Do you have that sinking feeling that no one is coming to your dinner party? Then you know how it feels when no one swipes up on your Instagram Story.
You can see they get lots of views, but they don’t convert to clicks. Where is everybody?
They’re still on Instagram, but I’m sorry to say they swiped other people’s Stories instead of yours. Do not take it personally. It’s not you – it’s your Stories. And fortunately, there are many ways to cure them!
Here’s how to get your viewers by swiping up instead of swiping up.
7 reasons why your Instagram Stories aren’t converting
1. Your content is too flashy
As the Instagram Feed has become increasingly refined as a perfectly edited avocado toast post every time, Stories have become a place where viewers expect looser and more natural content.
Our team has found that live-action videos outperform graphic videos for this reason: too slick content seems out of place and spoils the experience when navigating User Stories.
Similarly, brands like The Guardian find that realistic Stories outperform heavily edited ones.
Even if you’re advertising on Instagram Stories, you don’t want your videos to look like too many ads. Otherwise, they’ll stand out awkwardly from other Stories you’ve posted, and users will skip them.
There are benefits to keeping your stories more comfortable. First, it gives you the opportunity to experiment more. As Stories become the dominant format on Instagram, the platform continues to add more features and formats for you to enhance your Stories. Adding stickers, GIFs, and filters can be a nice touch to help your content fit in with other Stories your audience is watching.
If you’re looking for inspiration, Bon Appetit is consistently great at sharing high-quality videos that never seem too rigid or formal.
Are there any exceptions to this rule? If your brand identity is more organized and formal, so should your Stories. For example, The New Yorker’s Instagram Stories match the editorial look and feel of their other content.
2. …or maybe Your Stories are too comfortable.
I know, we told you to relax! But it’s like having a friend tell you to “be yourself” in a job interview. They don’t mean you have to show up in sweatpants.
When in doubt, stay on the brand. Having a clear visual identity for your business is essential because it will help new fans recognize you and long-term followers instantly recognize your content. Viewers will only spend a few precious seconds deciding whether to watch your Stories, so make it easy for them to understand who you are.
Even if you want your stories to look like they’re currently live, be sure to preview them first to check how they look. Is it blurry? Are they strangely cropped? Are there typos in your text? If so, shoot again!
While it’s always helpful to have a professional designer or photographer creating your stories, even small teams can produce stunning content. Anyone can learn to take and edit amazing photos using just a smartphone. Or you can even use a set of chart templates.
One final tip: Always follow the design guidelines for Stories, which will keep your videos and photos looking sharp and clear.
3. Your CTA is not clear
Okay, you’ve reviewed your Stories and you’re sure they’re striking the right balance between flashy and casual. But your audience still It doesn’t scroll up.
Another common problem can be: your call-to-action isn’t clear enough.
Without a clear CTA, your audience is likely to continue without realizing you want them to take another action.
Instagram adds “See More” text at the bottom of Stories, which includes links but doesn’t tell your viewers too much information. Swipe up to do what? Buy the product pictured, read an article about it, sign up to find out when it’s available.
Thinness is of no use when it comes to CTAs. You have to be as obvious as Andrew Lincoln holding giant clue cards for Keira Knightley.
Providing additional context helps make your message clear to viewers in a matter of seconds.
You can also make your CTA larger and more visible than the “See More” text while maintaining the aesthetic of your Story, as Apartment Therapy does here:
Or use one of the many GIFs or stickers from Instagram. definitely This is purpose. Just a few of the options when you search GIFs for “scroll up” options.
4. Your landing page is not consistent
Your CTA is important, but it’s only a path to an end. Your landing page, or whatever awaits you on the other side of that scroll, is where you make or break your conversions.
One of the biggest reasons audiences close your landing page without taking any action is because your messages or content are inconsistent. Message matching is key! Make sure everything you present in your story aligns with what audiences get on the landing page.
The look and feel of your landing page is equally important. It should reflect the tone and visuals of your Stories for a seamless experience that engages viewers.
Essential oil brand Vitruvi is a good example of a cohesive Instagram Story and landing page:
More tips for creating a converting landing page can be found here.
5. Difficult to find important details
You know how important quality is when it comes to Instagram Stories: If it looks bad or is boring, viewers will skip it. However, even great content can fail if it doesn’t provide enough information to your audience!
Even followers who like your story may not be sure what it’s about. A product reveal? Is it a blog post? Have a longer video waiting for them on your website?
For example, bed startup Endy shared some Valentine Stories about flowers. Here is the first one:
From this Story alone, it’s hard to predict what viewers might expect if they swiped. A list of reasons to visit a florist? Tips for choosing a bouquet? The next Stories in the line are much clearer:
Follow their lead and make sure your Story line has a clear point for viewers.
And if you’re sharing a quote, you need to be even more specific and immediate. “SALES!” compelling, but “ONE DAY SALE NOW” will drive more people to scroll.
If your story is a video, don’t rely too heavily on audio to convey your key points. Even though Instagram says that 70% of users watch videos with the sound turned on, this still means that 30% of them turn off the video. Add text to your offer and CTA, or viewers risk missing these details altogether!
6. have too much information
You want your stories to grab attention and draw viewers to your landing page. This means being selective and sharing important information, not every detail!
If your viewers look at the dashes at the top of the screen and see 20 Stories ahead of them, they may be overwhelmed and skip them all.
You can’t present in front of an audience without practice or publish a blog post without editing, so apply the same philosophy to your Instagram Stories. Plan your Stories ahead of time to make sure they each have a purpose (either information or entertainment) and add value to your audience.
How much is too much? Some have made a solid case for a three-fold border, but there’s no hard and fast rule.
If you’re sharing easy-to-browse photo Stories, you can add more. But only your die-hard fans will watch a dozen 15-second videos in a row.
7. You don’t understand your audience
You may be pinning all this advice, but your Stories still fall flat. You may be making great content for the wrong audience: yourself rather than your followers.
If your viewers aren’t swiping up on your Stories, you may be sharing something they’re not really interested in. So how do you know what your followers want to see?
You probably don’t want to DM each of them and ask. Fortunately, there are loads of analytics that will tell you what type of content resonates the most with your followers. Instagram has some useful built-in stats, but tons of other data sources too. Find out what analytics you need to monitor and the tools you can use to monitor it.
A/B testing can also help you refine your Stories strategy by allowing you to test variations on your promoted content. Over time, you will learn which CTAs and Story formats work best.
Qualitative research is also valuable, so talk to your followers! Use Polls or Questions to quickly gather feedback on what they want to see from you or what type of content they like best.
Always remember, your target audience already loves your brand. They’re following you for a reason! You just need to develop a solid understanding of who they are and what they like and share Stories that appeal to those interests.
Once you step in, conversions will follow!
Save time managing your Instagram presence using Moyens I/O. From a single dashboard, you can schedule posts and post directly to Instagram, engage with viewers, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it for free today.
To start
