4 expert tips to create great Instagram polls - engage your audience

While working on an Instagram story and trying to create content that will entertain and engage your audience, you might consider using the Instagram polls that have been integrated a few years back.


How to create a great Instagram poll?

While working on an Instagram story and trying to create content that will entertain and engage your audience, you might consider using the Instagram polls that have been integrated a few years back.

Before these interactive elements, the only way to keep in touch with your audience was by creating an Instagram post that had to be good enough to attract new followers and entertain the existing ones - and trying to like and follow as much other accounts as possible, to get other people noticing your account, was the best way to get your  Instagram account blocked   instead of getting new followers.

But, lately, it has become possible to interact with your audience in a new way, by using either the Instagram polls in your stories, the Instagram  ask me a question   box with an open text answer form, the story quizzes with up to 4 options, and the emoji slide stickers that lets your audience answer with their sentiment.

However, it might be complicated to use these elements correctly. Therefore, we asked the community for their best tips on creating great Instagram polls in their stories, and here are their answers.

Are you using the Instagram story poll, how to make up a great one that will get as many interactions as possible? In which cases are they useful? How did it work out for you ?

Maggie Hayes: Instagram polls help to brighten up the work week

I have consistently been posting Instagram polls to my account since February 4, 2020. It started off with me trying to settle a debate with my co-worker and I quickly realized through feedback from my followers that Instagram polls help to brighten up the work week for many people.

From there, on an almost a daily basis, I began coming up with themes and posting about 10-20 polls per day. Some examples of past themes include guilty pleasures, pet peeves, food, relationships, sports, television and so on.. I've even taken inspiration from what's been happening in the world around us and have posted polls around remote working.

Over the past few months of posting polls I have realized that simplicity is key. While I initially thought that my followers would be more intrigued by thought provoking questions I've learned through monitoring my engagement that I get the most responses on my more mindless debates. For example, one of my most well received themes was, Habits / Preferences where I asked questions like When putting on pants...left leg first or right leg first. Another important tip is that you really need to keep in mind the demographic of your audience. I would say my female versus male participation is close to 50/50 so I try to keep my themes gender neutral to ensure a high level of engagement.

Maggie Hayes is an account coordinator at NYC-based PR agency. She specializes in B2B tech and works with clients in various industries including cybersecurity, AI, ad tech, logistics and more. She graduated Elon University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in strategic communications.
Maggie Hayes is an account coordinator at NYC-based PR agency. She specializes in B2B tech and works with clients in various industries including cybersecurity, AI, ad tech, logistics and more. She graduated Elon University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in strategic communications.

Malvika Sheth: ask a question and give two choices provides the most value

As a content creator myself, I believe the Instagram story poll feature is one of the best tools you can use to engage your audience, connect with them, and understand how to better cater to them. Some cases I’ve found them useful in are, for instance, deciding on YouTube video topics, and understanding what they want to see on my Instagram feed. *

Interestingly, however, the way to get the most interactions isn’t necessarily the best way to understand what your audience wants to see. I’ve found the most interactions on “yes/no” polls, but this doesn’t translate to much of an insight for me. Instead, asking a question and giving them two choices--almost like a multiple choice question, provides

the most value. By doing this, I’ve understood that my audience has a much bigger interest in beauty related content than I thought!

Malvika, founder of fashion & beauty platform and blog ‘Stylebymalvika,’ is one of the top five up and coming fashion influencers according to Pixlee, and has been seen on Refinery 29, and The Cut, to name a few. She has previously collaborated with brands like Jimmy Choo and Lancome in her journey as a creator! Check her out on instagram @stylebymalvika, or on her site, www.stylebymalvika.com.
Malvika, founder of fashion & beauty platform and blog ‘Stylebymalvika,’ is one of the top five up and coming fashion influencers according to Pixlee, and has been seen on Refinery 29, and The Cut, to name a few. She has previously collaborated with brands like Jimmy Choo and Lancome in her journey as a creator! Check her out on instagram @stylebymalvika, or on her site, www.stylebymalvika.com.
@stylebymalvika

Mikey Wu: the best polls are usually fun wacky ones

The best polls or most engagements are usually fun wacky ones that capture's audience interest to participate. For instance, cliff diving was a good one for the beautiful scenery, the scary drop and people wanting to express their feelings.

Mikey Wu
Mikey Wu
@wuwulife

Michel: Create entertaining polls that complements fun pictures

One of the best way to get more engagements in your Instagram polls is to personalize them with fun emoticons that are related to the story's picture content.

That way, your followers will be more willing to click on one of the two options. For example, insert an option that sums up the picture, and another one that actually is the opposite of what's in the picture, to let your audience either agree or disagree with content.

Michel, Digital Nomad and Founder of Where Can I FLY: After 5+ years on the road, and having visited 55+ countries over 650+ flights, stayed 1000+ nights in hotels, and a whole self organized year long world tour, traveling is a way of life for Yoann.
Michel, Digital Nomad and Founder of Where Can I FLY: After 5+ years on the road, and having visited 55+ countries over 650+ flights, stayed 1000+ nights in hotels, and a whole self organized year long world tour, traveling is a way of life for Yoann.
@wcanifly

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best polls for Instagram?
Experts say that the best polls or most events tend to be funny and wacky that get the audience excited to participate. For example, cliff diving was good because of the beautiful scenery, scary cliff and people willing to express their feelings.
How to make a poll on Instagram?
Open the Instagram app on your mobile device and log in to your account. Tap on the + button at the bottom center of the screen to create a new post. Select or take a photo or video that you want to include in your poll. Tap on the Sticker icon at the top of the screen. Scroll through the sticker options and select the Poll sticker. Type in your question in the text field provided for the poll. Customize the answer options by editing the default Yes and No labels. Once you are satisfied with the poll, tap on the Share button to post it on your Instagram story.
What are examples of good polls for Instagram?
Which outfit should I wear today?, What's your favorite dessert?, Which vacation destination would you choose?, What's your go-to workout routine?, Which book should I read next?, What's your favorite season?, Which movie should I watch tonight
What are the key elements of creating engaging and effective Instagram polls?
Key elements include asking intriguing and relevant questions, using visually appealing graphics, and ensuring the polls are interactive and easy for followers to participate in.



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