Here’s how to make unskippable Instagram polls for your small biz

When Instagram first launched in the early 2010s, it was a relatively simple app that allowed users to post photos in real-time. Over the years, the app has added more features and capabilities to create compelling visual posts with only a smartphone.

As of 2019, a whopping 500 million Stories are posted on Instagram every day. Small businesses have come to rely on Stories’ popularity to engage their audience. In other words, Insta has come a long way from the days of the Valencia filter. 

Still, when trying to post daily, it’s easy to run out of ideas for content.

Fortunately, Instagram polls are a great way to create compelling, engaging, and share-worthy Stories that will keep your audience coming back for more. If you’re not already taking advantage of the polling feature, then here’s your ultimate guide.

Video polls may be a popular way to engage an audience, but this doesn’t mean that you have to create humdrum, cookie-cutter Story polls. Spoiler alert — small businesses can leverage pre-baked Instagram Story templates to create video polls pretty much instantly.

In this article, we’ll cover four different types of Instagram polls, share a few polling best practices, and give you five ideas for your next IG poll.

Polls are an easy way to generate engagement from audiences. People don’t have to do too much to engage — [they] just mash a button. They also send a strong algorithmic signal that the story/post is worth boosting.

Chelsea Hunersen, Social Media Lead, Qualtrics

4 types of Instagram polls

To get started, here’s a list of the different types of Instagram polls you can create. 

• Question sticker polls
• Quiz sticker polls
• Emoji slider sticker polls
• Classic survey polls

Let’s take a look at each type of poll. 

Question sticker polls

Instagram questions sticker polls let businesses ask their followers a question using a sticker in their Story post. This is a great way to ask followers an open-ended question like “What are your favorite outfit ideas for summer” or “What questions do you have about our new product line?” 

Then, businesses can respond to the questions one-by-one in new stories. Your customers will love this type of poll because their queries or comments remain anonymous — only the admin who controls the account can see which users asked which questions. 

Create a sticker poll in three easy steps: 

1. Choose the question sticker from the sticker tray within Instagram. 
2. Type out your question on the sticker and place it somewhere on the post. 
3. Post your story and wait for the responses to roll in.

When you get customer responses that you’d like to share, post the answers in subsequent stories. This gives you a great stream of interactive, engaging content that will keep your customers checking your stories all day. 

Quiz sticker polls

Another super-engaging format is the quiz sticker poll. This type of post is similar to the question sticker poll but gets a little more detailed. This format uses a sticker that includes a question and four possible answer choices. 

Everyone loves sharing their opinions online, and the quiz sticker poll lends itself to creating lively interactions. You’d be surprised how passionate your audience can be about defending their favorite Starbucks order or the best guilty pleasure power ballad. 

Emoji slide sticker polls

This fun type of poll is easy to create using the interactive emoji slider stickers. Start with a question that voters can answer on a sliding scale, like “how much do you love pizza?” 

Then, users can use the clever sliding emoji sticker to show how strongly they feel about the question or content you’re promoting.

Classic two-choice poll

Finally, Instagram has a polling sticker option that gives users two options to choose from. Think classic showdowns like “chocolate or vanilla,” “dogs or cats,” or “summer or fall.” You can also use this type of poll with a simple yes or no question. 

For instance, a fashion brand could ask the audience whether it’s acceptable to wear white after Labor Day — and use a sticker with options for yes and no.

Get creative with your response options. Instead of a simple yes or no, you could embellish with creative choices like “Sign me up!” and “Eww, pass.”

Best practices for creating engaging Instagram polls

Anyone can create a story poll — but making a good story poll is much more challenging. Here are a few best practices to remember when creating a poll. 

Keep it short and sweet. 

No one wants to feel like they are taking an essay exam when on social media. The best way to make sure your polls get engagement is to keep them short. 

Make certain any text you use is quick and to the point so that readers can process it during the short few seconds the Story appears. Emojis are a great way to connect quickly and playfully (but only if you have a playful brand, of course). 

Use polls as a market research tool. 

There’s no better way to know what your audience wants than just to ask! If you’re considering whether or not to launch a new product or event, using IG polls is a fun way to get critical audience feedback. 

It’s an easy way for users to engage with our content as it doesn’t require much effort to respond. In some cases, it’s also been beneficial in crowdsourcing information that is both useful to us and other Instagram users.

Lauren Ong, Social Media Manager, Dropbox

Understand your end goal or call-to-action. 

Instagram stories can be a great way to drive traffic to your landing page or site. And e-commerce brands can use the “Swipe Up” feature to direct conversions to a specific product page or campaign. Don’t underestimate the power of selling on Instagram — while leveraging all of its myriad features. 

5 Instagram poll ideas for small businesses

Need some inspiration to get started? No problem — we’ve put together a list of fresh ideas that your small business can use for your very first Instagram poll. 

1. Create a multiple-choice quiz.

Ask your audience to choose their favorite from a list of options. For example, a real estate agent could ask their followers which style of house they like best from a list of choices. 

2. Ask “This or That.”

Show two popular products and ask your visitors to choose which one they like the best. 

3. Tease an upcoming product launch.

A launch isn’t a launch without creating some anticipation ahead of time. A great way to do this is to create a story that asks the audience what questions they have about the new product or line.

4. Let customers get to know you with a Q&A post.

You let people get to know you or your company better with an “Ask Us Anything” post. Whenever you receive compelling questions, make new stories sharing the question (keeping the asker anonymous) and showing off your answer for your followers.

5. Ask questions that promote awareness or discussion.

Asking questions like “Did you know that yoga can help with migraines?” or “Have you registered to vote yet?” can get your audience thinking about a topic and hopefully taking some action.

Remember: polls don’t always have to be salesy! 

They are also an opportunity for small businesses to share behind-the-scenes glimpses at their creative process and the real nitty-gritty, DIY aspects of owning a business. 

How to make your own Instagram survey or poll

Hopefully we’ve sold you on the value of Instagram polls for small businesses. So now the question is: “How do you make one?“

Fear not! It’s a super easy process, especially if you start with a Vimeo Create template. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide you can use to create your first Instagram poll. 

• First, draft up your poll questions. What do you want to ask your followers, and why? Don’t be tempted to rush this step — make sure your questions are clear and well-written — like any other piece of copywriting you’d publish for your brand. 
• Get creative. Choose a template that matches or complements your brand’s aesthetic. Customize your music, fonts, and images, whether you use your own product photography or lean on Vimeo’s extensive library of stock footage.
• Finally, save and share your post. Yep, that’s it.

It only takes a few minutes out of your busy day to compose a polished, engaging Instagram story poll. 

Create your first Instagram poll today.