Subject areaChannels and tools
Also known asInstagram Stories
Stories are vertical posts, photos or short videos, that people watch full screen one after another and that disappear after a day.
The format was born on Snapchat alongside ephemeral messages (those that delete themselves), and was then replicated by Instagram and Facebook, for which it became a growth lever.
The short life changes the way a brand communicates: the content can be less polished than a permanent post and show what happens behind the scenes, while the deadline prompts people to watch straight away, an effect linked to scarcity (the perceived value of what is about to run out). For a brand they are therefore a channel for daily presence, measured on views and replies rather than on reach over time.
An example
The case below is constructed, because the term does not yet appear in the articles. A tool manufacturer uses stories to show the behind the scenes of a trade fair, day by day. The material is available only briefly, so followers come back to watch, and the best clips are then saved as highlights on the profile.
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Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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