You probably already know this, but posting Instagram Stories can be a powerful way to engage, inspire, and build trust with your audience. Whether you’re a life coach, fitness trainer, business mentor, or any kind of guide,
Stories can be a unique and authentic way to showcase your expertise and personality. But how can you stand out from the billions of other content?
I’ll be giving you creative and impactful Instagram Story ideas for coaches to help you spark engagement, build relationships, and turn your followers into loyal clients.
1
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES
You can never go wrong with a motivational quote. After all, that’s one of the things your clients need and look to you for—motivation to keep going and achieve their goals.
Post an inspiring quote relevant to your coaching niche. There are plenty on Google if you just do a quick search, but you can also use your favorite quotes from books, movies, TV shows, TED talks, and podcasts if they are applicable.
But don’t just stop there. You can make it engaging by adding a question sticker and asking “What does this quote mean to you?” or “Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why?”
2
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Want to show your audience your authentic side that you don’t usually post on your business profile?
Share a day-in-the-life type post by sharing snippets of your day. This could be your morning routine that sets you up for a successful day, client sessions (if they’re okay with it), or behind-the-scenes prep. You can even sprinkle quick tips relating to your routine throughout the clip.
For example, if you’re a fitness trainer who wants to share their workout routine, you can also include warm-up and cool-down tips, demonstrate proper form, or share your workout gear and tools.
These kinds of content give your audience a sneak peek into your personal life, helping you establish trust and real connections.
3
CLIENT WINS
Everyone wants to feel celebrated, and that includes your clients. Celebrate your client’s achievements with them and give them a shoutout (if they’re okay with it, of course).
Share before and after pictures, videos of their progress, or a snapshot of their special moment. Make sure to tag them on social media and include a heartfelt message to inspire them to keep going.
This fosters a deep connection with your client because it shows that you’re interested in their success, and provides your audience with an inspiring example that shows your coaching works.
4
QUICK TIPS AND TUTORIALS
Admit it. You’ve stopped scrolling through your timeline when you stumbled across a useful tip you never knew about. And you’ve definitely searched the internet for a quick tutorial on how to do a random thing.
And that’s because these types of posts are so helpful and informative.
Think about your clients’ frequently asked questions or a specific topic that’s relevant to your niche. Then share bite-sized, actionable advice or a quick tutorial to help your audience.
Make sure to keep it concise and easy to follow. Otherwise, it won’t be as engaging or helpful. Then use the question sticker to ask, “Was this tip or tutorial helpful for you?” or “Rate this tip from 1 to 10.”
5
POLLS AND QUESTIONS
They may be plain, simple polls and questions, but they work. When done the right way, they can spark meaningful discussions and engagement within your community and with your brand.
When using polls, make sure your questions are clear and your options are not too complicated. For example, instead of “Do you find self-discipline difficult when managing multiple priorities?” You can rephrase it to: “Is self-discipline a challenge for you? Yes/No.” This makes it easier for them to choose which option to answer.
When it comes to questions, though, it’s also best to keep it fairly simple and easy to answer. They may not be answerable by “yes” or “no,” but they should be able to think of an answer as they go through the Stories on their feed. They’re more likely to interact with your sticker and engage instead of ignoring tapping through it.
Polls and questions are a great way to understand and get to know your audience more, so don’t just read their answers. Respond to them and keep your conversations meaningful to help you establish credibility.
6
MYTH BUSTING
As an expert in your field, you no doubt have encountered countless misconceptions and false information around the internet and from talking to other people.
You can use Instagram Stories to quickly debunk these misconceptions and turn them into engaging discussions with your audience.
You can start with a poll story to gauge whether your audience believes the myth to be true or not. Then follow up with another Story explaining the facts in a clear and informative way. You can even pair them with real-life testimonials and results to help reinforce the facts.
7
LIVE COACHING SNIPPET
Some of your audience may still be hesitant to work with you. You can convince them and provide valuable tips at the same time by recording a short snippet of your coaching sessions.
If you’re worried about your client’s anonymity, you can try to recreate a common scenario in your coaching sessions to give them a sense of your style and expertise. Then highlight key takeaways and results throughout the video, or in another Story.
Use bold texts to grab attention and highlight the keywords in contrasting colors to make sure your audience doesn’t miss the point. For example, you can caption your video “Here’s a mindset shift we explored today: You don’t need to be perfect to take the first step.”
8
INTERACTIVE CHALLENGES
One of the best Instagram Story ideas for coaches that drives engagement and builds brand loyalty is to do interactive challenges with your audience.
You can join the thousands of online challenges on the internet, or you can create a new one that’s designed specifically for you and your followers.
For example, if you’re a life coach, you can host a 10-day gratitude challenge and ask your followers to tag you in their daily gratitude posts. Try to like and engage with as many posts as you can and of course, share your own thoughts and let them discuss with you in the comments.
9
SHARE YOUR STORY
As a coach, you’ve probably heard and dealt with various clients with inspiring life stories. But you can also share about your own. Talk about your journey. What inspired you to become a coach? What challenges did you face? What kind of growth did you have to go through?
You can record a simple video of you recounting your story, post throwback photos, or share old clips to help you tell your experience in a creative way. If you’re struggling to figure out where to start, here are a few ideas:
Share your setbacks and how you overcame them
Share milestones in your own growth
Share your “why”
Offer ongoing insights from your journey
10
TOOLS AND RESOURCES
When you’ve found something you love that brings you value, it’s natural to want to share it with others.
So share tools and resources that have helped you along the way. This could be your favorite book, an app, a recipe, a tool, or a product that has made your life easier, brought you joy, or helped you stay on track.
You can share a tutorial on how you use it and why it’s helpful, or you can read a passage from it and discuss it briefly. You can make it interactive by adding links or swipe-up features to direct your followers to them.
And if it’s your own resource, you can ask people to message you for the link and send them to your landing page.
11
FUN OR INSPIRATIONAL MEMES
No matter what your humor is, there’s always a meme that can make you giggle. And memes are a great way to catch people’s attention and get them to react and share.
Try posting memes that are relevant to your niche. You can use it to just make everyone chuckle and see your light-hearted side, or even spark conversation.
You can include captions like “Who else can relate?”
Make sure, though, that your memes are relevant to your brand and your audience. It’s not just about being funny. It’s about resonating with them in a creative and lighthearted way. So make sure to stay in tune with what they care about the most.
12
CELEBRATE YOUR MILESTONES
It’s great when you share your clients’ milestones, but celebrating your own can help you establish credibility, build trust, and even open new opportunities for you.
Post pictures of your wins and encourage your audience to share their own. You can even share before and after pictures, clips of you overcoming a challenge, or give a shoutout once you’ve reached a certain number of followers.
You can make it more interesting by sharing the process behind the milestone. For example, if you’re a fitness trainer who has just reached a new personal record, you can share videos of your recent training, meal plan, and other habits that have helped you achieve your goal.
13
FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS
Another great way to reinforce your credibility is to post customer feedback and reviews. You can share screenshots of reviews, share testimonials, DMs, or other forms of feedback on your Stories.
Then share your response by recording a video or using a GIF or sticker.
However, you don’t always have to share something positive. You can also choose to share a negative review and address it on your Stories as well. This could be a great opportunity to show your audience that you’re not afraid of constructive criticism or give you a chance to address a misunderstanding.
14
MISTAKES TO AVOID
Over the years, you’ve probably made countless mistakes yourself before developing your expertise. Your clients may be going through the same and are wondering how to move forward.
Post Stories about common mistakes in your field, why people usually for them, and how to correct these mistakes.
You can use photos, videos, GIFs, memes, and even polls to make it more engaging. If you want to recommend a product or link a tutorial or resource, you can use the swipe-up feature to make it easier for your audience.
For example, if you’re a sports coach, you can share a clip of someone failing to score a point or injuring themself. You can break down what went wrong and provide a demonstration or tips on how to do it correctly.
15
SHARE “REAL TALK” MOMENTS
Don’t be afraid to be authentic and connect with your audience on a more personal level. Try opening up about struggles or challenges you’ve faced as a coach or address something your clients usually face.
Open up the discussion with your audience by using the question sticker and address their comments in future Stories, a regular post, or even a livestream.
Once you’ve created your series of Stories, you can gather related ones and curate several Highlights to feature on your profile. This makes it easier for your audience and first-time profile viewers to see relevant content that piques their interests.
Based on the ideas on this blog post, you can create Highlights that feature your:
Inspiration: Motivational quotes, stories, and case studies
Reviews: Positive and negative reviews, milestones, etc.
Resources: Your recommended tools, resources, and ones that feature yours
Challenges: Interactive challenges you’ve created or joined and Stories from your audience
Behind-the-scenes: A day in the life type posts, routines, and other behind-the-scenes content
These Instagram Story ideas for coaches can transform the way you connect with your audience. Because you’re sharing authentic moments and valuable insights, and engaging directly with your audience, you’re also building trust, establishing credibility, and cultivating a community around your brand.
Start experimenting with these ideas today and see how you can make them fit into your niche and brand. And let me know what you think! Which one of these ideas is your favorite?
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Let me know if you want me to cover one of these topics in more depth, and I’ll make sure to create a blog post about it in the future.
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