How do u make a poll on instagram


a Complete Guide to Polling Your Followers

  • To make an Instagram Poll, start by creating a new Story post by swiping right on Instagram's home screen.
  • Ask a yes or no question or any question with two options, then share the poll to your Story.
  • View the results of your poll at any time within 24 hours of posting by swiping up on the Story slide.

Whether they're just for fun or for informal research purposes, Instagram Polls are a fun way to interact with your Instagram followers. You can customize the question and the two responses (or stick to a straight-forward yes or no) and choose a background from your camera roll.

Once responses start rolling in, you can see how your followers voted, and even get a breakdown on how many people voted for each option and who exactly voted for each. After you collect responses, you can share the results with your followers so they can also see how people voted overall (but not who voted for what).

Here's how it's done.

How to create an Instagram Poll on your Story

1. Open the Instagram app. Tap your profile icon at the top-left of the screen or swipe right to add a Story. 

If you don't have any live Stories, you can create a new one by tapping your profile icon. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

2. Take a photo by tapping the circle on the bottom of the screen or choose a photo or video from your camera roll to post by tapping the small picture icon at the bottom-left of the screen. You can also tap the "Aa" Create icon to pull up a blank background.

Choose a blank background or a photo from your camera roll as the backdrop for your poll. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

3. Tap the Stickers icon, which looks like a square smiley face, at the top of the screen to pull up a menu of post additions.

Tap this icon to add a poll, location tag, GIFs, and more. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

4. In the pop-up menu, tap the Poll icon to ask a question with two answer prompts. To ask a sliding scale question, tap the Sliding Scale icon, which should be located next to the Poll sticker option. 

Select "Poll" or the sliding scale from the list of options. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

5. Tap the Ask a question… field, then type your question or a quick phrase on whatever topic you want people to vote on. For a regular poll, tap the Yes and No boxes to change the responses, or keep the boxes as-is if that works for your question. For a sliding scale poll, select an emoji to add to the sliding scale. 

You can edit all three fields in a poll. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

6. When you're finished editing the question and response fields, tap Done.

7. Tap Your Story to share your poll with all your followers, or Close Friends to share the poll with your Close Friends list. You can also search for a friend or choose one from the Suggested list to send the poll via direct message. 

Once your poll is ready to be posted, tap "Your Story" to share it with all your followers. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

How to view and share results of your Instagram Story Poll

1. To view the results of an Instagram poll you've created, open the Instagram app and tap your profile icon at the top-left of the screen to view your Story.

2. On the Story slide with the poll, you'll see the overall results. For more information on how many people voted and what each person voted for, swipe up on the Story slide or tap Seen by on the bottom-left of the screen.

After people start voting on your poll, you'll see the overall results on the Story slide. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

3. To share the results of your poll to your Story, tap Share Results, then select Your Story or Close Friends.

You can see a detailed view of the poll results, with an option to share them. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

Ideas for Instagram Polls

For sliding scale polls, you can customize the emoji used. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

  • This or that: Give your followers two options and ask them to choose which one they prefer. Poll your followers about fun, random topics or ask them what types of content or formats they prefer on your feed.
  • Yes or no: Ask a yes or no question to gauge how your followers feel about specific topics. Again, you can go the random route or ask more curated questions to gauge interest in specific subjects when it comes to your content.
  • Sliding scale: Rather than a straightforward yes or no, or having to choose between two different options, a sliding scale allows your followers to choose where they fall on a sliding scale in response to your question.

How to send an Instagram Poll via direct message

1. Open the Instagram app on your device and tap the Messages icon in the top-right corner. 

2. Select a recent conversation or tap the New Message icon in the top-right corner. 

3. On the message screen, tap the blue camera icon next to the textbox at the bottom of the screen. 

Tap the blue camera icon to take a picture and add a poll to it. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

4. Take a photo or select one from your camera roll, and tap the Stickers icon, which looks like a square smiley face, in the top-right corner of the screen.  

5. Select Poll in the pop-up menu. 

6. A poll box will appear over your image — type your poll question into the Ask a question section, and tap inside the Yes and No boxes to change the answer options. 

7. When your poll is ready, tap Send at the bottom-middle of the screen. 

Note: When you send an Instagram Poll through direct messages, the poll is not interactive, meaning the recipients will not be able to answer the poll by selecting an answer option in the image. They will have to give their answers via a separate message beneath your poll message. 

Abigail Abesamis Demarest

Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a contributing writer for Insider based in New York. She loves a good glazed donut and nerdy deep dives into the science of food and how it's made. 

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How to Drive Engagement with the Poll Sticker on Instagram Stories

Instagram Tips & Resources


By Alyssa Gagliardi

Updated on October 12, 2022

5 minute read

Superstar engagement + data galore = Instagram polls.

Published March 8, 2022

Instagram Poll stickers are one of the easiest ways to engage your Instagram community.

From collecting feedback to gauging interest for an upcoming launch, the quick interaction can help inform your content strategy.

We’re breaking down how to use polls on Instagram Stories, plus five fresh ideas to drive engagement.

What Is an Instagram Stories Poll?

Instagram Poll stickers are pretty straightforward: they let you poll your audience on your Instagram Stories.  

Simply ask a question and share up to four different options for your community to choose from. 

You’re essentially collecting data and driving engagement in one go. It’s a win-win. 

FYI: Later is a social media management tool trusted by over 4M businesses, creators, and social media managers. Sign up for free to plan and automatically publish your social media posts today:

How to Add an Instagram Stories Poll Sticker 

It's quick and easy to add a poll to your Instagram Stories. Here's how to do it:

  1. Click the "+" icon at the top of your Instagram Home feed and select "Story."

  2. Next, tap the large white circle to take a photo (press and hold to film a video), or select existing media from your camera roll.

  3. Locate the sticker icon (a smiley face) at the top of your screen to open the Instagram Stories sticker tray, and scroll until you see the "Poll" sticker.

  4. Tap “Ask a Question…” above the poll to type your question. You can also select the color wheel at the top of the screen to customize the sticker.

  5. Tap each answer to edit the different options users will be able to choose from.

  6. Once finished, tap "Done" in the top right corner to exit the poll editor.

  7. Press and drag to move the sticker, or use a pinching motion to resize it.

  8. Post your Story and let the responses roll in.

How to See Poll Results on Instagram 

Once your Instagram Story is live, you can check the results of your poll by swiping up on the published Story and selecting the eye icon.

Simple as that.

Start scheduling your Instagram Stories in advance with Later today — available on all paid plans.

5 Ways to Use Instagram Polls to Increase Engagement 

Here are five ways to boost engagement using Instagram Poll stickers:

  1. Promote a Blog Post, Article, or Guide

  2. Create Suspense for an Upcoming Launch or Collab

  3. Gather Feedback from Your Community 

  4. Play a Game of "This or That"

  5. Educate Your Community

Idea #1: Promote a Blog Post, Article, or Guide

Recently dropped a blog or informational guide? Create a fun quiz about the topic using the Instagram Poll sticker.

Once you’ve got them hooked, round off your final Story with a link sticker inviting your audience to learn more.

By creatively introducing your audience to your content, you’re bound to drive more traffic to your site. 

DID YOU KNOW: You can also drive traffic to your blog or website by popping the link in your Instagram bio using Later’s Linkin.bio tool.

Idea #2: Create Suspense for an Upcoming Launch or Collab

If you have something exciting in the works, teasing the news with an Instagram Poll can help build excitement.

For brands launching a new product, try sharing a photo or short video with a poll asking your community if they want to see more.

If you’re a creator teaming up with another creator for a collab, create a poll inviting your community to guess what you’re working on together.

TIP: Add a countdown sticker to your Instagram Story so followers get a notification when your launch or collab goes live.

Idea #3: Gather Feedback from Your Community

Instagram Polls are a fun and informal way to learn what your audience wants.

From gauging interest about new content ideas to collecting feedback on a potential partnership — let them know you value their opinion. 

For example, creator Jaclyn Forbes shared an Instagram Story asking her followers if they were interested in shopping her outfit. 

When 92% of voters tapped “yes”, she posted Stories with links to shop her OOTD. 

The takeaway? Give your followers the reins and let them guide your next post. 

Idea #4: Get To Know Your Community With a Game of "This or That"

Choose one: scheduling your posts in advance, or posting on the fly?

Everyone loves a lighthearted poll, and a game of "This or That" is the perfect avenue to learn more about your audience. 

Simply poll two similar options and invite them to choose their preference:

Curious about your community's skincare routine? Ask them if they prefer sheet masks or clay masks.

And if you're wondering whether they think pineapple belongs on pizza, ask them in a poll (for the record... it doesn't).

Idea #5: Educate Your Community

How much does your community know about you and your niche? Test their knowledge with a handful of polls.

For example, if you’re a sneaker brand, quiz your followers about different shoe styles. 

Bonus points if you plug your products too!

Gamifying the education process can help generate engagement and conversations in your DMs. Plus, it creates another way to interact with your followers.

And there you have it!

Whether you’re looking to build brand awareness or learn more about your target audience, creating polls are a great engagement-driver.

So, are you ready to experiment with Instagram Poll stickers?

We have a feeling you're voting "Yes."

ICYMI: You can plan, schedule, and publish your Instagram Stories in advance with Later. Create an account today

About the Author

Alyssa Gagliardi

Alyssa is a Toronto-based creative writer and Content Marketer at Later. If you can’t reach her, she’s probably glueing gems to her face or thrifting. Keep up with her nonsense on Instagram – @alygeethnx.

Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.

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Polls in Instagram stories - how to do everything right

It is impossible to view Instagram Stories * and not stumble upon a request to select an answer. Since the social network introduced new two-choice poll stickers in the fall of 2017, every second Story is full of them! We will find out what is the reason for such love for them, and also:

  • what polls look like in Instagram Stories*;
  • why we need polls in Stories;
  • options for polls in stories;
  • how to avoid poll errors in Instagram Stories*;
  • how to create a poll in stories on Instagram*;
  • how to add a poll to stories using SMMplanner.

What polls look like on Instagram Stories*

All polls only have two voting buttons, but that doesn't mean they have to be the standard "Yes" and "No"

You can write something short instead of the standard answers After clicking on one of the buttons, you will see the percentage of answers so far.

Or you can get creative: replace words with emoji

Why we need polls in Stories

Instagram* polls in Stories are used for two purposes:

  1. Collect the opinions of subscribers in order to adjust plans for working with Instagram*.
  2. Increase interest in Stories, increase audience reach.

There are, of course, many more real reasons for using surveys. But we divide them into two directions, based on the feedback we expect from the audience. To get an opinion or to attract attention - it turns out something like this.

How to find out if you got attention in Stories with a survey

Along with surveys, you received response statistics. Statistics show how many votes were given for one or another answer option; from this data, the total number of voters can be calculated. There is also detailed information for each user - see who answered how.

Go to History and below you will see those who looked at it. Clicking on them will open statistics

There are two main tabs in statistics:

  • general history statistics - four vertical sticks;
  • views - eye icon.

Views show the number of people who voted for a particular answer, and the lists of voters show a detailed report of those who clicked which answer.

In addition, by clicking on the up arrow, you can make a post from the History to the feed.

If you didn't have time to see the results of the survey, and the Stories have already expired, go to the archives of your account, all old Stories with the results are stored there.

On the main page of the account, go to settings, then to the archive, and select the Stories archive

Poll options in stories

Interesting polls in stories, with which we find out the opinion of the audience

Poll-evaluation . Make a poll with a one-word question "Do you like it?" or "Do you agree?" For such surveys, the standard “Yes” and “No” will do. You can ask about everything. I often see questions about content, account or new photos: “What is the best photo processing?” (“Before / After”), “Tell me more about the psychology of personal relationships?” (“Yes / No”), “Evaluate the quality of our manager’s work” (“Good / Bad”).

Try to ask more or less important things, not everything :)

Research target audience . Run polls to help you understand what your audience likes best. For example, ask what content your subscribers prefer - “Video” or “Photo”, which coffee tastes better - with milk or black. Do not be afraid to add a little provocation, for example, ask who cooks better (drives a car, understands SMM, and so on) - men or women.

Sample audience surveys

Find out intentions

When you are going to broadcast live, run a marathon, or just make a series of posts on a topic, it's good to know the interest of your audience on the beach.

Of course, you will get an approximate result, but it will already be possible to navigate by it. Find some tests from the "your mental age" series and adapt them to Stories. Then alert the audience about the test, and run several slides in a row at once - in the end you will have a real game of engagement.

More examples of interesting polls in Stories:

Before starting the game, we warn and give a hint An example of competently adapting a regular test to the poll format in Stories
If you want to test using the appropriate sticker, read about it and not only in the article "How and why to conduct surveys" in our blog.

Quiz . Quizzes, unlike tests, involve a question that has a correct answer. This answer can be given immediately after the question, or some time later. Many linguistic bloggers launch surveys in the style of “What is the right way - are you calling or are you calling?”. Try doing something similar in your account. And don't forget to answer!

With quizzes, users can not only test their knowledge, but also learn something useful

"Warming up" for sale . In marketing theory, there is such a thing as "customer temperature", which refers to the readiness of the client to purchase. Let's use this theory and try to warm up the audience with the help of polls. Place two products on the first slide and ask your audience to choose the product they like best. On the next slide, leave one of the same products, plus offer a discount on it. If a person has already admitted that he likes the product, the likelihood of a purchase will be higher.

The same rule applies to a new post in the feed that you want to pay attention to.

Increasing interest in the questions described in the post Encouragement to read for those who answer yes

Encouragement to listen to information

It happens when a blogger wants to announce something or just share something, but a long speech not everyone will listen in stories. Polls are added as the story progresses to grab the user's attention.

Thus, the viewer willy-nilly catch their eye and ask what is being discussed

Examples of entertaining polls in stories

It can be different. You can cutely ask about some little things, or you can make your audience worry about you and frantically follow your stories.

Draw attention to Stories either by beauty or sharp emotions

There is also the following trick: you need to tell your audience about something, but the poll seems to be of no use, so you put . .. two identical answers!

A very popular trick: you get a reaction to the Story just because people see the poll and “get stuck” on it

How to avoid mistakes in polls in Instagram Stories *

What can go wrong if everything is nice, neat and interesting?

First, you need to remember that everyone's smartphones are different, screens are also different sizes, and if text or poll buttons on your phone are not overlapped by the profile name or the "Send a message" window, then this may not be for everyone. Therefore, when placing a survey on the screen, remember that it is not desirable to place it at the very bottom and at the very top.

Secondly, if your text is in any way related to the pandemic, then the corresponding inscription will appear on the History at the bottom, and everything will be blocked.

Be sure to check Stories after posting

How to create an Instagram Stories Poll*

Create a basic Story with a photo or video.

Access the sticker menu by clicking on the sticker icon. In the list, find the "Survey" sticker if you have the English version of Instagram installed*.

Once you attach the poll sticker, you can ask a question and change the button names.

Answers that are too long should be written in the title, and emoticons should be placed on the buttons themselves - this way the poll looks neater

If the poll requires two or more photos to be shown to viewers, the options are as follows:

  • add several photos and place them on the background;
  • use the collage function;
  • create a picture of the desired format in advance using Photoshop and other applications;
  • use the delayed posting service.
Two options to add multiple photos to the Story using the standard features of the application

You can add multiple photos using the corresponding sticker. The downside is that you have to scale down and position the images on the screen using your fingers, and it's not always possible to do it beautifully and the way you intended.

The minus of the second option - collage - is significant: you can place the photo only in the designated windows. If you want to place two photos from the bottom, you will not succeed, since the social network starts posting photos from rectangle No. 1 and ends with No. 4. And when you try to delete, for example, No. 2, numbers 3 and 4 move up.

The disadvantage of the third option is a long preparation. Let's take a look at the fourth option below.

How to add a poll to your story using SMMplanner

Go to SMMplanner and start creating a new Story.

For this, the service has a separate beautiful button. When you click, a window will open with a phone screen In the first tab, select the account where the Story will be published, in the second - set up the background

applications.

In the third tab, select the "Survey" sticker

Write the question itself and customize the answers, then click OK. Now it remains to set the time for the release of the Story and publish it by adding a poll to the Stories!

Let's add some images to the History. There are two options in SMMplanner:

  • add manually and arrange nicely;
  • use built-in third-party services.
Using a sticker, add some photos, place them on the background of your choice and add a poll

If you want the text color of the question to be different or located in a different place, use the Text sticker to write the question. And in the “Poll” sticker, leave the field for the question empty.

Select the Canva service in the background section and create a cool Story with a question

Click "Insert in Story Maker" and the created image will be displayed in the SMMplanner window. You just have to harmoniously arrange the sticker with the answers and publish the story.

For more information on how to use Canva, see our Canva Service Overview article.

Do you use surveys to:

  • increase outreach;
  • collecting statistics on audience preferences;
  • your choice!

Write in the comments!

The article has been updated. First published: April 6, 2018

How to make a poll in Stories on Instagram ➔ ideas for stories

Menu

Content

  • 1 How to create a poll on Instagram
  • 2 Ideas for the survey on Instagram Storis
    • 2.1 General survey
    • 2.2 Assignment poll
    • 2.3 Educational survey
    • 2.4 Motivation or survey 9000

Polls on Instagram-a good method to attract an audience to communication. First, they are used for variety. Standard content is boring, while questions increase the interest and engagement of subscribers.

Secondly, to find out something or ask for advice. For example, "Which picture do you like better?" or “Will a certain topic of articles be interesting?” and others. You can ask anything on Instagram, because people like to express their opinions on the Internet. Why not take advantage of this?

Another reason to use engagement surveys on Instagram is to engage and encourage action. For example, you can take the account of a store that sells outerwear.

How to create an Instagram poll

By posting multiple photos of coats, you can ask your followers which one is more interesting. Then you can post information about the discount on them. This will attract the audience and increase the chance of acquisition.

The survey tool is found in Instagram Stories stickers. Step by step how to add to stories:

  1. To post in Stories, you first need to select a photo or video for the background. Or you can take a photo or shoot a video through the Stories functionality.
  2. Then upload it and add the "Survey" sticker.
  3. Next, write a question. If your question does not fit completely in the field of the sticker itself, write it separately using the "Text" function.
  4. Add answer options. Only two are allowed. You can enter no more than 15 characters in the answer option, it is allowed to add emoji.

You can add other elements to the sticker in the Story: emoji, gif, hashtag or location.

If there is no such sticker in the Stories functionality, update the application to the latest available version.

All responses are displayed in Stories statistics within 24 hours after publication. There you will also see who exactly voted for a particular option. You can track the effectiveness of surveys on the LiveDune service. It will allow you to track the change in Stories reach.

  • If you are conducting a survey in Direct, then you need to go in and find the plus or pencil symbol at the top right, select users and click Next.
  • Then you need to select a photo using the icon at the bottom left and follow the same steps as when creating polls in stories. After that, it remains only to send and wait for answers.

there is no automatic calculation and analytics on the answers, you have to process everything manually.

Instagram Story Poll Ideas

There are many tools on Instagram to increase follower engagement. Through polls, you can find out the opinion about your content, what excites followers, and get to know new readers.

General survey

The most common type of survey suitable for getting to know your followers on Instagram. Examples of such questions are:

  • “Have you read a book…”,
  • “Where do you like to relax more: on the sea or in the mountains?”,
  • Do you like rain? etc.

Evaluation survey

This type of survey is created to send or receive an assessment of any opinion from subscribers. Assessment surveys are very similar to general questions, but differ in wording. For example, an evaluation question is:

  • “Is my rubric useful ...?”,
  • “Which camera is better . ..?”,
  • “What to tell in the next post about business?”.

To arouse more interest on Instagram, you can use a provocation. But be careful: not everyone likes such tricks.

Educational survey

They are great for educational blogs, such as language blogs. Examples of such questions are:

  • “Where is the emphasis placed correctly: cakes or cakes?”,
  • “What is the term for ...?”,
  • “Do you know about life hacks for our products?”.

Through educational questions on Instagram, you can tell your followers about new features of your products or additions to your services.

Motivational or heating survey

Most applicable for online store accounts to encourage the target audience to buy. Also applicable for warming up on Instagram before selling info products. There are several options for using such surveys.

The first option is to post a series of questions with different types of products like “What do you like more: model 1 or model 2”.


Learn more