How to Answer Questions on Instagram

Answering questions on Instagram is more than just good manners, it's a powerful way to build a real community and drive your brand forward. From handling DMs and comments efficiently to making the most of the interactive Questions sticker, this guide covers the strategies and step-by-step instructions to turn audience questions into one of your greatest marketing assets.

Why Answering Questions on Instagram is a Game-Changer

Have you ever seen a question on an account go unanswered? It feels like talking to a brick wall. When followers take the time to ask a question, they're offering you an opportunity for a conversation - one that can lead to deeper loyalty and trust. Responding isn't just about providing customer service, it's a core part of building a vibrant online presence.

Here's why prioritizing responses should be at the top of your to-do list:

• It Humanizes Your Brand: Behind every handle is a person. Answering questions in a helpful, friendly tone shows there's a real, caring human managing the account, which builds connection and makes your brand more relatable.
• It Boosts Engagement Signals: The social media algorithms prioritize conversation. When you respond to comments or DMs, you're showing Instagram that your account is active and interesting, which can prompt the platform to show your content to more people.
• It Fuels Your Content Strategy: Ever stuck on what to post? Questions from your audience are goldmines. They reveal pain points, priorities, and interests, which can become fuel for your next blog post, email, or video.
• It Establishes You as an Authority: When you're answering questions about your products, services, or industry, you aren't just being helpful, you're demonstrating expertise. Consistently running Q&As showcases your position as the go-to expert in your niche.

Create Saved Replies for FAQs

For questions you get asked frequently, answering them repeatedly can take up valuable time. To streamline this process, you can create "Saved Replies" for common inquiries. For example, you could have a saved reply for logistical questions:

"Hi there! Thanks for your question. You can find all the details on our website, the link is in our bio."

By saving common responses like this, you can answer frequently asked questions quickly and efficiently, saving you significant time and energy.

Handling Tricky Questions or Negative Comments

Not all questions and comments will be positive. Handling criticism effectively is part of good community management, as it sets a professional tone and shows that you can handle criticism with grace.

• Acknowledge and Respond Publicly: If someone leaves a negative yet constructive comment, acknowledging their feedback publicly shows you take it seriously. You could reply with something like, "Thank you for the feedback. I understand where you're coming from and will take that into consideration."
• Move the Conversation to DMs: For specific issues like order problems or anything that requires personal information, ask to move the conversation to DMs. Your public reply can be: "Hey [name], I'm sorry to hear that. Can you send us a DM so we can help you with this?"
• Stay Cool and Professional: Never get into an argument in the comments. Remember that your response is visible to your entire audience, not just the original commenter. Keep your tone helpful and professional, even when the input isn't positive.

Unlocking Creativity with the Instagram Questions Sticker

The Instagram Questions sticker is one of the most powerful engagement tools available on the platform. It transforms a one-way post into an interactive conversation, inviting your followers to directly connect with you.

How to Use the Questions Sticker:

• Open the Instagram Stories camera and choose a photo, video, or background. Tap the sticker icon (a smiley face) in the top-right corner. Select the "Questions" sticker.
• Customize the prompt from the default "Ask me anything" to something relevant to your brand, like "What do you want to learn about next?" or "What's holding you back this week?"
• Place the sticker anywhere on your Story and resize it to fit your design.

Creative Ways to Use the Questions Sticker

The sticker goes far beyond a typical "Ask Me Anything" session. Here are some ways you can use it to elevate your content and build community:

• Q&A Sessions: An "Ask Me Anything (AMA)" is a classic for a reason. They are a great way for brands, founders, and creators to share their experiences with the community in a personal and direct way.
• Gather Feedback: Ask questions like, "How can we improve our website?" or "What kind of resources would be most helpful for you?" Use the answers to make data-driven decisions.
• Market Research: Ask your audience what they are genuinely interested in. For example, "What's the #1 thing you're struggling with regarding [your topic]?" helps you tailor content directly to their needs.
• Content Planning: Use questions like, "Is there anything you find confusing about [your topic] that I could explain?" to identify knowledge gaps your audience may have.
• Guest Takeovers: Invite an industry expert to take over your Stories and answer questions from your followers. This is a great way to bring fresh perspectives to your audience and cross-promote with a new community.

Answering Questions with the Sticker

Genuine responses to sticker questions can create powerful moments of connection. Give followers the thoughtful answers they're looking for.

• Once your Story is live, swipe up on it to view responses. Each question submitted will appear in a list.
• Tap on a question you want to answer and select "Share Response." This will create a new Story draft with the question sticker already included.
• Add your answer using text, a photo, or even a video response. Video answers often feel more personal and engaging.
• PRO TIP: When you share the question to your public story, the original poster remains anonymous. Viewers will only see the question itself, not the person's username or profile photo.

Level Up by Answering Questions with Reels and Live Video

With a solid foundation for handling comments, DMs, and stickers, you can use questions to create high-value videos that have a much longer shelf-life.

Answering Questions with Reels

Frequently asked questions are perfect for evergreen content. Identify common questions from your DMs, comments, or sticker responses, and address them with a short Reel.

For example, a personal trainer who repeatedly gets asked how to do a proper squat can create a 30-second Reel breaking down the form and pointing out common mistakes. This not only helps the person who asked but also serves as a permanent tutorial for anyone else interested in the topic.

Hosting an Instagram Live Q&A Session

Hosting a live Q&A session is the ultimate tool for real-time engagement. They let you connect with your audience in a raw, unfiltered way. To host a successful session:

• Promote in Advance: Use your Stories and feed posts to announce the upcoming live session. Encourage followers to submit questions in advance.
• Address Incoming Questions: During the live session, answer pre-submitted questions while also engaging with new questions that appear in the comments.
• Use the "Pin" Feature: Instagram Live allows you to feature or "pin" one question at a time, which helps keep the session focused while you answer.

Final Thoughts

Answering questions on Instagram isn't just a task to check off your list, it's an opportunity for building genuine connections, gaining valuable insights, and establishing your authority. Whether you're using simple comments, stickers, Reels, or Instagram Live, engaging with your audience's questions is key to growing a loyal community.

As your community grows, managing all of these interactions while scheduling content can be challenging. To solve this, Postbase brings all of your social media activities into one visual calendar. You can plan and schedule content across all your platforms, helping you foster meaningful relationships and stay organized. Visit us at Postbase to see how our tools are built to help you grow.