 Want to build more engagement on your Instagram? Well, using the Stories feature can really help to build that know, like and trust factor with your customers. Did you know that when you use the Stories, it primarily goes out to your existing fans or followers? And that's a brilliant way for you to actually get the engagement with people who've already decided to follow you. But often you find yourself saying, what should I actually be posting on Stories? Does that put you off doing them, wondering what you should be posting? Or are you perhaps not quite sure that ins and outs, the technicalities, should I be tagging, should I be geolocating? What are all the things I should be doing? And what tends to happen when we don't know the answer to that is we just avoid doing it all together. While I'm creating a couple of videos for you, this one here today is giving you 10 things that you can post on your Stories and start using straightaway to get that better result and better engagement as an artist over on Instagram. And the second video that I'll be doing is one on actually some top tips. So those intricacies that might just help your story get seen by even more people. So look out for that video following this one. Well, hello, welcome or welcome back, my name's Sophie and I help artists just like you to build a profitable business doing what you love. So if you wanna learn more tips and tricks on how to build that profitable business then you're in the right place. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel, hit the bell to get notified every time I post a new video. So let's dive into my 10 Instagram Story ideas. These are general themes and things that you can be posting on your Instagram Stories. Now let's just stress this is separate from your Instagram content. All right, so you want to make sure that you are regularly posting to your own profile. So that's whether you're putting a regular post or a carousel or a reel or a video, whatever you're doing and make sure to check my other videos on Instagram that I will list below this video. And of course the top tips for 2022 which I'll put above here as well that you can watch afterwards. So here's Instagram Story tip number one and that is preparing to get down to work. So sometimes it can be really interesting when you are getting ready. So for example, if you're a painter and you've got to prep up your painting pallets, get a water bucket, put out some different paint, choose the right brushes, all of that would be really easily recorded by just putting your phone on a tripod and doing say the time lapse and you've got a little video or perhaps as you're setting up you just take a few photos while you're doing it and that's a different story. Now, every time you post a different photograph or a different video that's a different section to the day story. That's another story. So you don't need to post one a day. You can post more than one and another and another and another and another and you can add them. Every time you post another story to your story that notification is gonna go out to your followers, all right? So it's quite good to post a series of stories throughout the day rather than just one and letting it hang for 24 hours, all right? Because people will see it and then it's not very exciting because there's nothing else to click on to. Ideally, you want to be adding every couple of hours another picture. So here's the thought, what you need to do if you're gonna prepare for work, you take, I don't know, five, six, seven, eight photographs or little videos and you hang on to them and every couple of hours you post them and add them to the story. Add them to the story, add them to the story. That way people are getting a notification that you've added something to the story. You've continued on with the story if you like. Now the whole idea of stories is that you are just that, telling a story. So preparing for the day is a really interesting kind of behind the scenes. What does an artist do to get ready for work? You might run workshops. So your beginning of the day might be getting a mug of coffee, getting it onto the desk, opening up your laptop, looking at your planner, working out what sort of workshop content you're gonna be doing. Again, lots of photos or videos. It would be really easy to tell the story of whatever it is you do, that preparation. So that's story idea number one, the preparation of what you do in your day. So story idea number two is what inspires you? Your inspiration. So that could be as simple as taking a photograph of a book that you really like or a screenshot of a podcast that you're listening to or a little video of a walk that you went on recently, something that inspires you in what you do. Don't overthink any of this. Just remember, it's gonna be interesting or it needs to be interesting to your followers. If they followed you as an artist or creative, they want to get to know you a little bit better. So putting up a photo or a video or a series of photos about what inspires you just gives them a little bit more sort of interest around what it is that you're doing. So they think, ah, okay, this person is interested in this. So they follow the story. Now, if you're really savvy, you'll start a story at the beginning of the day and you'll kind of imply that there are other things coming along later on, right? I've set up this morning and I'm gonna do some sketching. I'll be back later with what I've done later on. So an update on another sketch I've done or more inspiration I've found or I'm about to take a walk in this area of wildflowers that I'm really interested in. Photo one could be one wildflower and then later on you could say, come back because I've got a video that I'm gonna be sharing. So you could entice them. You know how good old Netflix series often leave a cliffhanger and you wanna see the next episode and the next episode. Well, if you can start to think like that with your stories, you'll have people hooked waiting for the next story, waiting for the next story. I think what tends to happen is you get busy in the day and you think I ought to post a story on Instagram. Then what I'll do is I'll just take a photo and I'll just put that up and that will have to do. And that's kind of not really using the story featured to its best effect, right? And make sure to look out for the next video where I'm gonna give you tips and tricks. And for the moment, we're just looking at content. So that's content around inspiration. All right, Instagram story idea number three behind the scenes. Who doesn't love a bit of behind the scenes? All right, so for example, if you have a studio space, I now have three studio spaces but I still haven't found the time to get fully organized because I'm too busy doing this. So here I am in my kind of coffee corner actually as it is. So behind the scenes might be that you just take a little video and you walk somebody into literally the space that you're working in. Perhaps you've had an order. And so behind the scenes might be here I am. Actually, this is how I wrap this order. Bubble wrapping and then I'm labeling and then I'm putting this together and then I'm putting it and then I'm going off to do this, that and the other. Behind the scenes might simply be literally sharing for the first time where you work actually sort of deconstructing your working space or your working routine. Maybe you work from home and you actually set up a table. So behind the scenes is where you pan out so everyone can see the dining room and the kitchen and here's the area that you work. And normally when you photograph, you just photograph a nice sort of picture of there you are in your working space. Behind the scenes might take them to the fact that I'm just working in a corner of my dining room. All right, again, you're sharing the story of who you are. And again, you could create little photographs during the day. Here I am set up in the morning in my working space. Behind the scenes actually me having lunch sitting out in the garden or behind the scenes is me actually did you know that I sneak out and I go down to a local cafe and I'm gonna have a lunch. So it's telling the story of what you're doing might seem really insignificant for you but you're definitely building that connection with your audience because you might find that the person who follows you really loves the fact that you go out and you eat a particular type of food in that cafe. They might feel closer to you because they also eat raw vegan food or they do, they have the green smoothie that you part of your routine is the green smoothie. Show them that your audience is like, I'm really into this person because they have the same things as me. They like the same things. Instagram story tip number four, the good old materials. Who doesn't love a bit of artist materials, all right? So this could be a simple as, well, here are all the brushes that I use, I use this for this, I use that for that. Here's my favorite big wide brush. I once made a little video of this box of brushes and pens and things that I brought from the UK some of which belong to my mother. And it was one of the most popular videos that I had out at that time on my Facebook page. And I just did literally a little live walking through what was in this box and the fact that I had brought it from the UK in my suitcase and one of the oldest brushes had belonged to my mother who was also a painter. And it was just a little bit insightful of what's going on for me, what materials I use specifically. Another idea might be you've gone and just bought something, you bought, I don't know, a new set of watercolor pencils. Well, there's all sorts of things you could be doing with that box of new pencils. You could of course be tagging the company that you bought them from or the shop that you bought them from. But that's content for the next video, right? But the main thing is you could say, look at these pencils and here I am, this is what they do and this is what I'm planning doing with them. So materials, materials are interesting always. Story tip number five, your process. This is super simple to do as well. A lot of people do time lapses. Here you can make content for many stories but you could also make content that you could pull bits out of and make it into a reel as well. We want to make sure that you can reuse the things that you're doing. Don't forget, here's a hot tip. When you take photographs in your working space or in your day, make sure that you take some photographs in portrait and some in landscape because sometimes you'll want to use them in stories and other times you might want to use them on your feed. You might find that that photo that you took for a story actually works really, really well in terms of a post for your feed. So make sure when you're taking photos, videos, time lapses that you're thinking about all the different things that you could do with that media, right? So make sure you take a little bit of everything so you can come back and use it later. Top tip. So stories from your process work really, really well especially during the day. So beginning of the process of preparing the canvas, putting some layers of gesso on or I've got some board and I'm sanding that down. Or I've seen a lot of people do kind of framing it up and signing on the back and making the hanging cord all the bits and bobs. Anything to do with your process is interesting. Photographs, videos, combination of both. Instagram story idea number six. This could be just walking to your working space. So for example, I did one a few weeks back that was I think I'd gone for a coffee and I photographed and videoed little sort of areas walking back to my studio, all right? It's not particularly scenic but it told the story of, well, I got to work. I went over there for that particular coffee. I'm incredibly lucky where I'm in Perth. I have a coffee shop that is virtually, I can throw a stone and it's down there. I have another coffee shop that's about three minutes walk in that direction. I have my favorite coffee bolt that's literally four minutes I think walk in that direction. So I'm really spoiled for choice where I am. So part of my story is, and I also have a coffee machine here which is really cheating. But if I go out for coffee, I went out, I walked back and I took photographs of the walk back and I even videoed myself going through the door of the studio. It just tells again a bit about where you are, what you're doing. And if your studio space is at home in the garage, in the garden, in the loft, wherever it is, just think outside the box and work at how you can take a selfie going through the door. Anything that again tells the story of, well, I've left my place of work and I've gone to the studio. When I was in the UK, my studio was in the garden and all I had to do and there was no social media in those days. I was in the kitchen, I went through the little little conservatory we had opened the door and it was about six steps across the patio and I'm in the studio, still perfectly photographable, oh, that's a new word, and videoable, that's all. It's just a change of from where you left your home space to where you're starting your work. People are interested. So again, wherever you are, take photos, take videos. Don't forget to do them this way and this way. So you have lots of different things to use later. Instagram story tip number seven, probably the one that's gonna get you the most views and that's the mistake or the blooper or something that's gone wrong. So that could simply be a mistake in your working space but it can also be when you're doing something like this. If you teach or you have your own YouTube channel and you've created some video and maybe you've done a blooper who doesn't always have a blooper, you can edit that down to just a few seconds, the little blooper video and you can put that out on the story. It tells the story of shooting videos this morning and oopsie, this happened or it could be that you've tipped the water bucket out all over everything. Haven't we all done that? And I had a lovely one a few years ago where the cat just jumped up, walked through all the paint and then walked it all over the floor. Things like that or mistakes that you've made, perhaps you had something going on really good, you painted over it and now you're like, hmm, okay, this would make a good story. It's raw, it's real, it's where you're at the moment. Stories are about in the moment. They're not about curated content, they're about what's happening right now. Instagram story tip number eight, I hope that your brain is worrying at this point and you're thinking, I can totally do all of this. This is daily life. This is what's going on, this could be anything. So imagine that you are building up to an exhibition for example and your daily life might be in the morning you're going out to go and I don't know, buy some bits and bobs that you need for the private view in the evening. The next story might be that you just grabbing a lunch while you're out on the way, I'm getting ready, I'm preparing, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, I'm going to this place, I need to go and get some materials. Here I am going into this shop, getting materials. Later on I'm driving over to the private view. Like if you were doing a kind of daily life, it starts in the morning and it goes right the way through to perhaps the private view. But it could also just be every day, every day in a day in the life, a day in the life of an artist. Just ordinary things that you're doing, people are still interested. Where are you, what are you doing? So you can use that in multiple ways. I've seen several people do it really, really well when they're building up to an opening of an exhibition. So you walk it through the whole day of getting ready. So that's kind of building the daily life. But I like this idea of, what are you doing first thing in the morning, right the way through to, for example, having the private view or running an evening class or if it's just ordinary life that you're going on to go for a jog or a walk in the country. Like you've done your artist's work, you've been creative and now you're going out into nature. You know, what's the change in the day that you're doing as a creative and you share that in story form? Instagram story idea number nine. What is number nine? And that is a before and after. Who doesn't love a before and after? Photos, videos, preferably both. You're doing something, creating something. This is what it looks before. Here are all the things. I'm, for example, doing a weaving. I've got my wool, my loom, all the bits and pieces. I'm getting it all sort of ready. And then after, I've got it warped up and the weaving is all up and running. So it could be something like that. It could be before and after that you bought a piece of board and now you're gessoed, you sanded it and gessoed it and got some background on before, after. Anything that's a before and after I think is always interesting because people are, oh, you know, if you have rearranged your studio before big chaotic messy studio space, after all nicely sort of sorted, tidied and put away. Before and after, we all love a bit of a before and after. An Instagram story idea number 10. And that is to ask questions, poll your audience, use all the Instagram story features that are on hand and there are a lot of them. But particularly if you are, if you're a painter and you are working on a piece, you might say, do you really love the blue or the green? Do you love, you know, large canvases or small canvases? Should I frame this piece or leave it as it is, right? Ask a really simple question or if you buy art, what's your, what's the favorite size of your art? Or if you, if you want to buy art, do you like abstract, landscape, seascape? Just something where people can get involved and actually get a conversation going with you. Because at the end of the day, one of the main things you want to be doing with story, engage the audience, the best way to engage them is to encourage them to actually leave a message. Because when they respond to your story and they write something, that comes to you as a direct message. And this for me is the most important thing about an Instagram story. When somebody then puts a comment or reaction to your story and it comes into your direct messages, you can start a one-on-one conversation with them. So if you post it up before and after, painting that's not quite finished, after it's finished, it's signed, it's good to go, and somebody says, oh my God, I love this, where can I buy it? That message comes to your direct messages, you can then message them back and start a sales conversation. All right, there's not always gonna be a sales conversation, folks, but you never know where it can lead, all right? Could be somebody just wants to come and have a studio visit, or it could be somebody who says, I really love this piece, I wish you did more in blue. Or you just have no idea where it's gonna lead, but you're building connection with your audience and that is the most important thing, all right? Engagement, connection, conversation, all of those good things, all done from your smartphone, all done in your day. Now I know that I can hear a lot of people already saying, when am I gonna do this, Sophie? I don't have time to do this. I don't have time to take the photos. You all have the time, all right? This is such an easy thing to do. It takes you a few seconds to take the photographs, or to just put the phone up on a tripod, make sure you have a really easy tripod in the corner of your studio or working space with the phone setting on the top of it. You put your phone in there, do a little time lapse, set a little quick video, you can edit them later while you're waiting for the kettle to boil while you're making a cup of tea or coffee, all right? It doesn't need to take very long. So there's really no reason that you don't have the time. It's more a case of, I don't know, what to post, how to post, all of those good things. So here's a final tip for you. Imagine now if you took, for example, six out of the 10 tips that I've given you. And for each of these six tips, you come up with 10 different stories. You've now got 60 stories, all right? Now if you did one story a day, that's two months content, I'm suggesting as you can probably gather that you do several stories a day, but even if you did six stories a day, you've now got content for the next few days or next week or so, all right? So just really start thinking outside the box, start getting into the place where you're thinking, you need to have the phone with me, take photos, take videos, take them this way, take them that way, right? Do a little bit of everything. Maybe create a folder and then just put everything you can use on Instagram into that folder so that later on when you're looking at your post feed, you can pull stuff out and curate into a post, you can make a little video, or even better, you can pull it together into an interesting reel. Don't forget to check out my reels training here as well for more Instagram ideas. Okay, I hope you've loved this video. Let me know in the comments below what Instagram story, post idea you're going to be using and of course, don't forget to look out for the next video as well. Thank you so much for watching. Keep creative everybody and we'll see you soon.