How to Make Instagram Stories Your Money Maker

Do you know the best place to sell on Instagram? It isn’t your feed. It’s not your reels. It’s actually in your stories. Stories are Instagram’s secret weapon. No one can touch stories, so why not make it your secret money maker? I’ve taken on this Instagram strategy in my own sales, and the stats are insane with how much feedback I get. I’m going to teach you how to make Instagram stories your money maker. Let’s get started! 

 

 

If I were to rank the most powerful social media tool I would say Instagram stories are at the very top. No other social media platform–TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.–has created something as powerful as Instagram stories. TikTok tried to promote stories, but it’s just not the same because you were probably mostly seeing stories of people you don’t know.

Instagram is different because it’s the place where you build a relationship with people, and then you take that relationship from the feed into your stories. With Instagram stories being such a powerful tool, you want to make sure you are showing up with a purpose and strategy that will build your business. Ready to make Instagram stories your secret money maker? Here’s how to do it. 

 

 

How to Make Instagram Stories Your Money Maker

What’s probably happening right now with your stories is that you are posting random content whenever you think to do it. You may think your followers want to see your kids, so you post a video about them. You may post a story of you sharing a random thought at the end of the day because you panicked and didn’t show up on your stories that day. Or you may have a really good idea pop into your head, so then you have maybe 10 or more stories all uploaded at once, making it a long video to watch. 

While there’s not really anything wrong with posting these types of stories, you could be showing up with a much more powerful message if you have some planning and strategy that goes into it. If you’re thinking, Michelle, does it really matter that much? My answer is yes, 100 percent. Because your stories are where your diehard followers go. It’s where you’ll make the most money.

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #1: Make a plan.

The first thing you want to do is make a plan for the type of content you are going to post on stories. You may or may not have heard about needing 3 to 5 pillars of content when posting in your feed that really uphold your niche. While this is true, it isn’t necessarily the case for your stories. 

While you should still choose content pillars for your stories, they can actually be about whatever you want–even if they are not niche-specific. The algorithm is different in stories, so this is where you can let loose a little bit and really start connecting with your audience on a deeper level by letting them into your everyday life…while also talking about and selling your products to them. 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #2: Remember that you train your audience how to interact with you.

One way to get better story views is to use engagement stickers. Engagement stickers are when you add a poll, question box, etc. to your stories. You may not get a lot of engagement when you first start using them, but that’s just because it’s new. Keep doing it and I promise the engagement will increase over time. 

The same thing is true for affiliate links. If you share an affiliate link of a product you are loving and not a lot of people click on it, that’s OK. But I promise the more you share that link and talk about the product the more people will click on it and buy your recommended product. 

Posting the engagement stickers, affiliate links, etc. over and over again will train your audience how to interact and engage with you. This process takes time, but remember this is a relationship, so it isn’t something that will happen overnight. Trust has to be built and your audience has to get to know you, learn what to expect from you, and even buy from you once or twice before they can trust to buy from you again.

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #3: Include context when reposting a reel.

If you share a reel (whether it’s your own or someone else’s) be sure to always include some type of context to go with it. I know it’s easier to post it really quickly with just the reel itself, but when it doesn’t have context it’s a conversation-ender. 

When you include some context about the reel people are more likely to stay and watch. You can do this by either creating a short story before you post the reel explaining why you created the reel and what problem you feel it’s helping solve, or it can be as simple as including a short caption in your story with your reel about why they should go watch it. 

Including this context helps you stay focused on how every single piece of content you share is for your audience. You should always be thinking about how your content serves them and how to help them understand that. 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #4: Do not use the full minute on your story.

Stories used to be 15 seconds long and then it would cut you off. Now it’s a full minute. I don’t know about you, but I feel a little claustrophobic when someone is taking the whole minute to talk because I want to hear from them, but it makes me feel like I have to sit there and listen for the full minute. 

To avoid this hesitancy altogether, try your best to keep your stories between 15-30 seconds. It’s going to require some self-control, but just take your finger off the record button. You can do it!

 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #5: Always include captions on your stories.

Most people watch stories with the sound off, so make sure to always include captions on your stories. This is really easy to do. Just click the story sticker at the top and there’s a caption button. Once you click it, it will automatically put captions in. If Instagram has one of your words wrong you can click on it and edit the caption where needed.

Something I like to do as part of my captions is include a headline of what my story is about and one or two sentences letting people know a summary of what the story is about. This is another trick to keep people engaged and it only takes a few seconds to add it in! 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #6: Share why you love the products you’re linking.

I know it’s a lot faster and easier to post a picture of your favorite products with a link for people to buy them, but there is so much power in telling a story about why you love it. An influencer who is part of my Grow the Gram 8-week intensive course just shared how her sales have skyrocketed ever since she took on this strategy. 

When you can share an authentic story behind why you really love the products you’re selling, it won’t come off as being too salesy, but as if you are really trying to help your people’s lives be easier. And that’s exactly what you want because that is why you are selling the product anyway! The product has made your life easier and you want that same thing for your people. So share the story behind why you love your recommended products and watch your sales soar. 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #7: Start inside jokes.

There is some real power in starting inside jokes with your followers! It creates a tighter community and helps you and your followers really feel like you know each other. And that combo is a win-win for everybody. 

A while ago in my stories, I was sharing my deep love for California donuts and how there’s no other place that can make them quite as good as shops in California. Because of that, I had a follower reach out to me asking if I had seen the documentary, Donut King, which is all about how California donut shops were created. It was super interesting to watch and now I have this connection with that follower. 

Not only that, but I’ve had other followers send me boxes of California donuts and even tell me that whenever they see donuts they think of me. This one example shows just how powerful an inside joke can be. I want your followers to have this type of relationship with you so think about ways you can use this same strategy in your stories that feels true to you. And you may not even realize that you started an inside joke until after it’s happened. So if you notice some feedback from something you’ve shared, take it and run with it! 

 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #8: Show up consistently. 

Showing up consistently on your stories will help you stay at the front of all the stories your followers can see. The more you show up the more opportunity you give your people to engage with you, which will keep you at the front of their story lineup. 

Also, make sure you are posting a few stories throughout the day, rather than a bunch all at once. When you spread out your stories it’ll keep your story at the front of people’s feeds because Instagram registers your updates every time you post. If you post your stories all at once in the morning and no more for the rest of the day, you have less of a chance for people to watch all of your stories. 

A good rule of thumb that may help you keep a consistent schedule is to post a  couple of stories in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening. 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #9: Create a series.

I recommend creating a series or something people will show up for. Think about what you could do to serve your audience and how you could make it something you do on a regular basis. For me, I am doing Instagram bio audits.

My Instagram audits include a 14-page document on how to improve your Instagram account. And this is something I offer for free in my stories, and I include it in my stories every day. This offering encourages people to follow along, check my stories, and engage with my content. It’s something I’m doing for them and it’s something they want. Think about what you could create that would make sense for your audience and fit in your niche. 

 

Instagram Stories Strategy #10: Sell something in your stories every day. 

I know I may get a little pushback for this one, but I want to see if you can sell every day in your stories. You don’t necessarily have to sell a product, but sell something. Maybe you have a podcast or a YouTube channel and you could sell that as a way to get people to come over and engage with your content there. 

I also want you to ask something of your audience every day. Like I said at the beginning of this post, you are training your audience on how to engage with you. I want to help you get your audience trained so that they are used to acting on your recommendations and buying the products you recommend. 

 

 

How to Make Instagram Stories Your Money Maker

There are so many things that you can do in your stories. Start with this list of how to make Instagram stories your money maker. Choose a couple that really stand out to you and test them out. I’d love to hear about the successes you have! Send me a DM or tag me in your stories. You can find me @iammichellegifford.    

I’d love to see how these strategies work in real life. I know they work–we use these strategies for my clients, for myself, and the people I am coaching, so I’d love to see them work for you too. Can’t wait to hear how it goes!