Which one is better? Instagram feed or Insta Stories?
Here’s the trick to grow your Instagram account quick: Your Insta Stories should complement – not replace – your Instagram feed.
Checkout this infographic shared by Animoto.
Which one should you focus on: Insta Stories or Instagram feed?
Instagram still cares about our Instagram Feed
Your Instagram feed is NOT dead. Instagram still cares about it.
In fact, they released 2 new features to help your grow your feed:
- “Follow hashtags”: people will see your posts if you use a hashtag they are following
- “Recommended for you”: people will see your posts in their home feeds
Your Instagram feed is how people find your account
Your Instagram feed is how people find you. Thanks to your photos and videos, your Instagram account is searchable on Instagram. How cool?!
Let me explain.
- People will search on Instagram when they’re looking for something (example: wedding dress, vacations, letterboard…)
- They type hashtags and keywords on Instagram
- They scroll through Instagram posts to find what they’re looking for (it could be you)
Instagram posts = fixed = they don’t disappear. You have to make a great first impression. Your Instagram theme is your visual personality, your selling point.
Insta Stories are completely different
This is a fact: Insta Stories disappear.
- Insta Stories disappear after 24 hours
- People who are watching your Insta Stories are usually people who are already following you
- So having a good Instagram feed is a very important first step
Of course you can add hashtags and location tags in your Insta Stories – BUT there are 3 things you need to know:
- Not many people go out of their way to watch Insta Stories on location and hashtag pages
- Instagram selects which Insta Stories make it on their hashtag and location pages (so you might not even appear)
Use Insta Stories to stay in touch with people, give news, show a day-in-your-life, behind the scenes, and other fun things.
A great example is Helene from @heleneinbetween:
- Her Insta Stories: Watch her Insta Stories to follow her around during her travels. She shares her behind the scenes when she’s getting ready for her adventures or writing new blog posts.
- Her feed: She uses her feed to highlight her favorite moments, places and travel tips. Her feed looks like a travel journal.
Her Stories complement – but does not replace – her Instagram feed.
So which one is better? Insta Stories of Instagram feed?
I say they both play different roles.
Think of your Instagram feed as the cover of a book: it is fixed. It’s your free advertising. People look at it first before buying it and reading it. So you have to take care of it.
Your Insta Stories are the pages of the book: every day a new page, a new chapter, a new story.
Your Instagram Feed and Insta Stories are two amazing tools Instagram gives us.
I hope this article made you fall in love with your Instagram feed all over again and that you are excited to create! Please leave me a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for new updates.