Engagement is the key to success on Instagram. The more engagement you have, the more your account will grow. And with growth comes a wider audience reach, which ultimately leads to better leads and increased revenue.
While it’s fun to count likes and comments, it’s equally important to pay attention to what your followers are actually saying when they engage. Failing to do so can result in critical misunderstandings of your customer base, leading to embarrassing mistakes, stunted growth, or even lost revenue.
If your followers aren’t saying anything at all, you have a significant problem. But fear not, Instagram Story questions and poll stickers are here to help. They provide a solution by allowing you to directly question your audience and create a natural way to connect with your customers.
However, if you want people to start answering your questions, you need to come up with interesting and compelling content. In this post, we’ll guide you on how to create Instagram Story questions and polls that ignite conversations and provide opportunities for audience engagement, ultimately fueling the growth of your Instagram account.
We’ll cover:
- What are Instagram Questions and Polls?
- How do I ask a question on Instagram?
- How do I create a poll on Instagram?
- 5 ideas for leveraging Questions and Polls on Instagram
- 50 “Ask Me A Question” ideas you can copy for Instagram
Jump to sections with the links above or read on to become an “Ask Me a Question” on Instagram expert!
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What Are Instagram Questions and Polls?
Instagram introduced the questions sticker in 2018, and for the next few months it was all anyone could think about. So much so, in fact, that casual Instagram users begged their fellow Instagrammers to post anything except a Questions sticker.
The real issue here was that most users weren’t posting any questions of value. There’s only so many times your friends can ask you “how are you so awesome??” and get back a paragraph-long response on your Story (an Instagram post or video that disappears after 24 hours) before it gets old.
It’s been three years since 2018 now (gosh, has it?), and the deluge of users telling their friends to “ask me anything! :)” has slowed to a trickle. Turns out, that’s a good thing.
Now, you can finally use the questions sticker as it was intended: to ask relevant questions.
Why do this? There are two main benefits to using Instagram’s questions and polls features:
- It’s a natural way to get to know your audience (that doubles as market research)
- It boosts your Instagram engagement
But remember, no one is forcing your followers to answer these questions. It’s up to you to create interesting content that people want to engage with.
Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. That’s what we’re here for.
How do I ask a question on Instagram?
First, create a new Story.
To do this, you can either tap on the “+” icon on the top right of your profile, or you can click on your profile photo itself.
Next, upload a relevant photo or video.
After that, click on the stickers button and scroll down to select the questions sticker.
You can type in your question and position your sticker on your photo. If you change your mind, you can drag the sticker to the bottom of your screen to delete it.
Pressing the “Send To” button allows you to pick who sees your question. By default, Instagram only shows your question to close friends. To make sure you get the most engagement possible, pick “Your Story.”
Press “Share,” then “Done.” Congrats! Your question is live.
When followers answer your question, you’ll receive a notification. View all the responses by opening your story and swiping up. You’ll also have the option to share people’s responses as stickers on your Story. They’ll get a notification as well.
Sharing responses shows people that you’re listening to them. That shows followers that you might feature their answers someday…and everyone likes a little Internet fame.
How do I create a poll on Instagram?
To use polls, emoji sliders, and quizzes, follow the steps listed above. When it comes time to select your sticker, scroll down and select whichever you want.
Polls are best for asking Yes/No questions, while emoji sliders are great for gauging exactly how much your followers like a certain image or idea.
Quizzes, on the other hand, are a fun game that can double as an educational tool.
Here, the Spotify Jobs Instagram posted a quiz about the best way to follow up an interview.
After picking an answer, you’ll learn if you’re right or wrong. (And if you’d like to dispute the answer, you can send a message through the field at the bottom.)
All of these options are gold mines for engagement.
So, that only leaves one question: How do you come up with questions that your followers will actually take time to answer?
5 Ideas for Leveraging Questions and Polls on Instagram
Need some ideas for types of questions to ask on Instagram?
First off, let’s talk about something important.
1. How NOT to ask questions on Instagram
There’s a reason the introduction of the questions sticker back in 2018 had some users threatening to leave the app.
Questions can get spammy very quickly, harming your reputation and turning potential customers away from your business.
If you ask questions all the time, or if you post every single response as a separate story, your followers will get tired of you — fast.
Instead, use questions and polls sparingly.
Come up with truly valuable questions, and ask them when your followers are most active.
Then, actually do something with your audience’s input!
2. Do market research by asking fun, relevant questions about your business
For example: Imagine you run a local coffee shop. You use Instagram to ask your followers what their favorite summer coffee is.
If tons of people answer “caramel frappe,” that’s a real opportunity.
Stock up on the materials you need, then follow up with posts and Stories about your summer caramel frappes — the most highly requested drink of the season.
Compare this to if you posted a question every day asking people what they like best about your shop. That’ll come off as self-interested and spammy.
Plus, it doesn’t show your followers that you’re actually using their input to improve your business.
3. Establish your brand as an expert
Back when the Instagram questions sticker first launched, takeovers were all the rage.
That’s because they work.
By handing your Instagram story over to a professional at your business or an influencer, you let your audience ask specific questions to an industry expert — and get answers back in minutes.
You can announce an Instagram takeover like an event to get people excited about asking questions. Once the takeover ends, include a CTA to tell participants what to do next.
In this example, Shopify announces an upcoming Instagram takeover, asks a specific question about their area of expertise, and follows up with a strong call to action: “Drop your Q’s.”
The 👇 emoji makes it even clearer.
4. Gauge public opinion by asking about your products or services
Like our coffee shop example from earlier, you can ask your followers their opinions about a specific product or service you offer.
Use this sparingly, as it can come off as self-centered.
That said, there’s a difference between saying “Tell me what you like about our brand!” and asking a more specific question like “What _____ would you like to see from us this season?”
You can also use the emoji slider here to ask followers how much they enjoy or look forward to a certain product, service or release.
5. Build your email list by asking to email your followers a freebie
This is a great idea for an Instagram poll. Ask your followers if they’d like you to email them a freebie — for example, a discount code or a downloadable resource — and let them answer “Yes” or “No.”
To everyone who answers “Yes,” DM them a link to enter their email and receive the promised freebie.
This is a fantastic way to start engaging with your audience and grow your email list at the same time.
Plus, Instagram rewards accounts with a large amount of non-spammy DMs.
To Instagram, that shows that you’re creating content with so much value that people actually want to talk to you one-on-one about it!
50 “Ask Me A Question” Ideas for Instagram
Any of these prompts work well as a stand-alone question, or you can convert them into multi-choice polls. Feel free to experiment with using emoji sliders and quiz questions as well!
Make Business Announcements & Source Content Ideas
- Tell us what you like about ______
- What do you want to see from us this [season]? – You can use this to source content ideas as well as product ideas
- What’s one product you wish existed, but you can’t find anywhere? – Tailor this to fit your brand
- Guess what’s coming to [your brand] this [season]!
- Can you guess where we are? – Post a photo of the view from your office or location. You can also make this into a quiz if you want to give your followers more options.
Establish industry expertise (fill in the blank with your industry!)
- 30 minute live Q&A! Ask us anything about ______
- What questions do you have about _______?
- What do you want to learn about ______?
- What’s your strongest ______ skill?
- What _______ skill do you wish you were better at?
- What topics do you want us to cover on our blog/YouTube channel?
- If you could ask only one thing about _____, what would it be?
- Tell us your top 5 tips about ______!
- What’s the worst misconception people have about your job?
- Fill in the blank: “I’m learning more about [your industry] because _______”
Play with funny questions
- Working from home or from the office — which is better, and why?
- Coffee or tea? (Great for a poll!)
- Pineapple on pizza? Yes/No (Great for a poll…but only if you want to start a war)
- What’s your favorite beverage?
- What’s your favorite conversation starter?
- If you could get famous for anything, what would you want it to be?
Spice things up with a “would you rather?”
- Would you rather be fabulously wealthy or a staple of your community?
- For one week, would you rather use no social media for a week, or talk to no one in real life?
- Would you rather meet someone from the past or someone from the future?
- Would you rather be poor doing what you love or rich doing what you hate?
- Would you rather explore the ocean or explore space?
Swap health and motivation tips
- What’s your morning routine?
- How do you stay healthy working from home?
- How do you unplug after work?
- What are you most thankful for today?
- What are you doing right now to become the person you want to be?
- Fill in the bank: I do what I do because _______.
- If you could only give the future generation one piece of advice, what would it be?
- How often do you exercise? (Great for emoji sliders or a poll!)
- Share your favorite exercises and stretches to do at work!
Learn your audience’s social media habits and opinions
- How much time do you spend on social media every day?
- If you could add one brand new feature to Instagram, what would it be?
- What’s your favorite social media platform? Why?
- What’s your favorite way to start a conversation with someone online?
- On a scale of 1-10, how much do you enjoy social media? (Great for an emoji slider or a poll!)
- How do you measure Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/etc. engagement?
- What’s the most engagement you ever got online?
- How often do you post on Instagram?
- What’s your favorite way to plan social media strategy?
- If you could create a new social media platform, what would you call it and what would it do?
Ask for permission to email or call your followers
Great for a Yes/No poll…then follow up with a direct message!
- May we email you a free ______?
- Would you like us to email you about _______?
- Would you like 25 minutes of free advice from our team? (Good for gathering phone numbers or booking free consultations)
- Want to receive our daily newsletter about X?
- Want to join our online community? DM us for more info! (Good for starting direct message conversations)
The #1 Rule for Asking Questions on Instagram
Remember: the best questions have a purpose beyond engagement.
Yes, engagement is crucial, but a best-in-class question also provides your business with valuable customer data and audience intelligence!
Always know what you want your questions to do, whether that’s to source content ideas, show your followers that you hear them, learn more about your audience, or even just to have fun.
Not only will this improve the quality of the questions you use, but it will also prevent you from straying into spammy territory…a terrifying land hated by users and algorithms alike.
If you use questions to bring your followers to your DMs, you’ll need a system in place to follow up with your leads right away.
Customers.ai Instagram messaging tools can increase your engagement and prevent any valuable leads from slipping through the cracks.
Apply here to get on the list for early access to the official Instagram messaging automation and growth tools from Customers.ai.
Now go! Interrogate your audience! (Nicely, of course.)
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Frequently asked questions: Instagram’s famous “Ask me a question” feature
Q: What is Instagram’s “Ask me a question” sticker?
A: Instagram’s “Ask me a question” sticker, also called the Questions Sticker, is a feature of Instagram Reels and Stories.
Instagram Stickers were introduced by Instagram in 2018 as a way to let users and creators on the platform boost engagement by enabling easy interaction.
While there are over a dozen Instagram Story Stickers (Location, Mention, Add Yours, Hashtag, Captions, Questions, GIF, Music, Link, Selfie, Poll, Quiz, Donation, Countdown, Current Time) each with different functionalities,
Questions Stickers invite a user’s audience to respond to the user’s question however they choose.
It’s also common for the poster to share the responses to their question in Instagram Stories.
Q: How do I ask a question on Instagram Stories?
A: Go to the Instagram Stories camera and record or upload a photo or video. With your photo or video loaded up, tap the sticker icon in the top right corner of the mobile screen (it looks like a square-shaped smiley face with a lifted corner.
From here you’ll be viewing all the Instagram Sticker types. Choose the sticker that’s labeled “QUESTIONS” and type your question. When you’ve filled out the “Ask me a question” field you can place that sticker on the photo or video and tap the arrow to finish your Story post.
Q: Who can see my questions?
A: Only the people who follow you and those who respond to your question will be able to see.
Q: How do I get followers to ask me questions?
A: Tap on the stickers icon then select the question sticker.
Type something like “Ask me anything!”
If you want to change the color of the background, select the color wheel at the top of your phone.
Then, click done and post!
Your followers will in return start asking questions (hopefully) about your product or service.
This feature is great for helping your followers understand your product or service better.
Other ideas include conducting a Q&A, and asking followers to share their thoughts on new services or products.
Q: What are some questions I can ask my followers to increase engagement?
A: The prompts below are great conversation generators:
- Make a business announcement using a few of these:
- Tell us what you like about ____
- What is your favorite product and why?
- What do you want to see from us in 2022?
2. Establish industry expertise:
- What do you want to learn about _______?
- What topic most interests you?
3. Play with funny questions:
- Pineapple on pizza? Yes/No?
- Working from home or the office — which is better and why?
- Would you rather be poor doing what you love or rich doing what you hate?
- If you could get famous for anything, what would it be?
4. Learn your audience so you can create better content:
- How much time do you spend on social media daily?
- How often do you post on Instagram?
- If you could create a new social media platform, what would you call it? What would it do?
- If you could add one brand new feature to Instagram, what would it be?
5. Conduct a pop quiz with your followers:
- What product is our #1 seller?
- What year did the _____ launch?
- How many Instagram followers do we currently have?
- Where is our business located?
- Who is our CEO and President?
Creating a pop quiz allows your customers to get more familiar with your brand, creating brand awareness.
Want to increase engagement even more? Add a giveaway or contest to the pop quiz. This will undoubtedly grow your brand awareness and engagement.
Q: What if I want my followers to ask me questions… what are some catchy phrases to grab their attention?
A: The popular one, as mentioned above is “Ask me anything!”, however, we’re giving you a few more ideas:
- Favorite _____ products, and go
- Ask us questions about products you’ve used?
- Live FAQ – ask us anything about _____
- If you could only ask us one thing, what would it be?
- Ask us the most unique question about our ____ and you could win ____
- Would you like us to email you our free ____
- Tell me about a time you ____
- Caption this
Q: What is the number 1 rule for asking questions on Instagram?
A: Always have the end goal in mind when you formulate your questions – whether that’s opening a conversation, creating a relationship, entertaining your audience, getting nuggets of insight from your audience like more content to create, furthering your promotional campaign, etc
The best question will provide your business with valuable customer data and audience intelligence.
Q: Can I ask myself a question on Instagram?
A: Sure! You can ask yourself a question on Instagram, but not using the Questions Sticker.
The original poster of a Questions Sticker isn’t able to fill out the response field when viewing the Story or Reel.
Q: How do I ask what content my followers want?
A: Create content that your followers want by:
- Follow trends
- Reviewing analytics
- Use a research tool
- Ask your audience what they want to see
- Create marketing personas. …
- Learn from industry experts
Q: What are 5 ideas for leveraging questions and polls on Instagram?
- How NOT to ask questions on Instagram
- Do market research and ask fun, relevant questions
- Establish your brand as the expert in the industry
- Gauge the public opinion by asking specific questions
- Ask your followers for their email in order to get a freebie
Q: How can I increase the chances that someone will answer my question on Instagram?
A: Try to make your questions easy and straightforward to answer. Keep them short, and avoid complicated questions. If you have a longer question, ask it in multiple parts so it’s easier for people to answer.
Also, incentivize followers to answer your questions with a contest or giveaway. This will increase the chances that people will participate.
Q: What are 11 trends to follow on Instagram Stories?
A: Check out the 8 trends on Instagram for 2022 that will help generate “ask me a question” ideas:
- Shopping features will reign
- Influencer marketing will be more trustworthy
- Community engagement features will be more popular
- Instagram video stories are sticking around
- Reels usage will rise
- Instagram carousels are still here
- Authentic content still reigns
- Instagram live content will be more relevant
For all 11 trends, check out socialinsider!