Instagram Stories and How To Use Them with Nick Creedon

There are countless different ways to get your business active on social media and depending on your target audience, you’ll probably find certain platforms and mediums work better for you than others.

With that said, video content pretty much always wins. On top of that, Instagram stories are one of the most widely used platforms for discovering new brands, so if you aren’t already using them, buckle up. If you are, you’re about to find out how to tailor your strategy to work smarter and make a bigger impact.

This article is based on the expertise of Nick Creedon, a video content expert. So, without anymore hammering on, let’s get into it.

For those of you who haven’t used Instagram stories much, they’re essentially about 15-second-long videos that appear on your feed for 24 hours. They’re an effective and interactive way to engage with your audience.

Because they’re short and sweet, the content you post can vary a lot, and it can be super organic. Instagram stories are all about engagement and entertainment, so what you post doesn’t need to be polished, it just needs to be genuine.

The best advice I can give when it comes to creating your own Instagram story is to treat it like you’re talking to a friend. This way, it comes off quite naturally, which will make it memorable, engaging, and relatable for your target audience.

There are essentially four key components to making an effective Instagram video:

Make it short and sweet.
Say things in concise sentences.
Say only one thing at a time.
Think before you speak and choose your words carefully.

This will help land your message effectively and keep people interested in your content.

Now to get you started with effective video content, let me introduce you to three simple content flows that you can use across any topic or platform.

The Case Study

Build your credibility without being too obvious about it by showing your audience you know what you’re doing.

Start with a shout-out, whether it’s a client, a mentor, or simply an author whose book you’ve recently read.
Introduce their challenge. Where did they start out, and why is their story interesting? Note that this is also a good time to sympathize with them. Finally, and most importantly, how did they overcome this challenge?
Share the impact. What was their victory and how was their life impacted by their ability to overcome that challenge?
Explain their strategy. What action or steps did they take to get there?
Look at their results. What did they achieve when they overcame this challenge?
Call to action. What do you want your viewers to do next? Tell them.

The 5-1-30

This is a super simple content prompt that you can use every day in different variations.

Five: “I’m looking for 5…”
One Goal: “Who want to…”
Thirty: “In the next 30 days…”
“If this sounds like you…”
“DM me…”
.“And I’ll get back to you with the details.”

Hot tip: This format performs really well as an ad

Jabs

These are short prompts you can use to show your audience who you are and what makes you a real human being, not just a business owner. This is your chance to show them another side of you and make a genuine connection.

People/pets: Talk about something that’s important to you to create an emotional connection.
Hobbies: What are three things that anyone close to you would say to introduce you to a new crowd? Is it your sports team, your favorite food maybe?
Hangouts: Where do you spend a lot of your time outside of work?
Obsessions: What’s a bit nerdy about you? What are you fanatic about?
Toys: What are some cool things/gadgets you use every day? Maybe it’s a gratitude journal or even a drone.
Habits: Make it personal. Try talking about your morning routine or your afternoon walk.

Hot tip: Use this type of quick moment to introduce your 5130 for an even bigger impact.

The Magnet Offer

Who: Identify exactly who you’re targeting.
Problem: Relay a common problem they likely face.
Wave magnet: Present a piece of free content you’re offering (your lead magnet) to the camera.
Bullets: Explain exactly how it will help in bullet points.
No risk: Show them you’re not asking for anything in return and that what you’re offering is free
Call to action: Tell them how to get in touch with you to get access to your lead magnet.

Now it’s time for you to pick one of these four stories prompts and get started.

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