How to Use Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories are one of the most powerful and underutilized features for connecting with your audience, but a lot of people aren't sure where to start. They offer a raw, immediate way to show up in front of your followers, placed right at the top of their feed where they can't be missed. This guide will walk you through exactly how to create compelling Stories, share ideas for what to post, and cover the best practices to turn casual viewers into loyal fans.

So, Why Should You Bother with Facebook Stories?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Unlike your perfectly polished feed posts, Stories are designed to be temporary, authentic, and highly engaging. Because they disappear after 24 hours, there's less pressure to create something flawless. This temporary nature creates a sense of urgency, encouraging people to watch before they miss out.

For businesses and creators, this means:

• Top-of-Feed Visibility: Stories appear in a dedicated bar at the very top of the Facebook app, giving your content prime screen real estate that's hard to ignore.
• Authentic Connection: The raw, in-the-moment format is perfect for sharing behind-the-scenes content that helps your audience feel more connected to you or your brand.
• Interactive Engagement: With features like polls, quizzes, and question stickers, you can directly ask your audience for their opinions and start real conversations.
• Drive Action: For Pages that have the link sticker feature, Stories become a direct pipeline to drive traffic to your website, blog posts, or product pages.

How to Create a Facebook Story: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a Facebook Story is straightforward. The real creative part comes from using all the built-in tools to make your content pop. Let's walk through the process from start to finish.

1. Find the "Create Story" Button

Open your Facebook app. At the top of your News Feed, you'll see a row of existing Stories. Your profile picture with a plus sign labeled "Create story" will be the very first one. Tap it to get started.

2. Choose Your Content Type

Facebook gives you several options right away:

• Camera: This opens your phone's camera, allowing you to take a photo or hold the button down to record a video on the spot.
• Gallery/Camera Roll: Tap on your gallery to select a photo or video you've already taken. Stories are best viewed in a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio, so pre-shot vertical content works best.
• Text: Want to share a quick announcement or text-based thought? Tap the "Text" option to create a solid-colored background with your message. You can customize the font and background color.
• Music: You can start with a song and build a visual Story around it, pulling in album art and lyrics.
• Boomerang: This tool creates a short, looping video that plays forward and backward. It's great for adding a fun, dynamic feel to a simple action.
• Green Screen: This effect lets you use a photo or video from your camera roll as the background for a new photo or video you record.

3. Add Stickers to Boost Engagement

Once you have your photo or video selected, it's time to add interactive elements. Tap the sticker icon (it looks like a smiley face) at the top of the editing screen. This is where the magic happens.

• Polls: Ask your audience a question with two custom answers. It's a fantastic way to quickly get feedback ("Which design do you like more? A or B?").
• Quizzes: Create a multiple-choice quiz question. You'll set the correct answer, and viewers can test their knowledge. This is perfect for educational or "fun fact" content.
• Questions: Use the "Ask me a question" sticker to invite followers to submit questions. You can then share their questions and answer them in subsequent Stories. Great for Q&,A sessions.
• Location: Tag your city, neighborhood, or a specific business. People exploring that location on Facebook may discover your Story.
• GIFs: Search GIPHY's massive library to add animated GIFs that convey emotion, add humor, or draw attention to something on screen.
• Music: Add a popular song to your Story. You can select a specific clip of the song and choose how you want the sticker or lyrics to appear.
• Link: (Available to most business pages) This is one of the most valuable stickers. It allows you to add a clickable link to an external website, directing traffic to a blog post, product, or signup page.

4. Customize with Text, Drawings, and Effects

Beyond stickers, you have a few other creative tools:

• Text ("Aa" icon): Add text overlays to provide context. You can change the font style, color, add a background, and resize or reposition the text anywhere you want. Use this for captions!
• Drawing (Scribble icon): Use your finger to draw on your Story. You can change the pen type, color, and size. It’s useful for circling an object or adding a hand-drawn touch.
• Effects (Star icon): Swipe through different filters and AR effects to change the mood of your photo or video. Some are subtle color changes, while others are more elaborate animations.

5. Share Your Story

Once you're happy with your creation, tap the "Share" button. By default, it will be shared publicly or with your friends, depending on your privacy settings. You can also customize the audience by tapping the privacy settings in the corner before you share. Your Story will now be live at the top of your followers' feeds for 24 hours.

10 Ideas for Engaging Facebook Stories

Knowing how to make a Story is one thing, knowing what to post is another. Here are some proven ideas that work for any brand, creator, or individual.

1. Behind the Scenes: Show your audience something they normally don't see. This could be you setting up for a video, your workspace, or the process of making a product. It builds authenticity and trust.
2. Run a Q&,A Session: Use the question sticker to invite queries. Post the sticker, collect responses for a few hours, then spend the rest of the day answering the best questions in new Stories.
3. Promote Your Latest Content: Just published a new blog post, YouTube video, or podcast episode? Create a Story with a compelling visual or a short video clip and use the link sticker to send people directly to it.
4. User-Generated Content Features: Reshare posts or photos from customers and followers who have tagged you. It's a great way to show social proof and make your community feel valued. Always ask for permission and give credit.
5. Quick Tutorials: Don't have time for a full-length video? Break down a simple tip into a few Story slides. Use a mix of short video clips and text overlays to guide viewers through a quick "how-to."
6. Flash Sales and Special Offers: The 24-hour lifespan of Stories makes them perfect for creating urgency. Announce a limited-time sale or a discount code that's only available to your Story viewers.
7. Before and After: This format is incredibly satisfying and effective for showing transformation - whether it's a home renovation project, a fitness journey, or a product's result.
8. Takeovers: Let a team member or collaborator "take over" your Stories for a day. They can introduce themselves and share their unique perspective, adding a fresh voice to your content.
9. Countdown to an Event: Launching a new product or hosting a live stream? Use the countdown sticker to build anticipation. Followers can tap the sticker to get a reminder when the time is up.
10. Get Feedback with Polls: Use the poll sticker for market research or just for fun. Ask which color product they prefer, what topic you should cover next, or solve a silly debate (e.g., "Pineapple on pizza: Yes or No?").

Best Practices to Make Your Stories Shine

Following a few simple rules can dramatically improve the performance of your Facebook Stories.

• Always Film Vertically. Stories are designed for a vertical, full-screen mobile experience. Horizontal videos will get shrunk down with big, ugly borders at the top and bottom. Fill the screen for a much better viewing experience.
• Assume the Sound Is a Bonus. According to Facebook's own data, most people watch videos on their platform with the sound off. If your Story has someone talking, use the text tool to add captions so people can understand what's happening without audio.
• Be Consistent. You don't need to post 10 times a day, but try to post something most days. Consistent posting keeps you top-of-mind and signals to the algorithm that your account is active.
• Tell a Cohesive... Story. Don't just post random, disconnected images. Think of your Story as a sequence. Use multiple slides to build a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, even if it's a simple one.
• Use Story Highlights to Save Your Best Content. Your best Stories don’t have to disappear after 24 hours. Save them to Highlights, which appear as curated folders on your Facebook Page. Use them to create categories like "FAQs," "Testimonials," "About Us," or "Products."
• Keep it Simple. While stickers and GIFs are fun, don't overcrowd your screen. Make sure the main element you want people to focus on - whether it's a person, product, or piece of text - is clear and easy to see.

Final Thoughts

Facebook Stories are your chance to build a more authentic, direct relationship with your audience outside the curated feed. By combining clear visuals, interactive stickers, and a bit of personality, you can turn this feature into a powerful tool for connection, feedback, and growth.

Consistently creating content for multiple platforms, including Stories, can feel like a juggling act. That’s why we built Postbase with a visual calendar that helps you plan everything in one place. You can schedule Reels, posts, and videos across all your networks, and then use our calendar to spot gaps where you can pop in a timely, engaging Story to keep your audience connected.