150 million Instagrammers love Stories

In the five months since it launched, Stories has grown considerably. Now, more than 150 million Instagrammers use it daily. Stories is contributing to more content and engagement. In fact, one in five Stories on Instagram gets a direct message from its viewers. And when it comes to stories from businesses, people are highly engaged. People and businesses have been discovering each other since Instagram first started — with 70% of Instagrammers following a business — so it’s no surprise that one-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses.

Stories insights

In the coming weeks, Instagram Business Tools will now include insights on Stories. For businesses converted to a business profile, you’ll be able to see the reach, impressions, replies, and exits for each individual story within Business Tools. By viewing these insights, you can learn how to create more relevant content that resonates with your audience.

Ads in Stories

In addition to viewing insights, you’ll soon be able to run immersive, full-screen ads in Stories. Ads in Stories will let you use targeting, reach, and measurement capabilities that make your ads personally relevant to the people you want to reach — which is unmatched in a stories experience today.

To unveil this first-ever, full-screen ad to Instagram Stories, and to create the most impact for businesses and Instagrammers alike, Instagram will test with 30+ clients around the world, including Capital One, General Motors, Buick, Nike, Yoox, Netflix, and Qantas. With roughly 70% of watched stories being sound-on, this immersive, full-screen nature creates an intimacy with people like never before.

Airbnb is using Instagram Stories to help build awareness and buzz around its largest product launch to date: Trips on Airbnb. Through a series of 15-second videos, Airbnb highlights the ability to access unique experiences by connecting travellers with local experts who share the same interests, from art collectors to avid hikers. Using broad 18-years and older targeting of individuals in the United States, Airbnb is gaining awareness of its new product by using Instagram's new immersive, sound-on storytelling format.

"Immersive storytelling through Instagram Stories engages and invites our community to be part of an adventure. Instagram provides us the perfect tools to build awareness around our recently launched product, Airbnb Experiences - handcrafted trips designed and led by our hosts,” says Eric Toda, global head of social marketing and content at Airbnb. “By creating and publishing experience-driven stories, we can truly captivate and reach travellers wishing to book aspirational trips on Airbnb."

This is just the beginning

Instagram Stories will roll out globally to all interfaces in the coming weeks. From there, Instagram will help businesses meet even more of their objectives with direct response options available in the coming months.

Already, brands like Mulberry UK are seeing people swipe up within its story to learn more to take action. “We have been early adopters of Instagram Stories and were impressed by the reach and engagement. Our recent campaigns which included a stories link, received 5X more clicks to site and engagement when compared to the average seen across our other social channels,” says Felipa Monteiro, head of digital marketing, Mulberry UK.

The launch of this ad format, with its sophisticated back-end to target, measure, and performance report, is unmatched in a stories experience today. While Instagram is just getting started with ads in stories, it is excited to launch even more ways to help businesses achieve their business needs in the future.

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