How to Make a Prompt on Instagram

October 31, 2025

Ready to spark massive engagement on your Instagram Stories? One of the most effective ways is by using the Add Yours sticker to create a prompt, kicking off a viral chain of user-generated content. This guide will walk you through exactly how to make a prompt on Instagram, sharing step-by-step instructions, creative strategies that actually work, and plenty of ideas to get you started.

What is an Instagram Prompt (& Why Should You Use It)?

You've definitely seen them: an Instagram Story with a little sticker that says something like, “Show me your pet’s silliest photo,” followed by a cascade of other people’s Stories sharing their own silly pet pics. That’s the "Add Yours" sticker in action.

At its core, it’s an interactive sticker for Instagram Stories and Reels that lets you write a custom prompt. When someone sees your prompt, they can tap the sticker to add their own photo or video to the public chain. Anyone who taps the sticker can see all the other submissions, creating a ripple effect of community content.

But why is this simple feature so powerful for building your brand or personal account?

It Sparks Viral User-Generated Content (UGC): The "Add Yours" prompt is one of the easiest ways to encourage your followers to create content related to your brand or a topic you care about. Every time someone adds to your prompt, they are essentially sharing your idea with their own audience, massively increasing your reach.
It Boosts Engagement and Interaction: Instead of passively watching your content, this feature invites followers to actively participate. This deepens their connection to your account and gives them a reason to interact beyond a simple "like" or comment.
It Builds a Sense of Community: When people see others participating in a shared activity or inside joke, it creates a feeling of belonging. A successful prompt makes your followers feel like they are part of a club, all contributing to a fun, collaborative story.
It Provides Valuable Audience Insights: What kind of prompts do your followers respond to? What do their submissions look like? Using prompts gives you a window into their lives, humor, and interests, which is gold dust for refining your content strategy.

How to Make a Prompt on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a prompt is an incredibly simple process that takes less than a minute. Here’s exactly how to do it.

Step 1: Open the Instagram Story Creator

Launch the Instagram app. You can access the Story creator in two ways: either swipe right from your main feed or tap the plus icon (+) at the bottom of the screen and select "Story" from the menu.

Step 2: Set Up Your Background

Your prompt needs a home. You can start with a photo or video from your camera roll, take a new picture, or use the "Create" mode (tap the "Aa" icon) to make a solid-color background. Choose something that makes sense for your prompt - if your prompt is about coffee, a picture of a cozy mug is a great start.

Step 3: Select the "Add Yours" Sticker

At the top of the Story editor, you'll see a row of icons. Tap the sticker icon (the one that looks like a smiling, square sticky note). This will open up the sticker tray, where you'll find everything from GIFs and music to polls and quizzes.

Find and tap the sticker labeled "Add Yours." It usually has a small camera icon next to it.

Step 4: Write Your Custom Prompt

Once you tap the sticker, a default prompt like "Let's see your [topic]" might appear. Simply tap on the text to write your own custom prompt. This is your chance to get creative. What do you want your audience to share?

Later in this article, we'll cover tons of ideas, but for now, just type out your question or command (e.g., “Your last sunset pic,” or “A weird food combo you love”). You can also tap the dice icon at the bottom of the sticker to get random prompt ideas from Instagram.

Step 5: Place and Customize Your Story

Just like any other sticker, you can drag your "Add Yours" prompt anywhere on the screen. You can also pinch to resize it or rotate it. Finish designing the rest of your Story by adding text, GIFs, or other elements to make it visually appealing. Once you're happy with it, tap "Your Story" in the bottom-left corner to post it.

That's it! Your prompt is now live for your followers to see and participate in.

Strategies for Creating Prompts People Actually Respond To

The technical part is easy, but getting people to participate requires a bit of strategy. A dead-end prompt that gets zero responses is a missed opportunity. Here’s how to create prompts that encourage participation.

1. Keep It Simple and Broad

Your prompt needs to be easy to understand and even easier to answer. Avoid overly complex or niche topics that only a handful of people can relate to. The best prompts are simple, relatable, and require little effort.

Good Example: “Show me a photo of your pet”
Bad Example: “Show me a picture of your Norwegian Forest Cat captured in its natural, stoic state.”

2. Tap into Timeliness and Trends

Connect your prompt to what’s happening right now. Is it a holiday? A new season? Is there a funny meme format or pop culture moment everyone is talking about? Leveraging timing makes your prompt feel relevant and urgent.

Seasonal: “Your first sip of a pumpkin spice latte this year.”
Trending: “What’s your Roman Empire?”
Holiday: “Share your favorite holiday tradition in one photo.”

3. Frame it as "Show Me Your..."

The most successful prompts ask for visuals. People are on Instagram to share photos and videos, so phrasing your prompt as a visual request is almost always a winning formula. Prompts like “A picture of…,” “Show me your latest…,” or “Your current phone wallpaper” work perfectly because they directly ask for something from the user's camera roll.

4. Use Prompts for Your Business (Without Sounding Salesy)

The "Add Yours" sticker is a fantastic tool for brands and businesses. It helps you connect with your audience on a human level and gather valuable social proof.

Generate UGC: If you sell coffee mugs, a prompt like “Show us your morning coffee view” is a perfect way to get beautiful photos of your customers using your product.
Gather Audience Feedback: A clothing brand could ask, “What outfit from our new collection is on your wishlist?” This gives you direct insight into what's popular.
Promote a Vibe: Not every prompt has to be about your product. A fitness brand could create a prompt like, “Show us a moment from your workout today.” This promotes the lifestyle associated with your brand without pushing a product.
Go Behind the Scenes: “A glimpse of our team's WFH setup!” Humanize your brand and invite your audience to share theirs, too.

50+ 'Add Yours' Prompt Ideas You Can Steal Today

Stuck on an idea? Here's a list you can pull from right now, categorized for easy browsing.

Daily Fun & Personality

Your current phone wallpaper
A pet photo dump
Last picture you took
A song you can't stop listening to
Photo that makes you feel happy
Your WFH setup
Post a meme that describes your day
Current mood in one image
Show me your sneaker collection
Your favorite corner of your home
A picture of your pet looking majestic
The view from your window right now
A 'this or that' photo (e.g., coffee vs. tea)
Show me a picture of your kid being a kid
Your comfort movie

For Businesses & Brands

Show us your latest unboxing
A picture of how you use our product
Your favorite item from our store
Before and after using [product name]
Build an outfit with our [product]
Sharing our customer reviews 🙌
The recipe you made with our ingredients
Your project using our [tool/supply]
A pic of your results!
Show us your branded merch in the wild
Your happy place (related to the brand's vibe)
Your workspace featuring our gear
What’s in your bag? (for apparel/accessory brands)
Your latest creation
How our service saved your day

Seasonal & Timely

First sign of fall in your town
Your Halloween costume
A photo from your favorite summer memory
Favorite holiday decoration
Your resolutions for the new year
Your favorite winter activity
Pumpkin patch photo dump
A plate from Thanksgiving dinner
Your beach day setup
First snowfall of the season

Creative & Engaging

A photo that feels like a painting
A picture in black and white
Let’s see your camera roll’s 10th photo
A video of something weirdly satisfying
Your morning routine in one pic
Drop a random photo dump from this month
Your personal 'Roman Empire'
Your latest bookshelf addition
The cutest baby picture you have
Your favorite travel memory

What to Do After You Post Your Prompt

Your job isn't done once you hit "post." The real magic happens when you engage with the people who participate.

1. Monitor the Responses

To see who has added to your prompt, just go to your own Story and tap on the sticker. A list of participants will appear. From here, you can see everyone’s contribution.

2. Share Your Favorite Submissions

This is the most important part! Reshare some of your favorite responses to your own Stories. When you view someone’s contribution to your chain, you’ll see an “Add to your story” button. This is how you spotlight your community and show them you’re paying attention.

Sharing their content validates their effort and encourages even more people to join in, as they see there’s a chance for a shout-out. Tag the user who created the Story to give them credit and strengthen that community connection.

By actively participating and appreciating the responses, you turn a simple sticker into a powerful community-building conversation.

Final Thoughts

The "Add Yours" sticker is more than just a fun feature, it's a powerful tool for driving organic engagement, sourcing authentic user-generated content, and building a loyal community around your brand. By creating simple, relatable, and timely prompts, you invite your audience to stop scrolling and start participating, turning your passive viewers into active community members.

Creating these kinds of engaging posts is just one piece of the puzzle. Consistently building a brand on social media means planning ahead. To keep the momentum going, we built Postbase with a clean, visual calendar that helps you plan your content strategy - including recurring prompts, Reels, and feed posts - all in one place. By mapping out engaging moments ahead of time, you can ensure they work seamlessly with your scheduled content to build a truly connected community, without the stress of last-minute brainstorming.

Spencer Lanoue

Spencer's spent a decade building products at companies like Buffer, UserTesting, and Bump Health. He's spent years in the weeds of social media management—scheduling posts, analyzing performance, coordinating teams. At Postbase, he's building tools to automate the busywork so you can focus on creating great content.

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