How to Create a Poll on Social Media

Want to start a conversation with your audience right now? Ask them a question with a poll. Social media polls are one of the fastest and most effective ways to boost engagement, gather instant feedback, and make your followers feel heard. This guide will walk you through exactly how to create polls that get results, with step-by-step instructions for every major platform and strategies for what to do after the votes are in.

Why Social Media Polls Are Your Secret Weapon for Engagement

Before jumping into the “how,” it helps to understand the “why.” Dropping a poll into your feed or story isn't just about filling a content gap, it's a strategic move. Polls work so well because they offer a low-effort way for your audience to interact. Tapping on an option is far easier than typing out a thoughtful comment, which dramatically lowers the barrier to engagement.

Here’s what a great poll can do for your brand:

• Boost Engagement and Reach: Social media algorithms love content that gets people interacting. When users vote in your poll, it signals to the platform that your content is interesting, which can lead to it being shown to more people.
• Provide Instant Audience Feedback: Wondering what kind of content your audience wants to see? Need help choosing between two product designs? A poll is your shortcut to direct market research. You get real-time data from the people who matter most.
• Humanize Your Brand: Polls show that you’re listening and that you value your community’s opinion. It shifts your relationship from a one-way broadcast to a two-way conversation, building a stronger connection with your followers.
• Drive Traffic and Discussions: A provocative or interesting poll can spark lively debates in the comments. You can also use polls to 'prime' an audience for an upcoming launch post or new piece of content.

Before You Post: Crafting the Perfect Poll Question

The success of a poll doesn't depend on the platform's wizardry but on the quality of your question. A confusing or boring poll will get ignored, no matter where you post it. Follow these foundational principles to craft questions that get people clicking.

Keep it Simple and Clear

Your followers are scrolling quickly. Your poll question and options need to be understood in a split second. Avoid industry jargon, complicated phrasing, or ambiguous choices. The goal is clarity, not cleverness.

• Weak Question: “Evaluate the synergistic potential of our prospective brand aesthetics: minimal versus bold.”
• Strong Question: “Which vibe do you like more for our new look? Minimal or Bold?”

Make it Relevant to Your Audience and Brand

The best polls tap into the shared interests between your brand and its followers. A SaaS company asking about the best pizza topping feels random. But asking about remote work preferences? That’s directly in their wheelhouse. Link your questions to your niche, your products, ongoing trends, or the daily experiences of your target audience.

Offer Distinct, Balanced Choices

Poll options should be clear and genuinely different from one another. Avoid loading the question in favor of one answer. If followers feel they're being led to a specific conclusion, they'll disengage. Similarly, offering an "Other (comment below!)" option can be a brilliant way to capture more nuance while encouraging further engagement in the comments.

• Unbalanced: “Which do you prefer? Our revolutionary new feature 😍 OR a standard, boring feature 🥱”
• Balanced: “What should we build next? Feature A: AI Assistant OR Feature B: Advanced Reporting Suite”

Use Polls for More Than Just Fun

While lighthearted questions are great for community building, polls are a powerful strategic tool. Think about what you want to achieve with them:

• Market Research: "What's the biggest challenge you face with [your industry problem]?"
• Product Feedback: "Which color for our new hoodie would you most likely buy? Heather Grey or Forest Green?"
• Content Strategy: "What topic should our next tutorial cover? Getting Started with Reels or Advanced TikTok Editing?"
• Community Building: "What's your work-from-home essential? A great playlist or endless coffee?"

How to Create a Poll: Step-by-Step Guides for Each Platform

Each social media platform has its own spot for polls. Here’s a quick rundown of exactly where to find and how to use them.

Instagram (Stories)

Instagram Stories are the most common place to run polls on the platform. They are interactive, eye-catching, and easy for followers to participate in.

1. Open Instagram and swipe right or tap your profile picture to create a new Story.
2. Add a photo or a video as your background, or choose a solid color background.
3. Tap the sticker icon (the smiley face square) at the top of the screen.
4. Select the "POLL" sticker from the options.
5. Type your question in the “Ask a question…” field.
6. Fill in your poll options. By default, it gives you two, but you can add more if you like.
7. Drag and place the poll anywhere on your Story, pinch to resize it, and share Your Story.

Pro Tip: You can see the results in real-time by swiping up on your live Story. You can even share the results to your Story later with another sticker!

X (Formerly Twitter)

Polls are a native and much-loved feature of X. They are perfect for tapping into real-time conversations and getting quick opinions.

1. Click the "Post" button to compose a new post (Tweet).
2. Click the poll icon (three vertical bars) at the bottom of the composer.
3. Type your question in the main text box.
4. Enter your first option in "Choice 1" and your second in "Choice 2." You can add up to four choices.
5. Choose the poll’s duration, ranging from 5 minutes to 7 days.
6. Click "Post" to publish your poll.

Facebook (Groups, Pages, and Stories)

Facebook offers polls primarily in Groups and Stories, as the feature has become less prominent on personal Pages.

For Facebook Groups:

1. Navigate to the group where you want to post.
2. Click the "What's on your mind?" field to start a new post.
3. Below the text field, you might see "Poll" as a direct option. If not, click the three dots (...) for more options and select Poll.
4. Write your question, add your options, and hit "Post." Group polls allow members to add their own options if you enable it.

For Facebook Stories:

The process is nearly identical to Instagram Stories. Tap the sticker icon when creating a story, select "Poll," and customize your question and answers.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn polls are a fantastic way to engage your professional network, gather industry sentiment, and start meaningful conversations.

1. Click "Start a post" at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. At the bottom of the pop-up window, click the three dots (...) and select Create a poll.
3. Enter your question and fill in up to four options.
4. Select the poll duration (1 day, 3 days, 1 week, or 2 weeks).
5. Click "Done." You can then add more text to the post to provide context before you hit "Post."

TikTok

You can add an interactive poll sticker directly onto your videos to grab viewer attention.

1. Record or upload a video as you normally would.
2. On the editing screen, tap the Stickers icon on the right-hand panel.
3. Find and tap the "Poll" option.
4. Type your question and answers.
5. Place and resize the poll on your video where it won't obstruct key visuals and publish your video.

Threads

As Meta's direct competitor to X, Threads also includes a simple polling feature built into the post composer.

1. Start a new thread by tapping the new-post icon.
2. Look for the poll icon (similar to the one on X) beneath the text field.
3. Tap it to add a question field and options. Just like X, you can write your message and the platform auto-formats it.
4. Set your options and post it. Polls on Threads run for 24 hours.

What to Do After Your Poll Ends: Maximizing Your Results

Publishing the poll is only the first step. The real value is unlocked in how you handle the results.

Share the Final Results

Don’t leave your audience hanging! Once the poll closes, create a follow-up post or Story to announce the winning option. This simple act of closing the loop validates their participation and makes them more likely to vote again in the future. Add a quick 'thank you' for their input to show a little appreciation.

Act on the Feedback

If you used a poll to gather feedback, the most important thing you can do is show your audience you listened. Let's say you asked which topic a blog post should cover, and "Email Marketing Tips" won. When you publish that article, announce it with a post that says, "You asked for it, and we delivered! Our new guide to email marketing is now live, thanks to your votes." This reinforces that their opinion matters and has a real impact.

Engage with the Comments and Conversations

Great polls often spark discussions in the comments section. Don't ignore these conversations! Dive in, reply to comments, ask follow-up questions, and learn from the nuance that goes beyond the simple poll numbers. This is where you can uncover deeper insights and forge stronger customer relationships.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, social media polls are simple by design, but immensely powerful when used strategically. They give your audience an effortless way to connect with your brand, provide you with valuable real-time feedback, and help turn your social presence into an engaging two-way conversation. So next time you're planning your content, don't just post - ask.

Keeping track of all your planned content, including polls, Reels, and Stories, across half a dozen platforms can get confusing fast. We designed Postbase to make that simpler. Not only can you see your entire content schedule in one visual calendar, but our unified inbox brings all the comments and replies from your polls into one place. This way, you can easily track feedback and continue the conversation your polls started without having to jump between five different apps.