How to Do a Poll on Instagram

Adding a poll to your Instagram Story is one of the fastest ways to turn passive scrollers into an engaged audience. It’s a simple feature that gives you direct access to what your followers are thinking, all with a single tap. This guide will walk you through exactly how to create a poll, share the results, and use this feature to boost your engagement and build a stronger community on the platform.

Why Instagram Polls Are So Effective

Before we get into the step-by-step instructions, let's look at why this little sticker is such a powerful tool. It’s more than just a fun feature, it’s a strategic asset for anyone looking to grow their presence on Instagram.

• It Skyrockets Engagement: Every vote on your poll is an interaction. The Instagram algorithm pays close attention to these signals. When users actively engage with your Stories (by tapping, replying, etc.), it tells the algorithm that your content is valuable, which can lead to your Stories being shown to more of your followers.
• It Provides Instant Feedback: Want to know what your audience thinks about a new product idea, what color they prefer, or what kind of content they want to see next? A poll gives you real-time data directly from the people who matter most. It’s like a mini-focus group that costs nothing to run.
• It Boosts Story Views and Retention: Interactive elements like polls make your Stories more compelling. When people have a reason to participate, they are more likely to watch your Story to the end and tap through to see what else you've posted. This increased watch time is another positive signal to the algorithm.
• It’s Fun and Relatable: Polls turn your content into a two-way conversation. They invite your audience to share their opinion, making them feel heard and included. This simple act helps build a personal connection and fosters a sense of community around your brand or profile.

How to Create a Poll in an Instagram Story: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to create your first poll? The process is incredibly straightforward. It only takes a few taps to get one live on your Story.

Step 1: Open the Instagram Stories Creator

Open the Instagram app on your phone. From your home feed, you can either tap the plus sign (+) at the top of the screen and select "Story," or simply swipe right from anywhere in the feed to open the Story camera interface.

Step 2: Create Your Story Background

A poll needs a background to live on. You have a few options here:

• Take a photo or video: Use the camera to capture something in the moment.
• Upload from your camera roll: Swipe up or tap the gallery icon in the bottom-left corner to choose a photo or video you’ve already saved.
• Use a solid color background: Tap the "Create" mode (often shown as "Aa") to generate a solid gradient background. You can tap the color circle in the corner to cycle through different options.

Your background should be relevant to your poll question. For example, if you're asking followers to choose a book cover, show them both designs. If you’re asking about a vacation destination, use a photo of the location.

Step 3: Access the Sticker Tray

Once you have your background image or video in place, look for the icons at the top of the screen. Tap the Sticker icon (it looks like a smiling, square-shaped sticky note peeling off a corner). This will open up Instagram’s full library of interactive elements.

Step 4: Select the "POLL" Sticker

In the sticker tray, you'll see a variety of options like Location, Mention, GIF, and Music. Find the one labeled "POLL" and tap it. A poll widget will appear on top of your Story content.

Step 5: Write Your Question and Customize Your Answers

The poll sticker will prompt you to "Ask a question..." Tap this text and type in your poll's question. Keep it concise and easy to understand.

By default, the poll answers are "YES" and "NO." You can leave them as is, or you can tap on each box to type in your own custom responses. Your answers can be up to 24 characters each. For example, instead of just A or B, you could use "Coffee ☕️" and "Tea 🍵" or "Shorts" and "Reels" to make it more descriptive and visually interesting.

Pro Tip: You don't have to be limited to just two options! Simply tap on the "Add another option" field to create polls with three or four potential answers.

Step 6: Position and Resize the Poll Sticker

With your question and answers finalized, you can place the poll sticker anywhere on your Story. Just tap and drag it to the desired location. You can also resize it by using two fingers to pinch and zoom in or out, or rotate it by turning it with two fingers.

Make sure it’s in a spot that's easy to see and tap, and that it doesn't cover up any important parts of your background photo or video.

Step 7: Share Your Story

Once everything looks right, it's time to share! Tap on the "Your Story" button at the bottom-left of the screen to post it for all your followers to see. You can also choose to send it to just your "Close Friends" if you prefer a more private poll.

Creative Ideas for Your Next Instagram Poll

Now that you know how to create a poll, what should you ask? The possibilities are endless, but some tactics are more effective than others for fostering engagement and gathering useful insights. Here are some ideas to get you started.

For Businesses & Brands:

• Market Research: Use polls as a quick way to gauge customer preferences.
  • "Which new t-shirt design is your favorite? A or B?"
  • "Would you prefer this product in Sage Green or Earth Brown?"
  • "What new feature should we build next? Feature X or Feature Y?"
• Drive Traffic and Sales: Frame your polls in a way that generates interest for an upcoming launch or promotion.
  • "Counting down to our summer sale! Need a reminder an hour before it starts? YES / ABSOLUTELY"
  • "Curious about what’s in our new collection? Give me a preview! / I’ll wait for the surprise"
• Guide Your Content Strategy: Let your audience tell you what they want to see from you.
  • "What topic should our next blog post cover? Guide to Social Media / Email Marketing Tips"
  • "What should we go live about this Friday? Office Tour / Team Q&A"

For Creators & Influencers:

• "This or That" Style Questions: These simple, fun polls are very popular and easy for anyone to answer.
  • "Morning Person ☀️ or Night Owl 🦉?"
  • "Netflix in bed or Night out?"
  • "Beach Vacation 🌴 or Mountain Getaway 🏔️?"
• Involve Your Audience in Your Decisions: Make your followers feel like part of your inner circle.
  • "Help me choose what to wear to the event tonight! Black Dress or Blue Suit?"
  • "What YouTube video should I film this weekend? A 'Day in the Life' / My Productivity System"
• Get to Know Your Audience: Ask questions that help you better understand their interests and needs.
  • "Are you also working from home right now?"
  • "Currently reading a new book?"
  • "Is anyone else trying that viral recipe?"

How to Check and Share Your Poll Results

Creating the poll is only the first half of the equation. Following up is just as important for building trust and closing the conversational loop. Here’s how to see your poll's results and share them with your audience.

Viewing the Results

While your Story is live (within the first 24 hours), open it and swipe up from the bottom of the screen. This is where Instagram shows you the viewers list, and for an interactive poll Story, you'll see a detailed breakdown of the votes. You can see:

• Which option a specific person voted for.
• The total number of votes for each option.
• The overall percentage breakdown of the vote.

Sharing the Results to Your Story

Sharing the final outcome is a great way to re-engage your audience. It shows them that their participation mattered and feeds their curiosity.

1. When you swipe up to view the poll results, you'll see a "Share Results" button. Tap it.
2. Instagram will automatically generate a new Story draft with the poll results displayed clearly in a sticker.
3. You can now customize this new Story! Add text, GIFs, or even a short video of you reacting to the outcome.
4. Once you’re satisfied, post it to your Story. This closes the loop and encourages people to vote in your future polls because they know you’ll follow up.

Final Thoughts

The Instagram "poll" sticker is a remarkably simple yet effective tool for driving engagement, collecting feedback, and building a stronger connection with your audience. By mastering this single feature and using it consistently in creative ways, you can transform your Stories from a passive broadcast into an interactive conversation your followers look forward to.

Building a consistent and engaging social media presence requires planning, especially when you're weaving in interactive elements like polls and Q&As into your daily content calendar. Using our visual calendar at Postbase, you can see your entire content schedule at a glance, making it easy to spot opportunities to add polls that align with your content themes and marketing campaigns. It helps take the guesswork out of consistency, so you can focus more on creating content that your audience loves to interact with.