Asking anonymous questions of your followers on Instagram Stories is a great way to build a more personal relationship between you, your brand, your business, or your art, and those who are interested in it (i.e. potential customers/clients). Alternatively, it’s just a fun tool to be used among friends.
Whatever you use them for, we’re here to teach you how to do everything you might want to with Anonymous Questions on Instagram. Just follow our step-by-step tutorials below for all the information you need to become a questioning master.
For all other information, or if you have any additional questions, please direct your attention to our FAQ section located at the end of this article.
Note: You can post anonymous questions on the mobile and tablet versions of the Instagram app, but not on the desktop/online versions.
Table of Contents
How to post anonymous questions to your Instagram story
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile/tablet device, and sign into your profile if prompted
- Tap the (+) icon toward the top-right of the homepage to begin creating a new post
- From the create screen, select ‘Story’ from the options scrolling along the bottom
- To post a question on top of a photo/picture, first take the photo using the capture button, or upload one from your gallery by tapping the gallery icon in the bottom-left. Next, tap the smiley face ‘Sticker’ icon up top, and select ‘Questions’ from the sticker options
- To post a question on a blank story template, tap ‘Create’ (‘Aa’ symbol) on the left of the screen, and then scroll along to ‘Questions’ to immediately be set up with the anonymous question sticker
- To post a question on top of a photo/picture, first take the photo using the capture button, or upload one from your gallery by tapping the gallery icon in the bottom-left. Next, tap the smiley face ‘Sticker’ icon up top, and select ‘Questions’ from the sticker options
- You now have the ‘Questions’ sticker ready to edit on your story.
- You can change the colour of the sticker by tapping the colour wheel icon repeatedly at the top of the screen
- Next, erase the default “Ask me a question” sticker title (or keep it, up to you), and enter your new question (whatever that may be)
- Once satisfied with the question you’re asking your audience, and the colour of the sticker, simply tap ‘Done’ in the top-right
- You can change the colour of the sticker by tapping the colour wheel icon repeatedly at the top of the screen
- Finally, edit the rest of your story as and how you like, and when ready to post it, tap ‘Your Story’ in the bottom-left
How to reply via Direct Message to an anonymous question answer on Instagram
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile/tablet device, and sign into your profile if prompted
- From the homepage, tap ‘Your story’ in the top-left to navigate to your current story, then cycle through your various posts until you reach the one(s) with the anonymous question(s)
- Next, tap ‘Views’ in the bottom left of the screen – you will now see all interactions your followers have taken with your story, including all of the replies to your anonymous question
- To reply via Direct Message to one of these question responses, tap ‘Reply’ below the appropriate response, and then select ‘Send message’
- Type out your response in the text box of the DM page and when satisfied with your reply, hit that blue send arrow
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile/tablet device, and sign into your profile if prompted
- From the homepage, tap ‘Your story’ in the top-left to navigate to your current story, then cycle through your various posts until you reach the one(s) with the anonymous question(s)
- Next, tap ‘Views’ in the bottom left of the screen – you will now see all interactions your followers have taken with your story, including all of the replies to your anonymous question
- To share one of these responses anonymously to your story, tap ‘Reply’ below the appropriate response, and then select ‘Share response’
- This will automatically create a new story with the questions sticker containing your original question, and the anonymous follower’s reply to it. Edit the rest of your story however you like, and when ready to post it, tap ‘Your story’ in the bottom-left of the screen
How to respond to an anonymous question in someone else’s story
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile/tablet device, and sign into your profile if prompted
- From the top of the homepage, locate the story of the person whose question you wish to answer from the scrolling list of stories, and tap on their profile picture to view their story
- Cycle through their various story posts until you reach the one with the anonymous question you wish to answer
- Tap the text box reading “Type something…” in the question sticker, and type out your response. When satisfied, tap ‘Send’. Your response will be sent to the original poster, and whilst they can see that it was you who sent it, if they choose to share your response your name will be anonymised.
And that’s everything there is to teach you about how to do anonymous questions on Instagram.
If you have any further questions or would like to learn anything more on the subject, please see our FAQs below.
Frequently asked questions
What are anonymous questions on Instagram?
Anonymous questions are an interactive sticker that you can choose to include (or make the main feature) in an Instagram story. They only apply to Instagram stories, and cannot be used in Reels, Feed Posts, or on IGTV.
When you apply the ‘Questions’ sticker to your story, you’ll see a white box with your profile picture attached to it. You can now edit the text (which as default says “Ask me a question”) to reflect the question you wish to ask your followers. Below this title question is a blank text box.
When you post your story, your followers can answer the question you pose by typing their responses into that blank box. This response will then show up in the Story insights. You can view said insights by tapping ‘Views’ in the bottom-left of the story screen on the relevant post.
What kind of questions can you pose?
Whatever questions you can dream up! There are absolutely no restrictions on the types of questions you can pose (other than the Instagram Terms of Use/User Agreement). Thus, whether you’re a business asking for some marketing feedback on your product, an artist asking their fans about their latest published content, or just a friend asking other friends their opinion on something, the anonymous question sticker is your friend!
Who can answer anonymous questions on Instagram?
Anyone who follows you. Since only your followers can see your stories, only they can interact with the stickers you use on your stories. Remember, however, that not all the people who follow your account will necessarily see (or want to reply to) the anonymous questions you pose.
What can you do with answers to anonymous questions?
You’ve got a few options when you receive a reply to an anonymous question. You can either reply to the person who answered you directly (i.e. to their DMs), which we’ll walk you through above, or you can share their response. Sharing their response allows you to post the answer to your previously asked question into your story, and thus comment on the reactions you’re getting to your earlier question(s).
How anonymous are these questions?
Good question! The term ‘anonymous’ is a little confusing here since there are several elements of the question sticker on Instagram stories that are not anonymous at all. For example, when you post a question to your story, your profile picture is attached to it, and so everyone who sees it will know that it’s you who’s asking the question. Furthermore, when someone replies to your question, you will be able to see in your Stories insights exactly who they are.
However, there are still some anonymous elements, of course. If you share an anonymous question asked by someone you follow onto your story from theirs, their name/profile picture will disappear, thus anonymizing them. Similarly, if the original poster shares your response to their question to their story, your name will be hidden, and thus you will remain anonymous to everyone except the OP.
