I used to spend stupid amounts of time trying to come up with “engaging content” for stories.
Scrolling through other people’s stories for inspiration, which somehow made it worse because then I’d overthink everything. Does this sound too salesy? Too boring? Too try-hard?
Then I realized most successful accounts are basically rotating through the same 20-30 story formats. Just tweaking them slightly each time.
So here’s what I did – I wrote them all down. The exact text you can literally copy and paste into your stories. Actual words you can use right now, today, without having to think too hard about it.
Some you’ll want to personalize (obviously don’t copy-paste “my dog’s name is Fluffy” if your dog is named Rex). But the structure, the phrasing, the hook? Already done for you.
Thirty-plus days of story ideas. In your notes app. Ready to go whenever your brain decides to take an unscheduled vacation.
Let’s do this.
Week 1: Get People Talking
Day 1:
Two truths and a lie about me:
- [Your truth]
- [Your truth]
- [Your lie]
Guess which one’s fake 👀
Day 2:
Quick question: Cats or Dogs?
[Add Instagram poll sticker]
Day 3:
Current mood as a song:
[Song title – Artist name]
What song matches YOUR mood right now?
Day 4:
Here’s one that always gets reactions:
Unpopular opinion:
[Your hot take – keep it light]
Am I wrong though? 🤷♀️
Day 5:
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Mine is [your answer]
Day 6:
It’s AMA time
Ask me literally anything and I’ll answer honestly
[Add question sticker]
Day 7:
Camera roll dump because why not 📸
[Add 5-10 random photos from your camera roll]
Week 2: The Interactive Ones
These get people clicking, swiping, voting. Which Instagram loves, by the way.
Day 8:
Rate my [outfit/lunch/setup/playlist] from 1-10
Be honest 😅
[Add emoji slider]
Day 9:
Fill in the blank:
The best thing I ate this week was ________
[Add question sticker]
Day 10:
Would you rather:
Beach vacation OR forest getaway?
[Add poll sticker]
Day 11:
Counting down to [the weekend/my coffee break/literally anything]
[Add countdown sticker]
Day 12:
Quiz time! How well do you know [your topic/yourself/your industry]?
[Create quiz using Instagram quiz sticker]
Question 1: [Your question]
Question 2: [Your question]
Question 3: [Your question]
Day 13:
I need recommendations:
Best show to binge right now? Drop them below 👇
[Add question sticker]
Day 14:
Let’s settle this once and for all:
What’s the superior [thing]?
Round 1: [Option A] vs [Option B]
[Add poll – can do multiple rounds throughout the day]
Week 3: Actually Helpful Stuff
Day 15:
Quick tip you might not know:
[Your useful hack/tip in 1-2 sentences]
You’re welcome 😊
Day 16:
This [app/website/tool] changed my life:
[Name and link]
What it does: [Brief explanation]
Why I love it: [Your reason]
Day 17:
Before ➡️ After
[Your transformation – workspace, project, plants, whatever]
[Time period it took]
Day 18:
How I [accomplish task] in [time frame]:
Step 1: [First step]
Step 2: [Second step]
Step 3: [Third step]
Swipe for the rest ➡️
Day 19:
This one always surprises people:
Myth: [Common belief]
Reality: [The actual truth]
Mind = blown 🤯
Day 20:
Today I learned:
[Interesting fact you just discovered]
Did you know this??
Day 21:
Current obsession: [Product/tool name]
Why it’s great: [Your honest reason]
Have you tried it?
Week 4: The Fun Creative Ones
Day 22:
Guess what this is 🔍
[Post zoomed-in photo of random object]
Drop your guesses below!
[Add question sticker]
Day 23:
Caption this photo:
[Post funny/weird photo]
GO 👇
[Add question sticker to collect captions]
Day 24:
Then vs Now
[Old photo] ➡️ [Recent photo]
[Year] vs [Current year]
How it started vs how it’s going 😅
Day 25:
Where I spend most of my time ☕️💻
[Photo of your workspace/favorite spot]
What does YOUR space look like?
Day 26:
[Pet name] really said [what your pet is doing] today
[Photo/video of pet]
10/10 would recommend having a [type of pet]
Day 27:
POV: [Relatable scenario]
[Short video showing the scenario]
Tell me this isn’t you too 😂
Day 28:
This weekend I’m:
📖 Reading: [Title]
🎬 Watching: [Show/Movie]
🍳 Making: [Food/Project]
What about you?
Bonus Ideas (Days 29-31+)
Day 29:
Shoutout to @[username] for [reason]
[Repost their content]
Go follow them! ✨
Day 30:
Just dropped something new 👀
[Brief tease of what it is]
Link in bio to check it out
[Or swipe up if you have 10k+ followers]
Day 31:
This month in review:
✨ Best moment: [Something good]
📚 Favorite discovery: [What you found]
💭 Lesson learned: [Something you realized]
How was YOUR month?
Steal These Prompts and Make Them Yours!
Save these in your notes app. When you’re stuck, just pull one out, customize the brackets with your info, and post.
Some of these you can use over and over (polls, questions, recommendations). Just change the topic. Nobody’s tracking whether you did “Would you rather” twice in a month.
The ones that feel most “you” will always work better than trying to force something that doesn’t fit your vibe. So take what works, skip what doesn’t.
You can do this!
