Instagram has announced that a new draft option will be added to the Stories format so that creators can come up with engaging visual content and then publish it at a later date.
Social media marketers can already create and save regular posts as drafts, but the functionality has been absent from Stories, which is one of Instagram’s most popular formats, until now.
Instagram says that it received a large number of requests from regular users and brand-related accounts to add drafts to Stories and this prompted the change.
Currently, brands have to create and publish Stories straight away, which can limit their usability as it makes it difficult to post something at exactly the right time for a target audience.
Around 500m accounts currently make use of the Stories format every single day.
More important for marketers, a third of the most viewed Stories are published by businesses, and 50% of all business accounts use the format each month.
With growing competition on the platform, it’s important for creatives to come up with something that sets them apart from the rest.
The addition of drafts should now give them the chance to take more time on visual content with the view to publishing Stories at a later date.
It could also aid workflow by enabling teams to collaborate on Stories within a single account, and then get managers to sign off on the content before it goes live.
It appears that many viewers are already taking action after consuming a video, as 20% of Stories lead to direct messages.
This form of engagement can be really beneficial for brands as it can lead to other actions that can drive conversions and sales.
Stories are also regularly used by influencers and are the second most effective content type for them overall, according to research from Mediakix.
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