Whether you like them or not, Stories are on the rise, and have grown to become a key social media content option.

The usage figures tell the (ahem) story – Facebook alone now sees more than 1.25 billion people using the Stories options across its family of apps every day. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently noted that ephemeral stories are among the fastest growing areas of online communication “by far”, and even through your own usage, you’ve no doubt noticed the rise in Stories being posted, and have found yourself more inclined to tap in and view the latest vertical video update from friends and/or brands you follow.

There’s no denying the rising interest in the option – and that means that, as a social media marketer, you need to also be considering Stories in your process.

So what makes a good brand story, and what are the key elements you should focus on to ensure your stories stand out? Facebook has published a new report looking at exactly that – the full report (available here) outlines a range of key considerations in detail, but you can also get an overview of the highlights in the below infographic.