How to use Instagram Notes (+ 42 note ideas) (2024)

It often seems the “social” part of social media is forgotten.

With so many advertisem*nts and business accounts in your feed, you might completely miss posts from your friends and family, with graduation photos and engagement announcements lost in the house.

What are Instagram notes?

Instagram notes are virtual memos you can pin within your direct messaging center, or inbox, to share quick messages with your mutuals (your followers who follow you back) or your close friends (like your Instagram Story). Each note lasts 24 hours and has a maximum length of 60 characters.

Like a Tweet, these notes are a great medium for showcasing your personality and sharing life updates or even jokes. You might ask questions, share daily thoughts or mention upcoming events. And you can even share 30-second song clips to express your mood or favorite new hit.

If you’ve been wondering how to turn on notes on Instagram, the good news is they’re already on. This feature is available to everyone and accessible through your DM’s.

Here’s a six-step guide for creating a note:

The benefits of sharing Instagram notes

While seemingly insignificant, a quick note can be a great way to direct your following’s attention to a piece of information, like a new website or tickets to an event you’re hosting. Here are a few benefits of using Instagram’s notes feature:

A stronger Insta presence: Many people use Instagram as a messaging hub, offering your notes greater visibility than posts and stories followers might miss.
Sparked conversations: Notes are a quick and easy way to foster follower conversations. You might ask a question or share your opinion on a hot topic, encouraging note-viewers to comment. This is a particularly great benefit if you have many mutuals who you don’t know personally.
Clever calls-to-action (CTAs): Instagram notes are a great place to generate excitement around your latest announcements, should you have things to share with your following. Whether you’ve launched a new song, published a blog article or plan to visit another country, 60 characters is plenty of space to share important details and ask questions.
A chance to showcase your personality: Curated content like posts and reels is great for brand positioning or life updates for your friends, but you can show your authenticity and reliability with quick, candid notes.

Why can’t I see notes on Instagram?

If you can’t see notes on your Instagram, that just means no one you follow has posted one recently. Check back later to see if anyone has posted, or create your own to inspire your mutuals to join in.

7 great ways to use Instagram Notes

When fostering engagement and building your audience, 60 characters is plenty. Here are seven great ways to make attention-grabbing notes.

1. Ask for opinions and recommendations

Stimulate conversation and show your followers that you care about their perspective by asking for their thoughts on trending industry-specific subjects. No matter your niche, asking your followers for their opinions is a great way to stimulate conversation.

If you’re a lifestyle creator, you might ask questions regarding the latest pop culture events, such as who wore the best outfit to the MET Gala. And a chef might spice things up by asking followers what their favorite foods are and recreating those dishes on their channel.

You could also showcase your interest in your audience by asking for recommendations and tips. Just make sure to respond to each recommendation (or as many as possible) to show your appreciation for their tips. This is another great option if you have many mutuals or a creator network you aren’t always comfortable approaching.

2. Share behind-the-scenes snippets

Involving followers in your day-to-day fosters interest and builds connections. You might share a recipe you’re trying that day or a behind-the-scenes look at a TikTok video you’re creating. And if you want to get even more personal, share funny Instagram notes with your to let loose without impacting professional content on your account.

3. Share a meaningful quote or affirmation

For self-care and lifestyle-focused brands, sharing positive affirmations and meaningful quotes is a great way to offer on-brand value to followers. Who knows – this 60-character positivity might be just what your audience needs that day.

4. Lead traffic to other platforms

Use your notes to direct your audience to your link-in-bio or other platforms. You could link to a recently published YouTube video or website blog post – whatever you want to share, simply give it a shoutout in your notes.

5. Craft an emoji-only note

Emojis are a playful way to describe your mood and what you’re up to. If you’re heading out on an intense camping trip, you might share emojis of mountains or tents. Or, you could summarize your whole day through emojis of food and activities to see if anyone feels the same.

6. Share a discount code or announce a giveaway

Use a note to share a discount code or announce a giveaway with reciprocated followers or your close friends. Even if you share this info with the former group, you can make it more exclusive by stating that only a certain number of followers to use the code receive the discount or are eligible for the giveaway.

7. Express yourself through a song

Share song clips to showcase your own track or express your music tastes to your target audience, but this is especially great if you’re a musician yourself. If not, get creative with outside-the-box throwbacks and under-the-radar artists or show your love for today’s trending artists to connect with your mutuals.