Craft Instagram Stories optimized for engagement and retention in December 2025. Use when creating Story sequences, planning interactive content with stickers, driving traffic to links, or maintaining daily presence. Includes optimal slide count, sticker strategies, analytics interpretation, and templates for educational/newsletter content.
This skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
references/REFERENCES.mdStories prioritize relationship strength over reach:
| Signal | Impact |
|---|---|
| Viewing history | Stories from accounts you watch regularly appear first |
| Engagement history | Accounts you've DMed or reacted to get priority |
| Closeness | Close Friends stories appear at the beginning |
| Recency | Newer stories surface higher |
Key insight: Stories reward consistency and relationship-building, not virality.
"The moment your Story slide count goes over five, you'll start to notice a dip in views and engagement." — Adam Mosseri
Best practice: 3-7 slides max per Story sequence.
Structure:
Slide 1: HOOK (stops the tap-through)
Slides 2-4: VALUE (core content)
Slide 5: CTA (action or engagement)
If content requires more slides, break into multiple Story sequences posted hours apart.
Stickers are the primary engagement driver. Use strategically:
| Sticker | Best For | Engagement Level |
|---|---|---|
| Poll | Quick binary choices, opinions | Very High |
| Quiz | Testing knowledge, fun facts | Very High |
| Question | AMAs, feedback, conversation starters | High |
| Emoji Slider | Gauging sentiment, reactions | High |
| Add Yours | Starting trends, UGC collection | High (viral potential) |
| Sticker | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Link | Drive traffic to newsletter, articles, products |
| Mention | Tag collaborators, feature followers |
| Location | Local relevance, event promotion |
| Countdown | Build anticipation for launches |
| Music | Mood setting, trend participation |
Slide 1: "¿Sabías que [surprising stat]?" + Emoji Slider
Slide 2: Context/explanation
Slide 3: Key insight with visual
Slide 4: "¿Quieres aprender más?" + Poll (Sí/No)
Slide 5: Link to newsletter or post
Slide 1: "Así estoy trabajando en [project]" + casual photo/video
Slide 2: Process detail + Question sticker ("¿Qué parte les interesa más?")
Slide 3: Quick tip from the work
Slide 1: Teaser insight from newsletter (eye-catching visual)
Slide 2: "Esto y más en el nuevo tacosdedatos" + Link sticker
Slide 3: Poll: "¿Ya lo leíste?" (Sí/Aún no)
Slide 1: "Pregúntame lo que quieras sobre [topic]" + Question sticker
[Wait for responses]
Slides 2-5: Answer best questions (video or text)
Final slide: "Más preguntas → DM abiertos"
Slide 1: "Tip rápido de [topic]:" + bold text
Slide 2: The tip (visual + concise text)
Slide 3: Quiz: "¿Sabías esto?" (Sí/No/Más o menos)
Stories support up to 60 seconds of continuous video (no more 15-second splits).
Best practices:
The Link sticker is your traffic driver:
Do:
Don't:
For tacosdedatos specifically:
| Type | Frequency | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Behind-the-scenes | 2-3x/week | Writing process, tools, workspace |
| Quick tips | 2-3x/week | Python tricks, viz tips |
| Polls/Quizzes | Daily | Engage audience on data topics |
| Newsletter promos | Each issue | Teaser + link |
| Reposts | As relevant | Share mentions, good replies |
| Personal | 1-2x/week | Humanize the brand |
| Metric | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Reach | Unique accounts that saw Story |
| Impressions | Total views (including rewatches) |
| Completion Rate | % who watched to the end (higher = engaging) |
| Taps Forward | Users skipping slides (too slow/boring) |
| Taps Back | Users rewatching (good — content was valuable) |
| Exits | Users leaving Story entirely (problem indicator) |
| Replies | Direct engagement (best signal) |
| Sticker Taps | Engagement with interactive elements |
| Link Clicks | Traffic driven (key for newsletters) |
Red flags:
Slide: "¿Cuál prefieres para [topic]?"
Poll: [Option A] / [Option B]
Slide: "Quiz rápido 🧠"
Quiz: "¿Cuántos [X] hay en [Y]?"
Options: A) [wrong] B) [correct] C) [wrong]
Slide: "Hoy respondo sus preguntas sobre [topic]"
Question sticker: "¿Qué quieres saber?"
Slide: "Próximo newsletter:"
Countdown sticker: [Date/Time]
Text: "Tema: [topic teaser]"
When crafting Stories:
## Story Sequence: [Topic/Goal]
### Slides
**Slide 1 (Hook):**
- Visual: [Description]
- Text: [Copy]
- Sticker: [If any]
**Slide 2:**
- Visual: [Description]
- Text: [Copy]
- Sticker: [If any]
[Continue for each slide...]
### Specs
- **Total slides**: [Number]
- **Duration**: [If video]
- **Interactive elements**: [List stickers used]
- **CTA**: [Final action]
- **Link**: [If applicable]
### Assets Needed
- [ ] [Image/video descriptions]
For algorithm research, source links, and detailed tactics, see references/REFERENCES.md.