How to Make a Quiz on Instagram

Making a quiz on Instagram is one of the most effective ways to stop the scroll and get your audience to interact with your content. This guide cuts straight to the chase, showing you exactly how to create quizzes using the official Story sticker and how to design engaging tap-to-guess style quizzes for your Reels. We'll cover step-by-step instructions, creative ideas, and best practices to help you boost your engagement today.

Why Instagram Quizzes Are an Engagement Goldmine

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Quizzes aren't just a fun novelty, they are powerful marketing tools hidden in plain sight. When used correctly, they directly contribute to your growth on the platform.

• They Skyrocket Engagement: Every tap, answer, and reaction is a positive signal to the Instagram algorithm. Quizzes encourage active participation, unlike passive content consumption. This tells Instagram that your content is valuable, which can lead to better reach.
• They Increase Watch Time: For both Stories and Reels, quizzes make people pause and think. In a fast-paced feed, that extra second or two spent on your content is significant. It can significantly boost your content's performance.
• They Provide Instant Audience Feedback: Quizzes are a fantastic - and free - way to conduct market research. You can ask about product preferences, content desires, or pain points. The answers you get are direct feedback from your most engaged followers.
• They Humanize Your Brand: Quizzes add a layer of fun and personality to your account. They show you're not just there to sell but to connect and entertain, building a stronger community around your brand.

How to Make a Quiz Using the Instagram Story Sticker (The Official Method)

Instagram's built-in quiz sticker for Stories is the simplest and most direct way to get started. It’s interactive, easy to customize, and gives you clear analytics on how people voted. Here’s a detailed step-by-step breakdown.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Quiz Sticker

Follow these simple instructions to create your first official quiz in under two minutes.

1. Open the Instagram Story Creator: Launch the Instagram app and swipe right from your feed, or tap the plus icon (+) at the bottom and select "Story."
2. Create Your Background: Take a photo, record a short video, pick something from your camera roll, or choose a solid color background using the "Create" mode (the "Aa" icon). Your background should be visually appealing but not so busy that it distracts from the quiz itself.
3. Access the Sticker Tray: Once your background is ready, tap the sticker icon (the smiley square) at the top of your screen. This will open up all of Instagram's interactive features.
4. Select the "Quiz" Sticker: Find and tap the sticker labeled "Quiz." This will place a customizable quiz box onto your Story canvas.
5. Write Your Question: The first text field at the top reads, "Ask a question..." Tap it and type out your quiz question. Keep it concise and clear. Examples: "What year did we launch our first product?" or "Which of these ingredients is NOT in our face wash?"
6. Fill in the Answers: The sticker provides fields for "Option 1," "Option 2," etc. You can have between two and four possible answers. Fill these out with your multiple-choice options.
7. Select the Correct Answer: This is a key step! Tap on the letter next to the correct answer (A, B, C, or D). It will briefly turn bright green, indicating to Instagram that this is the right choice. Your followers won't see which answer is correct until after they vote.
8. Customize the Look: Want the quiz sticker to match your brand colors? Tap the color wheel icon at the top of the screen to cycle through different color options for the quiz box. You can also pinch to resize the sticker and drag it to the perfect spot on your Story.
9. Share Your Story: Once you’re happy with how it looks, tap "Your Story" in the bottom-left corner to publish it.

How to Check Your Quiz Results

Once your Story is live and people start interacting, you can see the results in real-time. Open your Story and swipe up. You’ll see a "Viewers" list and a "Responses" tab. Here, you can see not only a tally of who voted for which option but also a list of the specific users and what they chose. This is a great way to identify highly engaged followers.

How to Make a Quiz on Instagram Reels: Workarounds That Work

Currently, Instagram doesn't offer a native, interactive quiz sticker for Reels. But that hasn’t stopped savvy creators from making highly engaging quiz-style videos. The goal here is to use on-screen text, quick cuts, and an engaging format to challenge your viewers and drive comments.

Idea 1: The Fast-Paced Trivia Reel

This format is all about speed and testing your audience's reaction time. It's perfect for educational content or brand trivia.

• How it works: Create a video where a question appears as a text overlay. After a second or two, have several potential answers flash on the screen very quickly. In the next scene, reveal the correct answer using a celebratory sound effect or fun animation.
• Pro Tip: Use a trending audio that matches the fast, energetic pace.
• CTA: The caption is your best friend here. Say something like, "Could you pause it on the right answer? Let us know if you got it right in the comments!" This encourages both re-watches and comments.

Idea 2: "Guess the _____" Picture Reveal

This is a fantastic format for product-based businesses, artists, food bloggers, or travel creators. It builds curiosity and rewards the viewer with a satisfying reveal.

• How it works: Start the Reel with a super zoomed-in, cropped, or blurred photo. A text overlay asks, "Can you guess what this is?" Hold the shot for a few seconds to let people think, then transition to a full, clear view of the product, dish, or location. You can create a series of these within a single Reel.
• Pro Tip: Sync the "reveal" to the beat drop of a trending song for maximum impact.
• CTA: "How many did you get right out of 3? Score yourself in the comments!"

Idea 3: The Myth-Busting "True or False" Reel

Position yourself as an expert in your niche by dispelling common myths or sharing surprising facts. This format is simple to create and highly shareable.

• How it works: Start the video by presenting a common statement about your industry on screen. A text overlay asks, "True or False?" Gesture or point at the two options. In the next clip, show the correct answer ("FALSE!") along with a quick on-screen explanation.
• Example: A skincare brand might show the statement, "You don't need sunscreen on a cloudy day." The next scene reveals "FALSE!" with the text, "UVA rays penetrate clouds!"
• CTA: In your caption, elaborate on the fact and ask your followers, "Did you believe this myth? Tell us one you recently learned!"

Advanced Strategy: Create a “Knowledge Challenge” Quiz Series

For maximum impact, don't just post a one-off quiz. Turn it into a weekly or monthly event that your followers look forward to. You can do this in either Stories or Reels.

In Stories: Plan a 5-7 part Story quiz around a cohesive theme. For example, a coffee brand could host a "Coffee Connoisseur Challenge." Each Story slide is a different question about brewing methods, bean origins, or latte art. Tell people to keep track of their score.

The final slide is the "results" card. Don't just say "Thanks for playing!" Create fun personas based on their score.

• 1-2 Correct: "Curious Sipper! You're just starting your coffee journey."
• 3-4 Correct: "Daily Drinker! You know your way around a cup."
• 5 Correct: "Certified Barista! Nothing gets past you."

This personalized outcome makes the experience more memorable and shareable.

In Reels: Create a recurring reel format titled something like "Weekly Marketing Quiz" or "Fashion Friday Trivia." Using the same format and audio type each week trains your audience to recognize the series and come back for more.

5 Best Practices for Highly Engaging Instagram Quizzes

Knowing the mechanics is just the first step. To create quizzes that people genuinely enjoy and that benefit your brand, follow these golden rules.

1. Align with Your Audience's Interests: The best quizzes feel like an inside joke or a shared passion. A fitness brand should ask about workout styles, not 18th-century art. A book club should ask about literary genres, not car parts. Use quiz data to understand what resonates, and then double down on those topics.

2. Keep it Clear and Concise: People are scrolling fast. Questions and answers should be easy to read and digest in a matter of seconds. Avoid long paragraphs or overly complex jargon.

3. Use Strong Visuals: Don't just slap a quiz sticker on a plain background. Use high-quality brand photos, engaging videos, or even funny GIFs to complement your question. A weak visual can cause someone to skip your quiz before they even read it.

4. Don’t Make It Too Hard (or Too Easy): The sweet spot is a quiz where a follower can get most - but not all - of the answers right. If it's too easy, it’s boring. If it's impossible, they’ll feel discouraged and swipe away. A good mix includes one easy question, a few moderately challenging ones, and maybe one stumper.

5. Use the CTA Liberally: Every quiz needs a call to action. Whether it’s in a Story or Reel, explicitly tell your audience what you want them to do next. "Share this with a friend who needs to know!" or "Comment your score below!" guides their interaction and dramatically increases your engagement.

Final Thoughts

Instagram quizzes, whether in Stories or creatively adapted for Reels, are one of the most direct and entertaining ways to spark a conversation with your audience. They break the mold of passive content, inviting your followers to play along, test their knowledge, and feel like an active part of your community.

Planning interactive content like a multi-part quiz series can feel like a lot to manage on top of your daily posts and Reels. This is why we built Postbase to make things simpler. Using our visual content calendar, you can map out your entire "Knowledge Challenge" for the week, seeing exactly which day each quiz Story will go live. It helps transform an ambitious idea into an actionable content plan that you can schedule ahead and trust is going out on time.