To use the Instagram question sticker, create a Story, tap Stickers, choose Questions, write your prompt and pick Text or Music as the type of answer. After you post, swipe up on your own Story to see who responded, then tap a response to share it. Instagram's Help Center says the shared response does not show the person's photo or username. This guide covers each step, plus what to write in the prompt and how to check the results.
Step 1: Start a Story and open the Stickers tray
Instagram's Help Center says to tap Create at the top or swipe right anywhere in Feed, then scroll to Story at the bottom. Take a photo, hold to record a video, or swipe up to choose one from your camera roll. Then tap Stickers at the top and pick one.
The Help Center also describes a shortcut: in the Story camera, tap Options on the left, tap Create to personalize a Story without a photo or video, then swipe left at the bottom of the screen. It lists asking a question among the things you can choose there.
Two availability notes from the same page. Instagram says not all stickers are available to everyone or for reels, and that if you do not see a sticker you should update the app from the App Store or Google Play. It also says the sticker feature may be unavailable in Japan and in countries located in Europe.
Step 2: Add the Questions sticker and write the prompt
In the Stickers tray, choose Questions. Instagram's description of it is short: write your own question and customize the type of answers.
Instagram does not publish advice on what makes a good prompt, so the points below are our suggestions, not Instagram rules.
- Ask one thing. A prompt that asks for one answer is easier to reply to than a prompt that asks for three.
- Name the topic. "Ask me anything about my morning routine" tells people what you will answer; "Ask me anything" does not.
- Say what happens next, for example "I'll answer the best ones in tomorrow's Stories".
- Put the sticker on a clear background so the text is readable, then check the Story before you post.
Step 3: Choose how people can answer
Instagram's Help Center says to select Text to let people type a response to your question, or Music to let people send you a song. Our pick for a Q&A is Text; Music suits prompts such as "Send me your best workout song".
Instagram says anyone who can see your Story can tap the sticker and send you a response. So who can see your Story decides who can respond; we suggest checking your audience settings before you post. When you are ready, tap Your Story in the bottom left.
Step 4: See the responses
Instagram's Help Center says that to see who responded, you swipe up on your own Story. Instagram also says Stories disappear from your profile, Feed and Direct after 24 hours unless you add them as highlights. The pages we read do not say whether responses stay available after the Story expires, so we suggest answering the ones you want while the Story is still up.
If you want to keep a good answer after the Story disappears, our guide to Instagram Stories highlights shows how highlights work.
Step 5: Answer in a Story by sharing the response
Instagram's Help Center says: tap a response from someone to share it. It adds that their photo and username will not be shown. Instagram's page documents only the tap to share; the steps below are our suggested way to run the Q&A, using the tools Instagram lists for Stories:
- Open your Story and swipe up to see the responses.
- Tap a response to share it.
- Add your answer on top. Instagram's Stories page lists text, drawing, GIFs, mentions and hashtags among the Story tools, so you can type the answer or draw on it.
- Share it with Your Story.
Repeat for each question you want to answer. For a longer answer, you can post several Stories one after another. Our guide to the Add Yours sticker covers a different sticker that asks people to post their own Story instead.
The Help Center also describes the Questions sticker for Reels. People respond by tapping Type something, and their responses show as replies to the sticker, where anyone who can see the Reel can see the reply. If your account is public, Instagram says people can also create Reels that include your response. That is different from the Story version, where you decide which responses to share.
Step 6: Check what the Q&A did
Instagram's pages do not say that the Questions sticker raises engagement, so we do not claim that. What Instagram does publish is what Story insights show, and you can use those to judge your own Q&A.
Instagram's Help Center says to tap your profile picture at the top of your feed or profile to open your Story, then tap Activity, then tap Insights. For older Stories, go to your profile, tap More to open Settings & activity, then tap Insights below For professionals (professional accounts) or Your dashboard below Your insights and tools (personal accounts), then tap Content you shared and pick the Story. The metrics listed are:
- Views: the number of times your Story was played or displayed.
- Viewers: unique accounts that saw your Story at least once.
- Interactions: actions such as replies, shares, sticker taps and link taps.
- Accounts engaged: unique accounts that interacted with your Story.
- Profile activity: actions taken from your Story, such as profile visits, follows or website clicks.
Instagram says you need a public personal or professional account to view insights, and that insights stay available for up to two years even though the Story itself expires after 24 hours. It also notes that numbers can be delayed as they populate, and it warns that certain messaging-related metrics will be unavailable for businesses and ads in Europe and Japan.
A simple way to judge a Q&A: compare sticker taps and interactions on the Q&A Story with a normal Story from the same week. If the Q&A Story shows more, the format is working for your audience. This comparison is our method, not an Instagram benchmark.
Ideas for brands and creators
These are practical formats. We are not claiming results for any of them.
- Launch dialogue: a day or two before a launch, post a Story asking "What do you want to know about the new ...?", then answer the top questions in follow-up Stories.
- Behind the scenes: ask what people want to see about how you work, then show it.
- Pick a topic: use the Questions sticker to gather what people want your next post to cover. Instagram's Creators site recommends using stickers, questions, a poll or a quiz to keep fans engaged in Stories. For a poll version, see our 50 poll ideas.
- Go live next: collect questions in a Story, then answer them in a Live. Our guide to Instagram Live Rooms covers that format.
If you are building the audience that sees these Stories, UpGrow's Instagram growth service targets people you choose and does not need your Instagram password. To see where your account stands first, try the free Instagram audit.
FAQ
How do I do a Q&A on Instagram Stories?
Create a Story, tap Stickers, choose Questions and write your prompt. After posting, swipe up on your Story to see the responses, tap one to share it, then add your answer (the answer step is our suggestion).
How do I see who answered my Instagram question sticker?
Instagram's Help Center says to swipe up on your own Story to see who responded. When you share a response, the person's photo and username are not shown.
Can people send music to the question sticker?
Yes. Instagram's Help Center says you can select Music so people can send you a song, or Text so they can type a response.
Does the Instagram question sticker increase engagement?
No Instagram page says that it does. Instagram does show Story insights, including interactions and sticker taps, so you can compare your Q&A Story with your other Stories.
Why can't I find the question sticker?
Instagram says not all stickers are available to everyone and to update the app if one is missing. It also says the sticker feature may be unavailable in Japan and in countries located in Europe.
