Not to be dramatic, but if I had to give up every single one of my marketing channels except one, I would keep Instagram Stories.

Not Reels. Not my email list. Stories.

Of course, I love all of the other platforms, but when I look at where my sales actually come from, where the warmest leads live, where people go from “kind of interested” to “take my money!!”, it’s  Stories every single time.

Let me show you why, and more importantly, how to make Stories work for your sales funnel!

The $10,000 Day That Happened Only in Stories

A little while back, I ran a rare flash sale for my membership, Reels Lab. I almost never discount it because it is already priced fairly for everything included, but I had been hearing from people that money was tight, so I decided to do a quick sale.

I didn’t announce it in an email. I didn’t make a Reel or carousel…I put it in my Instagram Stories and nowhere else.

That one day brought in over $10,000. 🤯

Crazy right?!

The people watching your Stories are your most invested audience. They want the behind-the-scenes. They want to get to know you better. That makes them the warmest leads you have, and most people are completely ignoring them.

Why Stories Convert Better Than Anything Else

Your grid is where people decide whether to follow you. Your Stories are where they decide whether to trust you.

Think about the difference. Your feed is curated. It is your highlight reel, your polished best. Stories are where you get to be a real human. Where someone gets to see your actual day, your personality, the funny thing you noticed at the grocery store that has nothing to do with your business.

That is what builds the kind of trust that leads to sales. Not perfectly designed graphics. Not a flawless aesthetic. Realness.

In fact, I recorded the podcast episode this blog is based on with under-eye patches on and barely any makeup, fresh off a red eye from Vegas, precisely because that is what Stories are supposed to look like. Off the cuff. Human. Real.

My Daily Stories Strategy (Steal This)

You do not need to be in launch mode to use Stories well. Most days, my strategy is simple and repeatable. Here is the structure I follow.

☀️ Story 1: Morning Check-In

I start almost every single day with a quick story that says, in effect, here is what I am up to today. Sometimes it is me about to record a podcast. Sometimes it is, busy day with the kids, I might not be on here much, hope your day is amazing.

It feels small, but it is doing something important. It’s an invite into your world.. I almost always add an interactive sticker, a slider or a poll, so people feel invited to engage rather than just watch.

💰 Story 2: The Conversion Story

The second story of the day is intentional. This is the one designed to gently convert. It might point people to a new podcast episode, my freebie, my masterclass, or my membership. I show a real glimpse behind the scenes, then drop a link sticker.

One conversion-focused story a day. That is it. It never feels salesy because it is wrapped in everything else.

🍷 The Rest: Document Your Day

After that, I treat Stories like a vlog. The DM I just got and how I answered it. Me at ballet with my daughter. Us dancing in the kitchen making dinner. A meme that made me feel seen. Something I am watching that I want to ask my audience about.

This is the connection piece. It is what makes people feel like they know you. And when people feel like they know you, they buy from you.

How to Sell on Instagram Stories Without Being Pushy

When I am in full launch mode, I structure my Stories like a sales page. Because really, that is what a good sequence is. Here is the flow.

Start with the offer. Open it up, show what it actually is, and who it is for. A quick behind-the-scenes look inside the course, the membership, the product, etc.

Move to proof. Share a testimonial or tell the story of a client or customer. If you are brand new and do not have testimonials yet, share the why behind what you created instead. People connect with the reason something exists.

Show the bells and whistles. Now you get into what is included. The features, the details, everything they are getting.

Level with them. This is the come to Jesus moment. Be honest. Something like, I know this is an investment, I have been nervous to spend money too, here is the link, and if you have questions just DM me. Reassure them you do not want them buying if it is not right for them.

That sequence works for a product, a service, an event, anything. It mirrors the exact journey a great sales page takes someone on, just in a format that feels personal and human.

Use the Link Sticker. Every Time.

I need to clear something up because there is a lot of bad advice floating around about this.

Yes, some people will tap away when you add a link sticker. That is fine. The people who actually want what you are offering will click it. The ones who leave were never going to buy in that moment anyway.

So stop overthinking it. If you are here to build a business, change your life, and make money while building a community, use the link sticker. You do not have to use it every single day, but use it when it counts.

If you would rather not use a link sticker, you can also point people to a Reel or post and use a comment to DM tool to send them a link. Either way, the goal is the same: get your warmest audience to the thing you want them to see.

Let Your Insights Tell You What Is Working

Here is a simple exercise. Go to your Insights, tap into the content you have shared, filter to Stories, and sort by interactions rather than just views. Look at replies specifically.

When I do this, the same truth shows up over and over: my most engaged Stories are almost always behind-the-scenes moments. Travel, real life, the unfiltered stuff. Me cracking up with my husband on the couch. Walking onto a stage. Arriving home and soaking it in.

People love following along on a journey. Any journey you are on, document it. You will get DMs like crazy, and DMs are where relationships and sales are born.

Your Assignment This Week

Start treating your Stories like the sales funnel they actually are.

Open with a morning check-in. Add one conversion-focused story a day. Vlog the rest of your real life in between. Use the link sticker without fear. And at the end of the week, check your Insights to see which Stories pulled the most replies and reactions so you can do more of what is working.

Want to break out of 200-view jail?!
It’s possible inside the Reels Lab!

Every week, we hand you 5+ industry-specific content ideas (Reels, Carousels, and talk-to-camera scripts), captions, audios, and a video showing you exactly how to execute them.

And the industry-specific content we deliver every week results in wins like this!