The Instagram Poll sticker on Stories is one of our absolute favorite tools for Instagram marketing. This handy little feature takes just a few seconds to add to your Story and even less time for your followers to answer.
But, that quick interaction can give you tons of valuable insight about your audience, help you conduct market research, or just drive up your engagement in Stories!
In this bite-sized post, we’re going over the essentials you need to know in order to make Instagram Polls. From step-by-step instructions to tons of question ideas, here’s what you’ll find below:
How to Make a Poll on Instagram Stories
Have a burning question for your Instagram followers, or want to use polls to learn about your target market? Instagram Poll questions are the perfect way to do it.
An Instagram poll is a Story sticker that allows your followers to select one of two answers to a question of your choosing.
The poll question and the answers are customizable, so you can really use story polls for anything you can think of!
Change the answers to yes or no, this or that or custom options as long as they’re under 22 characters. You can even use emojis!
Here are the exact steps to add a poll on Instagram Stories:
- Open Instagram Stories
- Tap the Plus icon to create a Story
- Upload the photo or video for your background (tap the square in the bottom left corner of your screen)
- Tap on the Sticker Icon (smiley face) to open the sticker tray
- Select Poll
- Type your question or prompt
- Tap the blue “Yes” and customize your answer
- Tap the blue “No” and customize your answer
- Tap and hold the Poll sticker to position it on your Story
- Share your Instagram Stories post
You can also create a poll on Instagram without a background image in Instagram Create Mode!
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How to View Responses to Your Instagram Story Polls
Instagram users have 24 hours to respond to your poll (the length of time an Instagram Story is live.) Once the 24 hours is up, you’ll receive a notification with the final results of your poll. The poll will disappear from your Stories, but you’ll be able to find it in your archive or your Instagram Story Highlights (if you’ve saved it!)
You can also periodically check insights on your poll to see how results are shaping up! Here’s how to check poll responses:
- Go to your Instagram Homepage
- Tap the “Your Story” icon at the top left of your screen
- Find the Instagram Story with the Poll Sticker on it
- Tap the “Seen By” icon in the bottom left corner
On this screen, you’ll see the current tally of votes for both options at the top, and a blue “Share Results” button.
Underneath this button, you’ll see a broken-out list of Voters, and which option they chose. Then under the Voter section, you’ll see Viewers, where every person who has seen your Instagram Story so far is listed.
Are Instagram Polls anonymous?
Instagram poll answers are not anonymous – the creator of the Poll will see your username and the option you voted for. Regular Instagram users and poll-takers won’t be able to see which option you voted for, though!
Although individual votes are hidden, your followers and others will see poll results after they take the poll in the form of percentages for each answer.
Share Poll Results to Your Stories
Want to update your followers on the winning answer? It’s super easy – just click the “Share Results” button we mentioned above!
This will create a replica of your Story, but instead of the poll sticker, it will show the percentage results for each option.
You can add text, GIFS, or doodles to this Story before sharing it with your followers.
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3 Instagram Poll Ideas You’ll Want to Use
Social media isn’t just for engagement – it’s a powerful way to get feedback from your audience! Here are three ways to get more engagement, reach and meet marketing goals.
1. Polls Featuring This or That? Questions
Some of the best Instagram polls questions for marketing research are disguised as fun this or that questions.
You can post Instagram polls questions related to your niche or audience to find out what they’re most interested in reading, buying, and seeing in their lives!
For example, a travel blogger could ask “which would you rather?” and have options like:
- Cancun or Reykjavík
- Airbnb or Hotel
- Beach or Mountains
This seemingly innocent poll could help that travel blogger shape their next content series and drive more traffic to their blog from Instagram!
2. Do Product Research with Instagram Story Polls
If you’re torn on which product or service to launch next, or want to know more about your audience pain points, pose the question in an Instagram poll!
If you don’t have enough space to explain your service ideas in the 22 characters, here’s an easy fix.
Change your poll answers to A and B, and use the Instagram Story text tool to explain each of the options. You can even create multiple Story frames before posting your poll, to offer product mockup images, or a video of you explaining each!
3. Use Instagram Polls to Tease Your Website
Poll questions for Instagram don’t always have to be just about answering a question – they can also be a handy tool to get more eyes on a web link!
When you create your poll, ask a question that can only be answered after visiting a link. To generate enough interest to visit that link, you’ll want your poll question to be a bit mysterious and teasing!
If you have over 10,000 followers on Instagram or have a verified Instagram account, you can use the swipe up link in Stories. Otherwise, direct your followers to your link in bio!
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