A Complete Guide To Using Instagram Stories for Marketing in 2025

Instagram Stories aren’t just here for the 'vibes' — they’re here to convert. In the fast-scroll, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it world of social media, Stories are your brand’s secret for real-time connection, community building and “I need that!” moments. 

Gone are the days when Stories were just random brunch pics (although we still approve of your phone eating first) or blurry sunsets — in 2025, they’re your 24-hour stage to sell without selling, educate while entertaining and keep your audience coming back for more.

From stickers that spark convo, to polls that feel like bestie group chats, to behind-the-scenes sneak peeks that scream exclusive, Stories are where loyal followers are made and ROI dreams come true.

In this blog, we discuss how brands can use Instagram Stories to drive growth, build and bolster its brand identity and encourage website traffic.

Let’s break it down: Instagram Stories are vertical, full-screen posts that disappear after 24 hours: unless you give them VIP status on your Highlights reel. Stories ‘live’ in your profile avatar, and you’ll know there’s a new Story when a fuchsia and orange circle appears around a profile picture. On the Instagram homepage, these appear at the very top of your feed. 

An Instagram Story can be photos, videos, Boomerangs, polls, quizzes, memes or links, essentially, anything you can tap, swipe or react to.

Don’t let the 24-hour timer fool you. Stories might be temporary, but their impact is major. Brands are using Stories to:

• Launch products with sneak peeks, product knowledge and social media advertisements  
• Link directly to products with one simple swipe
• Host Q&As that feel like IRL convos
• Share teaser content that builds trust and hype
• Run Instagram polls that double as market research 

Instagram Stories are your brand’s reality show, newsletter, billboard and focus group all in one.

Still wondering why you should use Instagram Stories in 2025? If Instagram were a party, Stories would be the dance floor. It’s where all the action happens: real-time convos, polls, stickers and “I need this” product drops, all in a vertical, bite-sized package. Stories are the ultimate way to build hype, foster loyalty and actually get your audience to take action with swipe-ups and product tags.

Still not convinced? Let’s break down the benefits of Instagram Stories:

Increase Your Chance of Making It to Users’ Feeds

We all know that Instagram’s algorithm tries its best to serve up the content we want to see, but it’s bound to miss a post here and there. Stories live above the grid and automatically move through users’ posts, giving your audience a better chance to see your content. 

That little row of bubbles at the top of your followers' screens is prime real estate. Posting to Stories regularly keeps your brand front and center, and boosts your chances of staying on the radar, even when your posts don’t hit the Explore page. With interactive features like polls, stickers and GIFs, it’s easy to keep your Story updated with valuable, yet entertaining content. 

Engage With Your Audience

Instagram Stories are your go-to for real-time, personable engagement on Instagram. You’re not shouting into the void: you’re starting conversations, getting feedback and building a two-way connection with your people.

From ‘this vs. that’ polls to ‘ask me anything’ question boxes, the engagement tools found in Stories are fun and valuable ways to learn more about customer preferences and earn engagement at the same time. And what does that mean? More engagement means an increased likelihood your content is prioritized by the algorithm which means more reach.

Drive Website Traffic

With link stickers now available to everyone (remember the days ‘swipe up’ links were only available for Business Accounts?), Instagram Stories are a powerhouse for driving traffic. These links can be used to promote a product drop, tease a limited-time sale with a countdown sticker and even sharing blog posts. Link stickers can turn passive viewing into immediate action.

Tappable links also add another touchpoint for your customer’s journey and guide followers straight to your desired landing page. Think of it as instant gratification for your audience.

There’s more than one way to drive website traffic — a link-in-bio tool like LikeShop helps funnel users to the pages that matter most.

Create Instagram Story Ads

Want your brand to look effortless and still reach new people? Say hello to Instagram Story Ads.

These full-screen vertical placements blend naturally with organic content, letting you connect with audiences in a way that feels authentic without feeling like an ad. Because they appear where users are already tapping through friends’ and influencers’ updates, Story Ads are less likely to be skipped and more likely to capture attention. Add a touch of humor, a dash of storytelling and a clear CTA, and you’ve got a format that can drive engagement, sometimes even more effectively than traditional feed ads. Story Ads can give your Instagram strategy a dynamic, immersive edge.

Launching something new, building anticipation or just looking to keep your audience engaged? Creating a Story is simple when you know the steps. 

Let’s break it down for the newbies, the overthinkers and anyone who’s looking for a refresher on how to post something: 

• Open Instagram. 
• Click the blue ‘+’ symbol located on the top left of your profile. 
• From there, select an image from your library in the bottom left corner. You can select that aesthetic flat lay, funny behind-the-scenes clip, or meme that screams your brand.
• Now you can add in a little bit of spice with Sticker icon: polls, questions, gifs, countdowns and any other interactive elements that keep your audience tapping instead of swiping through.
• Keep it cute, clear and on brand with ‘Aa’ text tool.
• Use the drawing tool to add doodles, underlines or chaotic scribbles that scream "this is important!"
• Add music that matches the mood. Unlike TikTok, most songs are available for business and creator accounts, so feel free to select a trending Instagram Reel song that matches the mood.   
• For easy visibility and good internet karma, tag your brand, team or collaborators.
• Direct traffic to your latest blog, product page or campaign with Link Sticker.
• Hit ‘Your Story’ to share with your entire following or ‘Close Friends’ to share with an exclusive group curated by you.

Let’s get one thing straight — only posting random selfies or last-minute sale graphics to Stories and calling it ‘strategy’ can seem chaotic. If you really want to catch users’ attention and spark real engagement, your Instagram marketing strategy needs to treat Stories like the powerhouse they are.

Think of Stories as your brand’s unfiltered spotlight — a space to share real-time updates, spark conversations, drop exclusive deals and show off the kind of personality that doesn’t always come through in the feed.

But before you go tapping through Boomerangs and filters like it’s 2018, you need a plan — and lucky for you, we’ve already got one. Head over to this Instagram Marketing Strategy Guide for the full playbook.

Your Stories shouldn’t be an afterthought. They should be a scroll-stopping, conversion-driving, audience-hyping machine. Here’s how to get started:

1. Define Your Objective

Understanding what you hope to achieve will help you determine what type of visuals and links you’ll want to prioritize.

If you’re posting Stories just to fill space, the algorithm (and your audience) can smell it from a mile away. Before you start slapping emojis on a blurry product shot or adding 12 gifs to your behind-the-scenes video — ask yourself, “What’s the goal here?”

Are you trying to:

• Hype up a product drop?
• Drive traffic to your website?
• Get signups for your event?
• Build brand vibes and trust?
• Or just get people talking in your DMs?

Your goal is your North Star. It will help you figure out what type of content to create, which features to use (polls, links, quizzes, countdowns) and how to measure success. 

If you want to boost clicks, throw in those link stickers like candy. If engagement is your priority, polls and question boxes are your BFFs. If brand storytelling is the mission, lean into mini-vlogs, BTS moments and aesthetic design.

In 2025, we’re not about wasting time, energy or pixels. 

2. Schedule Your Content During Peak Times

The most strategic answer to the question ‘how to schedule Instagram Stories?’ involves more than just knowing how to hit ‘share’. You could have the most aesthetic story in the game that’s perfectly edited, strategically tagged and loaded with value, but if you post it when your audience is snoozing or busy bingeing their twentieth Love Island episode? Crickets.

That’s why knowing when to post is just as important as what you post. 

So, when is the best time to post Stories on Instagram? Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. deliver the highest reach for Story content, when people are casually checking their Instagram Stories at the start of their day.  

However, you don’t need to guess when you should post. Dash Social’s Scheduler comes through with predictive posting tools that show your brand’s actual peak engagement windows. No more shooting in the dark or uneducated guesses. Plan it, schedule it and make your Story-posting strategy even smarter.

3. Plan Your Content Themes

Think of content themes or content pillars as the main characters in your brand’s story. They keep things consistent, fresh and on-brand while giving your audience something to care about. Planning your themes isn’t just about what looks good, it’s about what works.

Don’t have content themes yet? Here are some to get your creative and strategic brainstorm flowing: 

• Product features and links: Show off your new product drops and event releases with product tags and link stickers to drive that tap-to-cart energy.
• User generated content (UGC): Turn your fans into content creators as nothing hits like a repost of someone loving your stuff.
• Employee spotlights: People connect with people, so share BTS moments, social manager spotlights, (we’re biased here) team takeovers or even a CEO Storytime.
• Quick tips and how to’s: Help your followers get more out of your product, or solve a mini pain point with a Story tip series.
• Vibes and fun: Memes, polls, mood boards and Q&As help sprinkle in content that’s just purely relatable.

Bonus tip (aka the move your future self will thank you for): don’t just plan it, schedule it. A social media content calendar is a great way to visualize at a glance precisely what’s going live on Stories, Reels and feed posts each day. 

4. Design Your Stories for Interaction and Retention

Think of your Stories like a mini-series, each slide should flow smoothly into the next, keeping your audience glued.

Start with your branding vibe. Are you going bright and neon? Minimalist and sophisticated? Make sure your colors, fonts and style are true to your brand, since consistency is great for cementing your identity and brand recall. Don’t forget to remember to size your design assets appropriately with the best performing Instagram picture size so your visuals don’t get lost or pixelated. Crispness equals credibility.

Next, it’s time to get interactive. Throw in polls, Q&As, sliders and quizzes, whatever you believe resonates with your followers and gets thumbs tapping. Interactive elements help your Stories pop up more in feeds.

Oh, and your calls-to-action? Make them count. Whether it’s ‘swipe up to learn more’, ‘tap to shop,’ or ‘DM us your faves,’ your calls-to-action should be clear, catchy and hard to ignore. With links, take your audience straight from watching to doing.

So, design smart, keep it fresh and watch those interactions skyrocket while your followers stick around for the full story.

5. Test, Refine and Optimize

Once you have the rest of your social media strategy fleshed out, test which elements are working. This includes monitoring content performance and A/B testing things like visual style, creators and interactive elements.

Testing is the name of the game. That means keeping an eye on which Stories get all the love — those views, taps, replies and sticker taps — and figuring out what’s hitting different. Is your bold neon vibe vibing? Or is your audience sliding on by?

Alright, you’ve got your Instagram Story strategy lined up, but don’t just set it and forget it like last week’s laundry. It’s time to get the data (but make it fun) and see what actually pops off with your audience.

Enter Dash Social’s Boards — your new BFF for A/B testing content like a pro. With Boards, you can split your content into groups, test different visuals, interactive stickers, captions — basically, anything you want — and see which version your followers stan the most. It’s like having a crystal ball for your content’s success.

So don’t be shy. Mix it up, experiment and then tweak till your Stories are straight fire. Because when you optimize, you don’t just grow, you glow.

Are your Instagram Stories ready for a glow up? With Dash Social’s Instagram Story Design Studio, brands can whip up eye-popping Stories faster than you can say ‘double tap.’ Dash Social’s Instagram Story Insights serve the tea on what’s really working, so you can keep those views climbing. Level up your Story game with tools that make marketing feel like magic. 

How do you view Instagram Stories?  

Viewing Instagram Stories Super is easy: open the Instagram app, and Stories from the people you follow pop up right at the top of your feed in little profile circles. Tap on a bubble to view someone’s Story. Swipe left to go to the next person's Story, tap right to skip ahead, or press and hold to pause if you need more time to absorb the aesthetic.

Does Instagram show who viewed your Story? 

Yes, Instagram shows you who viewed your Story. To see who viewed your Story, you can swipe up on an individual post to see a list of viewers and who liked your Story. So yes, ‘creeping’ comes with receipts! 

How long can an Instagram story be?

Each individual Story slide lasts 15 seconds, but you can stack multiple slides to form a cohesive narrative. So technically, you can tell a full story in multiple parts without adhering to Instagram’s 15-second rule. And in 2025, Instagram even lets you auto-clip longer videos into seamless Stories.