Instagram Story Questions: Everything You Need to Know in 2020

Instagram Stories shake up the traditional engagement features on social media. Instead of the usual “likes,” comments and saves, the platform has developed an array of creative new ways for users to interact with their followers via Stories – including adding music, links and GIFs.

Asking questions on Instagram, and encouraging followers to ask you questions, is a tried-and-true method of increasing engagement. That’s what makes the Instagram Story question sticker such a powerful feature in 2020.

Instagram Story questions: How do they work?

Introduced in July 2018, the IG Story question sticker allows you to ask your followers a question, or invite them to ask you questions, and then easily respond in a new Story.

Followers’ responses are not shared publicly: only you can see them. And if you share one of their responses to answer in a Story, their photo and username won’t appear.

One of the great things about this feature is that it invites followers to interact with you privately in a way that feels much less invasive than DMs. It creates a smooth, comfortable transition to DMs if you choose to reply to them privately.

You can also ask questions using other stickers, such as the polls sticker or the emoji slider. The advantage of the question sticker is that users can respond with free text.

How to ask questions on Instagram Stories:

  • Using the question sticker couldn’t be easier. Simply select it from the sticker tray and type in your question or prompt.
  • Users will be able to tap the text box on the sticker to type in their questions or responses.
  • You can add multiple questions or prompts to the same Story by adding more question stickers.

How do you answer questions on Instagram Stories?

  • To view the questions your followers have submitted, open your story and swipe up. Then you can scroll through the responses by swiping right and left.
  • To answer a question, tap it and select one of these options from the pop-up menu:
    1. Share Response: This will take you to the Story editor screen, where the user’s response will appear without their username or photo. You can type in your response as text, add any other stickers or images you like, and share it as a new Story.
    2. Send Message: This will open a DM chat with the user, where you can respond to them privately.

Can you answer a question after 24 hours?

Followers will be able to see your post and ask respond to it for a period of 24 hours. Afterwards, you’ll still be able to see and respond to questions, as long as the Instagram Story is archived.

Does Instagram tell you when someone answers your question?

You’ll receive a notification when someone responds to your question sticker. You’ll also be able to see the responses by opening your story and swiping up, as mentioned above.

If you share someone’s response to your question sticker as a new Story, they will receive a notification, even if you don’t tag them. This ensures that they’ll know when you answer their question.

And of course, they’ll be notified if you respond to their question via DM.

3 ways to get creative with the Instagram Stories question sticker

1. Hold a Q&A Session

Use the question sticker to prompt your audience to ask you questions. The Q&A session can be themed (‘Ask me anything about running my own business!), like @insideouterbeautymarket held recently:

instagram story question sticker social media marketing

Note that this Q&A session is connected to their brand’s mission (health & wellness), which is always a good practice to keep in mind. You can also hold an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session in which your followers can ask you whatever is on their mind, without any particular topic or theme.

You can respond by typing out your responses and sharing them to your Story, like @the_ivorymix did here:

Alternatively, you can respond to the questions via video. This will likely help you gain even more engagement on your Story. For tips on how to effectively create video for Stories, check out this blog.

2. Get to know your audience

Through a Q&A session, your audience will get to know you better. Now, use the question sticker to get to know them! Here are some connection-building questions you can ask your audience:

  • What are your favorite (books/movies/TV shows/apps etc.)?
  • What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?
  • What are your tips on (select a relevant industry topic)?
  • What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?

Pro tip: even if you don’t share every question sticker response to your Stories, do your best to engage with everybody who responds to your question sticker by sending them a message or reaction via DM.

3. Show off your brand’s fun side

Have some fun with the question sticker! A great way to do this is with a caption contest, like @alexbeadon did here:

instagram story question sticker example 3

Share the best responses to your Stories. For bonus points, you can even offer an incentive or prize for the best caption. For more info on interactive Instagram Story games, check out this blog.

If you’re working on expanding your Instagram Story strategy, check out these 50 Engaging Instagram Story Ideas for Your Brand to ensure that you’ll never run out of content ideas.


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