In the last year, Instagram Stories has become a hugely essential platform for publishers. Within Stories itself there are many new features that have made it a go-to for creating engaging, authentic content, from tags and stickers to gifs and filters. As a result, we make it a point to have daily content on the @HerCampus Instagram Story, and have seen great success with the following techniques, which can work for your brand, too.

1. Host a regular series.

By now, most of us realize that video content, especially regular segments, is pretty much essential for brands and publishers. But not all of us have huge video teams or even the latest equipment. One thing that Instagram Stories has done is create a space where lighter-staffed brands and publishers can still host regular, series-like content that looks clean, high quality, and fun. While you may not be able to keep up with dozens of large-scale video projects, many of us can manage at least a few weekly Instagram Story series. An added benefit of a segment is that as viewers get more and more used to seeing certain faces, they begin to look forward to the series and regularly DM and engage with the content.

2. Utilize Instagram Live for organic dialogues.

Another critical part of Instagram Stories is the Instagram Live feature. The platform has made it possible for users to switch between Instagram Stories and Instagram Live, so that, for example, you can find corresponding Stories and Live living on the @HerCampus Instagram account at once. One thing we’ve found success with is using Stories and Live to drive to each other. For example, we might do a Live recording of a single panel at an event, with Stories featuring different panels and speakers at said event. This makes it possible for us to reach our audience in different ways while ultimately feeding into a common goal.

3. Target specific locations.

Did you know that most Instagram users aren’t actually based in the U.S.? This means that finding effective ways to reach out to international audiences can be hugely important for growing your follower base. One way to do this is by using Instagram Stories. You can use the location tag feature on your story, and either center the location itself or use it to tag each individual slide. This is great if you have takeovers from a variety of people from a variety of places, or are covering events around the world (or even just around your own country!).

4. Take advantage of trending hashtags and events.

Whether you’re covering NYFW or awards shows, creating Instagram Stories around trending hashtags and events is often a smart move. The more people who are scrolling through a hashtag, the more people who are going to learn about your content, and the more likely it is that you’ll find some new followers. Just make sure you know the context of the trend or event so your content feels like it fits with it.

Rachel Lewis is the Social Media Editor of Her Campus.