CATARINA MELLO

INSTAGRAM
for creators
STORY IDEAS
ONE WEEK OF INSTAGRAM STORY IDEAS
THAT WORK FOR EVERY NICHE

THIS MATERIAL IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAWS AND REGULATIONS

CATARINA
Professional Traveler
MELLO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hi! I'm Catarina. I quit Google to design my
own dream career and now I want to help
you do the same. I'm an SF-based digital
marketing expert, online educator,
entrepreneur, afraid-of-flying frequent flyer,
self-taught photographer and luxury travel
content creator. It's great to meet you!
 MUST-DOS ON
INSTAGRAM STORIES
01
SPREAD
THEM OUT
02
POST
DAILY
03
USE THE
STICKERS
Spreading your stories Even if you can't post Here's a secret: if the
out instead of posting all throughout the day first story you post on a
all at once will reach because of work or life given day has a poll
more people at getting in the way, sticker, your views will
different times and make sure you are at skyrocket! Make use of
increase your story least posting a minimum all the stickers and
views. Even if you can't of one story sequence a features Instagram
post at exactly the day, with at least 3-5 provides to make your
times given here, that is frames. Try to do 2 -3 stories more interactive:
okay. These are just sequences spread out if polls, questions, quiz,
suggested times to help you can though for slider, etc. Sticker
you spread out your more reach and better interactions count as
stories throughout the engagement. engagement and the
day. algorithm will push your
stories to more people.
 04
SHOW YOUR
FACE
It's essential to show your face
on stories to create a real
connection with your
audience. It seems scary, but I
promise it gets easier.

05
DON'T
OVERTHINK IT
Stories are meant to be real
and imperfect. Don't overthink
it. Relatability is key.

06ADD
CAPTIONS

READY TO Did you know that the most

people watch stories on mute?
Make sure to always add

START? captions to your stories so

those watching it with no
sound can follow along.
8 AM
MONDAY
Share a goal you have for the week. It can be related to your niche, work, or personal life. Examples: plan your
next road trip, exercise every day or be more productive at work.

10 AM
Ask your followers for advice or recommendations related to the goal you shared using the Q&A sticker. For
example: if your goal is to exercise more, ask your followers for at-home workout suggestions.

12 PM
Do a quick and easy tutorial or how-to and encourage those who use it to tag you on their stories! It can be
anything - a cool feature you love in Canva, an editing hack you learned, a quick lunch recipe, how to properly
water your plants. Bonus points if it's related to your niche.

2 PM
Talk to the camera about a topic related to your niche. If you posted in your feed, continue the conversation
about the topic you posted about.

4 PM
Take a poll to get your audience involved in helping you make a choice. If you can make it related to your
niche, bonus points. Examples: [food] what recipe to make for dinner; [travel] what local destination to go on a
day trip to next weekend; [fashion] what dress to buy; [fitness/wellness] what workout to do today.
6 PM
Show your audience that you took their recommendation from the poll -- share you making the dish they
picked, buying the dress they chose or doing the workout they voted for.
8 AM
TUESDAY
Share your morning routine (and show your face!). It can be as simple as a cup of coffee by the window, a 10-
min stretch routine, or the smoothie you make every morning. Don't forget to serve your audience instead of
just focusing on you - so instead of 'this is my morning smoothie', try 'here's the recipe of my morning smoothie',
or instead of showing you applying products to your face, try sharing the brands and where to find it.

10 AM
Share your agenda for today. Meetings, calls, go for a walk, emails, pick up kids in school, binge watch your
favorite show. Sharing your day makes you relatable and will make people connect with you on a more
personal level. If you're sharing any exciting things you're doing today - like a photo shoot, a fun project, etc - it
will create anticipation and make people come back later to watch your stories about it.

12 PM
Share your latest post on stories and talk to the camera telling your audience why they should go check it out.
Example: 'I just shared a post with my favorite resources to learn how to invest in the stock market for
beginners. If that's a topic you wish you knew more of, you have to check it out. These resources were honestly
so helpful to me when I first started investing etc.'

2 PM
Share a brand, product, or account you've been obsessed with lately and why. Keep it related to your niche!

4 PM
Show the behind-the-scenes of something that was on your agenda for today. Make sure to show your face or
talk to the camera.
6 PM
Share a meme related to your niche. Tip: there are meme accounts about every topic - follow a few and save
the posts you relate to the most to share.
8 AM
WEDNESDAY
Share what you're looking forward to doing today - it can be related to your niche or personal.

10 AM
Share a recommendation related to your niche. It can be an app you use, a service, a brand, product, a place
to visit, etc. Ask your followers for their recommendations on that topic using the question sticker. Example in
fitness: 'Here's my favorite app to track the calories I eat. Are there any apps for calorie counting that you
guys love? [insert question sticker]'

12 PM
Post about some recent news in your niche. Share an article or headline, summarize the news and give your
opinion. Use the poll sticker to ask your followers for their opinion. Example in the tech niche: "Photos of the
new iPhone 13 were leaked earlier this week and rumors say it will have a feature that does XYZ. What do you
think of this new technology? [Very useful] or [Super useless]"

2 PM
Share the behind-the-scenes of something you're doing this afternoon. If you are creating content, you can use
this BTS to tease the content and get your audience excited to see the final product.

4 PM
Share the screenshot of a question you got on your DMs recently and answer it by talking to the camera. Pick
a question that you get asked often or that the answer can be helpful to others.
6 PM
Share a book or movie you are reading/watching or have read or watched recently
8 AM
THURSDAY
Share your morning routine before work (and show your face!). It can be as simple as a cup of coffee by the
window, a 10-min stretch routine, or the smoothie you make every morning.

10 AM
Share an inspirational post or quote you came across recently that resonated with you.

12 PM
Show the behind-the-scenes of your post recent post or Reel to create anticipation and make people curious.
Tell the viewers to check out the final result on your feed.

2 PM
Give shoutouts to the best comments in your most recent post and encourage your story viewers to go join the
conversation or answer a question you asked in your caption.

4 PM
Share your progress. You could share how you are progressing on your goals, but you could also share progress
over a longer time. Show how your editing style and photography skills have improved. Show how you have
improved at something in your niche. You can use this to share tips on how you've improved as well as to give
others hope that they can make the same progress.

6 PM
Share something you do to treat yourself and encourage your audience to take time to do something for
themselves and to treat themselves. It could be a self-care tip or a rule you follow or something you just enjoy
as a way to reward yourself for your hard work. Everyone can use a pick-me-up at this point in the week!
8 AM
FRIDAY
It's Friday! Share a Friday meme that resonates with you on your stories.

10 AM
Share a mini-tutorial, hack, or tip related to your niche.

12 PM
Q&A time! Post a question sticker and a prompt asking your followers to ask you questions about anything
they want OR a specific topic of your choice. Example: 'Let's chat. Ask me anything!' or 'Ask me all your
questions about photography!' or 'Skincare Q&A. Ask me your burning questions!'

2 PM
Answer 3-5 questions from the Q&A sticker. Use a mix of you talking to the camera and written answers.
Always add captions with the summary of what you said to the video answers.

4 PM
Talk to the camera about your weekend plans (if you're staying home!) or any personal goals you have for the
next two days.

6 PM
Answer 3-5 more questions from the Q&A sticker that came in. Keep mixing video answers (with captions) and
written answers.
8 AM
SATURDAY
Share a video clip of how you started your Saturday morning. Add a song that matches the video clip.

10 AM
Answer any remaining questions from the Q&A that came in in the last 12 hours.

12 PM
Let your followers pick what you're doing next. Give them two options and use the poll sticker. Example: eat
Mexican food / eat Italian food, go to the park / go for a run, etc. Wait at least one hour to get enough
answers.

2 PM
Talk to the camera and show your audience that you're doing what the majority picked.

4 PM
Share a list of things you like to do to recharge on weekends.

6 PM
Quiz time! Create a quiz with at least 5 questions about your niche - one question and quiz sticker per story
frame. Make it fun.
8 AM
SUNDAY
Talk to the camera to wish a good Sunday to your audience and talk about your plans for the day.

10 AM
Share the correct answers to all the quiz questions from yesterday. Use a mix of video talking to the camera,
photos, and text.

12 PM
Share a recommendation related to your niche! It can be a product you're loving, a place to go, a book about
your niche, an app or service you use often, etc.

2 PM
Talk to the camera about a topic related to your niche. If you posted in your feed, continue the conversation
about the topic you posted about.

4 PM
Get to know your followers! Use the poll and quiz stickers to ask questions to better learn who your followers
are and what they're interested in. You can ask their age, interests, yes/no questions, etc. Use this opportunity
to learn insights about your audience that will help inform your content strategy.

6 PM
Share 3 goals you have for the week ahead.
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see you there!
CATARINA
MELLO
PROFESSIONALTRAVELER