Give Instagram Engagement a Boost with New Caption Polls
You can now add a poll to your Instagram post or Reel caption which is great news for added engagement 🙌.
What are polls?
Instagram polls are interactive features that allow you to ask your audience questions in your content. A poll can have between 2-4 answers for your audience to choose from. Each Instagram user in your audience can cast one vote on your poll.
You can already add these to Stories and within Reel videos using interactive stickers and now Instagram has rolled out the ability to add polls to post and Reel captions too.
Why should we use them?
Polls offer a simple way for your audience to respond to your content making engagement and interaction quick and easy. Polls can build a connection with your audience members by inviting users to interact with you on a low-effort basis.
It takes minimal effort to vote on a poll so users are more likely to take this action. Users will also be motivated to share their opinions on a question or subject when invited to.
How to add a poll to your post or Reel caption
▪️ Write your caption as you would normally with hashtags etc
▪️ Tap the ‘Poll’ button underneath where you write your caption (see image below)
▪️ Insert your voting options in the available slots (you can add up to 4 options)
▪️ Publish and wait for your audience to cast their votes
▪️ To vote on the poll, your audience members will tap the word ‘Vote’ which is found underneath the caption. Once tapped, the voting options will appear and they can cast their vote.
Tap the ‘Poll’ button at the bottom of the caption interface to create your poll
Add up to 4 Instagram Poll voting options
Publish your post or Reel and let your audience vote on the options available in your caption poll
Poll Ideas
Here are a few ideas to help you get started with caption polls.
Why not ask your audience to…
▪️Help with a decision - you could ask for thoughts on different designs, colourways, flavours or outfits for instance. Add up to 4 voting options for your audience to choose from.
▪️ Tell you which product they prefer or are more likely to use/buy - this and that polls always work well. Add up to 4 voting options for your audience to choose from.
▪️ Express their opinion on a subject - “What do you think about…..?” Add up to 4 voting options for your audience to choose from.
▪️ Answer a question - “Will you be using this new Instagram feature?” Add up to 4 voting options for your audience to choose from.
Summary
I love this new feature and think it will help to give engagement a real boost as long as the poll is engaging enough. If used strategically it will help to build further connections with your audience. It will help your audience to feel a part of your business especially if they can give answers to questions related to the products and services you offer.
I will be using this feature a lot going forward and hope you will test it out too.
Stay up-to-date with all the latest Instagram features and how to use them by joining the next Instagram Growth Club. The Instagram Growth Club is our 3-week Instagram course that shows you everything you need to grow your brand awareness, engagement, confidence and sales! Our next cohort starts on Monday 26th February 2024.
