15 Jan Facebook Stories Vs. Instagram Stories
When I think of the difference between Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories, there are numerous similarities between the two. (No kidding, they’re owned by the same company.) But why do most people use Instagram Stories over Facebook Stories? Are they really that different? Are people even using Facebook Stories? Let’s take a deeper dive into the two.
The Look
Today, Facebook and Instagram Stories still look very similar, but have a very different user experience.
Facebook Stories are a bit more streamlined to include:
- Frame Format: Text, Music, Boomerang, Selfie, Polls
- Stickers: Location, GIFs, Emojis, Timestamp, Fundraiser, Tagging
Instagram Stories have all of these features, but a more polished user experience. Instagram also includes “Highlights,” which allows you to share your favorite Stories that will have a longer shelf life at the top of your profile, something Facebook doesn’t offer as of now.
Instagram is also known for long-form video content through “IGTV” that helps content creators share more in-depth content with their audiences.
As you compare the two images above and despite little differences, it’s important to note that the platforms’ Stories are somewhat integrated as you can see. While the stickers, tagging, and other features are the same, the user experience is very different.
When should you use Facebook Stories vs. Instagram Stories?
To be fully transparent, I’m team Instagram Stories, as the platform is so much easier to use, and personally my core audience is there. However, for brands, Facebook Stories is a great way for a brand to get more creative with posts, as well as grow and engage their following if the audience is there.
According to Statista, as of May 2019, 27% of Facebook users in the United States were ages 25 to 34, while the total number of Instagram users in the U.S. in that same age range is expected to be over 111 million.
If you have an older audience, Facebook Stories may still be the best place to reach them, especially since Facebook Stories are being placed at the top of the app before any other posts on both mobile and desktop platforms. If your audience tends to skew towards the younger demographic, Instagram Stories might be a better fit for your brand.
Know your audience and where you can reach them. The benefit to Stories is that it has several tools to help you boost your brand awareness by getting discovered by new people. This can be through promoted Stories, adding hashtags to your Stories to reach new people, or even gaining additional insight from your audience with content they want to see in the future by using the question or poll stickers. Look at your company goals and your target audience to get a sense of where you should be, and where you should be spending most of your time and resources. Long term, you want to create unique content for every social network, but if you’re new to Stories, these first steps will help provide insight into what your audience wants to see and help refine your strategy.
If you need a push in the right direction, drop us a line!
