that seems like too much to keep up with, there are features to schedule out Stories. As long as journalists use the Instagram Stories feature with the intention of engaging the audience and staying authentic, growth is inevitable.