Instagram stories vs feed

Instagram now has a billion monthly active users, as a marketer, it is good to understand what’s the difference, between how your target audience view Instagram Stories vs feed!

Facebook knows what you need

That’s why Facebook did a research and surveyed almost 10,000 people who use Instagram at least once a week from Brazil, Indonesia, the UK and the US. The research is summarised into a report which is linked at the bottom of this article.

Their insights are really some good directional tips and below are some of the highlights. 

Instagram stories vs feed

People use Stories for more immediate, off-the-cuff content, while the feed is more focused on specific information.

Instagram stories

The nature of instagram stories is really about real time updates and short-lived memories. That is why people follow and watch instagram stories for live, and unfiltered content.

Instagram feed

On the other hand, instagram feed is usually the aesthetics and carefully curated content. Users are more likely visit instagram feed for a broader range of reasons. The most common of all is to find information and discover products and brands.

Consumers prefer Instagram Stories than feed?

“When we asked people to opt for either Instagram Stories or Instagram Feed for a range of objectives, we found that, on average across the four countries, people more often turn to stories than feed in just two situations.

1. Finding out what friends are doing

Stories function as a way to bring people closer together in real time. It is something in the moment rather than content to stay.

2.  To see unfiltered, authentic content

This could mean everyday moments or even “non-moments.” There’s nothing curated or pre-arranged.

Conclusion

This further underlines the point, that people are looking for more light-hearted content in Stories. This creates more options for brands to build bridges with their target audiences without placing much effort. The content doesn’t have to be perfect – in fact, its likely better when it’s not.  Authenticity is very important. The balance between instagram stories vs feed is pretty clear.

You can find the full report here.