The ultimate guide to Instagram Stories
Instagram is a major social media platform, with an estimated 1.35 billion users as of 2023. That number is predicted to keep rising, reaching 1.44 billion by 2025. If you’re looking for an effective way to leverage Instagram’s reach, Instagram stories are a winning option.
Stories let you post short, temporary content — including photos and videos — to your Instagram profile. That content disappears from your profile, messages, and feed after 24 hours — although there are ways to make your stories last.
Read on for a complete guide to Instagram stories, how the feature works, and what you can do to make the most of it for your content marketing in 2023.
Summary/Overview
What are Instagram Stories?
Instagram stories allow you to post visual content to your Instagram profile, including photos and videos with or without captions. Stories are unique from Instagram posts because they don’t appear in your grid and disappear after 24 hours.
If you want to keep your stories on your profile for more than 24 hours, you can save them by adding them as Instagram story highlights. These appear above your main photo grid and below your profile picture on your Instagram profile (toward the top of the screen).
Businesses and brands use Instagram Stories as a marketing strategy because they are a quick and easy way to engage with consumers. Posting too many Instagram reels or posts can overwhelm users and make your Instagram presence feel spammy. Stories are a great way to mix up your content. You can even repost others’ stories.
Stories are especially useful for boosting consumer engagement. For example, you might use stories to take polls or ask your users “this or that” questions. This gives you a fun way to engage with your target audience.
How to view Instagram Stories
To view Instagram Stories, open the Instagram app on your smartphone. Tap on the circular profile pictures at the top of your feed to see the Stories posted by the accounts you follow. Swipe left to move to the next Story and swipe down to exit the Stories view.
How long are Instagram Stories?
Instagram Stories have a maximum duration of 15 seconds per individual clip. However, you can add multiple clips to create a longer Story. By default, Stories play in a sequence, allowing you to include several 15-second clips to form a longer story that viewers can swipe through.
How to make an Instagram Story
Want to know how to create your own Instagram Story? Here are some quick steps you can follow:
- Open the Instagram app on your device and log in to your account.
- Tap on the camera icon at the top left corner of the homepage or swipe right from your feed to access the camera.
- Capture a photo or record a video by tapping the shutter button (circle) once for a photo or holding it down for a video.
- Edit your Story by applying filters, adding text, stickers, or drawings using the options at the top of the screen.
- Once you're satisfied with your Story, either tap the "Your Story" button at the bottom of the screen or the arrow on the bottom right to post it to your Story or choose specific friends or groups to send it directly.
- Optionally, you can also access your device's photo gallery or other apps to select and share existing photos or videos as your Story.
- Your Story will be available for your followers to view for 24 hours, and you can view who has seen your Story by swiping up on your own Story.
That's it! You've successfully created an Instagram Story.
Insta Stories tips and tricks
If you want to leverage Instagram stories to boost your brand, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.
Of course, the first step is to set up an Instagram account. If you haven’t done that, start with this complete step-by-step guide. It covers everything from picking a profile photo (no selfies, please) to uploading content from your camera roll.
Then, check out the below tips on leveraging Insta stories.
1. Use high-quality visuals
Stories content might be temporary, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with poor-quality visuals. Use high-quality images that are clear (high pixel count) and fit your brand and message. If the picture was taken using the live feature on your phone, consider turning it into a boomerang by clicking the infinity symbol in the top right corner. Overlay elements like stickers and emojis on top of your visuals for more attention-grabbing content.
2. Use stickers, GIFs, and other interactive features
Instagram has many interactive features, including polls, questions, countdowns, and quizzes. These features are great because they empower your audience to engage. Learn how to make the most of them.
You can also use these interactive features to get consumer feedback — for example, asking what products they like. At the top right of your screen, click the square smiley face button (the one in the middle) to get access to various interactive features.
3. Add music and sound effects
Instagram Stories also lets you add music and sound effects, similar to TikTok and Snapchat. Open the camera and swipe up to the “Music” option to search for songs. Audio can help set the tone for the new story and make for a more fun experience.
4. Use texts and graphics
Adding text and graphics to your visuals provides helpful context and makes your story more informative. Additionally, utilizing face filters if you are speaking directly to your audience is a fun way to make your Insta stories more visually interesting. For added reach, add hashtag stickers to new content to make it even more engaging.
5. Tell a story
The stories you create and post to your account should create a narrative about your brand or a new product. This helps spark an emotional connection with the viewer and makes your content more memorable.
You can even string together multiple stories to weave a more complex narrative – almost like a slideshow. This also has the benefit of keeping people glued to your content (stories play hands-free).
6. Use a consistent brand voice
Your brand voice sets you apart from companies that sell similar products or services. Make sure you’re using a consistent tone and verbiage when communicating with your audience, and craft that voice appropriately.
For example, communicate with baby boomers differently than you would with Gen Zers. Your brand voice should be amplified by your brand visuals, like your logo, colors, and fonts. Learn how to build brand recognition.
Instagram Stories for business
Learning how to create compelling content is only half the battle if you want your Instagram Stories to really impact your target audience. Implement these tips to make sure your content truly resonates with story viewers.
- Promote timely news like sales and giveaways. Instagram Stories are all about in-the-moment material. They’re a great way to share timely content — meaning it’s only relevant for a set time frame. For example, you might use stories to share news or discounts or celebrate holidays. Since the stories disappear after 24 hours, it doesn’t matter that the content is time-sensitive.
- Conduct polls for your customers. Stories are a great way to interact with customers. They’ll see your stories at the top of their main Instagram feed, making it very likely they’ll click through. Polls are one type of interactive content that can get people to participate. Just add a poll sticker with a basic yes-no question. For example, if you’re a fashion brand, you might post a picture of a dress and ask, “Would you want this dress in purple?”
- Hear from your audience with question stickers. Another way to get your audience to interact with your stories is to use question stickers. Focus on asking brand-related questions. You’ll get personalized answers, which you can even reply to through direct message (DM).
- Quiz your audience with quiz stickers. Quiz stickers are another handy tool to get your audience involved in a conversation on Instagram. In this case, you can post a multiple-choice question. Users pick their answer by tapping on A, B, or C, for example. They’ll see immediately whether or not they got the answer right. They can also see statistics about how others responded, which can get those competitive juices flowing — great for boosting engagement.
- Host chats on your stories with chat stickers. Chat stickers let you interact with up to 32 participants in an intimate live chat. You add the sticker to your story, users request access, and you can decide whether to approve them. You can pick the topic of discussion based on your business needs.
- Use product stickers. You can also use stories to promote products, especially if they’ll only be in your store for a limited time. You can tag the photo with a product sticker and include a link. That link can direct the person to a landing page to learn more about the product or even let them buy it directly through your Instagram shop. Note that you need a business account to use product stickers, and they aren’t available in all countries.
- Take advantage of Instagram story ads. If you have a little extra to spend, consider investing in Instagram story ads. You can promote a branded story by setting it up through the Facebook Ads Manager. Add hashtags to the story and provide details regarding your target audience’s age, gender, geographical location, and similar details. The algorithm will make sure the ad plays for the right people — even if they don’t follow you — letting you reach a larger target audience.
- Go live. Going live can be intimidating, but it can also be one of the most effective ways to communicate with your target audience on Instagram. Your subscribers will be notified that you’ve gone live and can tune in, ask questions, and post comments in real time. This is a favorite technique of influencers. Go live during heavy traffic times when a lot of your users are online. Just when is that? This guide has you covered.
- Save stories with highlights on your profile. Stories are meant to be temporary. However, you might want to preserve a story for more than 24 hours. In this case, you can use the highlights feature, which can be further categorized based on your needs. For example, if you’re a fashion brand, you might have a category of saved “style tips” highlights. Add your tap-worthy covers to stories to make people want to click on them.
Share an eye-catching Instagram Story
With Adobe Express, you can make eye-catching Instagram stories that will engage and excite your audience. Try out the Instagram Story templates and customize them to reflect your brand's image. If you want to save your story as a highlight, use the highlight cover creator to make an eye-catching cover to add to your profile.
We hope this article has inspired you to start making more engaging Instagram stories. With a little creativity and Adobe Express, you can take your IG stories to the next level.
This post was updated on August 17, 2023.