120 Poll Ideas for Instagram Stories (and Templates)

 

If you’ve been struggling to get engagement on your stories, you should know that one of the best ways to increase engagement on your stories is to start off with a poll or question. Over the years, it’s been my experience that posting polls first will increase y story reach so it’s a good idea to post them as some of your first stories of the day!

I thought it would be helpful to put together a list of poll ideas and example templates to get you started!

Fist, What Is An Instagram Poll and why do they work to increase engagement?

An Instagram poll is a question that you ask your followers to answer using one of Instagram’s stickers and it typically comes with multiple choice answers.  You can ask anything, but it’s generally best to keep it short and sweet because the reason these stickers increase engagement is because they’re easy to interact with.

If you want to get even more engagement, make sure that the question is something people care about or are interested in knowing the answer to. Polls should be fun and engaging so that people feel like they have a say in what’s going on and want to contribute their opinion!

Want to skip this list and get 500 poll ideas and questions emailed to you instead?  Download the free ideas here.

How do you create an Instagram Story poll?

To create an Instagram Story, head to Instagram and tap the create button and choose story. Snap a photo/video or upload a photo/video from your camera roll.

You’ll then want to tap the sticker button in the top right corner of your screen.

Then tap on the poll sticker to add a poll to the story before you post.

120 Poll Ideas for Instagram

Here are 120 ideas (using common poll templates) for your next post or story poll that can lead to more traffic, subscribers and sales through social media!

Would you rather ?

This question is a great way to get people talking. It forces them to make a choice, and provides you with valuable insight into their preferences. You can also use it to spark a conversation between friends and family members who might not know each other as well as you think they do!

Some examples of would you rather questions for a branding agency might be:

• Would you rather be the most respected brand in your industry or the most profitable?
• Would you rather have a logo people remember or one that people love?
• Would you rather be known for your product or your service?
• Would you rather be the “best” or “the first”?

Some examples of would you rather questions for a fitness brand might be:

• Would you rather: A) Run a marathon B) Be able to do a one-handed handstand C) Have abs of steel D) Do a backflip
• Would you rather Get stronger or get faster?
• Would you rather Eat more vegetables or less sugar?
• Would you rather Sleep more or work out more?
• Would you rather Take a warm shower or go for a run outside?
• Would you rather eat an apple or an orange?
• Would you rather Work on your core, or work on your legs
• Would you rather Go for a run outside, or go for a walk inside?

Some examples of would you rather questions for a business coach might be:

• Would you rather Have a day job to pay the bills, or live off your side hustle?
• Would you rather work with a client who always pays late and has no respect for your time, or one who pays on time and always respects the work you do?
• Would you rather be a freelancer who has to deal with clients who think they know everything, or one who has to deal with clients who don’t think they know anything?
• Would you rather have a client who writes super detailed instructions, or one who doesn’t write much at all?
• Would you rather have a client that asks for more than they need, or one that gives you almost nothing to work with at all?

Some examples of would you rather questions a wedding planner might be:

• Would you rather have an indoor wedding or an outdoor wedding?
• Would you rather have a lot of guests or just a few?
• Would you rather have a small ceremony or a large ceremony?
• Would you rather do the planning yourself or hire someone else to plan it for you?
• Would you rather have a single wedding planner or a team of wedding planners?
• Would you rather have a wedding planner who is really good at cooking or one who is really good at managing the budget?
• Would you rather have your wedding planner be super traditional or super nontraditional?
• Would you rather have your wedding planner be more emotional or more rational?

Which is your favorite?

The poll template above is a great way to get your audience involved in the conversation. You can use it to gather feedback from customers on a new product, or simply to gauge reactions to potential ideas for your branding agency.

For example:

Which is your favorite website template?

A. The Blue on

B The Red one

C. The Pink one

This format is especially useful if you have several options and want everyone’s opinion on which one is best!

Some examples of “Which is your favorite?” questions for a money coach might be:

• What is your favorite type of investment?
• Which is your favorite? Do you like to use cash or credit cards?
• Which is your favorite? paying bills on time, or do you procrastinate?
• What is your favorite type of financial product?
• What is your favorite financial service provider?

Some examples of “Which is your favorite?” questions for a fitness brand might be:

• Which is your favorite exercise? A. Push ups B. Squats C. Sit ups D. Crunches E. Pull ups
• Which is your favorite exercise? A. Running B. Swimming C. Cycling D. Boxing
• What is your favorite type of workout? A. Cardio B. Strength training C. HIIT

Some examples of “Which is your favorite?” questions for a parenting blog might be:

• Which is your favorite? – Sleeping through the night – The baby sleeping through the night
• Which is your favorite: 1) The smell of a new baby? 2) The sound of a baby’s first laugh? 3) The feeling of rocking your baby to sleep? 4) The look on a child’s face when they finally learn to read?
• What is your favorite family activity? A B. C. D.
• What is your favorite way to spend a weekend? A B. C. D.
• What is your favorite way to spend the holidays? A B. C. D.
• What is your favorite thing about being a mom? A B. C. D.
• What’s the best part of being a mommy? A B. C. D.

What do you prefer?

This one asks a question that requires the reader to choose between two options. You can add a third or fourth option, but it’s often more helpful to you if the poll is mutually exclusive (meaning one or the other).

Some examples for a branding agency might be:

• What do you prefer for your branding – A. or B.?
  • A. Your brand to be memorable
  • B. Your brand to be unique
• What of the following do you prefer?
  • 1. A logo with a modern look and feel that reflects your brand’s personality
  • 2. A logo with an old-fashioned, classic look and feel that reflects your brand’s personality
• Which do you prefer?
  • 1. A website that’s fun to use and easy to navigate, or a website that looks professional but is hard to use.
  • 2. A website that looks professional and has a good design,
  • 3. S website that is fun to use and easy to navigate.
• Which do you prefer?
  • 1. More space for content
  • 2. More space for images and video
  • 3. A balanced approach (equal amounts of space for both)

You may also want to keep it simple and ask your readers about something they’ve already done or experienced in their lives

How do you?

This is one of the most popular poll templates to use. It’s also a great way to get feedback on your blog post, survey or product/service.

• How do you spend your free time?
• How did you learn about our product/service?
• How often do you use our product/service?

Do you want to?

This poll question template is a great way to introduce a topic you want to talk about and get people to show their interest in it.

let say you’re a business coach that posted a new reel about what you do. Your poll to introduce the topic would be:

• Do you want to make more money? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to know how to change your life? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to increase your income? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to grow and expand your business? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to be the best version of yourself? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to feel more confident in your abilities? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to be able to make decisions more easily and with less stress? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to feel more fulfilled in your work? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to have better communication with your coworkers? Yes, No, Maybe

Or if you’re a branding agency about to launch a  new service, your poll could be:

• Do you want to make a great first impression? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to get more customers? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to stand out from the crowd? Yes, No, Maybe
• Do you want to increase your sales? Yes, No, Maybe

A simple response would be Yes or No, but you could come up with your own multiple choice.

Which would help you more?

This poll template above is a great way to see who is interested in your content and what they want from it.

Want to make some sales? You could them follow this poll with a freebie or discount code for a product related that topic.

For example:

Which would help you more?

A. A logo package under $1000

B. A full website design under $2000

C. Both provided in a “Done-for-you in a day” product

 

What’s the best way to?

This is a popular variation on the “how” question, and it’s a great one to use when you need help deciding between different options.

The options would be multiple choice.

The format is simple: Write what you want in bold at the beginning of your post (or story), then list all of the options below it.

Let readers vote for their favorite answer.

For example:

What’s the best way to make your brand more relatable?

• A. Personal Images
• B. Story Telling
• C Both

What’s the best way to make your brand stand out among its competitors?

• Having the Best Price
• Have the best Branding
• Paid Advertising
• Social Proof and Testimonials

These could tell you a lot about what your audience values most or if you need to do more educating on a subject.

Some examples of “What’s the best way to?” questions for a fitness brand might be:

• What’s the best way to get a flat stomach? A. B. C. D.
• Which exercise burns the most calories? A. B. C. D.
• Which workout routine is best for your body type? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to work out your abs? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to stay motivated? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to get started on [fitness goal]? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to stay motivated? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to recover from a workout? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to improve your balance? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to improve your endurance? A. B. C. D.
• What’s the best way to get in shape for your wedding? A. B. C. D.

If you could only choose one?

I love this poll template because it allows you to get an idea of what your readers value most in comparison to other options out there.

If you struggle with content ideas, it can also help you figure out what your readers want most so that you can create content that caters to their needs.

Here’s an example from one of my recent polls:

• If you could choose only one, which would you choose
  • More engagement
  • Stunning Feed
  • More Sales
  • More Leads

Or if you’re a branding agency, some examples of this poll might be:

• If you could only choose one, would you rather have an amazing product or have an amazing brand?
• If you could only choose one, would you rather be the first to market or be the best at what you do?

or if you’re a real estate agent, some examples might be:

• If you could only choose one, would you rather:
  • Tear down your old house and build a new one?
  • Use an online service to find the right real estate agent for you?
  • Buy a home that has been on the market for over a year
• If you could only choose one, would you rather:
  • Have a home that’s in the perfect location for you, but has no room to grow?
  • Have a home that’s in an OK location, but has the space to add on or expand?
  • Have an ideal location, but be unable to afford it?

Which could you do without?

This poll is asking if you had to pick one, which of these would be the first to go? Which is your least favorite?

For example:

Which could you do without?

1. Instagram
2. TikTok
3. Pinterest
4. Facebook

Or if you were a branding agency, it might be:

Which could you do without?

a. A logo

b. A tagline

c. A blog

d. A business card

e. All of the above

This would tell you which platform your audience prefers and could be helpful for your marketing.

What’s your least favorite?

Just like the question above, this poll can be used to get people talking about the things they don’t like. But it’s also a great way to find out what people think needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to better help your audience or improve a product or your impact, this could be the poll for you.

Examples for a branding agency:

• What’s your least favorite aspect of branding?
• What’s your least favorite color?
• What’s your least favorite thing about your brand?
• What’s your least favorite font?
• What’s your least favorite aspect of owning a business?

Example for a fitness coach might be:

• What’s your least favorite?
  • Cardio
  • Strength training
  • Yoga
  • All of them

Have you ever?

Have you ever? is a question that naturally lends itself to storytelling. It’s a great prompt when you want to ask people about their experiences, preferences, opinions, thoughts and feelings OR if you have an experience or story to tell. This poll could be a great introduction to that.

For example if you’re a visibility coach your poll could be:

• Have you ever felt uncomfortable in your own skin?
• Have you ever Wanted to know what you’re capable of?
• Have you ever Wanted to be more confident?
• Have you ever wanted to start a business, but didn’t feel like you had the right skills?
• Have you ever felt like there was more to life than work and family?
• Have you ever felt like there was more to life than work and family, but couldn’t find the time or energy to look for it?

This is a great question that could lead to interesting stories or anecdotes you may have to share. It’s also a great introduction into what you do and who you do it for.

Examples for a branding agency:

• Have you ever wondered why some logos are so memorable?
• Have you ever been afraid to create your own logo because you’re worried it won’t be good enough?
• Have you ever wanted to create a logo that would be memorable, but couldn’t figure out how?

How often do you?

The poll template above is best used to ask a question about a personality trait or characteristic.

For example, if you’re a fitness coach, you could use it to poll readers on their response to the question

• How often do you eat breakfast?
• How often do you get enough sleep?
• How often do you stretch?
• How often do you exercise?
• How often do you eat fruits and veggies?
• How often do you drink water?

Examples for a branding agency:

• How often do you: Think about your brand?
• How often do you: Update your website?
• How often do you: Review your social media presence?
• How often do you: Meet with a customer to talk about how they feel about your product or service?

You use it to ask a question about a specific behavior that relates to your work and what you help people with. 

Quiz, True or False? Myth or Fact?

This type of poll is great for gauging how knowledgeable your audience is or introducing them to a tutorial you’re about to do.

What Next?

Want to skip this list and get 500 poll ideas and questions instead?  Download the free ideas here.

Want to save time with done-for-you Poll templates? Checkout these story canva templates

Want to learn more about content to help grow your business? Here are some more blog posts and tutorials about Instagram:

• Create a welcome banner on Instagram
• Create a puzzle feed on Instagram
• Create animated reels in Canva
• Create reels with only photos
• Reels Ideas without your face