How To Do a Poll on Instagram: A Beginner's Guide

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but checking Instagram is one of the first things I do in the morning.

But, I know I'm not alone.

Did you know that Instagram went from one million users in December 2010 to over one billion in 2020?

In fact, it's one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. So, you might be wondering, "How can I use this platform?"

Well, a great way to engage with your audience is through an Instagram poll.

According to HubSpot research, quiz or poll stickers are one of the most popular Instagram Story formats.

Polls are a great way to keep in touch with your audience and even conduct market research.

In this post, let's learn how to set up a poll on Instagram and discuss how you can use this feature.

1. Open Instagram and swipe left.

To get started with Instagram polls, the first thing you need to do is open the app. Then, you'll swipe left. This will take you to the screen where you can post on your Stories.

2. Make sure you're posting to Story (underneath the record button).

Once you're here, make sure that you're posting to your Story. Underneath the record button, you'll see whether you're posting a Story, a Reel, or going Live.

To post a poll, make sure you're posting to your Story.

3. Take the video or picture you want to post.

Now, just take the video or picture you want to post.

If you have it saved, you can just select the content from this screen by clicking on the picture icon on the bottom left. This will take you to your camera roll where you can select a video or image.

4. Click the sticker icon on the top right.

To add the poll, click on the sticker icon on the top right. It's the third icon from the left.

5. Scroll down and choose poll or look for the sliding poll.

Now you should see different sticker options including location, time, questions, and more. Scroll down and choose the poll icon.

You can either do a question and answer poll, or a sliding poll. To choose a sliding poll, you'll want to scroll until you find the slide bar option.

6. Type in the question and responses.

If you chose the question and answer poll, it's time to type in your question and the possible responses.

If you chose the slide bar, you'll want to type in your question and then add an emoji to the sliding bar.

7. Click "Send To" and then share your poll to your Story.

Now all that's left to do is post. To do this, just click "Send To" and then share the post on your Story.

8. Track results.

Once you've posted a poll, it's time to wait for the responses. To view the results, you'll want to watch your Stories.

Then, click the "Seen by" icon in the bottom left corner. This will show you who voted and the results.

Here, you'll also see a button to "Share Results." You can click that and post the results to your Story to let your viewers know the outcome of the poll.

When you're creating a poll, remember to place it strategically.

You don't want people to have problems voting because of the placement. Make sure your poll is placed near the center, and not too high or low that the other Story icons block it.

As you can see, posting a poll on Instagram is a simple process. But, how do you use this feature?

Here are some of the top ways you can use Instagram polls:

• Learn about your audience. Polls are a great way to talk to your followers. You can learn about their interests and opinions using a simple poll.
• Market research. Instagram polls can also help you discover what your audience wants to see from your brand. For example, I've seen a powder protein company ask questions on what flavors customers want to see and then deliver on those flavors. This makes your audience feel like they're a part of a community and like you value their opinion.
• Gather feedback. If you want to know what your customers think, why not just ask them? You can use polls to gather feedback and information from your followers.
• Share your content. Instagram polls are a great way to get your audience interested in the content on your site. Hopefully, the poll will strike enough interest that your followers go to your site to see a blog.
• Enter a giveaway. I've seen plenty of influencers use the sliding bar to gather giveaway entries. After posting a few Story slides on the giveaway, the last slide usually says, "Slide this bar so I know you entered."
• Increase engagement. Polls are very helpful for the Instagram algorithm. The more engaged your audience is with you, the more likely they are to actually see your content in their feed.

Ultimately, the point of using Instagram polls is to engage with your followers and capture their attention. To learn more about Instagram marketing, you can take HubSpot's Instagram Training course.