how to write stories on instagram

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How to Write on Instagram Stories

Last Updated: March 19, 2024

This article was co-authored by Jaclyn Selby . Jaclyn Selby is a Social Media Expert and Director of Social Media at Ovello. Ovello is a female-owned & operated team of remote Executive Assistants and Social Media Managers who are passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their personal businesses to maximum potential. With 4 years of social media experience, she specializes in helping her clients create a brand, a holistic strategy, and growth through various social media platforms. This article has been viewed 60,280 times.

This wikiHow shows you how to add text to Instagram stories and how to send messages to friends through their stories. Once you take photo or video to upload to your story, you'll be able to write on it with text, draw on it with pen, or add customizable stickers like polls and questions to your story.

Adding Text to Instagram Stories

• Swipe right to open the camera.
• Take a new photo or upload one from your camera roll.
• Tap the Text tool (Aa) and tap a part of your photo.
• Enter the text you want.

Writing on a Photo Posted to Your Story

• You can also swipe across the bottom of the screen to take a Boomerang video, a Superzoom video, or another type of video.
• Tap on the small square icon with a preview of your latest photo to select a photo or video from your camera roll.

• Select a font style from 5 different font styles: Modern, Neon, Typewriter, Strong, and Classic.
• Choose a text color by tapping one of the color bubbles at the bottom of the text editing menu. You can also tap and hold a color bubble to pull up custom colors.
• Tap a spot on the photo and type your text once you’ve selected a font and color. You can open your keyboard and add text to your photo before posting it to your story.
• Adjust the settings for your text by toggling font size, alignment, and the color of text boxes with different features in the text editing menu.
• Tap Done to save any edits you make to the text and will add the text to your photo.

• Select a stylist design to adjust how drawn lines appear on your story post.
• Pick a design to change how the Pen tool draws or writes on your story post. Styles include: Highlighter, Pen, Neon, Eraser, and Chalk.
• Choose a color for writing or drawing on your story by tapping one of the colored circles displayed along the bottom of the Pen tool menu.
• Tap Done to save any edits you make in the Pen tool and will add the designs you drew to your photo.

• You can select a variety of stickers to your story, including location tags and poll questions.
• You can also adjust the size and location of these stickers on your post the same way you can adjust text.
• To add a poll, select the Poll sticker, enter your question in the ask a question field, and edit the text in the YES|NO fields. Like text, you can also adjust the size and location of the Poll sticker.

Sending a Response to an Instagram Story

• If you want to send a picture or video instead, tap the camera button instead and take a photo or video.

Adding a Caption to a Post

• To upload a new photo, tap Photo then tap the shutter icon at the bottom of the menu.
• To upload a new video, tap Video then press and hold the shutter icon at the bottom of the menu..
• To upload a photo or video from your phone’s library, tap Library (iPhone) or Gallery (Android) and select the photo or video you want to post to your story.

Expert Q&A

Expert interview.

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about using Instagram, check out our in-depth interview with Jaclyn Selby .

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Instagram Stories: What They Are and How to Make One Like a Pro

Updated: October 06, 2022

Published: July 12, 2021

These days, social media is all about documentation.

Where you go, what you eat and drink, who you see, and what's most memorable: These are the typical fodder of Instagram Stories — seconds-long glimpses of people's lives, shared on Instagram for only 24 hours.

Below, we've created a guide for you to learn what Instagram Stories are, how to share them with your followers, and how to make sure those Stories are exactly what your audience wants to see.

We'll cover the following:

What are Instagram Stories?

How do instagram stories work.

• Instagram Stories vs. Instagram Highlights

How long are Instagram Stories?

How to view instagram stories, how to make an instagram story, how to use instagram stories for business.

• Instagram Stories Tricks and Hacks

Let's get started.

An Instagram Story is an in-app features that allows users to share ephemeral content available for 24 hours. With Instagram's current UI, recently posted Stories are denoted by a gradient border around the user's profile picture.

Your Instagram Story is published separately from your in-feed content. Although you might know the basics of sharing them, there are hidden tools within the app that can make the photos and videos you add to your Story more creative and engaging.

HubSpot uses the information you provide to us to contact you about our relevant content, products, and services. HubSpot will share the information you provide to us with the following partners, who will use your information for similar purposes: Agorapulse. You can unsubscribe from communications from HubSpot at any time. For more information, check out HubSpot's Privacy Policy . To unsubscribe from Agorapulse's communications, see Agorapulse's Privacy Policy .

Free Instagram for Business Kit

Learn how to get followers, build your audience, navigate algorithm updates, and measure success.

• Best Practices Guide
• Instagram Templates
• Expert Tips

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Tell us a little about yourself below to get free templates and tips.

When posting an Instagram Story, you can add stickers, time stamps, and doodles to each Story and apply certain filters and effects.

If your account is public, your Story is visible to anyone, but if your account is private, your Story is only visible to those who follow you.

Viewers have the option of directly responding to your Story via direct message (DM), liking it, or sharing it with their followers. You do have the option to disable replies in your app's settings .

You can also see who's viewed it by opening up your Story and swiping up on your screen.

Instagram Stories vs. Instagram Story Highlights

Instagram Stories is a feature that allows you to post ephemeral content available for up to 24 hours. Instagram Story Highlights are collections of saved Instagram Stories that live on a user's profile.

Brands and content creators often use Highlights to give their content a second life and add another element of curation to their profile.

It's a great place to share user-generated content, customer reviews, and FAQs - essentially anything that doesn't quite have a place in the feed but is valuable to your audience.

Learn how to create an Instagram Highlight here.

Why should you use Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories can drive a ton of engagement and value — whether you're sharing a Story from a brand account or your own personal profile.

Instagram Stories have fueled the growth of brands like Anima Iris and Glamnetic .

Whether publishers are trying to grow brand awareness, grow traffic to videos or newsletters outside of Instagram, or share sponsored posts, Instagram Stories allows them to publish fun disappearing content that infuses brand voice and personality without taking up too much of the average user's dwindling attention span .

That's why Instagram Stories are so short and why they only last a short while on the platform.

Instagram Stories last 24 hours on your profile before disappearing, but a video inside your Story can be up to 15 seconds long before cutting to the next piece of content. You can also use a third-party app to segment a longer video into 15-second increments to add to your Story.

Just as Instagram Stories only last 24 hours before disappearing, the photos and videos themselves have a time limit when users view and play them.

As a blanket rule, the individual videos you add to your Instagram Story each have a maximum roll time of 15 seconds. If you add a one-minute video to your Instagram Story, for example, it will be broken up into 15-second segments.

Instagram Stories appear at the top of your screen when you're on the Instagram mobile app.

Because they're often the first pieces of content users see when they open Instagram, these Stories can get a ton of engagement and help you advertise your regular Instagram photo gallery to more users.

Let's go over how you can view Instagram Stories.

1. Open Instagram and navigate to the home screen.

To start viewing Instagram Stories, open your Instagram mobile app and tap the home icon on the bottom-lefthand corner of your screen.

Once you've navigated to Instagram's home screen, you'll see a series of circular icons along the top, each of which represents the active Stories posted by the users you follow.

Your own Story is available for viewing on the far left of the Stories you follow.

2. Tap on a circular icon to view that user's Story.

Each circular icon you see at the top of your home screen will have a gradient circle around it, denoting that the user has recently posted a Story.

Tap on it to expand the user's Story — it will play automatically and go to the next user's Story.

3. Tap left and right to explore a user's story.

A single Instagram Story can contain numerous individual photos and videos strung together in the order it was shared.

To see earlier Stories, tap the screen on the left. To see recent Stories, tap on Ithe right. You'll see Stories organized from oldest to newest.

If you want to skip some Stories, you can easily do so by tapping to the right.

4. Use an Instagram Story viewer to view Stories privately.

Did you know that you can use a third-party tool to view Stories without the user knowing?

You might want to do this if you're scouting freelancers and don't want them to see you first. Some Story viewers allow you to autosave copies of the Stories, while others will offer a paid option so you can automatically save copies of new Stories.

Inflact is one of those apps - Stories are available on the web, you don't need to download an app. You can search for any username, and copies of the Stories posted from that username will pop up.

All you need to do is create an account. Here's what that looks like in Ingramer's Instagram Story viewer :

Additional tools you can use include:

• Instafollowers.co
• Insta-Stories.online
• StoriesDown

Ready to start posting? Let's go over how you can create Instagram Stories step-by-step.

• Open up the Instagram app on your phone and tap your profile picture near the upper left-hand corner. Alternatively, swipe right to open up the camera.
• Choose a filter by swiping right and left at the bottom. You'll be able to preview each filter live.
• Capture a photo or video using the camera.
• Alternatively, skip the two previous steps and swipe up on your screen to browse your gallery. Choose an existing photo or video.
• Add stickers, time stamps, or GIFs to the Story.
• Once you've finished editing your photo or video, tap Your Story to share it with all of your followers.

You can make successful Instagram Stories too — but it requires a few more hacks and tips to make them look like the Stories big brands and influencers share.

But first, let's review the basics of how to share an Instagram Story.

1. Open up the Instagram app and tap your profile picture near the upper left-hand corner.

To start posting a Story, open up the Instagram app and click on your profile image in the top left corner. You can also swipe right or click the plus sign near the top right.

If you click the + sign, you'll automatically be prompted to create a post instead of a Story. To get to the Story creator, choose Story at the bottom right.

2. Choose a filter and image capture mode.

Once you start creating your Story, you can choose a filter by swiping right and left on the filter carousel at the bottom of the screen.

Normal means choosing no option. It means what it says: Tapping once on the camera button will capture a photo, and holding down will record a video.

Instagram Stories can be 15 seconds in length, so if you want to share a video that's longer, film in 15-second stints, or split your longer clip into 15-second installments.

Create mode will take you to a screen where you can create a Story from scratch. On this screen, you can choose stickers, place gifs, and write text.

Boomerang mode films looping GIFs up to three seconds in length.

Layout mode will take you to a screen with four quadrants, in which you can capture four different photos. You can change the style of the grid.

Multi-Capture

Multi-capture mode allows you to capture photos and videos consecutively without needing to upload them separately to your Story.

Photobooth mode allows you to take four photos that then appear in consecutive order in your Story. There's a flash in between, giving the effect of photos taken in an actual photo booth.

Use hands-free mode if you want to set up your camera to film a video for you. Make sure you prop it somewhere stable before you start recording. We'll talk more about this feature in a minute.

The level option will overlay a grid over your camera so that you can accurately align objects so that they're straight. You can combine this option with other image capture modes such as multi-capture and photobooth.

3. Capture a photo or video using the camera.

Now that you've chosen your filter and image capture mode, it's time to actually start filming and creating content. Hold down on the button to film a video, and tap once to capture an image.

If you don't like the filter, you can change it. You can also add stickers, text, and drawings.

4. Once you've edited your photo or video, tap "Your Story."

You can also save your edited photo or video to your gallery by tapping the "Download" icon up top.

Knowing how to post to your Instagram Story is one thing, but knowing what to post is a different ... well, story.

For businesses looking to tell their story on Instagram , it's important to know who your ideal followers are and what they'd be interested in seeing on Instagram. Remember, Instagram is a visual platform, but that doesn't mean you can't teach or promote something in the process.

Below, we cover a few ideas for using Instagram Stories to attract followers and build a customer base.

• Post footage of an office event.
• Post breaking news about your industry.
• Demonstrate your product.
• Promote a company event.
• Preview one of your company's blog posts.
• Mention other companies who follow or work with you.

1. Post footage of an office event.

Sometimes, the best thing a business can do on Instagram is be as human as possible. One way to do this is to post a brief video of a company function.

Whether it's an office holiday party or an award banquet, posting footage of it to your Story is easy and in-the-moment entertainment for your followers. This content also shows people you're a relevant and friendly voice in your market.

2. Post breaking news about your industry.

Just as you might on your company blog, you can use your Instagram Story to report on the latest happenings in your industry. With the right design work, you can turn small news breaks — that don't merit an entire article — into a Story on your Instagram account.

This keeps users coming back to you to stay abreast with market trends. You can even ask users what they think, as shown in the Instagram Story by HubSpot below. We'll explain how Instagram "stickers" can help you do this in just a minute.

3. Showcase your product.

Your product might not be the simplest or sexiest product in the eyes of the layperson. Well, your Instagram Story is the perfect format for showing potential customers how that product is used. Post a long video, segmented into 15-second clips that show users what your product or service does and how it helps your customers.

If you sell software, for example, you might record a video of your computer screen, using a recording tool like Loom , that shows people how to log in, use the software's dashboard, and navigate to the various functions included in the product.

Just remember to modify your video's dimensions before uploading it to your Instagram Story. Remember, Instagram Stories' image dimensions are 1920px high and 1080px wide, with an aspect ratio of 9:16.

4. Promote a company event.

Does your organization host a trade conference or attend a big one every year? Use your Instagram Story to promote the event and tell your followers to look for you there. Work with a graphic designer, or do some artwork yourself, to illustrate an event flyer with all the information one would need to find you.

Most of this, you can do directly on Instagram. For example, use the native text options in your Story to add:

• The event's name.
• Where the event is located.
• Dates you'll be attending.
• Your booth number.
• The event's official hashtag.

5. Preview one of your company's blog posts or videos.

Your blog posts and YouTube videos need all the exposure they can get. Even if social media isn't your blog's primary source of traffic, your Instagram Story can help readers discover that post or video for the first time and find it later.

In the screenshot below, Google Pixel used its Instagram Story to preview a video it published about a customer who used the device. When you tap all the way to the end of the Story, Google prompts you to swipe up with your finger, where it then links you to the full video on YouTube.

6. Mention other companies who follow or work with you.

As your Instagram following grows , you'll eventually pick up other business accounts that want to follow you as well. Whether those accounts are your business partners or simply fans of yours, consider giving them shout-outs on your Instagram Story.

This is a passive but effective way to nurture your relationships with the users that matter most to your business's growth. We'll explain how to link to other accounts in an Instagram Story in the tips below.

Now that you know the basics, let's run through tips and hacks for producing high-quality, clickable Instagram Stories.

Instagram Story Tricks and Hacks

1. use stickers..

Once you've captured a great photo or video, it's time to jazz it up with some fun stickers. You can access these by clicking "Create," then tapping the smiling sticker icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen once you've captured a photo or video.

Here are some best practices after you choose a sticker.

Change the size of your stickers.

You can pinch the sticker once you've added it to your Story to increase or decrease its size. You can also tap and drag it around the frame to change its position.

Check stickers every day for new and unique ones.

Instagram releases unique Story stickers often — whether it's for a weekday, a holiday, or a season. Check this section every day for new and timely stickers to add to your Story.

Add location, hashtag, poll, and selfie stickers.

Boost engagement on your Instagram Story by opening it up to other people doing the same things you are. Open up the stickers section, and tap any of these buttons to customize your Story:

Link Stickers

Instagram recently released a new feature that allows users to include clickable, external links in their Instagram Stories - a long-awaited tool desired by many users.

Location Stickers

Start typing in your location, and you'll be able to pull in a geographically-specific sticker to show where you are. When people view your Story, they'll be able to tap the location sticker and see other photos and Stories happening around the same place.

Hashtag Stickers

Same concept here: If you add this sticker and type in a hashtag, your Story will appear in searches for that hashtag, and viewers will be able to click it and see who else is using it.

Poll Stickers

You can add a two-option poll to your Instagram Story, and you can even customize the possible answers so they're more unique than "Yes" or "No." Use a poll sticker to gauge if people are really engaging with your content.

Selfie Stickers

Open up the Stickers menu, and tap on the camera icon.

You can also find stickers for:

2. Record a hands-free Instagram video.

If you're a frequent video recorder on Instagram, you know you need to hold your thumb against the record button for as long as you're recording. This can make it tedious when attempting dynamic and interesting videos that require more hand mobility.

But did you know you can record these video s hands-free?

3. Let viewers share your Stories.

Increase engagement and views of your Instagram Story by letting viewers share them with their friends — as direct messages (DMs).

To do so, navigate to your app's settings, then to Privacy , then tap Story .

4. Use the pen.

Use the pen to add embellishment, symbols, or more text to your Story. If you tap the pen icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen once you've captured a photo or video, you'll open up your options.

From there, you can adjust the thickness of your pen stroke or change the color you're writing with.

I like using the highlighter pen to add emphasis to words — or even to highlight my photo or video.

5. Add a background color.

If you want to share a Story with a background color — like the images I've shared above — you can actually select it from the color palette.

Take a picture (it doesn't have to be a picture of anything in particular), and then tap the pen icon to open up the color palette.

6. Mention another Instagram account in your Story.

Sometimes, it's just not enough to send an Instagram Story to a particular person — you need to give them a shoutout in the photo or video itself. In these cases, Instagram allows you to tag up to 10 specific handles directly in your Story's photo or video.

To mention an Instagram account in your Story, shoot a photo or video and then tap the square "A" icon in the upper righthand corner of the screen.

Enter the account you'd like to tag, starting with the "@" symbol and the account's first letter. Scroll through the suggested accounts that appear below your cursor until you find the account you have in mind, and tap it.

7. Have some fun with your text.

The text on Instagram Stories is pretty basic — jazz it up with these tricks.

Customize your colors.

If you're unsatisfied with the color palette Instagram offers, create your own from one of the colors in the photo or video you've captured.

Open up the text icon, and tap the eyedropper icon in the lower left-hand corner of your screen.

Use the dropper to sample a color from somewhere in the image you've captured, and use it when typing out text or using the pen tool.

Add a drop shadow to your Story's text.

If you want to add some extra drama to your text, add highlighting or shadowing by retyping or rewriting your text in a different color. I recommend choosing black or white to add emphasis to a bright color you've picked. Then, move the text above or underneath the brighter text to add some drama to your words.

Turn your text into a rainbow.

This one's tricky, but you can actually turn your text into a gradient rainbow.

• Tap the text icon, and type out your message to add to your Story. Then, highlight your text.
• This is where it gets tricky: Turn your phone to the side so you can hold one finger down on the right side of your text, and with another finger, tap on a color and hold until the color wheel pops up.
• Then, slowly drag both fingers across both the text and the color wheel from right to left to create rainbow text. Go slowly, letter by letter until you've created a rainbow. (This one took me several tries before I nailed it, and I succeeded using both thumbs to highlight the text and the color wheel.)

Gradually add text to a Story.

Sometimes, you might want to add text or stickers to an image to build on it — perhaps to promote a content offer or event, or to encourage viewers to swipe up to read a link you've shared.

Start editing the photo you want to share, post it, and save it to your camera roll.

Then, swipe up on your screen to add the screenshot to the next installment of your Story — adding new text or stickers on top of the first photo. Keep doing this for as long as you want the Story to last. Just make sure to keep taking screenshots of your latest photo so you can add to it.

8. Dig into your Story analytics

Snapchat users have always been able to see which of their friends have viewed their snapped Stories over the 24-hour period that the Story is visible. Well, Instagram Stories can do the same thing, plus more.

Not only will you see who saw your Story, but also dig into the actions taken by viewers.

Start by navigating to the homepage of Instagram on your phone and click on the circular icon denoting your Story. Then, swipe up from the bottom of your open Story. This will pull up a list of all the accounts that have viewed this content plus actions they've taken.

This can range from stickers they tapped to profile visits, accounts reached, impressions, follows, and more.

9. Center your text and stickers.

When you're moving around text and stickers on your Story, you'll see blue lines appear vertically or horizontally in the frame. These are guiding lines you can use to make sure you're keeping everything centered.

Don't put your text too high or too low on the screen.

That said, make sure you don't add anything to your Story too high or too low in the frame — or it will be cut off when viewers scroll through your Story, when Instagram adds things like your name and how long ago your Story was posted that could block out your carefully-crafted text.

10. Add music to a Story (or mute it).

This one's easy: Turn on music using your phone's native streaming app, and record a video Story. Once you get ready to edit and share, make sure the sound icon isn't muted so your viewers can jam with you.

Alternatively, if you'd rather your video be muted, tap the sound icon so a slash appears over it.

You can also add music from artists on the app by clicking on the music sticker and choosing which section of the song you'd like in your Story.

11. Upload Instagram Stories from your phone's camera roll.

Great Instagram Stories aren't just created through the Instagram app. You can also upload photos and videos from your mobile device's native camera roll.

To upload a photo or video for use as an Instagram Story, open your Instagram Story's camera lens and tap th e little square icon on the bottom lefthand corner. See what this looks like below.

12. Schedule IG Stories Ahead of Time

You can schedule Instagram Stories in advance with scheduling tools like Later . This can help streamline your process by allowing you to batch-upload content, be more consistent, and spend more time strategizing.

Post Instagram Stories to Grow Your Audience

We hope these tips help you post killer Instagram Stories your audience won't be able to stop following. There are lots of hidden ways to take your Stories to the next level — some we may not even have covered here.

Our best advice? Keep clicking around and see what you can do with the latest updates from the app. Happy 'gramming!

Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to Use Instagram Stories: 14 Tricky Questions Answered

Learn the basics of how to use Instagram Stories, then move on to some Instagram Stories tips and tricks to help you stand out from the crowd.

Table of Contents

Instagram Stories have all kinds of built-in tools and functionalities. But they can be tricky to find, and even trickier to use. Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to use Instagram Stories to make the most of the powerful real estate at the top of the app.

Get your free pack of 72 customizable Instagram Stories templates now . Save time and look professional while promoting your brand in style.

What are Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories are vertical, full-screen photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. They appear at the top of the Instagram app interface rather than in the news feed.

Stories can include interactive tools like stickers, polls, and AR filters to make your content really pop. Here’s how to get started with the format.

How to post an Instagram Story

• In the app, click the plus icon at the bottom of the screen.
• At the bottom of the screen, choose STORY from the menu.
• Tap the white circle at the bottom of the screen to take a picture, OR…
• Press and hold the white circle to record video, OR…
• Tap the switch-camera icon on the bottom right to switch to the selfie camera, OR…
• Swipe up (or select the square camera roll icon on the left) to use pre-existing photos or videos.

On the left of the screen, you can select a format to experiment with: Create, Boomerang, Layout, or Hands-Free.

How to check your Instagram Story views

If your Insta Story is still live (meaning less than 24 hours have passed since you posted it), just tap the Your Story icon on the app main page to see a viewer count for your Story. Tap the number in the bottom left to get a list of the people who make up those Instagram Story views and see any likes your Story got.

After 24 hours, once your Instagram Story has disappeared, you can still access insights , including reach and impressions. (Reach is the number of unique accounts that viewed your Story. Impressions is the total number of times your Story was viewed.)

Here’s how:

• On the app’s homepage, tap your profile photo at the bottom right of the screen.
• Tap the menu icon in the top right and select Insights .
• Choose the time period you’d like Insights for: 7, 14, or 30 days, the previous month, the last 90 days, or a custom timeframe.
• Scroll down to Content You Shared and tap on Stories .
• Tap the Sort & filter icon to choose your metric and sorting options.

How to schedule Instagram Stories

Posting Stories regularly is a good way to keep your audience engaged. But having to interrupt your workflow throughout the day to create and post Stories can become pretty disruptive.

Scheduling Stories into your social media posting schedule allows you to use your time more effectively. You can also plan your Stories content to complement your other social posts and integrate effectively into any ongoing campaigns.

To schedule an Instagram Story using Hootsuite:

1. Head to your Hootsuite dashboard and select Create → Post from the left-hand menu.

2. In the Composer window, select the account you want to post your Story to.

3. In the Content section, switch to the Story editor using the dropdown menu on the right side.

4. Click on the upload icon to add your image or video. Or click on the library icon to choose assets from your media library.

Videos must be between 1 second and 60 minutes long, and images must be less than 30MB. Both have a recommended aspect ratio of 9:16. You can only add one file per Story.

Note: If you want to add text or stickers in your Story, make sure they’re part of your image or video file. Text included in the caption field of Composer will not be included in your Story.

You can easily edit your images using Canva without leaving your Hootsuite dashboard. To get started, click on the Canva icon in the bottom right of the Composer window. Then, select Instagram Story .

Once you’re done editing your image or video, simply click the Add to post button in the top right corner of the screen, and your file will be attached to your post draft.

5. Preview your Story and click Schedule for later to select a time for it to go public. Then, click the yellow Schedule button — and you’re done!

You can now view, edit, or delete your scheduled Story in your Hootsuite calendar.

Try for free

How to use Instagram Stories stickers

To add a sticker to your Instagram Story:

• Start creating your Story.
• Once the photo or video is ready to go, tap the sticker icon at the top of your screen—it’s the square that’s smiling and has a folded corner.
• Select the type of sticker you’d like to use. Each type has its own properties. We’ll explain some of the most common below, but you can also experiment to see how each one behaves when you tap on it. You can pinch and drag to relocate and resize each sticker.

Link stickers

To add a link to your Instagram Story, use the Link sticker:

• Tap the stickers icon .
• Choose the LINK sticker
• Enter the URL of the link you want people to visit.
• In the Customize sticker text field, enter the text you want to appear on the link sticker itself. This can be much shorter than the URL, or you could use a CTA like Learn More .
• Tap the sticker to change the color, and pinch and drag to position it where you want it.

Polls, quizzes, and questions

Polls, quizzes, and questions on Instagram Stories give you an easy way to engage with your audience, and to encourage them to engage with you. You can also gather valuable feedback to power future content ideas and campaign strategies.

To create an Instagram Story poll:

• Choose the POLL sticker.
• Enter your question.
• Enter your potential responses. The default is Yes/No, but you can type any response.
• Let your poll run for 24 hours.
• Don’t forget to share the results!

Source: @goingawesomeplaces

Quizzes are similar, except that you give your followers a few options to choose from, and they get immediate feedback about whether they made the right choice.

To create an Instagram Story quiz:

• Choose the QUIZ sticker.
• Enter your question prompt.
• Enter your potential answers.
• Tap the correct answer. It will be highlighted in green so people get feedback about their choice.

Source: @thewestcoasttraveller

Finally, IG Stories questions offer a completely customizable way to make your Stories interactive.

Instead of asking your followers what they think, the questions sticker allows your followers to ask you questions. Think of it as the Instagram equivalent of an AMA (ask me anything).

To use Instagram Stories questions:

• Tap the sticker icon.
• Choose the QUESTIONS sticker.
• Customize the text of the question prompt.

You’ll find the questions in your viewers list. Tap any question to share it and reply. The identity of the asker will not be revealed.

Of course, you can also get creative with the questions sticker and use it to ask for any kind of commentary from your followers:

Source: @smartless

Adding a hashtag sticker to your Insta Story makes it discoverable to a wider audience.

There are two ways to add a hashtag to your Story:

• Use the #HASHTAG sticker.
• Use the regular text function (tap the text sticker—the one that says Aa) and use the # symbol.

Either way, once you start typing, Instagram will suggest some popular hashtag ideas to get you going. You can add up to 10 hashtags to your Stories, but we recommend sticking to just a couple of the most relevant.

Source: @teamcoco

How to use GIFs on Instagram Stories

GIFs are a great way to add movement and color to even the most static Instagram Story. Here’s the easiest way to add one:

• Tap the sticker icon and select the GIF sticker.
• Choose from your recently used GIFs, trending GIFs, or search to find the perfect GIF for the current Story.
• Tap the GIF you want to use to add it to your Story.
• Pinch and drag the GIF to reposition and resize.

You can also upload your own GIF or post a GIF directly from GIPHY. For details, check out our blog post on how to add GIFs to Instagram .

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

How to use saved audio on Instagram Stories

There is no built-in functionality to add saved audio to an Instagram Story, but there are a couple of workarounds. These are legitimate methods that won’t get you into copyright trouble.

For either method, you need to start by saving some audio. Do that by tapping on the name of the audio track on any Instagram content and clicking the save button on the top right of your screen.

Use the Music Sicker to add saved audio to an Instagram Story

Note that this option only works for music, not original audio tracks. In this method, your Saved Audio library is essentially acting as a reminder file.

• From your Instagram profile, tap the menu icon (three lines) and select Saved .
• Tap Audio , then Music and find the track you want to use. Write down the name of the song. (Or just remember it if that works for you!)
• Create your Story and tap the Music sticker.
• Search for the track you just wrote down and add it to your Story from the Instagram Music Library.

Here are some more tips for adding music to your Instagram Story :

Use Reels to add saved audio to an Instagram Story

In this workaround, you’ll use saved audio to create a Reel, then share the Reel to your Story. It’s not seamless, but it’s the only option for using saved audio other than music tracks.

• From your Instagram profile, tap the menu (three lines) icon and tap Saved.
• Tap Audio , then select the track you want to use.
• Tap Use audio .
• Make sure you have Reel selected in the bottom menu (rather than Post). Add your photos and clips to complete your Reel. When you’re ready, click Share . If you don’t want the Reel to appear on your main grid, turn off the slider option for Also share to Feed .
• Go to your Reels tab and click on the Reel you want to share
• Tap the Share icon and then tap Add to story .
• Resize the Reel as desired and tap Your Story.

How to use original audio on Instagram Stories

As seen in the section above, there’s no elegant way to add someone else’s original audio to your Instagram Stories. Instead, you’ll have to create a Reel and add that to your Story.

To add original audio from your saved audio library, follow the steps above under the heading Use Reels to add saved audio to an Instagram Story .

Here’s what to do if you are scrolling through Instagram Reels and come across original audio you want to use right away:

• Tap on the Reel from which you want to use the audio.
• Tap the name of the original audio track at the bottom left of the screen.
• Tap Use audio.
• Follow steps 4 through 7 from the section above to add the Reel to your Story.

For more details, check out our post on how to share Reels to your Instagram Story .

How to use Instagram Story filters

First up, let’s clarify. Technically, Instagram Story filters are the minor color and sharpness changes you can make by swiping on your Story. There are only 13 of them, all named after cities.

With the exception of the black-and-white Tokyo, does anyone use these in 2023?

When most people talk about Instagram Story filters, they are actually talking about the feature that is technically known as camera effects. Here are two ways to use them:

• Start a new Story and choose from one of the effects indicated by circles at the bottom of the screen. Tap the switch camera icon at the bottom right to use the selfie camera. Scroll left to reveal more effects, or scroll all the way to the end and tap the magnifying glass to search for a specific effect. You can then browse trending effects or browse by categories such as appearance and humor.
• If you see a Story with an effect you like, tap the name of the effect in the top left of the screen, then tap Save effect to save it for later, or Try it to use it right away.

Sources: @dothedaniel / Instagram

How to change the layout of Instagram Stories

Different layouts are built right into the Story editor. Here’s how it works.

• Start a new Story and tap the Layout icon in the left menu.
• Tap the 4-part grid to reveal additional options. You can choose to include two, three, four, or six photos in your layout.

Another option is to start a Story and open Create Mode (more on that in the next section). Then tap the stickers icon and scroll down to choose the camera roll sticker . Do this multiple times to add more photos to your Story.

If you want to get even more creative with the layout, you can use a third-party tool like Canva, which is built into the Hootsuite Composer. We’ve even got some free Instagram collage templates for Canva for you right here .

Here’s a detailed walkthrough of the various options for how to use layout on Instagram Stories:

How to use Create Mode on Instagram Stories

Create Mode is an Instagram Stories feature that allows you to post an Instagram Story without any photos or video. Just like for other Story types, you can still use stickers to customize your Story.

To use Instagram Stories Create Mode:

• Start a new Story and tap the Aa Create Mode icon on the left of the screen
• Start typing, or swipe through the options at the bottom of the screen to create a memory, question, countdown, quiz, or other option.
• Tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen to add more effects.
• Tap the color icon at the bottom right of the screen to change the background color.
• Share your Story.

How to add a location to your Instagram Stories

Places and businesses may have a location page. Users can find the location page under the Places tab when they search, or by tapping on the location in another user’s post. If your Story ends up there, you could end up with a lot more views.

And if you have a brick-and-mortar business, your location page is where your happy customers can showcase their experience with you, and potential customers can check you out. (In order to set up a location page for your business, you’ll need an Instagram business account .)

To use a location sticker on an Instagram Story:

• Tap the sticker icon and select the location sticker .
• Choose your preferred location from the list (could be a store, a street, a city — get as broad or as specific as you like).
• Tap and drag to adjust the sticker’s color and size and location so it complements your Story’s look.

Sources: @its.andrea.firmani and Matchstick Davie location page

How to add captions to Instagram Stories

If you’re posting videos, captions are a great way to make your content more accessible. It’s also handy for those of us who choose to watch most Stories with the sound off.

Instagram will auto-create captions for your video Stories if you add the captions sticker.

• Start creating your Story. The captions sticker will only appear if you use a video.
• Once the video is ready to go, tap the sticker icon at the top of your screen.
• Tap the Captions sticker .
• Instagram will auto-create captions. It’s a wise idea to take a look and see how good a job the tool did at capturing what you actually said. If it got something wrong, tap the text to edit any word.
• You can change the caption font and color by tapping on it. When you’re happy with the captions, tap Done.
• You can pinch and drag the caption to relocate and resize it as you would with any other sticker.

How to use Instagram Story Highlights

Stories don’t have to disappear after 24 hours. Highlighting keeps them pinned to your profile until you choose to delete them. This is a great way to showcase your best, brand-defining content.

Each highlight can contain as many Stories as you like, and you can keep adding to them as you post new content.

How to add an Instagram Story to a highlight:

• If the Story is less than 24 hours old and still visible on Instagram, just tap Your Story to open it, OR…
• If the Story is more than 24 hours old, retrieve it from your archive. Tap your profile icon at the bottom right, then tap the menu icon (three lines) in the top right. Tap Archive . Scroll back to the Story you want to highlight.
• In the lower right corner of the screen, tap the Highlight icon .
• Choose the highlight to which you’d like to add the Story, OR…
• Create a new highlight.

Check out our full guide to Instagram Story highlights, including covers .

How to use Instagram Stories shopping

If you haven’t already set your business up for Instagram Shopping, you’ll need to do that first. Check out our step-by-step guide to setting up Instagram Shopping for all the details.

Once you’ve got your account set up, just use the shopping sticker to make your Stories shoppable.

• Create your Story as usual.
• Before you share, tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen.
• Tap the Product sticker .
• Choose the product, collection, or storefront from your catalog that you want to tag. You can also choose to tag a product from another business, which will allow them to reshare the story.
• Tap the sticker to edit the name of the product or service you’re promoting.
• Move and adjust the shopping sticker by dragging and tapping.

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Christina Newberry is an award-winning writer and editor whose greatest passions include food, travel, urban gardening, and the Oxford comma—not necessarily in that order.

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How to Use Instagram Stories Like a Pro to Build Your Audience

Instagram used to be simple.

But the days dominated by square images are long gone. Now, you can share images, videos, time-lapses, boomerangs, stop-motion sequences, and live-streams while using Instagram for business .

The biggest change came in 2016, with the introduction of Instagram Stories .

This form of social sharing altered the way people interact online, creating new influencers and catapulting brands into the limelight.

However, as social media continues to evolve, it’s getting more and more difficult to cut through the noise.

Take minimalist watch brand MVMT for instance. Relying heavily on social media, they built a business with over $80 million in sales in just five years.

But today things are different.

“It’s much more difficult without a doubt,” says MVMT’s Kassan . “It’s still possible, but it would be very difficult to scale as fast as we did. We used channels that just aren’t as efficient or easy to use anymore.”

So what can you do?

Get ahead of the competition by learning the best Instagram Stories hacks. In this article, you’ll learn how to use Stories on Instagram like a pro to build your audience .

What are Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories, also known as Insta Stories or IG Stories, is a feature that allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. The feature is somewhat similar to Snapchat Stories, a feature introduced way back in 2013 that was a critical part of the company’s growth.

Content shared via Instagram Stories doesn’t appear in the standard profile content grid or in the Instagram feed.

Instead, Stories appear in a bar at the top of the feed:

When users post an Instagram Story, their profile image will gain a colorful ring around it to notify other users.

To view someone’s Story, simply tap on their profile photo. Their Story will appear in full-screen, and you’ll be able to view all of the content they’ve posted within the last 24 hours.

When viewing a Story, you can skip backward or forwards by tapping the left and right side of the screens.

Finally, unlike most social media posts , Stories have no likes or public comments.

How Do Instagram Stories Work?

As per Instagram statistics Instagram Stories has amassed 500 million daily active users.

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Plus, Instagram reported that Stories have encouraged users to use the platform longer and more frequently .

The fact that Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours means there’s an urgency that most forms of social sharing don’t have.

This presents an incredible opportunity to catch people’s attention.

However, as Gary Vaynerchuk explains , “It’s not how many followers you have, it’s how many care. It’s not width, it’s depth. It’s not how many impressions you get, it’s how much attention you get.”

And this is where Instagram Stories truly excel.

The medium is perfectly suited to transparent, authentic, real-time content – in other words, content that has power.

And the best part is, it’s free . Because let’s face it, in 2021 many marketing tools aren’t.

How Long Do Instagram Stories Last?

Instagram Stories typically stay up 24 hours before disappearing.

However, the case is different IG stories featuring video content. The video lasts up to 15 seconds before Instagram cuts to the next set of content. 

So if you upload a video that’s longer than 15 seconds, the app will chop it into 15-second pieces for your story. You can use an Instagram video editing app to break up a longer video into 15-second parts to post as a Story.

How to Create an Instagram Story

To create a new Story, tap the camera icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen, or swipe to the right.

Then, Instagram will show you the Instagram Story creator:

Now, there are two main options when creating a new Instagram Story:

• Choose a photo or video from your smartphone’s camera roll.
• Use the app to capture new content.

Content that you upload from your device must have been created within the last 24 hours. To add content from your device, swipe up or tap the icon.

Then you’ll see the most recent content from your camera roll, and you can select the content you’d like to add to your Story.

It’s worth noting that the ideal dimensions for Instagram Stories are 1080px wide by 1920px tall, with an aspect ratio of 9:16. You can use these dimensions to create a special image or video for your Instagram Stories, such as this post from GoPro :

If you want to create your own custom graphic, check out free online design tools such as Canva .

Okay, Instagram provides a few different ways to capture content. Let’s take a look at each of them.

The Types of Instagram Stories You Can Create Within Instagram

There are ten different options to choose from when capturing new content in the Instagram Story creator.

You can see them by scrolling to the left and right at the bottom of the screen:

Instagram Story Type #1: Type

This setting provides a colorful background for your words to shine.

Simply change the color by tapping the icon in the bottom-left of the screen, and then select a font style by tapping the icon at the top.

Instagram Story Type #2: Music

This setting lets you record a video to a particular music track, or include music with an image. To start, search for the song you’d like to include in your Story and select it.

You’ll then be able to scroll to the point in the song that you’d like the music to start.

When you’re ready, tap the musical notes icon to take a photo, or tap-and-hold to record a video to the music.

Instagram Story Type #3: Live

This is how you go live on Instagram . Just tap “Start Live Video,” and Instagram will notify your followers that you’re live!

Bear in mind that your video will disappear from the app once it’s finished unless you save it to your camera roll.

Instagram Story Type #4: Normal

This is the setting first shown when you open the Story creator.

You can use Normal to take a photo, record a video, or upload content from your camera roll, as we discussed earlier.

Instagram Story Type #5: Boomerang

The Boomerang setting takes a burst of photos which loop over and over to create an animation.

Tap the main icon once and you’ll see the screen flash as the photos are taken in quick succession. While this happens, make a small movement, such as winking to the camera or taking a step forward.

If you particularly like this feature, Instagram has a dedicated Boomerang App you can use to create Boomerang animations to share on other platforms.

Instagram Story Type #6: Focus

This setting lets you focus on a particular feature while blurring the background.

In professional photography, this is known as having a large depth of field, and it works particularly well for faces.

Once again, take a photo by tapping the large icon once, and tap-and-hold to record a video.

Instagram Story Type #7: Superzoom

Superzoom allows you to zoom in on a particular feature accompanied by a sound effect to create a humorous or dramatic video clip.

To start, tap the small music icon in the middle of the screen to select a style. You have four options to choose from:

Next, tap the spot on your screen that you want to zoom in on and the camera will mark it with a white rectangle.

Then, tap the record icon – and hold the camera steady!

Instagram Story Type #8: Rewind

This type lets you record a video to be played in reverse. It works particularly well with videos which feature full body movements such as running or dancing.

Instagram Story Type #9: Hands-Free

This setting enables you to record a video without having to keep your finger on the screen of your smartphone.

It’s perfect for content like makeup tutorials and exercise demonstrations.

Instagram Story Type #10: Stop-Motion

This setting lets you create short animations made from photographs, like an old flipbook.

To create a stop-motion sequence, take a sequence of photos one-by-one. When you’re finished, tap “Done” at the top of the screen to see your stop-motion animation come to life!

Okay, what else can you do?

Instagram Stories Tricks You Should Know

Want to make your IG story pop? Here are a few key ways you can customize your Story to get more attention:.

1. Add Face Filters to Your Story

Bored with selfies? Check out this feature!

Face filters let you easily add bunny ears, a flower crown, glasses, and more. Plus, these animations are responsive to your movements.

To use face filters, change the camera to the front-facing view, and tap the smiley face icon on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.

Then, you can scroll through the different filters available to find one you like.

In the image below, I’m using the most popular Instagram Stories face filter : puppy ears!

2. Add Text to Your Instagram Story

This might seem a bit basic, but the text tool is extremely versatile and customizable, letting you choose the font, color, effect, size, and position of your text.

Simply tap the “Aa” icon at the top of the screen to open the text options.

Change the style of the font by tapping the “Classic” button in the top-middle of the screen. You then have five options to choose from:

When it comes to adding text, don’t underestimate the importance of variety.

Using multiple fonts, sizes, and colors can help to keep things interesting and draw the viewer’s eye to the message you want to highlight.

You can also use the text tool to include hashtags and tag other accounts:

Just add the “@” symbol before you write the name of the account you want to tag, or the “#” symbol to include a hashtag.

When your Story is published, users can tap the tags to reveal a small bubble with a link to the hashtag or tagged account.

3. Draw and Paint on Your Instagram Story

The markers in Instagram Stories are also extremely versatile. Even simple additions can be effective, as demonstrated by The Minimalists :

To start, tap the pencil icon at the top of the screen.

Then select your marker style – there are five choices available:

You can adjust the size of your paintbrush or pencil using the slider on the left-hand side of the screen.

To select a generic color, tap one of the options at the bottom of the screen. Or to select a custom color, press and hold one of the generic colors then drag your finger around the color palette that appears.

4. Create a Reverse Color Background Effect

Let me show you a quick way to create an eye-catching graphic that reveals certain parts of a photo or video.

Once you’ve selected your photo or video, select the marker tool and the color of your choice. Then press and hold the screen for a few seconds to make the whole screen one color.

Next, select the eraser tool at the top of the screen and use it to reveal the hidden image or video!

5. Swipe to Add a Filter to Your Story

Image filters have been around since the start of Instagram – and Instagram Stories use them to good effect.

To add a filter, simply swipe left or right.

Add Stickers to Your Instagram Story

There are tons of great stickers available. To access stickers, just tap the square smiley face icon at the top of the screen.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the main sticker options.

Location Stickers

This is the most popular sticker used in Instagram Stories. Here’s an example from the artisan bracelet brand BreakTime :

Not only does it let viewers know where you are, it can also expose your Story to a larger audience.

This is because Instagram compiles the best Stories for each location into a separate location Story. Viewers can find these in the “Explore” feed or by searching a location.

Hashtag Stickers

Similarly, the hashtag sticker allows you to add additional context for viewers.

Once again, if your Story performs well it could be added to the hashtag’s Story and boost your views!

Plus, people viewing your Story can tap the sticker to visit the hashtag’s Instagram page and explore related content.  

Here’s another great example from BreakTime :

Tag Stickers

Tag stickers provide a way to link to other accounts in your Stories in a visually appealing way.

What’s more, Instagram will notify these users about your Story, and they have the option to repost it , potentially exposing your brand to more people.

GIF Stickers

GIFs are an easy way to add some personality and vibrancy to your Stories. Plus, Instagram has partnered with Giphy so there are plenty to choose from.

First, tap the “GIF” icon.

Then choose one of the trending GIFs that appear on the front page or search for GIFs using the bar at the top of the screen.

Poll Stickers

Polls are a popular feature on Instagram Stories.

They provide a great way to interact with your audience, and you can use them to gain valuable insights from your followers.

When it comes to creating an Instagram story poll, you can choose from two types of poll stickers: A/B polls and slider polls.

A/B Polls let you ask a question and provide users with two answers to choose from. This option tends to generate the most engagement and provide you with the clearest feedback.

Write your question, and edit the two answer options.

Slider polls gauge viewers’ feelings by letting them slide a bar sideways to submit their answer as a percentage.

Just write your question and choose the appropriate answer emoji. To view more emojis, swipe left.

Countdown Stickers

One of the best Instagram story stickers in existence, countdown stickers let you add an interactive countdown to your story.

Once you’ve selected an image or video to post as a Story, tap the Stickers button and then tap Countdown. 

When someone taps on your countdown sticker, they’ll be presented with a screen that allows them to set an alert for the timer end time or date. 

After the countdown ends, whoever signed up for a reminder will get an alert.

Countdown stickers work best for sharing time-sensitive contests.

 When the contest starts, post an Instagram story with a countdown sticker to let people know they only have a limited time to send their entries and participate. 

Publish Your Instagram Story

Once you’ve finished creating your Instagram Story, don’t forget to download your image or video if you’d like to keep it.

To do this, tap “Save.”

When you’re ready, publish your Instagram Story by tapping “Your story.”

Congratulations, you just shared a killer Instagram Story!

How to Use Instagram Stories?

The capabilities of IG Stories make them ideal for a variety of marketing campaigns . Below are a few Instagram Stories best practices for getting the most out of the feature. .

1. Host a Story Takeover

Stories takeovers is where a person “takes over” your Instagram account temporarily to give your followers a real-world perspective of your products or brand.

You can partner up with an influencer or customerto run your Stories’ content, giving people insight into not just your offerings, but your advocate’s opinions and tips.

In a recent influencer Story takeover, cosmetic brand Sephora allowed an influencer to talk about a product that it recently added to its stock.

By letting the influencer showcase the item, Sephora gave a fresh, personal voice to its Instagram account, while also showing followers how real people trust its brand.

2. Tease Something Special

Teasers that keep your followers on their toes represent one of the best Instagram stories tips in existence.

Using Stories to tease an upcoming event or product gives your followers a sense of exclusivity.

And the natural curiosity makes them want to revisit for the big reveal.

For example, handcrafted headbands brand Bougie Bands used a Story to tease an upcoming product.

Their Story image provides followers with a glimpse of what the new product would look like.

This type of lively content is ideal for piquing follower’s interest.

3. Post Things That Your Followers Will Want to Screenshot

Stories may disappear after 24 hours, but you can post content your followers will want to screenshot and save on their phones for reference. 

This should help keep your business top-of-mind.

Dessert advocate Jessica Holmes does this with the help of recipes.

How Long Are Instagram Stories

As I hinted earlier, an Instagram Story stays on your profile for 24 hours before disappearing.

However, the videos you add to your IG Story have a playtime of 15 seconds.

Despite the 15-second runtime restriction, there are apps to prolong the time a video plays in your Instagram Story.

Apps like Story Cutter and Continual will help you split videos that run longer than 15 seconds into individual 15-second clips.

You can then add each clip to your Story, so they play in a sequence.

Take Advantage of Instagram Story Highlights

One of the best Instagram Stories tips I can give you is to leverage IG Story highlights.

Although normal Stories expire after 24 hours, this features allows you to “pin” Stories to your Instagram profile indefinitely.

Savvy brands use Story highlights to promote their most important information, updates, and deals.

On the Oberlo Instagram account, we’ve highlighted Stories linking to some of our top resources to help people build their online empire..

To use story highlights, first create a new story as before.

Once your story is live, open it and tap “Highlight” in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

Then you can continue to add as many sections of your story to your highlight as you’d like. Finally, give your highlight a title and tap “Add.”

How to Check Who Viewed Your Instagram Story

After you’ve posted a story, you can find out how many people have viewed your story and which accounts have viewed it.

To do this, swipe up when viewing your own story, or tap the “Seen by” icon in the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

How to Add a Link to Your Instagram Story?

Once you’ve grown your audience to 10,000 followers or more, Instagram lets you add links to your story.

You can use this feature to promote your website, a specific product, your latest blog post, or even an affiliate offer. 

This is especially useful for Story highlights.

Just select the link icon at the top of the screen and input the link you wish to include. Then tap “Preview Link” to make sure it works before tapping “Done.”

Then, viewers will see the text, “See More” at the bottom of the Story with the arrow prompting them to swipe up to open the link.

Instagram Stories are a powerful tool when used to their full potential. Plus, the features available provide a blank canvas for endless creativity !

However you use Stories, focus on engagement and developing relationships with your audience.

Most importantly, have fun!

Which feature are you most excited to use next? Let us know in the comments below!

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How to Add Text to Instagram Stories

Dave Johnson Dave Johnson is a dedicated writer with a strong focus on the ever-evolving social media landscape. Leveraging his comprehensive understanding of these platforms, he breaks down the complexities of social media apps to provide engaging and insightful content. Read more September 22, 2021

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Whether you are an influencer, a business social media manager, or a general social media user, you’re probably aware of the power of Instagram Stories. These Stories offer various design features, including the ability to add text. It’s a great tool to get your message across.

If you’re not sure how to add text to your Instagram Stories, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we will show you how to do so for both Android and iPhone devices, using simple step-by-step methods.

How to Add Text to an Instagram Story on the iPhone

Adding text to your Instagram Stories using your iPhone is simple if you follow these steps:

• Take a photo or video for your story.

• You can align the text from the top left of the screen.

How to Add Multiple Lines of Text to an Instagram Story on the iPhone

You can add more than a single line of text to your Instagram Story. You have the option to add a paragraph of text or separate lines of text to your photo or video, or you can create a solid background with multiple rows of text. This is how you do it:

Perhaps you decided you want to add text to your Instagram Story without a video or picture in the background. There is a simple way to do this and here is how:

How to Add Text to an Instagram Story on an Android Device

Adding text to an Instagram Story on an Android device is similar to the method used for an iPhone, with a few differences here and there. This is how to do it:

• When you are satisfied with your text, you can edit the font, size, justification, color, background, or animate the text with controls located along the bottom, left, and top of the screen.

How to Add Multiple Lines of Text to an Instagram Story on an Android Device

Although the device and interface differ, adding multiple lines of text to your Instagram Story remains the same. Follow these steps to add more words of text to your Stories:

• Edit your text. If you want multiple lines of text in various places across the screen, type your text, then tap on the screen to add that text to your Story. Next, tap in a different spot on the screen to open a second text box. Add your text, edit it, and tap on the screen. Repeat this until you have added all your text to your post.

To create a solid background with multiple lines of text is simple too:

Text Added!

Adding text, whether a few words or a couple of paragraphs to your Instagram Story, is relatively easy when you know the steps to follow. By practicing the instructions in this guide a few times, you will soon be creating Stories like a pro. All you’ll need to worry about then is what to add to your Instagram profile next.

Have you added text to your Instagram Story? Did you use a set of steps similar to those given in this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.

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How to Post a Story on Instagram

Share a time-limited Instagram story

In This Article

Jump to a Section

What Is an Instagram Story?

• Step-by-Step: Making an Instagram Story
• Where Stories Appear
• Deleting a Story
• Delete an Archived Story
• Adding to a Story

How to Add a Tweet to Your Instagram Story

Time-limited Instagram stories are a great marketing tool for building a brand, or they can be fun for just sharing moments with friends and family. Here's how to post a story on Instagram and share it with others.

Information in this article applies to the Instagram app for Android and iOS .

Instagram stories are photos or short video clips that disappear after 24 hours (unless you add them to your profile as a highlight ). Unlike regular posts, stories lack certain features like social media buttons and comment sections. It's possible to repost Instagram stories you're tagged in provided the original poster enables sharing. You can even live stream Instagram Stories using the Instagram Live Video feature. Users who have 10,000 or more followers can add links to their Instagram Stories .

For more information, the Instagram website has an extensive FAQ page about Instagram stories .

You can only post one Instagram story at a time. When you add a new one, the previous one is automatically archived.

How to Make an Instagram Story

To share photos and videos as a story on Instagram:

Launch Instagram and swipe right to access the camera or tap the Plus sign ( + ) icon and scroll to Story .

Tap the circle to snap a photo, or tap and hold to record a video.

Swipe up on the screen if you want to choose a photo or video from your device's gallery.

Use the tools at the top to add doodles, text, filters, or stickers.

Tap Your Story (or Your Stories ) at the bottom of the screen to post the photo or video to your story.

At the top of your feed, tap Your Story to view your post. If you want to keep the story after 24 hours, tap Highlight under your story.

Where Do Instagram Stories Appear?

Whenever you post an Instagram story, a ring appears around your profile picture. When other users tap your profile picture, they see your story. But your story isn't visible on your profile grid. Stories appear at the top of your feed.

If you see a friend's profile picture, tap it to view their story. Your profile picture appears at the top of your friends' feeds as well as next to your posts and direct messages. If your story includes a hashtag or geotag , it shows up in searches unless you make your Instagram account private .

How to Delete an Instagram Story

To delete your current story on Instagram:

Tap Your Story on your feed.

Tap Delete .

How to Delete an Instagram Story From Your Archive

Once an Instagram story expires, it remains in your archive for your eyes only (unless you highlighted it or shared it elsewhere). To permanently delete the story:

Tap your profile picture at the bottom of your feed.

Tap the hamburger menu .

Tap  Archive .

Tap the story you wish to delete.

Tap  More .

Tap  Delete .

When you delete a story from the archive, it's also deleted from your highlights and anywhere else you shared it.

How to Share an Instagram Story

It's possible to share Instagram stories you've previously posted from your archive:

Tap Archive .

Tap the story you wish to share.

Tap Share at the bottom of the screen.

Tap Your Story , or tap Send to if you want to share it with someone.

How to Add to an Instagram Story

Before you share a story, you have the option to add stickers, text, and other elements. If you tap the sticker icon while editing your story, you see a bunch of additional options. For example, you can add music, tag your location, or even create a quiz. To add a selfie sticker, scroll down the stickers page and tap the camera .

You can adjust the size of the stickers you place by pinching the screen. You can also swipe left and right to cycle through filters.

It's also possible to pin stickers and text to moving elements in a video. After placing your text or sticker, tap and hold the screen until you see Pin at the bottom of the screen, then tap the object in the video you want to pin it to.

You can add hashtags as stickers or text. Either way, the hashtag is searchable when someone taps on it.

As social media tools become more integrated, there's more crossover between social channels. For example, if you're using the iOS X (formerly Twitter) app and the iOS Instagram app, you can add an X post you like directly to your Instagram story.

Find the X post you like and tap on the tweet. Then, select the Share icon and choose Instagram Stories . The tweet will be added to your Instagram Story just like any other photo or video.

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How to post a text-only image on Instagram using the 'Create Mode' feature

• You can post a text-only image on Instagram by accessing the "Create Mode" in Instagram stories. 
• From there, you'll be able to create images with text, with access to other creative tools like gifs and stickers. 
• Once created, you can either save the image for use as a regular post, or simply post it to your stories.
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

If you've ever seen text-only images on other people's Instagram stories or or posts, you may have wondered exactly how they made those. Are those images made by a third-party app? Or are they something you can do within Instagram?

The answer is text-only images are actually a built-in, if not immediately obvious, feature on the platform. You just have to know where to find it.

Here's how to post images with text on Instagram, either in a story or a post.

How to post a text-only image on Instagram using Create Mode

1. Open the Instagram app on your phone.

2. Tap the camera icon in the top-left corner of the home screen.

3. Slide the bottom toolbar from "Normal" until you see "Create."

4. Tap the screen to add your text. If needed, you can cycle through different font options by tapping the top middle button, or change the size via the slide bar on the left-hand side. When completed to your liking, click "Next"

5. You'll now be able to edit your text image as you would normally do with a story. Another helpful hint: You can tap the colorful circle toward the top-left side of the screen to change the background color.

6. When the text and image is to your liking, you can either tap the "Send to" button to add it to your stories, or select the "Save" icon at the top of the screen to save it to your phone's camera roll. 

If you save the image, you will be able to see and select it when you go through the usual posting process for a standard grid post.

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• Social Media

How to use Instagram Stories: Everything you need to know

Of course, before we get into the “how” it’s probably a good idea to address the “why.” After all, what’s the big deal? Instagram Stories might seem like another millennial fun-and-games feature (or a waste of time, depending on who you ask), but it is actually a great way to share quick, off-the-cuff moments that you don’t want to live forever on your profile. It’s also a fun way to show your personality which may not be reflected in your regular Instagram posts.

Even if you don’t post Stories, you can view your followers’ to discover more about them. And the feature has proven quite popular: After just one year, Instagram reported it had  250 million daily users  of Stories, versus 166 million for Snapchat. Businesses are even using Stories to drive engagement: one in five stories posted by a brand receives a direct message from a follower, and more than 50 percent of business accounts  created a story in July 2017.

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How to watch Instagram Stories

Before we dive into how to create and post your own Instagram Stories, let’s take a look at how you can view them. If you don’t already have an account, download the Instagram app for iOS  or Android  and  make one . While Instagram posts and profiles can be viewed in a web browser, Stories are available only in the Instagram mobile app.

Stories appear at the top of your feed, in a carousel of profile pictures from the people you follow. Additionally, at the top of your Explore tab you can find public stories from a selection of popular accounts. A colorful ring highlights profiles that have published something new, and you can simply tap on one to view the story. You’ll see a chronological feed of the videos and pictures the person has published over the past 24 hours. You can tap on the right or left side of the screen to move forward or backward, respectively, between individual posts, or swipe to jump to the next or previous story. You can also hit the “watch all” option for continuous entertainment.

How to post Instagram Stories

If your story is currently empty, you can simply tap on your profile picture in the Stories row of the home screen or from your profile page and it will activate the camera (if you have already added a post to your story, this is how you can view it). You can add to your story at any time by tapping the camera icon in the upper-left of the home screen. Note: This is different from the camera used for posts, activated by a button at the bottom of the screen. From here, shoot a photo or video (or choose one from the last 24 hours in your camera roll) and simply tap the “+ your story” button to add it to your story. You can also save it to your device or send it to individual users.

Congratulations — you’ve started an Instagram Story!

Once you’ve posted your story, you can see who has viewed it at the bottom of the screen. This will probably look something like “Jane Doe and 10 others,” but if you tap on it, it will reveal a full list of everyone who has viewed your story. At the top of the screen, your story will be broken down into thumbnail images of each photo or video that composes it. Simply tap on a thumbnail to the see the viewer stats about that entry.

Instagram Stories used to only display photos in portrait (vertical) mode — landscape (horizontal) photos would get cropped, which could cut away the things you actually want shown (even with photos shot in portrait mode, Instagram Stories still crops into them). In the latest update, users can now post landscape photos, however, you would see two empty bars on the top and bottom. But these empty spaces can be used for text and stickers, so think of them as blank canvases.

And that covers the basics!

How to choose an Instagram Story format

Instagram Stories are about much more than sharing simple snapshots, and it starts with the format. When you open the Stories camera, you can select a different recording format by swiping through the options near the bottom of the screen, beneath the shutter button.

• Normal  is a regular photo or video, like the kind you shoot with your phone’s default camera app. Tap the button to snap a picture, or hold it to record a video of up to 15-seconds long.
• Boomerang is a looping GIF-style video that plays forward and backward repeatedly. You have just a few seconds with this one, but if you time it right, it’s a creative way to capture fun moments.
• Rewind  is just like a normal video, only it plays back in reverse.
• Hands free is another way to take a 15-second video, only you don’t need to hold down the button to do it. Just tap it once, and the camera keeps rolling until time runs out (or you choose to stop it).

How to go live on Instagram Stories

Typically, some of your followers will be notified when you go live (you may have seen these notifications yourself when people you follow have started live broadcasts). Notifications can be turned off if you’d rather not let anyone know, but it’s generally a good idea to alert people to a live broadcast since, you know, it’s  live. 

Both business and personal accounts can go live, and during the broadcast, viewers can send reactions and leave comments (unless you disable this option). That makes a live broadcast a great tool to connect in real-time with your followers.

Instagram also lets you save your live broadcasts as a video file to your camera roll, but comments and reactions will not be saved with it. For the next 24 hours, a saved broadcast — like any other photo or video in your camera roll — will be available to be added back into your story.

How to spruce up your Instagram Stories with filters, stickers, doodles, and text

Once you’ve taken a photo or video, you can swipe left or right to cycle through various  filters — overlays that change the color and contrast of your Instagram snaps and clips. You won’t find the full suite of Instagram filters and adjustments here that are available in regular posts, but you do have a few different basic options, including black-and-white.

Where you can go a little crazier is with the text , pen, and sticker  tools found in the upper right corner. Text is pretty self explanatory, but there are some creative ways to use it. You can add as many different text layers as you want, all with different colors. With the text tool active, you can tap the “A” button at the top center of the screen to add a background color, too.

The pen tool can be used to doodle with your fingers, and there are several different pen types available which each have their own effect. On the left-hand side of the screen is a size slider that adjusts the thickness of your pen strokes, and on the top is an eraser tool that can get rid of any mistakes you make (you can also tap “undo” to remove your last pen stroke). All pen strokes will appear behind any text, so this can also be a good way to highlight the text you’ve added to your story.

Alternatively, you can use the pen tool to quickly cover the entire image in a solid color. Select your preferred color and tap and hold anywhere on the photo. You’ll soon see a flash, and when you lift your finger, the screen will be filled with that color. You can now use the eraser to reveal specific areas of the photo.

Instagram has a powerful sticker tool that lets you paste icons to photos. There are several categories from which to choose, including location, current temperature, time, and day — and a plethora of fun and silly static stickers like smiling watermelons and, of course, the full collection of emoji. Note: Tagging a story with your location may also add it to the public story for that area, viewable from the Explore tab, so it may be seen by anyone around you, provided your account isn’t set to private.

But if the above options aren’t enough for you, you can even create a custom selfie sticker to adorn your stories with your own face. Give a smiling stamp of approval to your morning latte or reveal your disgust at rush hour traffic (if you’re a passenger, of course; don’t snap and drive). To get started, open the stickers menu and tap on the camera icon to the left of the  #hashtag sticker. Frame your face in the window that appears and snap a picture. You can tap the resulting sticker to switch from a hard white outline to a blurred edge effect.

Any of these elements can be added to both photos and videos, but videos get one special ability: You can “pin” an element to lock it to an object within the frame, so that it automatically stays in the same relative position as the camera pans and moves. Simply tap and hold on an element to pin it into place. You can change the position any time. This is a great way to identify different people in a video by pinning their user names to their chests like name tags.

Don’t have a photo to share? The new  Type Mode  lets you post stories using create texts and backgrounds, located in that bottom scroll menu inside Stories alongside options like live, normal, and Boomerang. With Type Mode, you can keep your followers informed of your activities or mood, even when there isn’t a photo to share.

How to use face filters in Instagram Stories

Face filters are basically the same as  Snapchat Lenses — they’re digital tiaras, animal noses, hats, and other accessories that lay atop your face thanks to the magic of artificial intelligence and facial recognition. Some face filters are relatively static, where others will actually animate when you, say, open your mouth, or nod your head. Instagram also likes to keep these fresh by releasing new filters every so often.

Unlike the color filters and pen and sticker tools, you can preview and select a face filter before you take a photo or video. Simply tap on the little face icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. (Tip: If your face isn’t showing up in the window, tap the button with two circling arrows — this will switch between the front and back cameras.)

How to add tags and hashtags to Instagram Stories

To tag people on Instagram Stories, tap the text button, type the  @ symbol on your phone’s keyboard, and then simply type the person’s username. Suggested users will appear as you start to type; when the right one shows up, simply tap their profile picture. Whoever you tag will be notified that they’ve been added to your story.

Adding a hashtag is even easier. Tap on the  stickers button and then tap  hashtag , or just type in a hashtag using the text tool. As with posts, user tags and hashtags act as links in your Stories which viewers can tap on. Instagram users with multiple accounts often use this to drive traffic to their other accounts.

How to delete stickers and text from Instagram Stories

Not happy with your sticker placement? No worries — they’re pretty easy to zap from pics and videos. Tap and hold on the sticker or text you want to delete and drag it to the garbage icon in the bottom center of the screen. This can be a bit confusing at first, because the trash icon doesn’t actually show up until you begin dragging something.

How to save, share, and reply to Instagram Stories

Stories are now automatically archived, so even though they disappear after 24 hours, you can easily revisit. Simply tap on your profile picture at the bottom right, hit the archive icon at the top (a clock with a counter-clockwise arrow), and pick a story.

You can also create a Highlight of stories. Highlights are permanently displayed on your profile page, and they could be a collection of stories from a particular moment, like a wedding, concert, or whatever is important to you.

You can also tap your profile picture in the Stories bar at the top to bring up your story, then tap the “…” button in the bottom right of the screen and tap “Save.” Instagram gives you two options for how to save Stories: You can save a single photo or video, or you can save the entire story. If you save the entire story, Instagram will render it into a video before dropping it into your camera roll.

You probably won’t always want to save your full story, but this is a particularly great feature when you’re traveling to keep a visual journal of your adventure. Add to your story throughout the day and save it each night for a day-by-day record that review years down the road.

You can also share a photo or video from your story as an Instagram post. Again, tap the “…” button and select — wait for it — “Share as Post.” This will load the photo or video into the normal Instagram post window where you can edit it like any other post before sharing it to your feed.

You can only save and share your own stories, but you can reply to those of other users. When viewing a story, simply tap on the “Write message” field at the bottom of the screen to send a private message to that user. Easy as pie. Want to send something more visual? You can also send a photo or video as a reply.

Change who can see and reply to your Instagram Story

If you’d rather some people not be allowed to see your stories, that’s no problem. When you’re ready to publish your Story, head to the camera view and tap the  Settings  button. From there, tap Hide Story From   and select the users you wish to block. You can also choose to allow replies from everyone, just your followers, or turn them off completely. You can change these settings any time, even after posting a story, by tapping on the “…” button. You  you can also access story settings from the main settings area, accessed from your profile page.

For more information, check out our general tips and tricks on how to use Instagram .

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There are two ways to tackle the problem of timing: You can either rely on the research of social media experts who can give you one-size-fits-most estimates of the best possible days and times to post on Instagram (not ideal in terms of accuracy, but quicker and easier) or you can get the analytics data of your Instagram account and figure out the best possible publish times for your unique account and audience (might take longer but will likely be more accurate and effective).

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On Wednesday, the video-sharing website announced its latest feature via a blog post. Known as a Personal Stories shelf, the new search-related feature will yield a "shelf" of personal story videos about the health topics users search for. Essentially, if you search for a health topic, a Personal Stories shelf may appear in your search results and it will be populated with YouTube videos that feature personal stories about people who have experienced the health issue you searched for.

Complete Instagram Stories Guide

Every social media platform today seems to have a penchant for the Story feature – and why not! Stories make for a powerful marketing tool that can catapult you into popularity. And Instagram Stories are no different.

Launched in 2016, Instagram rolled out Stories as an attempt to mimic Snapchat’s acclaimed and trending hallmark at the time.

But here’s the best part:

Over time, Instagram’s Story feature has surpassed Snapchat in popularity and is a huge driver of success for the social media app.

In fact, it brought over 500 million people to the platform every day! Incredible, right?

If you are wondering how IG stories can help you build a strong following—trust us; visual storytelling matters. Read on to know why.

So, What Are Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories is a feature that allows you to post photos, videos, and texts that disappear within 24 hours of being posted .

Since Stories don’t reflect in your feed forever, they don’t have to be perfect. You can post updates, promos, and other related content without cluttering your feed.

Plus, you can add GIFs, Music, Stickers, and other tweaks, making IG Stories the lazy content creator’s go-to tool.

So why should you incorporate Stories into your marketing efforts?

An attractive feed gets people to follow you but is simply not enough to keep your audience hooked. It limits your ability to befriend your followers.

But what makes an Instagram Story so engaging is that it gives people a deeper look into your brand and how you do things.

From giving users a look behind the scenes to community polls and product teasers – Stories let you have one-on-one conversations with your audience.

In other words, Instagram Stories make your company more appealing to your audience.

And data backs this up!

Surveys indicate 58% of people have shown more interest in brands or products after discovering their Stories on Instagram .

Clearly, Stories have great potential for engaging your users and growing your follower count. So, how do you get started?

How to Use Instagram Stories

If you’re only just getting started on Instagram, take a look at our step-by-step guide on posting a Story to your feed:

Step 1 : Swipe right on your Instagram feed and tap on the camera icon, or touch the ‘+’ button that appears on your profile picture.

Step 2 : Tap the white circle at the bottom of the screen to click a picture or hold it for a second to record a video. You can also swipe up to use media from your phone history.

Step 3 : Edit your photo or video using Instagram’s numerous existing editing options.

Step 4 : Then, tap the “Your Story” button to post your content! A colorful circle will appear around your profile picture, alerting followers of your newly posted Story.

What More Can You Do With Stories?

Posting a photo or video is a good way to kick things off, but it’s the bare minimum you can do.

Here are some features you can use to add some pizzazz to your Story:

• Type: Text-based posts on a colored background.
• Live: Real-time videos that you can post on your stories afterward.
• Boomerang: A 1-second looping video.
• Focus: Portraits that blur out the background and keep your subject’s face in focus.
• Superzoom: A zoom feature with numerous effects.
• Rewind: A feature that plays your video back in reverse.
• Hands-Free: Allows you to record a video without having to hold on to the record button.

Beyond that, you can make your IG Stories stand out with the following elements:

If you have been using Instagram for even a couple of months, you know the importance of using hashtags in your content.

Hashtags, when used properly, can double, triple, or even quadruple the number of visitors on your page. And they perform the same task when added to your Stories!

“In 2021, utilizing strategically targeted hashtags in your Stories attracts fresh audiences on Instagram.”

You can add hashtags to your Stories by clicking on the hashtag sticker, or use the text function to write them up.

You can use at most 10 hashtags on Instagram Stories- wherein 1 is clickable.

Check out how Walmart is using hashtags to attract more audiences.

Do you know the fastest way to lose your edge on Instagram? It’s forgetting to tag your location on your posts!

Just like hashtags, location tags can lead a potential customer to your page – especially if your primary target audience is local.

And adding your location on Instagram Stories could put you on the explore page and bring more eyes to your brand – even beyond your follower list.

Here’s how you can link to a location on your Stories:

• First, from the stickers icon on the top of your Stories screen, select the ‘Location’ sticker.
• Choose the location where you want to be discovered. To target a smaller audience, you can choose your street or neighborhood. You can also tag a larger region to reach a wider audience.
• You can personalize your sticker by changing the colors.

Want to brighten the mood? Or add a touch of drama? GIFs are the way to go!

These charming little moving images or stickers can freshen up even the blandest Story imaginable.

More than that, they work as an effective CTA for your audience.

To add a GIF to your Stories, follow these steps:

• Go to Your Story and tap on the square smiley-face sticker.
• You can choose from the trending GIFs on the screen or search for something specific.
• Add your selected GIF and pinch to resize or drag to move.
• Finally, tap the “Your Story” icon for publishing.

Your followers love nothing more than to share their opinions. And including Polls in your Story gives them an opportunity to do just that.

This interactive feature encourages your audience to interact with you on the platform, thereby doubling your engagement rates.

But more importantly, Polls are the key to unlocking your consumers’ behavioral preferences. Doritos makes clever use of the Poll feature to gauge which merch its users like best.

Here’s how you add the Polls feature to Instagram Stories:

• Search the stickers icon in your screen’s top-right corner.
• Tap the Polls icon.
• Feed your questions and responses (“Yes” and “No” will be there by default).
• You can customize the text and add emojis. Character limits don’t apply to questions, but responses must be under 22 characters.
• Tap ‘Your Story’ once you’re done!
• After sharing the poll with your audience, you can swipe up to check the results.

Do you want to make your poll last beyond 24 hours?

Perhaps you’d like to save previously posted Stories for new followers to explore your products?

Well, you can add them as Highlights !

This feature is a collection of IG Stories that stay on your profile for longer , letting followers view them whenever they want.

With Highlights, you can organize your Stories, allowing customers to discover all your products in one place.

You can also post answers to their commonly asked questions, mention giveaways , showcase important BTS moments – you get the point.

Note that you cannot upload pictures or videos from your phone as Highlights: you need to add them as Stories first.

Let’s see how you can create Instagram Highlights for your page:

• First, go to your profile page.
• Select the ‘+’ sign placed just below your bio section.
• Choose the Stories you want to include in your Highlight and tap ‘Next’.
• Write a short title – it can only be up to 16 characters.
• You can pick one of the Stories as a cover for your Highlight or create your own to give it a personal touch.

Live Videos

Going live is no doubt a stellar method of engaging with your followers!

Loyal users will likely be interested in interacting with you in real-time, giving you an opportunity to build an authentic connection with them.

And the Instagram Live feature helps you do just that.

Introduced in June 2017, this feature enables you to stream live to your audience via Stories.

However, the video will disappear once your broadcast has ended.

If you want your audience to see the live video even after the end of your broadcast, here’s a simple trick:

Just tap on the “Share” button at the bottom of your screen. By doing so, the replay of your live broadcast will be added to your Story for 24 hours.

When added to IG Stories, the feature allows increased viewership for those who missed the live broadcast.

How Long Are Instagram Stories Supposed to Be? How Many Should You Post?

Here is what you need to know: the maximum permissible length of a Story video is 15 seconds, whereas photos can be seen for 7 seconds at once. An Instagram Live video can be up to 60 minutes.

As for how many you should post every day, it all depends on your audience.

Sharing over 10 Stories in a day isn’t going to magically fix your engagement. In fact, it reads as spammy and will have the opposite effect.

But if you’re posting quality content and actively engaging with your followers, you might even go up to 20 Stories per day.

The most important thing to know is this: Consistency matters.

Planning your content with social media scheduling tools like SocialPilot gives you plenty of time to tailor IG Stories for your followers, thereby boosting your engagement rate .

What Is the Best Time to Post Instagram Stories?

When it comes to IG Stories, timing is just as important as consistency.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard you pray to the social media gods, there’s no formula for discovering the ideal best time to post Instagram stories .

This is because people tend to view Instagram Stories throughout the day. Some see it first thing in the morning, others in the evenings after work. You’ll even find people scrolling Instagram during their lunch break!

The trick is to ignore other people and focus on when your audience is online the most.

For an accurate reflection of your audience’s peak online time, simply look at your account’s analytics on Insights.

The Audience tab is doing the Lord’s work by displaying which days of the week and what time your followers are most active. Make the most of this data and time your posts accordingly!

10 Ways to Use IG Stories for Your Brand

With 50% of business accounts using Stories to enhance their engagement ratio, quality content is indispensable if you want to be heard!

But guess what? With the right content strategy for Instagram Stories, you can help your account gain some traction.

Here are 10 ways to use the feature to its full potential:

1. Nail the Aspect of Personal Branding Through Visual Identity

Here’s the deal: your content won’t make as big of a splash if you don’t add any personality behind it.

Just like you, many other brands are going to be consistently delivering value and information via Stories.

Hence, you need to create a visual identity that your audience can latch onto.

The goal isn’t just to differentiate yourself from others; your followers are more likely to know, like, and trust you if they can relate to your company.

“Instagram is a visual platform – your entire online persona could crumble without a theme!”

Here’s how you develop a visual identity via Stories:

• Use consistent brand colors on your Stories and stick to a cohesive theme for your content (hilarious, analytical, informational, etc.).
• Using similar stickers, polls, and GIFs also builds trust in your target audience.

2. Show Behind the Scenes Footage

Believe it or not – recording a 10-second BTS video for your Instagram Stories can actually make a difference in your engagement!

A sneak peek behind company operations will get your followers invested in your brand.

It gives them a deeper understanding of what you do and how you do them.

Shoot behind-the-scenes footage of you or your team working hard to give your customers the best experience possible. You could also use this format to build hype around an upcoming product.

Here’s Wilton Cakes posting a video of one of their bakers in action.

3. Share Personal Stories

Building a personal connection with your content consumers can take your brand to another level!

Here’s what many unsuccessful brands don’t get:

People like to believe in someone who is just like them. They want companies and influencers that work hard, deliver consistent value, and contribute to the world.

And if anything is indicative of authenticity in a brand, it’s a personal story.

“Personal stories are a way to build a strong and tight-knit community that will support your brand for years to come.”

Share some anecdotes that help establish your company – how you built the brand, what struggles you faced, what values you follow, etc.

This won’t just help you gain more organic followers – it’ll prove to your existing audience that you are relatable.

4. Deliver Special Offers

Yes, you are a brand, and you deliver products to your audience. So, why not give them a bonus through Instagram Stories!

Think about it.

You can use the tricks of persuasion, attraction, scarcity (e.g., the seats to the webinar are limited), urgency (e.g., offer ends within 24 hours), etc., to make your special offer more appealing.

For example, you can see how Foundr is offering free exclusive training to the people and asking them to swipe up for the same.

But listen.

It’s not always about giving your product for free. It can be a service for a discounted price or a free webinar giving out massive information about a subject.

5. Drive Traffic to Your Website or Blog

The truth is that Instagram Stories are out there to provide entertainment to people.

So, if you cram your Stories with swipe-up links and taglines to buy stuff, people will get frustrated and leave.

Instead, use Stories to show snippets of a new and exciting blog that’s been published on your website.

Give them limited details as to what the content entails to create buzz around your site.

“Directing followers to your site will drive organic traffic , especially when they are looking to consume more of your content.”

If you’ve got an engaging Twitter account, you can post a weekly round-up of the best ones on your Stories.

You can also share updates when you’ve posted new content on other platforms, like a video on YouTube.

6. Create a Helpful Tutorial

Here’s a reality check: Your target audience isn’t going to stick around for very long if they don’t find value in your content.

And as it turns out, posting tutorials and educational Stories is one way to keep them from unfollowing you.

What’s more, how-to guides and tutorials will prove to be a core component of your marketing strategy if they feature your product.

As long as it’s presented in a fun, creative way, your customers would love to see Instagram Stories that highlight the benefits and uses of choosing your brand.

7. Make Use of Quizzes and Polls

There’s a reason why knowing your followers and their preferences is vital to a brand.

Understanding your customers’ psychology shows you how they will formulate their further decisions.

For this, you need to either walk a mile in their shoes or be ridiculously good at mind-reading. But if that’s not possible, you could simply ask them for the answer on Stories.

That’s where the polls and quizzes feature comes in.

You can create fun polls, quizzes, guessing games, and much more to keep your audience engaged while also trying to understand them.

For example, Warner Bros. used the ‘Ask Me a Question’ feature to interact with their followers.

8. Tap Into the Power of Ads

You can harness the power of Instagram Story ads to increase brand awareness and boost your sales.

However, to prevent your followers from swiping away, make sure that your message is brief and to the point.

While you can choose a still image that focuses on your product features, posting videos is undoubtedly the way to go. Make your video ads as eye-catching as possible in the first 5 seconds!

Pro Tip: There’s a high chance that new followers will visit your Instagram account first and website later. As a result, your IG Stories ad should also match your overall brand aesthetic and theme.

9. Showcase Positive Reviews

You can (and should) talk about how great your products or services are on Instagram Stories. That’s the whole point of social media anyway.

But what’s far more effective than singing your own praises is posting positive feedback from your existing customers.

It’s a way of verifying the quality you claim to deliver and can generate trust in your brand among new followers.

Here are some ways you could demonstrate positive reviews via Stories:

• Encourage followers to tag you in their Instagram Stories if they have good things to say for your product or service.
• Re-share these Stories on your own page to help spread the word.
• Display testimonials about your brand from your website or feature screenshots of direct messages (DMs) as a Highlight. (But be sure to ask customers for permission before posting.)

10. Host an Instagram Takeover

An Instagram takeover is when a special guest – an influencer, employee, or even a customer! – gains control over your account and content for a day.

The strategy involves sharing content via posts and live videos. But Instagram Stories have emerged as the best way to host takeovers on the platform, largely because the posts disappear after 24 hours.

You can have a prominent influencer take over your Stories to share tutorials or advice.

The best part? This allows you to endorse your brand to their large and faithful following. (Bonus points if you swap takeovers and feature on their account for a day!)

Alternatively, featuring employees in your Story takeover will develop your brand identity.

When there are so many content ideas and a rush to be consistent in your posting on multiple client accounts, one can get pretty overloaded. Is there any shortcut out of this?

SocialPilot is the perfect solution to the situation. The tool has excellent Instagram scheduling capabilities. You can schedule any number of stories, reels, and posts beforehand and get them published on time without a single hitch!

Start Your 14-day Trial

Instagram Stories Dimensions: What to Keep in Mind

Before you start posting, you need to pay attention to the Instagram Stories size and dimension requirements, especially if you are designing them on your desktop or via a software program:

• Recommended Image Ratio: Even though all feed ratios are supported on Stories, 9:16 is the perfect ratio to cover the entire screen.
• Recommended Resolution: 1080×1920 – the minimum resolution is 600×1067. Remember: high-resolution images increase upload times.
• Maximum File Size: 30MB for images, 4GB for video.
• Maximum Video Duration: 30 seconds.
• Maximum Video Duration for Video Ads: 120 seconds.

But hang on – we’re not done yet!

If you’re trying to build your brand on social media, Instagram analytics give you a gold mine of information about your performance. Find out how below.

How to Analyze Viewership of Your IG Stories

You’ve done everything to make your post a true masterpiece. But what’s the point if you can’t measure how your followers are reacting to it?

That’s why it’s recommended to analyze viewership by evaluating the key metrics of Instagram Stories These include:

• Average completion rates, or the number of people that watch the entire Story.
• Posting frequency and timing
• Vanity metrics like impressions, reach, and taps
• Average Story length
• Story frame exit rates

So what do you do with this information?

Take a closer look at the relationship between average followers and average reach rate to drive targeted traffic to your page.

You can also analyze viewership based on monthly posting frequency, specifically for your industry or vertical.

“Analyze your Instagram Stories and decipher the metrics to better your growth strategy.”

But, remember: Instagram offers very limited analytics regarding how your hashtags, location tags, or even polls perform.

In fact, you should know that brands and businesses suffer the most without the right tools that give them specific and detailed information. Talk about a missed opportunity!

So, it’s a good option to use a top-notch analytics tool for detailed insight into your audience’s behavior.

With this comprehensive guide, you can master the art of visual storytelling and get the best bang for your buck. Pick top hashtags for your niche, use polls and quizzes, and focus on making your content as interactive as possible.

Besides keeping it fun, consider using analytics and planning a content strategy to maximize your reach. Tools like SocialPilot automate your posting schedule and offer valuable performance data, so you’re always on top of your branding game.

Go ahead – you’re all set to grow your business with Instagram Stories!

Frequently Asked Questions

🌟 Can you screenshot Instagram Stories?

Yes, Instagram Stories can be screenshotted. You can also save your stories or videos to your gallery by clicking on the Save button at the bottom left corner of the stories screen.

🌟 How to put music on Instagram Stories?

Once your Story is ready, tap on the stickers icon on the top menu bar. Search for the Music sticker and add any tunes you want.

🌟 How to add links on Instagram Stories?

Unfortunately, only verified accounts like top brands and businesses are allowed to add links in Instagram Stories . However, if you have crossed 10,000 followers, you can add a swipe-up link to your product or landing page.

🌟 How long do Instagram Stories last?

Instagram Stories last a maximum of 24 hours in your users’ feeds, meaning that your photos and videos disappear from your profile after a day.

About the Author

Chandraveer Singh

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Top 11 Instagram Story Text Tips and Tricks You Should Know

Instagram is all about pictures. Rather, stylized pictures if you go by the trend these days. This trend on Instagram took off after stories came into existence. While you can add text as a caption in normal posts, in stories you have to add text on top of images. And such images are everywhere!

One would think that it would be some boring text but you are wrong. Instagram provides a bunch of features for story text. It lets you change color, font style, and add shadow, etc. While some features are apparent, others would be left untouched by you until you know about them.

So here we present to you a bunch of tips, tricks, and hacks related to Instagram story text.

1. Change Font Size

Instagram provides five font styles: Typewriter, Strong, Classic, Modern, and Neon. Out of these, you can change the font size of only Classic type. Yes, you can zoom the text for all of them by pinching in and out but sometimes you want to fit a certain text in just one line.

For instance, if you want to add a website or an email id, you would want it to be in a single line. This is possible with the help of Classic style only as you can manually change its size.

To do so, follow the steps:

Step 1: Go to the Story mode and tap on the Text icon. Enter your text.

Step 2: Then tap on the Font style mode at the top and choose Classic. You will get a slider on the left side. Drag it up or down to increase or decrease the size.

2. Change Text Alignment

If you want to align your text properly, of course, you can simply hold the text and put it in a preferred position. But why not use the native alignment feature? Instagram offers alignment in the Typewriter and Classic font styles. After you select any one of these font styles, tap on the alignment icon at the top-left corner for left, right, and center alignment.

3. View All Text Colors

Not many people know that Instagram offers a full-color wheel. If you don’t like the given set of colors, you can always switch to the color wheel and choose a color of your choice.

To view the color wheel, follow the steps:

Step 1: In the story mode, tap on the text icon and type your text.

Step 2: You will see small color circles at the bottom of the screen. Hold down on any color and you will get the color palette. Now move your finger on the palette and choose any color.

4. Use Color Picker Tool

If you want to match the text with your image and can’t find the right color from the color palette, don’t worry, you can use the color picker tool.

To do so, add the text to your story and tap on the color picker icon present on the right side of all colors. Then move this tool to the desired color and your text color will change automatically.

5. Change Individual Word Color

Normally, when you select a color for your text from the small color circles at the bottom, it is applied to the whole text. What if you wanted every word to have a different color? Sure, you can add the words individually but that’s gonna take a lot of time.

As an alternative, simply highlight the word (select the word) and tap on any color of your choice. Repeat this for all words.

6. Change Text Background Color

Out of the five font styles, you can change the background color of only three: Classic, Typewriter, and Strong. To do it, once you add the text and use any of these font styles, tap on the font-mode icon at the top-left corner. Then select a background color from the colors at the bottom.

7. Add Shadow to Text

To enhance your text and stories, you can add shadows to them. However, there is no native feature to do it. But that shouldn’t disappoint you as there is a nice trick to achieve the shadow effect.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Story mode and enter your text. Then tap on the Done button.

Step 2: Now using the same font style, type the Text icon and enter the same text again but in a different color. Again tap on the Done button.

Step 3 : Drag this second text over the first one and increase or decrease the size in such a way that the overall text looks like that the shadow has been added to it.

8. Use More Fonts

If the built-in fonts of Instagram aren’t enough for you, try some different and unique fonts. Wondering how? All you need to do is go to the Cool Symbol website and enter your text on the Fancy text page. You will see a preview of many new fonts on the site itself.

Tap on the Copy button next to the font style that you like. Then go to the Instagram Story mode and in the text mode, paste it. You can change its color, size and other parameters as you would do for a normal text. Isn’t it a cool hack?

9. Add Rainbow Text

Rainbow text simply means the text where each letter has a different color. The color pattern, however, resembles that of a rainbow.

Here’s how to add it.

Step 1: Open the Story mode and write your text.

Step 2: Select or highlight all the text.

Step 3: Now with the text selected, we need to open the color spectrum. To do so, hold any color from the colors at the bottom. Once the color palette is visible, don’t lift your finger from the palette. While keeping your finger on the palette, take your second finger to the right side of the highlighted word. Make sure it’s highlighted.

Now with both fingers on the screen, drag them slowly towards the left side. You will see that it generates a gradient effect. To get a proper rainbow effect, start from the extreme right side of the palette.

10. Add Design Elements

Who would have thought that you could use your keyboard to spruce up Instagram stories ? Yes, you read that right. Remember those special symbols on your keyboard like the star (*), tilde (~), full stop (.) or a hyphen (-)? Well, add them to your stories, and then increase their size, change color, and boom, you have your own design elements ready.

11. Create a Text Story

You would have seen many Instagram users posting a continuous story. Meaning, each story will have new text in addition to the previous one. If you also want to create such stories, it is very easy to do it.

Step 1: In the Story mode, add the first text that you want to be on that image. Then instead of publishing it to your story, tap on the Save button.

Step 2: Then with the same image and text on the screen, add more text wherever you want it to be. Again, save it. Similarly, repeat the steps if you have more text.

Step 3: Once you have all the images, publish them from your gallery to your story. You don’t need to upload them one by one as Instagram recently introduced the feature to upload multiple images to stories .

What’s Your Story?

It’s amazing how much you can do with the text in Instagram stories. And you should make use of these tips because, after all, a story is not just about pictures … it’s about the words too.

Last updated on 03 February, 2022

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

DID YOU KNOW

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets made her develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India for the same. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite verticals include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps. You can also find her posts on MakeTechEasier, TechWiser, and NerdsChalk.

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The Ultimate Guide to Writing Good Instagram Captions

Discover simple ways to write good Instagram captions that are creative and effective for your business.

Writing good Instagram captions can be really hard.

Should your Instagram captions be funny? Serious? Inspirational? Should you use emojis and hashtags? And what about your call-to-action?

To help you get started and create Instagram captions that are as great as your photos, we’ve put together this guide with all our top tips:

Why Are Good Instagram Captions So Important?

A great Instagram caption will stop a scroller in their tracks — and the longer someone spends reading your caption and engaging with your post, the better your post will rank with the Instagram algorithm !

Captions are a powerful tool that can be used to encourage likes, comments, and even visits to your website. And if your post gets enough engagement, it might even end up on the Explore Page !

What’s more, captions are a huge opportunity to build a stronger relationship with your audience.

And while celebrities like Kylie Jenner can get away with a single moon emoji as a caption, for brands and influencers, lengthy captions that champion story-telling and authenticity are driving great results:

The “micro-blogging” caption trend is a great way to connect on a deeper level with your followers, which in turn can boost brand loyalty.

Not forgetting that a good Instagram caption with an effective call-to-action (CTA) is one of the best ways to inspire your followers to comment on your posts. And that means even more engagement on your account.

In a nutshell, you can’t afford to leave your captions as an afterthought.

While creating beautiful content for your feed is ultra important, if you want to get more engagement on your posts, and maybe even reach new audiences, writing good Instagram captions that drive engagement is a great strategy.

The good news is you can take Later’s How to Write Engaging Instagram Captions workshop with Instagram pro Elise Darma right now — it’s completely FREE, just sign up below!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions

So what does a good Instagram caption look like?

In its simplest form, a good Instagram caption is one that provides context, adds personality, and inspires your followers to take action.

But writer’s block is real, and when you’ve spent time and effort perfecting your Instagram images, crafting a caption can seem like added work you don’t have time for.

To help you start writing good Instagram captions that convert readers into loyal, engaged followers, we’re sharing our top tips!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #1: Write a Killer First Line

Making the first part of your Instagram caption super-engaging and enticing is a sure-fire way to boost the amount of time people spend viewing your post.

The trick is to ensure that you deliver the punchy, attention-grabbing element of your first line before the caption is truncated (shortened) — so it’s visible in someone’s feed without them having to click “more”.

You could spark your followers’ curiosity with an intriguing statement, or capture their attention with hard-hitting stats, trigger an emotional response or share an exclusive offer.

Whatever tactic you choose, just remember that the goal is to pique your followers’ interest, so they’re more likely to read your full caption and engage with your post.

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #2: Add a Call-to-Action

The simple act of including a call-to-action in your Instagram caption and inviting your audience to comment or like a post can go a very long way it when it comes to driving more engagement.

And the best bit — the engagement doesn’t stop with Instagram!

A good CTA can inspire your followers to engage with your business website, sign up to a newsletter or shop online!

Here’s how to nail your CTAs in your Instagram posts:

Using Call-to-Actions to Drive Engagement

If you want more engagement on your posts, all you have to do is ask!

Add a call-to-action to your Instagram captions like “double tap if you agree”, or ask a personal question to encourage more comments on your post.

Not only will this strengthen the sense of community on your Instagram account, but it will also provide positive indicators for the Instagram algorithm — which will lead to more exposure for your post.

Try to keep your CTAs fun and easy to do to encourage as many engagements as possible.

Another great call-to-action that will boost your post with the Instagram algorithm is to ask your followers to tag their friends in the comment section of your post.

This can be as simple as saying: “Tag a friend who needs to hear this!”, or “Tag someone that would wear this!”.

Alternatively, you could run an Instagram contest that requires users to tag a friend in the comments section in order to enter.

If you’re planning on running an Instagram contest, it’s a good idea to include “contest” or “giveaway” at the beginning of your caption to really capture your followers’ attention!

Using Call-to-Actions to Divert Traffic to Your Site

You can also use call-to-actions to encourage your audience to visit your website or purchase a product.

If you have over 10k followers on Instagram, you can add direct links to your Instagram Stories and invite viewers to “swipe up” to learn more.

But it can be a little bit trickier to direct your followers to your site from your post captions.

One way around this is to encourage your followers to click the link in your bio , or even visit a specific URL.

Instagram only gives you one hyperlink in your bio, so if you’re looking to optimize on that, think about using a tool like Linkin.bio by Later.

With Linkin.bio , you can redirect your viewers from your captions to a clickable landing page that looks exactly like your feed.

So your audience will always be able to find the link they’re looking for, and you won’t have to keep updating the link in your profile!

Want to drive more traffic to your website and convert followers into customers? Linkin.bio is available on all Later business plans.

Tease the Value of Completing a Call-to-Action

To make your call-to-actions even more effective, let your followers know what they stand to gain by doing it.

As Elise Darma mentions in our free How to Write Engaging Instagram Captions workshop, this can be as simple as adding “so that” to your captions — such as: “enter my competition so that you can win…” — or by setting out what your audience will learn by following your CTA!

Adding a simple reason for why your followers should follow your call-to-action will encourage them to do so, which will help you achieve your goals!

Make Your Call-to-Actions Stand Out

As captions get longer, it’s easier for your call-to-action to get lost amongst all of your caption copy.

To combat this, you can use a custom font to jazz up your captions and draw more attention to your call-to-action.

And creating a custom font is easy!

All you have to do is paste your call-to-action into a custom font tool, like IGfonts.io , to generate a whole range of fonts that you can simply copy and paste into your caption.

You can also use eye-catching emojis, capital letters, or symbols to make your call-to-actions extra visible!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #3: Add Line Breaks to Longer Captions

Keeping your Instagram captions short and punchy is a great way to ensure your message gets across — but what about when you’ve got lots to say?

Adding line breaks to your Instagram captions will keep them easy to digest, even when you’ve got several points to make!

This simple spacing hack is great for breaking up hefty captions, that could be a serious turn-off for your followers.

And it’s a cinch to do with Later !

Previously, you had to add individual symbols, like stars or dashes, each on a new line of text, to create line breaks in your captions.

But with Later, all you have to do is press the return key while writing your caption and you’ll have lovely, spaced out captions for your Instagram posts!

Don’t believe us? Sign up for Later if you haven’t already and give it a try — it’s free!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #4: Use a Consistent Brand Voice

Aside from the obvious tips on using proper grammar and spelling, one of the most important parts of any good Instagram caption is a consistent, and on-brand, voice.

Your Instagram captions should mirror your brand personality, and they should sound and feel like the rest of your marketing channels.

In general, it’s a good idea to take a more informal tone in your captions, as this will make your posts more personable — which is great for encouraging engagement!

A quick tip is to read your captions out loud and or dictate your caption to your phone using your voice notes. If it doesn’t sound like how you’d naturally speak, then it might be worth going back to the drawing board.

If you’re still honing your brand voice, check out these 10 brands we’re crushing on for some fresh Instagram inspo!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #5: Pick 2-3 Focal Themes

A consistent Instagram feed aesthetic is one of the best ways to grow a large and loyal following while showing off your brand’s unique style and tone — and the same applies for your Instagram captions!

Consistent Instagram captions will give your account a stronger personality and focus, reinforcing that you’re an expert in your domain — whatever that may be!

An easy way to do this is to set 2-3 themes that you can write about time and time again.

Take for example @everlane , who keep their captions centered around their products, transparency, and sustainability.

You can even assign a regular time slot to share posts related to a specific theme. For example, beauty brand @TrinnyLondon shares a “Fashion Friday” post each week — highlighting what the team is wearing.

CONTENT PLANNING TIP: Use Later’s Calendar Notes feature to reserve slots in your content planner for a specific theme — even if you don’t have a full post ready to schedule yet!

Not sure how to pick your themes, or need some extra help drafting your captions? We have free Instagram caption templates to get those creative juices flowing!

Sign up below and we’ll send them straight to your inbox — along with access to your free video workshop!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #6: Include Eye-Catching Emojis

When you aren’t using emojis to draw attention to your call-to-action, you can use them to add personality to your Instagram caption.

You can insert multiple emojis at the beginning of your caption to catch the eye of your followers with a bit of color, so they want to click to read more, or you can replace whole words with an emoji.

Even if you just add an emoji at the end of your Instagram caption, it will make your caption more inviting to your followers — and why not? Everyone loves an emoji!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #7: Disclose Sponsored Posts

With FTC regulations being tightened around sponsored posts and Instagram ads, it’s more important than ever to be transparent about your posts.

When you’re being rewarded or paid to promote a business or product — whether it’s through physical payment, affiliate links, or on a gifting basis — it needs to be correctly disclosed.

A common practice among influencers is to include a hashtag like #spon, #sponsored, #ad, #paid, or #partnership in the captions of their sponsored Instagram posts.

But that’s not enough anymore, according to the FTC .

If you want to disclose sponsored Instagram posts using a general hashtag, the only FTC-compliant ones are #sponsored or #ad.

And according to the FTC, you can’t simply hide #ad in the middle of your 29 other hashtags (especially because Instagram captions are shortened after 1-2 lines of text). The disclosure hashtag has to be easily noticed and understood by users.

That doesn’t mean you have to put #ad or #sponsored at the very beginning of your caption, but it’s obviously less likely to be seen if it’s in the middle or at the end.

The FTC also states that you can’t simply attach the word “ad” to the end of another hashtag, such as #adidasoriginalsad.

If you’re unsure, your backstop should be to over-disclose than under. Authenticity and transparency is valued on Instagram more than anything else, so it’s worth being honest with your followers.

ICYMI: Find out how to properly disclose sponsored Instagram posts according to the FTC in this blog post !

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #8: Write Your Captions in Batches

One of the biggest reasons people have trouble writing Instagram captions is because they try to do it on the fly, which definitely isn’t ideal.

Instead of jumping from task to task, it’s much more efficient to write your Instagram captions in one solid batch writing session — so you can really get in the zone!

So whether that’s first thing on Monday morning, or it’s your last task before the weekend, carve out some time and dedicate it just to captions.

If you want to get organized with captions, you can plan your Instagram posts ahead of time with Later ! With the calendar view and Visual Planner , you can craft and edit all of your captions in one go:

And once you’re happy with your captions, you can schedule and set your post to automatically go live when you want them too — making your content calendar even easier to manage!

Ready to start crafting your captions and save time with Instagram? Sign up to Later — it’s free!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #9: Use Hashtags to Boost Your Discoverability

Not only can hashtags help you gain more Instagram followers, but they’re a great way to connect with customers, find content created about you by your followers, and build long-term relationships with influential partners!

How Instagram Hashtags Work in Captions

Hashtags help organize and categorize photos and video content, which means that Instagram knows when to show your post to viewers who have searched the hashtag, or are browsing the Explore page.

For example, a food blogger could post a picture of a smoothie bowl, and then use the hashtags #superfoods , #cleaneating , and #vegansofig when it’s uploaded to Instagram.

How to Be Strategic With Hashtags

In order to be successful with hashtags, it’s important to be strategic about your hashtag usage.

The “most popular” Instagram hashtags are just simple words, and while tagging #love , #happy , and #dog may get you a few more likes, it’s not going to do much for your growth in the long run.

Instead of using the most popular Instagram hashtags, it’s better to use the top Instagram hashtags that have an engaging community behind them and are specific to your audience.

The narrower the scope of the hashtag, the more engaged the users are. You’ll be surprised by just how niche hashtags can get!

One of the best ways to stay organized with all of your community Instagram hashtags is by using Later’s Saved Captions feature .

With Saved Captions, you can create templates to save your most commonly used hashtags.

When it’s time to schedule, simply select one of your Saved Captions to add it to your post.

And best of all? It’s free to all Later users! Learn more about Later’s Saved Captions feature in this video:

Use Branded Hashtags in Your Instagram Caption

A branded hashtag is a great way to start a conversation with your followers and increase the reach of your content.

Branded hashtags are a way for your “fans” to share with their followers how they are already engaging with your brand, and for you to inspire user-generated content (UGC). It can mean major growth for your followers and help with the overall engagement on Instagram .

Keep Your Instagram Captions Clean

Adding hashtags to your Instagram caption is a great way to make your posts more discoverable, but too many hashtags can make your captions look untidy.

Equally, adding hashtags too soon in your caption can encourage users to click away from your post — which is the opposite of what you want to achieve!

Instead, add the bulk of your hashtags to the very end of your caption, tucked away behind several line breaks!

This will keep your Instagram posts discoverable and maintain your sleek aesthetic.

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #10: Create Captions for Your Instagram Stories

Adding a caption to your Instagram Stories is one of the most effective ways to capture your viewers’ attention — especially as lots of people watch stories without sound .

Your Instagram Stories captions can be informative (so it doesn’t matter if viewers’ watch without sound) or intriguing — to encourage your audience to tune in and listen!

You can also use Instagram Stories captions to drive your followers to complete a specific action. This could be as simple as encouraging them to swipe up, or click the link in your bio.

Not only do captions encourage more activity, but they’ll also make your stories more user-friendly for people with a hearing impairment.

And there’s a ton of new apps out there to help!

For live video, you can use the Clipomatic app to automatically add subtitles as you record. All you have to do is hit the record button, speak clearly, and your words will appear in a stylish caption right on your recording.

For prerecorded video, you can use the Caption This app to automate your subtitles — just upload your recorded video and wait for your captions to populate!

How to Write Good Instagram Captions Tip #11: Optimize Your IGTV Captions

ICYMI: When an IGTV preview is shared to your Instagram feed, the caption is automatically pulled from your IGTV video title and description.

With this in mind, it’s worth thinking about how your IGTV video title and description works as a feed post caption — as previews are one of the best ways to drive more views to your video content!

Equally, if your IGTV video is part of a sponsored partnership, it’s important to disclose this clearly in your feed preview caption:

Your IGTV video descriptions are also the only place where you include clickable links on Instagram (aside from your link in bio) so it’s definitely worth encouraging your audience to watch your full IGTV video in your feed preview captions!

Coming up with good Instagram captions might seem hard, but if you want to be successful on Instagram, it’s important to not let your Instagram captions become an afterthought.

Whether you’re an ecommerce brand selling products or a blogger sharing content, writing good Instagram captions can be a game-changer for your Instagram engagement !

Ready to take your Instagram captions to the next level? Take part in our free How to Write Engaging Instagram Captions workshop now!

Jillian is a Content Manager with over 8 years of experience in marketing, editing, and social media strategy. You can follow her on Instagram: @jillwrren .

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How to use Instagram Stories for business

As a consumer of her content, I appreciate the value I get from her Stories. And as a marketer, I appreciate the effort that clearly goes into these Stories. Let's take a look at how to use Instagram Stories for business—along with some more examples of folks doing it right.

What are Instagram Stories, and why are they good for business?

Instagram Stories is a feature within Instagram that allows users to share text, images, videos, live streams, and interactive features like polls—all in a slideshow-like presentation. But here's the catch: Stories can only be viewed for 24 hours after they're posted—that adds some definite FOMO marketing to the experience.

Each slide in a Story lasts up to 15 seconds before automatically moving to the next, which makes them a great way to tell a story (yup)—in a slightly less "formal" way than adding multiple images to a standard post.

So why should you use Stories for your business marketing?

They're a great way to keep your followers updated on what your business is up to without oversharing on your main feed. Maybe you grabbed a quick photo you want the world to see but it's not "Instagram-worthy" enough to merit a permanent post on your timeline.

Stories are more interactive: in addition to options like polls and countdown timers, every Story invites your followers to send you a message, with a convenient little chat box at the bottom. When you interact with your followers through Instagram Stories, you create connections that go beyond simply sharing content. 

Stories also boost your visibility. When people see you responding to comments and starting conversations, they're more likely to check out your profile and smash that follow button.

Stories give you a spot to highlight special offers or give sneak peeks of new products or services—time-bound posts that you don't want living on your feed forever. The 24-hour shelf life also keeps curious followers coming back to your profile, since today's stories will be gone tomorrow. 

Just keep in mind that using Instagram Stories isn't like owning cats—you can't leave them alone for a few days and know they'll be ok. Stories are more like puppies: they require a lot of attention to keep them healthy. (But they're so cute when you do.)

So before deciding Stories are right for your business, consider whether you have the time to create thoughtful and creative content at a regular cadence, at least a few times a week. The good news: if you have an active blog or podcast, you can repurpose that content for IG Stories.

How to create an Instagram Story

Creating an Instagram Story is pretty simple:

From either the Instagram home screen or your profile page, tap the + icon in the top right, then choose Story .

Choose a photo or video from your gallery, or hit Camera to take a new one. Tapping the circle snaps a photo; holding it starts recording video.

Once you've selected your photo or video, you can add text, stickers, drawings, and interactive elements using the tools at the top of the screen. 

When your masterpiece is ready, tap Your Story in the bottom-left corner. The world now has 24 hours to experience your creative genius.

10 tips for using Instagram Stories for business  

Here are some best practices for making your business Stories something people want to come back to.

Keep Stories short and sweet. Stick to a single topic in each Story, avoid rambling so people don't click away, and make sure your Stories don't last more than a minute or two max.

Get creative with visuals. The stickers and interactive features are there for a reason. Use them—just be sure that your visuals match your brand.

Use hashtags. Hashtags can expand your Stories' reach, and Stories are a way to get people who are searching for certain hashtags excited about your content.

Repurpose user-generated content (UGC). Ask your followers to submit photos or videos related to your brand, then share the best submissions in your Stories. Here are more tips on using UGC on Instagram .

Save important Stories. Stories only last 24 hours, but you can save ones you love to be featured on the front of your profile (you can even categorize them).

Share exclusive content. Everyone likes to feel like they're in the know. Offer your followers a sneak peek at new products, behind-the-scenes footage, or special discounts.

Try quizzes and polls. Quizzes and polls are a great way to get feedback on your products or services and can even help you make smarter marketing decisions like what types of content to post and when.

Run contests. Running creative contests in your Stories is a surefire way to get viewers hooked. Try asking followers to submit photos or videos related to your brand, or to come up with a slogan or tagline for a new product or service.

Leverage live streaming. Live streaming on Instagram allows you to connect with your followers in real-time, and once you're done with a Live, you can save it to your Story. Learn more about how to use Instagram Live for business .

Tell stories. It's called a Story for a reason—tell one. 

4 examples of Instagram Stories from businesses

How you use Instagram Stories will depend on all sorts of factors: your industry, your business size, your product, the list goes on. But hopefully these examples will give you some inspiration to start creating.

1. Google Play uses National Poetry Month to recommend books

Google Play (Google's app store) participated in #NationalPoetryMonth by using the hashtag in their Stories. They shared quotes, recommended books, and promoted authors. And, of course, there's a link in the Story that leads to the Google Play store, where you can purchase the books associated with each slide.

2. FedEx shows behind-the-scenes footage to promote their community involvement

FedEx used this Story to share behind-the-scenes pictures of their Career Insights program. They showcased college students getting a tour of a local race, checking out the cars, and meeting drivers. This Story does a great job of showing their followers how they help their community.

3. Lusha uses humor to promote a referral campaign

Lusha is B2B contact enrichment software, and in this Instagram Story, they experiment with some humor—and it lands. Two employees put on a funny skit for their "refer-an-enemy" campaign: instead of asking you to refer a friend to use their software, Lusha asks you to send your enemy. This lighthearted Story—with just the right music in the background—caught my attention right away.

4. Girlboss features female entrepreneurs

Girlboss is a community of women who create content and experiences to support women's success on their own terms. Every day on their Instagram Stories, they feature a different woman who's started her own business. In the above Story, Jessica Miao, the co-founder of bra company Apricotton, shares a behind-the-scenes look at running her business.

Your Stories should reflect your brand—and if they do, they can help you create a connection with your audience that goes beyond content consumption.

Read more: The best Instagram scheduling apps

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Maria Bell is a San Francisco–based content marketer and freelance writer. She works with B2B small and mid-sized business software companies like Lusha, Workiz, and StyleSeat on thought leadership content. You can see her work at Mariabell.co.

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Aesthetic Instagram Stories: How to Create Beautiful and Engaging Stories

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on September 26, 2022

Categories Creativity , Art , Inspiration

Do you want to create beautiful and engaging Instagram Stories that stand out from the crowd? If so, you’re in the right place! This blog post will discuss how to create aesthetically pleasing Instagram Stories using creative tools and techniques. We’ll also share tips on engaging your audience and getting more followers. So let’s get started!

How to Make Your Instagram Feed More Esthetically Pleasing

• Use a grid. This gives your feed a sense of rhythm, which is pleasing to the eye. It also provides balance, often hard to achieve on social media.
• Use a consistent color scheme. This is pretty simple: if you use a lot of different colors in your photos, it’s hard for people to recognize each photo as one of you. The easiest way to make sure all photos belong to the same aesthetic is to use the same colors in all photos (or at least most of them).
• Use the same filters. If you use too light or too dark filters, it can be hard for others to recognize your photos as yours! Stick with one filter and ensure it’s the same in all your posts.
• Use the same fonts. Fonts can help create an aesthetic and more consistency in your feed – and they’re just fun! Try a few new fonts; just make sure they’re available on all devices so everyone can see them!
• Use the same stickers. Stickers can enhance a picture and give it flair – but only if you use them repeatedly. If you use a sticker on one photo, make sure you use it on all your other photos.
• Use the same layout. Once you find a layout you like, stick with it! This will make your feed look more consistent, which is important for your branding.
• Use a consistent style for all of your posts. This creates a consistent aesthetic so people can easily recognize your feed as yours rather than a random person’s. You can use similar backgrounds or generally stick to certain colors or patterns. This has the advantage that people will associate these elements with you and keep coming back!

Here’s How to Make Your Instagram Bio Stand Out From the Crowd

Instagram bios are like teasers for your content. They’re the first thing people see when they look at your profile, so they’re a great way to get them interested in your content. But if you want to make sure your bios stand out from the crowd, you must ensure they’re as engaging as possible.

• Make it short and sweet . Long bios are a deterrent to users scrolling through their feeds. The shorter, the better!
• Use emojis. You can use emojis to give your bio more personality or even use them as a standalone headline if you don’t have much else to say! We like to use emojis in our own stories and bios because they’re fun and playful, the way we want people to see us online.
• Use hashtags (sparingly). If you use multiple hashtags in a post, make sure each one has a different purpose, so viewers know what’s tagged when they click on it – don’t just throw them all into a lump of text at the end of your headline unless there’s a real reason someone should click on those words specifically! Also, remember that not everyone understands all hashtags, so maybe don’t start using them until your first few hundred followers have already seen what kind of content you post regularly 🙂 Oh yeah, did we mention…?

The Best Fonts for Instagram Stories

The most important thing to remember when choosing a font for your Instagram Story is that it needs to be easy to read. The smaller the font, the harder it’s for people to see what’s in your Instagram story ideas, and the more likely they’re to read over it or not pay as much attention to it. Also, make sure the font isn’t too taxing on the eyes. Otherwise, people mightn’t want to look at your content!

In general, you should ensure that your Instagram post’s content and font are interesting and stand out from other Stories. The best way I’ve found so far is to use different colors in each of my Stories (not just in the text). This grabs more attention than a single background color in all your Instagram feed because people are visual creatures and like variety when they look at things like this 🙂

How to Write Good Instagram Captions

When writing a caption, you must consider three things: the audience, the content, and the length. If you want to get people to click on your post and read what you’ve written, your goal is to keep them engaged. That means you need to be personable, funny, and/or interesting – and you should use some of these tips!

First of all, make sure your Insta story has a purpose. You don’t want to write something just because you feel like it; that’s what we call “writing for the sake of writing.” It’s better if you have a reason for writing your story idea in the first place. Maybe you want to promote an event you’re hosting or share something you’re particularly excited about (like an award nomination!).

Whatever the case , make sure there’s at least one clear reason why this Insta story needs to be in the world right now – otherwise, it might as well not exist at all!

Second, the tone is key! Your tone should fit both your brand personality and your audience’s expectations. Don’t try too hard, or people will see through it – just be yourself! You can also:

• Use hashtags.
• Use emojis.

Choose relevant hashtags, but don’t overdo them – they can look spam if you use them too often and will be hidden by Instagram’s algorithm.

Avoid too many exclamation points (!!), which can come off as lazy or obnoxious if overused. A well-placed joke or pun always goes over well with your followers and shows that you’re comfortable online. Be sure to use relevant emojis when appropriate, too. They’re another great way to convey emotion and personality without wasting too much space in your caption!

How Do You Take an Esthetically Pleasing Picture on Instagram?

Instagram is a great place to share your photos and connect with others. It’s also a great way to share your creativity with others, no matter what type of content you like.

Taking an esthetically pleasing picture on Instagram doesn’t have to be difficult – it just takes a little preparation and attention. Here are our tips for taking the best photo possible:

• Find a good spot . You should shoot in a natural light place with lots of colors. If you’re in a city, try to shoot in a park or near the beach. If you’re in nature, find a tree or flower bed that will make your photo pop.
• Make sure your subject is in focus. If you’ve something in the background that you want people to see, make sure it’s not out of focus!
• Ensure the lighting isn’t too harsh or too dark (unless you’re going for that look). You don’t want your phone’s flash to fire when your subject is in full sun – and you don’t want it to be so dark that no one can see!
• Think about the composition: What do you want the viewer to see first? What do they need to see next? How can you arrange these elements, so everyone gets the most out of them?
• Use filters sparingly – although Instagram filters can make your photos look great, overuse can make your feed look too “Instagram”. Try to use filters sparingly and only for certain types of images.

Good Aesthetic Instagram Stories Should Make People Double Tap

If you want to be successful on Instagram, it’s important to have an aesthetic. Esthetics should align with the brand color and brand fonts you use in your images and captions. These elements set the mood in your feed and make people want to follow you.

The most important element of esthetics is color:

• What colors are you using?
• How do they look together?

Certain color combinations go well together (think of how many websites use blue and white). In contrast, other combinations don’t go so well together (for example, red text on a yellow background).

The Next Important Element Is the Typeface

What kind of font are you using.

There are hundreds of thousands of fonts – and even more, if you include variations like bold or italic versions – so how can you choose just one?

The answer lies in finding a font that matches our brand color scheme.

For example, suppose we use black text on a white background (because let’s face it, that looks great!). In that case, we might want to choose Helvetica Neue Ultra Light Regular as our brand font because of its thin strokes compared to other options like Garamond Premier Pro Text Book Roman, which would look too thick on such light colors…

If you’re not feeling very creative, you can also use an Instagram story template, which gives you Instagram story ideas and design elements that you can use to engage your followers. Many Instagram users use them when they’ve trouble coming up with new Instagram story ideas.

Instagram is one of the most used social media platforms. That’s why it’s important to know how to get the most out of your experience on Instagram.

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Amazing Instagram Stories Examples (With Tips & Tricks to Copy)

May 18, 2020 13 Comments Animalz

Since the launch of Instagram Stories in 2016, the format has taken off among advertisers.

To help you take advantage of the feature, we’ve highlighted 20 of the best Instagram Stories examples that reveal advertising best practices from leading brands.

Never used Instagram Stories ads before? Don’t worry! We’ll walk you through setting up your first ad.

We also included some proven strategies and pro tricks that you can use right now to engage your audience and grow your business .

So, one out of two businesses on Instagram posts stories on a regular basis. If you are not that one, here’s why you should start to consider posting Instagram stories right away.

• Agencies report 2-3X more engagement with Instagram Stories posts than with regular content.
• 500 million people use Stories every day , with more than one-third of the most viewed stories being posted by businesses.
• According to TechCrunch, one in five business posts receives a direct message from users .

Now that you are convinced, are you starting to worry about how to start? No panic, AdEspresso is here to help!

Our expert selected the 20 Best Instagram Stories Examples , and they added tips & Tricks you can copy too!

Bookmark this post and use these ideas as a source of inspiration when crafting your own Instagram Stories ads. Doing this will save yourself hours of googling, help achieve your campaign objectives , and amplify your growth !

How to Set Up Your Instagram Stories Ads

Setting up your Instagram Story ads is similar to setting up other Instagram ads .

First, make sure your Instagram account is connected to your Facebook business page — then, follow the steps below:

• Select your Objective (limited to Reach, Mobile App Installs, Video Views, Traffic, or Conversions for Story ads).

• Choose “ single image ” or “ single video ” format.
• Then, upload and preview your image or video file. (Make sure to double-check that your specs are correct .)
• Finally, select a call-to-action (CTA) based on the goal you hope to achieve (e.g., “Learn More” to drive web traffic), and publish .

And now, grab a drink (an espresso? 😉), get comfortable, and take some time to get inspired by 20 of the best Instagram Stories ads we’ve ever seen !

20 Amazing Instagram Stories to Inspire You

Below are 10 examples that amazed and impressed us, plus 10 bonus samples to provide you with even more ideas.

All these brands showcase a range of successful techniques to excite and engage their audiences .

These practical yet imaginative tips will help take your Instagram Stories to the next level — optimizing them to meet and even exceed your Instagram ad campaign goals.

1. Daily Harvest — Keep It Short, Sweet, and Valuable

Daily Harvest delivers unprocessed foods in convenient frozen forms. This Instagram Stories example opens the target audience’s eyes to new possibilities within frozen foods via a series of mouthwatering images:

Daily Harvest packs in a lot of critical information but keeps its message concise . Readers can quickly and clearly see that the brand has options for every meal based on the large, bolded text.

• Pro Tip: Add an extra incentive for users to take action on your ad. Daily Harvest encourages users to swipe by offering a $25 off coupon.

Here are four crucial questions you have to answer when writing your Instagram Stories headline and copy include:

• Is this useful – do people see the value in it? Yes – there is a valuable $25 off coupon.
• Is this unique – does it promise a unique benefit? (Is it differentiated?) Yes – Daily Harvest offers a variety of options for every meal.
• Is this urgent – does it lead the audience to act now? Yes – users have to swipe now to get the $25 off.
• Is this ultra-specific? While the instructions don’t include facts or statistics, Daily Harvest offers detailed product images and very clear instructions for action.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #1

In this ad by Maille , a French gourmet-food producer, the brand clearly communicates that you can win a year’s supply of their premium mustards, cornichons, salad dressings, and other products. It’s straight and to the point, and it gets the job done.

While the rules for text overlaying your image are not as strict as the caption’s 2,200 character maximum , it’s important to be mindful of how many words you use in your ad. Maille used just a few words to get their message across and left it to the landing page to explain the small details.

• Avoid using too much text; it can confuse users, prompting them to swipe away. While text overlay and subtitles can add clarity to your Instagram Stories ads, the cramming or haphazard placement of text can ruin otherwise good creatives.
• Generally speaking, you should focus on placing your text messaging toward the center and bottom of the screen .
• Avoid the appearance of being spammy or excessively promotional with text th at emphasizes benefits over features . In the Daily Harvest example above, the company emphasized how the product could help customers worry less rather than just listing menus or prices.
• Because Instagram users scroll quickly through their feeds, your ad should immediately communicate to users what they get for swiping up .

2. Prada — Use the Luxury Strategy

In contrast to Daily Harvest, upscale fashion brand Prada creates a purposefully mysterious air in its Instagram Stories ad, below.

Here, a woman stares into the camera and then runs down a pier while words appear on the screen to expand on the letters of the brand name. The lack of explanation creates an air of mystery.

Some of the best Instagram Stories examples, like Prada’s, inspire action by not giving the user all the information. Put more plainly: questions make people curious; curiosity leads people to click.

Make your products feel exclusive . Even if you don’t sell haute couture, you can use the Luxury Strategy .

Instagram Stories’ disappearing nature is great for this; viewers won’t be able to bookmark your offerings for future scrutiny or reference unless they follow your CTA.

• Pro Tip : To keep audiences engaged in your Stories, don’t always give your customers what they expect.

Whether you’re targeting an elite audience or everyday people, find ways to make people curious so they want to learn more.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #2

The Vogue ad above featured an attention-grabbing image along with the enticing headline to pique users’ interest and a “See More” call-to-action to encourage swipe-ups.

The goal of the Luxury Strategy is to engender users’ curiosity and make them feel they are getting unique value from the brand. Prada does this by not offering a lot of information, while Vogue achieves it by offering an Instagram-specific guide. These examples highlight the two main ways to use the Luxury Strategy:

1. Create a Sense of Exclusivity

Exclusivity is fundamental to the concept of luxury because it fits with high-end consumers’ desire to seek out things and experiences that are rare. Think about it: if everyone could afford to buy a Rolls-Royce, the auto brand would lose its appeal as something reserved for relatively few people.

Almost any advertiser can create the “just for me” feeling of exclusivity with the following tactics :

• Create offers that people can’t find anywhere else.
• Offer to digitally deliver special offers or loyalty perks to repeat customers.
• Present limited-time offers for special products or services.
• Find ways to provide personalized experiences.

2. Create Aspirational Ads

One of the most effective ways to generate engagement and elicit action from people is to create ads with honest aspirational content that inspires, informs, and educates Instagram users.

These days, brands that are viewed as the most authentic are the ones that are best able to tap into the emotions of consumers by depicting “relatable” lifestyles and values that connect on a deeper level with the target audience .

• Show them that you believe in something bigger than your product or service.
• Give them a chance to help improve your offerings by sending out surveys and asking for comments and feedback on social media.
• Offer educational content that shows how in tune your brand is with current events and social trends.
• Give users valuable content they can use, as Vogue did with their London-based guide.

3. Sephora — Master the Power of Silence

Since around 40% of your audience will watch your Instagram Stories in silent mode, you have to figure out a way to deliver your message visually.

When creating ads for a potentially sound-off environment, it’s crucial to use strong visuals that convince people to swipe up. Do that with bold headlines and graphics, powerful imagery, and animations that draw viewers in.

The beauty brand Sephora follows this advice by spelling out their offer in colorfully highlighted text:

While a lot of hype has been given to interactive content like quizzes, Instagram polls , contests, and calculations, your content doesn’t need to be that complicated.

Sephora also incorporates a clear and specific CTA, “swipe up to join now,” pointing users in the direction of their free gift.

• Text that clearly states what the user will gain from the interaction has been proved to drive conversions.
• Create compelling headlines and ad content that speaks for itself (without sound), like posting offers that generate interest and encourage engagement from your target audience.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #3

Although strategically using text is crucial, since 60% of all Instagram Stories ads are viewed with the sound turned on, audio can be as important as video.

As the Pine-Sol ad above shows, you can dial up the emotions with a catchy tune. Crucially, though, even when viewed with the sound turned off, Pine-Sol’s ad makes sense. Design your ad to catch your audience’s attention regardless of whether they have the sound turned on or off.

Consider tapping into the power of sound.

Whether using infectious music or interesting dialogue, sound done right can give your videos an additional layer of interest and help set the tone for your visuals. Find ways to use captivating audio, whether sound effects, a musical tune, or a voice-over to draw your audience in and make your ads pop compared with others in viewers’ feeds.

4. CPK Frozen Pizza — Make Everyday Moments More Exciting

Boomerangs are another excellent tactic to make soundless videos more interesting.

Boomerangs start with your original clip, take a series of 10 photos, and transform them into a whimsical short video.

The concept is similar to using GIFs on other social media platforms, like Tumblr and Twitter. But because Instagram doesn’t currently support .gif image files, Boomerang is your best alternative.

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) offers one of the best Instagram Stories examples using Boomerang. Here, CPK frozen pizza animates the otherwise ordinary cheese-grating process:

If you’ve got something that is cute, tantalizing, or even plain and ordinary, use Boomerang to loop it back and forth and enhance it through repetition.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #4

Ukrainian micro-influencer Oleksandra Vaskova used Boomerang to amp up the simple act of trying on a new outfit and taking a twirl, adding a touch of excitement that users would remember .

Boomerang is very popular among influencers and Instagram diehards. The best Instagram Stories examples capitalize on Boomerang’s ability to effectively draw attention. To do this in your own Stories, you need the following:

• Planning: Boomerang moments don’t have to happen spontaneously — they just have to look like it. So plan your composition, angles, actions, and lighting carefully. Record a few takes, then use the best one for your ad.
• Steadiness: Successful Boomerangs require a stationary filming position, so use a steady hand (or, better yet, a tripod or a stable surface) so that moving objects stay in focus.
• Speed: Because Boomerang functions on the idea of filming an object moving forward and then repeats the action moving backward, be aware of speed when filming. Slow movements will not be as attractive when shown backward, while those that are too fast will appear frantic.
• Simplicity: Keep things simple, and let the app do the work by bringing even the smallest movement to life, whether jumping, dancing, or changing facial expression.

5. Noom — Use the Element of Surprise

Catch your viewers off guard with an initial Stories frame that is unexpected or out of place.

The healthy-lifestyle brand Noom uses this surprise-and-delight strategy with unconventional Instagram Stories featuring a woman about to crush a dozen eggs with a hammer:

Strange, counterintuitive imagery can quickly grab users’ attention and draw them into your ad. Video ads are especially good for this because you can use slo-mo and other movement-based features to add another level of interest to your Story.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #5

Electronics company Samsung added a touch of the unexpected to its Stories ad campaign. The ad rapidly takes you through a man’s entire life as he holds out the word “long,“ highlighting the long-lasting battery of the company’s latest phone.

Using surprise with the feeling of joy (delight) is a winning ad combination . Samsung depicted happy, momentous occasions to mark the passage of time, creating a feeling of joy for their users. The connection to long battery life came at the end, wrapping up the ad in a surprising and funny way.

The feeling of joy has a huge influence on viewer engagement, video completion rates, message retention, and purchase intent — and thus on overall advertising success. The reason is that people respond more intensely to happy events when they’re not expecting them. In fact, a study by Marketing magazine in Canada found that 95% of respondents said surprise and delight experiences increased their positive perception of brands .

Create feelings of surprise and joy in your audience by adding a funny twist to the end of your Instagram Stories ad.

6. Brooklinen — Offer an Easy-To-Get Reward

Instagram Stories are only available for a very short time. You want customers to take action quickly, during the 15 or so seconds your ad is on their screen.

Simply offering a tantalizing reward — one swipe away — can lead viewers to take that (easy) extra step.

In this case, bedding company Brooklinen offers free shipping when users swipe up from their Instagram Stories ad. The CTA clearly spells out how the user will benefit by acting on the ad, encouraging them to swipe by emphasizing that the small motion will help them save big.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #6

London-based luxury shoemaker Dear Frances uses Stories to highlight a special deal . The company states the offer plainly and adds a clear call to action that urges customers to act to save money.

Dear Frances uses a percentage-off code to draw their customers in. Here are some easy-to-snag rewards you can offer Instagram users:

• Percentage-off discounts
• Dollar-value discounts
• Free shipping
• Free downloads (ebooks, white papers, etc.)
• Email newsletter subscriptions
• Weekly or monthly discounts
• Pre-launch offers
• Holiday and seasonal deals
• Abandoned-cart incentives
• Referral incentives
• First-time-shopper offers
• Minimum-purchase discounts
• Customer loyalty offers
• Retargeted promotions
• Influencer offers
• Ecommerce promo codes
• In-store coupons

7. M.Gemi — Go Behind the Scenes

Instagram Stories are a great place to showcase behind-the-scenes footage of your company.

Although you’re allowed just 15 seconds, that’s enough space to provide an exciting sneak peek.

Here, the Italian shoe company M.Gemi uses the Stories format to offer a window into their traditional manufacturing method.

Using the Instagram Stories format to give people an insider’s look at your brand will add a new dimension to their understanding of your products and help users feel more connected and knowledgeable .

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #7

Hulu , a TV streaming service, takes Instagram users behind the scenes by introducing them to the actors in current and upcoming TV shows. In the Instagram Stories ad above, we meet Elle Fanning, who stars in the new TV show The Great .

Though you may not be able to use actors in your Instagram ads, there are plenty of other ways to take people behind the scenes:

• Shine a spotlight on your people. Whether it’s company employees, your customers, your brand advocates, or the business owner, leverage the power of the human element to wow your audience.
• Show them what makes you tick. Do you have a special office environment or manufacturing process or support an important social cause? Use it to show and tell how you stand out from the competition.
• Highlight your products or services. Use interesting storytelling and great visuals to showcase your offerings and generate interest with history, methods, and events that show your uniqueness and authenticity.
• Give them a sneak peek. Creating or building something new and different? Partnering with a special or well-known partner on a project? Tell your audience about it with compelling visual content.

8. Postmates — Invoke FoMo in Your Instagram Stories

Like Sponsored Snaps , the disappearing nature of Instagram Stories adds an extra level of excitement and urgency, tapping into customers’ fear of missing out (FOMO) and prompting them to act before opportunities vanish.

Some of the best Instagram Stories examples offer limited-time deals to increase the urgency of an already short-term format, boosting conversions by encouraging users to act quickly.

Postmates taps into FOMO with an Instagram Stories ad about its seven-day delivery credit offer:

Postmates’ Stories invoke FOMO not only because of the short window of time in which the post will play but also because of the enticing, short-lived opportunity it presents.

Increase the pressure to click by offering your audience deals they can’t refuse within an already immediate format!

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #8

To promote its new Anthem release, game-maker EA Sports capitalized on FOMO by offering Instagram users the opportunity to be the first to try the new action role-playing game, giving them the feeling that they would become members of an exclusive club .

EA Sports uses FOMO to encourage users to try a new game right away rather than wait until their friends have already played it. But e ven if you’re not advertising a specific offer, CTAs that inspire urgency give people the feeling that they could be missing out on something special.

For instance, using “Try It Free Today” or “Call Now” is more effective than “Get a Free Trial” or “Contact Us Anytime.”

Effective words and phrases for creating urgency:

• Don’t Miss Out
• Limited Time
• One Day Only
• Last Chance
• Going Out of Business
• Never Again
• Don’t Delay
• Now or Never
• Offer Expires On . . .

9. SHEIN — Use Highlights to Make Browsing Products Easier

Stories are also a great venue for showcasing a series of products and/or a single product from multiple angles. Instead of making users swipe through a series of still images, the Stories format moves through the images automatically.

Thanks to the recently released Highlights feature for Stories, users can browse these multiproduct Stories at their leisure. Highlights allows brands to keep certain Stories visible at the top of their profiles after the 24-hour window has elapsed.

SHEIN , a women’s fashion brand, uses their Stories ad to flip through a series of new swimsuit prints:

The company is able to quickly show the breadth of their patterns before the user moves on. SHEIN could add this Instagram Stories example to their Highlights reel to make it easier for users to go back, view the swimsuit collection again, and find a product they like.

Highlights for Stories are a great tool if you have several posts that you want to organize for your audience.

SHEIN uses Highlights to show off their best Instagram Stories examples, grouped into categories like “New” and “SHEIN at home.” The organization allows the brand to showcase their best material and help customers discover new products.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #9

Wayfair , a discount home-goods store, uses a video to feature the different types of products included in its sale. It punctuates each product with a reminder that the items are “65% off,” with a “swipe up to shop” CTA.

10. Facebook Messenger — Show Your Audience People They Can Relate To

Inspire users to action by inciting emotion and presenting relatable people and situations.

Facebook showcased the humanity of Messenger with their recent Instagram Stories.

The ad shows friends talking via video chat and zooms in on their happy faces, emphasizing that Messenger will help users stay connected with friends and be social online.

Instagram Stories Examples Bonus #10

Using recognizable faces in your Instagram Stories helps create a sense of connection and familiarity with your audience.

CoolSculpting , a body-sculpting treatment, targeted men interested in golf, featuring pro golfer Ian Poulter in their Instagram Stories—a figure the brand’s core audience could identify with.

Make a campaign that resonates with your audience by working with celebrities and influencers that users will be familiar with. Influencer-finding tools like BuzzSumo or Facebook Brand Collabs Manager will help you find representatives who best fit your brand.

What Makes a Good Instagram Stories Ad?

In the end, a great Instagram Stories ad compels the user to act quickly.

You can achieve this in a number of ways, including:

• Offering clear text directions
• Delivering a slew of lovely products in rapid succession
• Creating a sense of intrigue and mystery to elevate your brand
• Using keen narrative techniques
• Making everyday moments more exciting with Boomerang loops and other video editing tools

When plotting your Instagram Stories strategy, it’s a good idea to take a look at some great examples of successful Instagram ads and to be aware of these common Instagram ad mistakes brands make (and learn how to stay clear of them).

You have a range of creative tricks at your fingertips to take advantage of this fast-evolving and increasingly popular ad format to distinguish yourself for better results .

What’s your next Instagram Stories ad? And which one did you like the most in our selection? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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You may also like reading:

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April 12, 2018 at 3:50 am

amazing article ! I think you could also talk about the amazing story of the watch compagny Daniel Welligton and williamL.1985. These very recent compagnies became multi million $ compagnies thanks to instagram ads and facebook ads ..! They understood the power of webmarketing and conversion.

Scott from http://www.bluepixelcie.com

May 16, 2018 at 2:48 pm

Cool ideas with useful explanations!

May 16, 2018 at 3:41 pm

and you’ll have more tomorrow 🙂

August 3, 2018 at 4:07 am

How do you make those short video’s that skip from picture to picture? Like a lot of the examples above. Is it with a normal video editor?

September 8, 2018 at 2:23 am

Thanks for sharing these ideas. Instagram and Facebook got great tools. Ads well structured can make one great revenue if the target audience are reached.

January 21, 2019 at 2:50 am

Your post topic is very informative and useful for all readers

February 21, 2019 at 3:51 am

Great Share On instagram It is really helpful to instagram users. Thank you for sharing your great knowledge with us. Looking forward to your further tips on similar topics Thanks… I really appreciate it.

February 24, 2019 at 12:06 pm

Nice post. Instagram is no doubt a great platform specially for generating revenue! Cheers,

February 26, 2019 at 5:53 am

great post on instagram stories

April 22, 2019 at 2:26 pm

Great post and such good tips, I loved numbers 1, 3 and 7. They’re so direct that works perfectly. Thank you so much, I will share the article.

May 30, 2020 at 8:45 am

Instagram is a lot easier than any other social media platform… Keep posting Instagram stories is really good to keep in touch with the audience…

June 5, 2020 at 1:25 am

sir i think according to all social media istagram is a very hard platform to grow diffrent diffrent account

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How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing

Whether you're a student, a journalist, or a business professional, knowing how to do high-quality research and writing using trustworthy data and sources, without giving in to the temptation of AI or ChatGPT , is a skill worth developing.

As I detail in my book Writing That Gets Noticed , locating credible databases and sources and accurately vetting information can be the difference between turning a story around quickly or getting stuck with outdated information.

For example, several years ago the editor of Parents.com asked for a hot-take reaction to country singer Carrie Underwood saying that, because she was 35, she had missed her chance at having another baby. Since I had written about getting pregnant in my forties, I knew that as long as I updated my facts and figures, and included supportive and relevant peer-reviewed research, I could pull off this story. And I did.

The story ran later that day , and it led to other assignments. Here are some tips I’ve learned that you should consider mastering before you turn to automated tools like generative AI to handle your writing work for you.

Identify experts, peer-reviewed research study authors, and sources who can speak with authority—and ideally, offer easily understood sound bites or statistics on the topic of your work. Great sources include professors at major universities and media spokespeople at associations and organizations.

For example, writer and author William Dameron pinned his recent essay in HuffPost Personal around a statistic from the American Heart Association on how LGBTQ people experience higher rates of heart disease based on discrimination. Although he first found the link in a secondary source (an article in The New York Times ), he made sure that he checked the primary source: the original study that the American Heart Association gleaned the statistic from. He verified the information, as should any writer, because anytime a statistic is cited in a secondary source, errors can be introduced.

Jen Malia, author of  The Infinity Rainbow Club  series of children’s books (whom I recently interviewed on my podcast ), recently wrote a piece about dinosaur-bone hunting for Business Insider , which she covers in her book Violet and the Jurassic Land Exhibit.

After a visit to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Malia, whose books are set in Philadelphia, found multiple resources online and on the museum site that gave her the history of the Bone Wars , information on the exhibits she saw, and the scientific names of the dinosaurs she was inspired by. She also used the Library of Congress’ website, which offers digital collections and links to the Library of Congress Newspaper Collection.

Malia is a fan of searching for additional resources and citable documents with Google Scholar . “If I find that a secondary source mentions a newspaper article, I’m going to go to the original newspaper article, instead of just stopping there and quoting,” she says.

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Your local public library is a great source of free information, journals, and databases (even ones that generally require a subscription and include embargoed research). For example, your search should include everything from health databases ( Sage Journals , Scopus , PubMed) to databases for academic sources and journalism ( American Periodical Series Online , Statista , Academic Search Premier ) and databases for news, trends, market research, and polls (t he Harris Poll , Pew Research Center , Newsbank , ProPublica ).

Even if you find a study or paper that you can’t access in one of those databases, consider reaching out to the study’s lead author or researcher. In many cases, they’re happy to discuss their work and may even share the study with you directly and offer to talk about their research.

For journalist Paulette Perhach’s article on ADHD in The New York Times, she used Epic Research to see “dual team studies.” That's when two independent teams address the same topic or question, and ideally come to the same conclusions. She recommends locating research and experts via key associations for your topic. She also likes searching via Google Scholar but advises filtering it for studies and research in recent years to avoid using old data. She suggests keeping your links and research organized. “Always be ready to be peer-reviewed yourself,” Perhach says.

When you are looking for information for a story or project, you might be inclined to start with a regular Google search. But keep in mind that the internet is full of false information, and websites that look trustworthy can sometimes turn out to be businesses or companies with a vested interest in you taking their word as objective fact without additional scrutiny. Regardless of your writing project, unreliable or biased sources are a great way to torpedo your work—and any hope of future work.

Author Bobbi Rebell researched her book Launching Financial Grownups using the IRS’ website . “I might say that you can contribute a certain amount to a 401K, but it might be outdated because those numbers are always changing, and it’s important to be accurate,” she says. “AI and ChatGPT can be great for idea generation,” says Rebell, “but you have to be careful. If you are using an article someone was quoted in, you don’t know if they were misquoted or quoted out of context.”

If you use AI and ChatGPT for sourcing, you not only risk introducing errors, you risk introducing plagiarism—there is a reason OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is being sued for downloading information from all those books.

Audrey Clare Farley, who writes historical nonfiction, has used a plethora of sites for historical research, including Women Also Know History , which allows searches by expertise or area of study, and JSTOR , a digital library database that offers a number of free downloads a month. She also uses Chronicling America , a project from the Library of Congress which gathers old newspapers to show how a historical event was reported, and Newspapers.com (which you can access via free trial but requires a subscription after seven days).

When it comes to finding experts, Farley cautions against choosing the loudest voices on social media platforms. “They might not necessarily be the most authoritative. I vet them by checking if they have a history of publication on the topic, and/or educational credentials.”

When vetting an expert, look for these red flags:

• You can’t find their work published or cited anywhere.
• They were published in an obscure journal.
• Their research is funded by a company, not a university, or they are the spokesperson for the company they are doing research for. (This makes them a public relations vehicle and not an appropriate source for journalism.)

And finally, the best endings for virtually any writing, whether it’s an essay, a research paper, an academic report, or a piece of investigative journalism, circle back to the beginning of the piece, and show your reader the transformation or the journey the piece has presented in perspective.

As always, your goal should be strong writing supported by research that makes an impact without cutting corners. Only then can you explore tools that might make the job a little easier, for instance by generating subheads or discovering a concept you might be missing—because then you'll have the experience and skills to see whether it's harming or helping your work.

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The Daily Habit That Nutritionists Say Can Drastically Improve Your Diet

By Hannah Coates

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Whether its walking to work (a fantastic habit for all-round health) or ensuring you get enough light in the mornings (improves your sleep, mood, and focus), sometimes small, simple things can make a big difference to our lifestyle. One of the most effective tips I’ve picked up from my time working with nutritionists and other health experts is also super simple: Keeping a food diary can pay when it comes to understanding your diet.

The benefits of keeping a food diary

Pay a visit to any health expert and they will almost certainly ask you keep a comprehensive food diary for a couple of weeks. The idea is to write down everything you consume–food and drinks–and ideally the emotions you experience each day, too. “It can provide invaluable information about how your food may be affecting your mood, metabolism, energy, and more,” explains Rhian Stephenson, nutritionist, naturopath and founder of Artah , who points out that the process is not–I repeat, not about tracking calories.

Instead, it’s a great tool to help you “identify obstacles that may be preventing you from hitting your health goals, learning about eating behaviors that may be sabotaging your progress and to check in on important nutritional parameters like fibre, protein, sugar and more.”

Eating a diverse array of plants is now widely acknowledged as an important health goal, and a food diary helps you to grasp how many fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, and whole grains (for example) you are ingesting each day. Not to mention the fact that it also helps you ensure you’re eating adequate protein and fiber–both of which are good for gut health and overall wellbeing.

As someone who tends to forget what she’s consumed (especially the foods that aren’t so great for my health, funnily enough), keeping a food diary ensures I stay mindful and aware of what I’m eating. In my experience, it’s really easy to think you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, when in reality you might not be, so it’s a good way to confront your daily consumption in black and white.

What to observe through your food diary

It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than simply writing down what you’ve consumed, but identifying any patterns that might emerge is where the magic really happens. Here are some things Stephenson, as a nutritionist, always looks out for:

• Sugar intake: This includes obviously sugar-laden foods and those that contain hidden sugar.
• Alcohol and caffeine: Our consumption can creep up without us noticing.
• Snacking: We often do this on autopilot and constant snacking can impact our microbiome.
• How you feel and the impact of food: Your mood is influenced by everything you eat, so making a note of this each day can add a layer of depth to your tracking, and ultimately help you make changes to rectify the situation.
• The times you eat: This can help you manage cravings, appetite, satiety and gut health.

Where to write it all down

It’s up to you. While some people love to put pen to paper, others find it easier to write in the Notes section on their phone. I belong in the latter camp for on-the-go tracking, but there are also programs, like Zoe , that offer digital diaries within their apps. Make sure to update your diary every day of the week, including the weekend. “Most people shy away from tracking at weekends because it can vary from weekday patterns so dramatically, but this is precisely why they should be included,” says Stephenson. “Weekends make up 30 percent of your year, so it’s important to get a realistic view of what your norm is.”

And finally? “Approach the exercise with curiosity, not judgement,” recommends Stephenson. “Removing the shame around food is essential for long-term health and enjoyment. Food logging can be eye opening, but it is meant to be a tool to help you make positive changes that will benefit your health and wellbeing, rather than something that makes you feel bad about yourself.”

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Instagram and Threads are limiting political content. This is terrible for democracy

Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University

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Tama Leaver receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

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Meta’s Instagram and Threads apps are “slowly” rolling out a change that will no longer recommend political content by default. The company defines political content broadly as being “potentially related to things like laws, elections, or social topics”.

Users who follow accounts that post political content will still see such content in the normal, algorithmically sorted ways. But by default, users will not see any political content in their feeds, stories or other places where new content is recommended to them.

For users who want political recommendations to remain, Instagram has a new setting where users can turn it back on, making this an “opt-in” feature.

This change not only signals Meta’s retreat from politics and news more broadly, but also challenges any sense of these platforms being good for democracy at all. It’s also likely to have a chilling effect, stopping content creators from engaging politically altogether.

Read more: From curry nights to ‘coal kills’ dresses: how social media drives politicians to behave like influencers

Politics: dislike

Meta has long had a problem with politics, but that wasn’t always the case.

In 2008 and 2012, political campaigning embraced social media , and Facebook was seen as especially important in Barack Obama’s success. The Arab Spring was painted as a social-media-led “Facebook Revolution”, although Facebook’s role in these events was widely overstated ,

However, since then the spectre of political manipulation in the wake of the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal has soured social media users toward politics on platforms.

Read more: Cambridge Analytica scandal: Facebook's user engagement and trust decline

Increasingly polarised politics, vastly increased mis- and disinformation online, and Donald Trump’s preference for social media over policy, or truth, have all taken a toll. In that context, Meta has already been reducing political content recommendations on their main Facebook platform since 2021.

Instagram and Threads hadn’t been limited in the same way, but also ran into problems. Most recently, the Human Rights Watch accused Instagram in December last year of systematically censoring pro-Palestinian content. With the new content recommendation change, Meta’s response to that accusation today would likely be that it is applying its political content policies consistently.

How the change will play out in Australia

Notably, many Australians, especially in younger age groups, find news on Instagram and other social media platforms. Sometimes they are specifically seeking out news, but often not.

Not all news is political. But now, on Instagram by default no news recommendations will be political. The serendipity of discovering political stories that motivate people to think or act will be lost.

Combined with Meta recently stating they will no longer pay to support the Australian news and journalism shared on their platforms, it’s fair to say Meta is seeking to be as apolitical as possible.

Read more: How will Meta's refusal to pay for news affect Australian journalism – and our democracy?

The social media landscape is fracturing

With Elon Musk’s disastrous Twitter rebranding to X , and TikTok facing the possibility of being banned altogether in the United States, Meta appears as the most stable of the big social media giants.

But with Meta positioning Threads as a potential new town square while Twitter/X burns down, it’s hard to see what a town square looks like without politics.

The lack of political news, combined with a lack of any news on Facebook, may well mean young people see even less news than before, and have less chance to engage politically.

In a Threads discussion, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri made the platform’s position clear :

Politics and hard news are important, I don’t want to imply otherwise. But my take is, from a platform’s perspective, any incremental engagement or revenue they might drive is not at all worth the scrutiny, negativity (let’s be honest), or integrity risks that come along with them.

Like for Facebook, for Instagram and Threads politics is just too hard. The political process and democracy can be pretty hard, but it’s now clear that’s not Meta’s problem.

A chilling effect on creators

Instagram’s announcement also reminded content creators their accounts may no longer be recommended due to posting political content.

If political posts were preventing recommendation, creators could see the exact posts and choose to remove them. Content creators live or die by the platform’s recommendations , so the implication is clear: avoid politics.

Creators already spend considerable time trying to interpret what content platforms prefer, building algorithmic folklore about which posts do best.

While that folklore is sometimes flawed, Meta couldn’t be clearer on this one: political posts will prevent audience growth, and thus make an already precarious living harder. That’s the definition of a political chilling effect.

For the audiences who turn to creators because they are perceived to be relatable and authentic , the absence of political posts or positions will likely stifle political issues, discussion and thus ultimately democracy.

How do I opt back in?

For Instagram and Threads users who want these platforms to still share political content recommendations, follow these steps:

• go to your Instagram profile and click the three lines to access your settings.
• click on Suggested Content (or Content Preferences for some).
• click on Political content, and then select “Don’t limit political content from people that you don’t follow”.

Read more: Social media apps have billions of 'active users'. But what does that really mean?

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Percival Everett’s Philosophical Reply to “Huckleberry Finn”

In his new novel, “James,” Everett explores how an emblem of American slavery can write himself into being.

By Lauren Michele Jackson

Percival Everett ’s novels seem to ward off the lazier hermeneutics of literary criticism, yet they also have a way of dangling the analytical ropes with which we critics hang ourselves. His latest novel follows the misadventures of a runaway named Jim and his young companion Huckleberry in the antebellum American South. As in another novel featuring those protagonists, Jim has fled enslavement in the state of Missouri, and Huckleberry, Huck for short, has faked his own death to escape his no-good abusive Pap. As in that other novel, the two are both bonded and divided by the circumstances of their respective fugitivity as they float together on a raft down the Mississippi River. As in that other novel, the narrator of Everett’s book is setting down his story as best he knows how, but—rather differently—the narrator here is not the boy but the man who has been deprived of the legal leave to be one. “ With my pencil, I wrote myself into being ,” Jim writes. The novel is titled, simply, “James,” the name Jim chooses for himself. In conferring interiority (and literacy) upon perhaps the most famous fictional emblem of American slavery after Uncle Tom , Everett seems to participate in the marketable trope of “writing back” from the margins, exorcizing old racial baggage to confront the perennial question of—to use another worn idiom—what “Huck Finn” means now. And yet, with small exceptions, “James” meanders away from the prefab idioms that await it.

Podcast: The New Yorker Radio Hour Percival Everett talks about reinventing “Huckleberry Finn.”

What novel has borne the racial freight of American letters like “ Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ,” a book credited with gifting us a national literature (not to mention a sense of humor)? Norman Mailer , rereading the book on the occasion of its centennial, wrote of realizing “all over again that the near-burned-out, throttled, hate-filled dying affair between whites and blacks is still our great national love affair.” A decade later, as Americans fretted over the educational value of a book busting with more than two hundred instances of the word “nigger,” Toni Morrison defended “Huckleberry Finn” ’s status as a classic. The novel’s brilliance, she observed, lies in how it formally reproduces the very racial dynamic it depicts. Jim enables Huck’s moral maturation; without him, Twain’s Roman has no Bildung . Jim’s freedom is “withheld,” Morrison writes, lest there be “no more story to tell.” “James” posits a converse narrative problem: from the perspective of Jim, a man undertaking a deadly quest for freedom, managing the needs of a pubescent boy amounts to nothing so much as an inconvenience. Jim’s worries for his own family, a wife and child he’s left behind in bondage, must be slotted into the spaces between the boy’s gabbing, his questions, his anxieties. Jim’s sentiment toward Huck is unruly in its ambivalence: he is simultaneously protective and resentful, both relieved and uneasy when the two are separated, which in Everett’s novel they often are. With the boy in tow, Jim is mobile but stuck. Writing himself into being means leaving Huck, and much of “Huck,” behind.

Since releasing his début novel, in 1983, Everett has published roughly a novel every other year in addition to dozens of short stories, essays, and articles, plus a children’s book and a half-dozen poetry collections. His fictional protagonists have ranged from ornery cowpokes to professors of esoterica. Much of his work is narrated in the first person, yet his “I” is often a fragmentary and destabilizing affair; in my favorite of his books, “ Percival Everett by Virgil Russell ,” from 2013, the identity behind the pronoun in question is twofold and indeterminate. Such mechanics have earned Everett a reputation as an “experimental” author, though that descriptor alone does little to disambiguate his eclectically proliferating œuvre. (As Everett put it in one interview, “I don’t know what avant-garde or experimental means. Every novel is experimental.”) He has cited Twain as an influence, and it’s worth noting that Twain, contrary to his canonization as the singular author of a singular American novel, also tried lots of stuff out, confounding readers of his time. As the longtime Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin has written, “Each time critics thought they had him pegged, Twain set out in a new direction.” Insofar as there is a consistent motif in Everett’s work, it might be what he himself has described as an interest in “language and how language works.” In his 2001 novel “ Erasure ,” which was adapted last year into Cord Jefferson’s film “ American Fiction ,” an author who has been told that his style isn’t “Black” enough spews out a novel of the ghetto to wide and lucrative acclaim. “Call it expediently located irony, or convenient rationalization, but I was keeping the money,” he says. (In no small irony, “Erasure” remains Everett’s most popular work.)

“James,” in a sense, reprises the same linguistic drag in reverse. Early in the novel, we learn that Jim’s famous eye dialect from “Huckleberry Finn” is, in Everett’s telling, a strategic form of code-switching: the enslaved have dumbed down their speech for the sake of soothing white nerves. When among themselves, they speak in a crystalline, learned English. (“Will that be an example of proleptic irony or dramatic irony?” one character asks, sharing a laugh with Jim behind the back of a white man too self-important to recognize himself as the butt of the joke.) In a droll early scene, before Jim flees, he schools his daughter, Lizzie, on how to address the Mistress, Miss Watson, about her cooking:

“But what are you going to say when she asks you about it?” I asked. Lizzie cleared her throat. “Miss Watson, dat sum conebread lak I neva before et.” “Try ‘dat be,’ ” I said. “That would be the correct incorrect grammar.” “Dat be sum of conebread lak neva I et,” she said. “Very good,” I said.

There is a didactic quality to this conceit that can grow a bit tedious. “Safe movement through the world depended on mastery of language, fluency,” Jim offers, as though the idea demanded a plainspoken explanation. But a fruitful tension arises from the possibility that Jim will unwittingly endanger himself by committing a “language slip.” On the run with Huck, Jim debates Voltaire and Locke while dreaming, including during a period of delirium brought on by a venomous snakebite. “You sho talk funny in yer sleep,” Huck remarks, a comical reminder that Jim was not the only character Twain endowed with dialect. (Fishkin, in fact, proposed that Twain may have borrowed from African American voices in developing Huck’s way of speaking.) But, as in other Everett novels, speech only gets a person so far; to get any proper thinking done, Jim must work out his ideas on the page. In a scene reminiscent of one in Twain, Jim suggests that Huck slip away for a while, in a feminine disguise, to scope the happenings onshore. In Everett’s version, the reprieve enables Jim to write, with a stick and some stolen ink, his first words: “ My interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning. ”

The story that follows dexterously summons the grand, stumping immensity of that “if.” In past novels, Everett has evoked (and chided) the wisdom of French language theorists regarding the instability and plurality of meaning. In “James,” he shows how nineteenth-century America (no less than present-day America) plays fast and loose with its most valued idioms—that is, race and money—and the material consequences, alternately grave and fortuitous, of doing so. What is the validity of a bill of sale, the novel poses, when any white con man can claim the nearest Black person as his own? Is there a meaningful difference between one lynching and another, when “seeing ten was to see a hundred, with that signature posture of death, the angle of the head, the crossing of the feet”? The cost of stealing a pencil exceeds monetary value; it may cost you your life, as Jim learns, though to be enslaved is to know precisely what one’s hide is worth. When, at some point, Jim notes the similarity between a “live slave” and a “dead runaway,” another character calls “bullshit.” Is it better to die free, or is that bullshit, too?

Everett mines the humor in such logical convolutions, though the book’s tone is more muted than that of his jocular novel “ The Trees ,” from 2021, which features its own spate of lynchings. In one scene, a “good master” lashes Jim until he passes out, and Jim comes to asking if he is alive. “I’m sorry to tell you, yes,” his companion responds. Among the departures from Twain’s text is a subplot involving Jim performing in a minstrel troupe and donning blackface alongside the white actors. He discovers that Norman, another performer in the group, is passing as white. Jim describes the motley crew: “There we were . . . ten white men in blackface, one black man passing for white and painted black, and me, a light-brown black man painted black in such a way as to appear like a white man trying to pass for black.” The farce works because, as Everett’s work has often shown, race itself is something of a farce. As James observes, “Never had a situation felt so absurd, surreal and ridiculous. And I had spent my life as a slave.”

“Erasure” draws its slippery epigraph from Twain: “I never could tell a lie that anybody would doubt, nor a truth that anybody would believe.” In “James,” the path toward freedom depends upon realizing the distance between how things are and how things are perceived to be. Appropriating a technique he learns from Twain’s famous hucksters, the Duke and the King, Jim teams up with Norman to enact a scheme of their own: Norman will (again) pose as a white man and sell Jim, then Jim can escape and Norman can sell him again, thus accruing them enough money to free family members who remain enslaved. They carry out exactly one transaction before things fall terribly apart. The story’s bloody, propulsive denouement includes a slave insurrection and a surreal trip into the bowels of a riverboat, where Jim and Norman learn the vital distinction between the ringing of four bells and seven. Jim, by this point, has lost the will to bite his own tongue. He tells Huck, when they’re reunited, “Belief has nothing to do with truth. Believe what you like. . . . Either way, no difference.”

Everett never gives the sense that James needs Huck, not like Huck, as he tells Tom Sawyer toward the end of “Huckleberry Finn,” needs his “nigger” Jim. And yet, like its predecessor, “James” finds surprising poignancy in the bonds between the pair, however burdensome for Jim the relationship may be. Jim cannot easily shake Huck off, for reasons that Huck, and the reader, discover by the story’s end. The boy may be a nuisance, but he is a huge, persuasive, affecting one. Everett, like Twain, has often been called a satirist, but “satire” is ultimately a limp and inadequate label for what Everett is up to with this searching account of a man’s manifold liberation. “ How much do I want to be free? ” Jim asks himself early in the novel. Huck won’t be of much assistance in answering that question, and neither will Twain, for that matter. ♦

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What is Palm Sunday and how is it celebrated worldwide?

FILE - Nuns wait for the start of the Palm Sunday’s mass celebrate by pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican Sunday, April 2, 2023. Palm Sunday will be celebrated by Christians worldwide Sunday, March 24, 2024. It commemorates the Christian belief in the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when palm branches were strewn before him. It marks the start of Holy Week. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

FILE - Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, center, walks in a procession during the Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, April 2, 2023. TPalm Sunday will be celebrated by Christians worldwide Sunday, March 24, 2024. It commemorates the Christian belief in the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when palm branches were strewn before him. It marks the start of Holy Week. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

FILE - Christian faithful march carrying green Palm branches to commemorate Palm Sunday, which marks the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, in the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday, April 2, 2023. Palm Sunday will be celebrated by Christians worldwide Sunday, March 24, 2024. It commemorates the Christian belief in the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when palm branches were strewn before him. It marks the start of Holy Week. (AP Photo, File)

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Palm Sunday commemorates the Christian belief in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when he was greeted by cheering crowds waving palm branches that they set out on the ground along his path, according to the Bible.

This year, Palm Sunday falls on March 24. Also known as Passion Sunday, it marks the start of Holy Week. The most sacred week of the Christian year includes the Good Friday re-enactment of Jesus’ crucifixion story and death, and their belief in his resurrection on Easter.

Here is a quick look at Palm Sunday’s significance.

IS THERE A DONKEY IN THIS STORY?

The procession of Jesus into Jerusalem is described by the four Gospel writers in the Bible.

The Gospels differ, but based on one expert they agree on this: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey — or a colt. So, which one is it?

Colt is defined as “a young male horse that is usually not castrated.” But in the Bible, the word meaning “colt” is used almost exclusively for young donkeys, not horses, writes Joanne M. Pierce , professor emerita of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross.

Pierce writes that this brings to mind a reference from the Book of Zechariah in Jewish scriptures, where the prophet describes a victorious king who enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

In Judaism, she says, the passage from Zechariah refers to the Messiah , a spiritual king who would peacefully redeem Israel, and the donkey is interpreted as a sign of humility .

“In Christianity, this animal becomes almost a symbol of Christ himself, given how it patiently suffers and bears others’ burdens,” Pierce writes in a piece published by The Conversation . “Horses, on the other hand, tend to be associated with royalty, power and war.”

WHAT ABOUT THE PALMS?

In the biblical Palm Sunday story, a cheering crowd greeted Jesus along the road. Some spread their garments on the ground; others threw down leafy branches they had cut from the fields. In the Gospel of John, they are branches from palms, a tree that symbolized victory and triumph.

In the Gospel of Matthew, people began to shout: “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” The word “Hosanna” was a plea for salvation and an exclamation of adoration.

After the procession, the Bible says Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.

HOW IS PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATED?

The ritual or liturgy typically starts with a blessing of the palms by clergy. It’s followed by a reading of the Passion of Christ, meaning an account of the final events of Jesus’ life.

Some ceremonies in German-speaking countries used to include a figure of Jesus riding a donkey, Encyclopedia Britannica says . The figure is called a “ Palmesel ,” or German for “palm donkey,” according to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which on its site recounts how worshippers would lay palms on the ground before the Palmesel during lively processions.

Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land mark Palm Sunday by holding Masses and processions retracing Jesus’ triumphal entry. Worshippers carry palm fronds and olive branches and march from the top of the neighboring Mount of Olives to Jerusalem’s historic Old City, home to holy sites of the three Abrahamic monotheistic faiths.

In churches around the world, the palms are often taken home by congregants, and some will become ashes.

HOW DO THE PALMS TURN INTO ASHES?

Ashes can be purchased, but some churches make their own by burning the palms from prior years.

They’re used to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday , the solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Christianity’s most penitent season.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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States move to shore up voting rights protections after courts erode federal safeguards

In Minnesota, Democratic Rep. Emma Greenman, of Minneapolis, said she felt an urgent need to act after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year in an Arkansas case that voters and groups could no longer sue under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act — only the U.S. attorney general.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An appeals court ruling that weakened a key part of the Voting Rights Act is spurring lawmakers in several states to enact state-level protections to plug gaps that the ruling opened in the landmark federal law aimed at prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.

Democratic-led states have been  taking matters into their own hands  because national legislation to expand voting rights  remains stalled in a divided Congress . Meanwhile,  Republican lawmakers  in many states  have tried to erode  safeguards in the name of protecting election integrity amid former President Donald Trump’s  false claims  that  vote fraud cost him  the 2020 election.

Legislators in Minnesota,  Michigan , Maryland, New Jersey and Florida are pursuing state voting rights acts, building on ones enacted by  New York in 2022  and  Connecticut in 2023 , as well as ones enacted  earlier in Virginia , Oregon, Washington and California.

“And we know of interest from other states that are considering taking up state VRAs in the next year or so,” said Michael Pernick, an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in New York.

In Minnesota, Democratic Rep. Emma Greenman, of Minneapolis, said she felt an urgent need to act after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  ruled last year in an Arkansas case  that voters and groups  could no longer sue  under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act — only the U.S. attorney general.

Section 2 prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, including  maps that disadvantage  voters of color. Lawsuits have long been brought under the section to try to ensure Black voters have adequate political representation in places with a long history of racism, including many Southern states.

The appeals court decision currently applies only to the seven states in the 8th Circuit, which stretches from Minnesota to Arkansas. Legal observers expect the case to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“As with other areas of policy, what you’re seeing is, states really have to say, ‘We need to make sure that … we have a system that is free from discrimination, we need to protect the rights of voters,’” Greenman said.

The  1965 Voting Rights Act  is seen as a crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. But federal courts have “chipped away” at it over the decades, said Lata Nott, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C., who testified for the Minnesota bill.

The  biggest blow to the federal law  in the view of voting rights advocates was a 2013 Supreme Court ruling in an Alabama case that stripped the government of a potent tool to stop voting bias by eliminating the requirement that jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination in voting get “preclearance” from the federal government for major changes in the way they hold elections.

Conservatives have argued the requirement did not account for racial progress and other changes in society and that existing voting rights protections are adequate.

“It looks like this an effort by the Left in the state to do at the state level what they can’t do at the federal level under the VRA,” said Zack Smith, a legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.

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The 8th Circuit decision sounded new alarms because most lawsuits to enforce the act have come from private individuals and groups, not the Justice Department, Nott said. Administrations change, so allowing people to protect their own voting rights is a “valuable enforcement mechanism,” she said.

There are broad similarities among the various state voting rights acts under consideration and the New York and Connecticut laws. They all give voters and groups a “private right of action” to challenge laws that dilute or suppress the votes of people of color, Pernick said. That’s the right the 8th Circuit struck down on the federal level.

Some of the state proposals also include preclearance requirements for changes in voting to make sure they don’t harm voters of color.

The Minnesota proposal is expected to get floor votes soon as part of a broader election policy bill, and the sponsors said they are cautiously optimistic about passage. The Maryland proposal has had hearings, while an effort in Michigan is expected to get hearings in April, Nott said.

Several state proposals include “safe harbor” provisions to try to head off the kind of lengthy, expensive litigation that often has been needed to enforce the federal law. The Minnesota bill, for example, would require potential plaintiffs to notify political subdivisions before they sue to create opportunities to negotiate remedies first.

Minnesota has an image as progressive on voting rights, and the current Legislature is the most diverse in state history. But witnesses who testified before the Legislature recently said there are still problems.

They point to data showing county boards across the state, which make important decisions affecting communities of color, are disproportionately white. Electing local bodies by districts that minority candidates could win, instead of at-large seats, is one potential remedy for preventing vote dilution.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat who is president-elect of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said he is trying to enlist as many of his fellow election officers across the country to file a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 8th Circuit decision if the plaintiffs in the Arkansas case appeal. But for now, he said, that ruling is the law in seven states.

“If we can no longer count on the federal Voting Rights Act to allow private citizens to protect their own voting rights, then we need a Minnesota Voting Rights Act to fill the gap,” Simon testified. “And that’s what this bill does. It fills the gap by guaranteeing a day in court for Minnesota voters to defend their voting rights against laws or policies that they believe discriminate against them.”

Officials with groups representing Minnesota’s local governments testified they support the concept but were concerned about the potential extra costs it could impose on them, an issue that raised concerns among Republicans on the committees that have heard the bill. Republicans also argued it’s a heavier-handed tool than Minnesota needs.

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he had not studied the proposal in detail, but he shares the ideals of making voting easy and accessible.

“If this is moving down those paths, that’s a good thing,” Walz said.

Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, a Minneapolis Democrat, is the lead author of the Minnesota Voting Rights Act in the Senate.

“Our democracy is important. We want more people voting, not less. We want more people’s voice to be heard, not silenced. We want people’s rights to be protected, not squandered,” Champion said.

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BREAKING NEWS

Man found dead at Southwest Ranches home owned by relative of former Dolphins player

Grieving mother says son killed by police in homestead needed help for schizophrenia, relatives identify man killed during police-involved shooting as leandro francisco ledea chong.

Terrell Forney , Reporter

Andrea Torres , Digital Journalist

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A mother was grieving her 34-year-old son on Sunday in Homestead. He died during a police-involved shooting on Saturday at his home.

Katia Chong showed Local 10 News bullet holes peppered the front door and interior walls of his home, and his blood was on the floor and walls.

Through tears, she said her son Leandro Francisco Ledea Chong lived with schizophrenia, which usually involves hallucinations and delusions.

“He was a good kid and the police killed him as if he was an assassin or as if he would have committed a crime,” the grieving mother said in Spanish.

Katia Chong said her son was going through a mental health crisis when loved ones called the police for help on Friday. Madeleine Cabrera, his girlfriend, said he was close to getting the help he needed before police officers fatally shot him on Saturday at the Villas of Sunrise development.

“The 22nd was his day in court. A judge ordered him to go to a mental health hospital,” Cabrera said.

Capt. Fernando Morales, a spokesman for the Homestead Police Department, said the standoff on Friday ended without incident. A witness video shows Leandro Chong standing at the front door and talking to himself. He had a fanny bag.

Morales said police officers responded to a report of shots fired at the same house on Saturday morning and Leandro Chong threw things at police officers and had his hands inside a fanny bag before the police-involved shooting.

On a GoFundMe page , Luisa Delvals and Karen Jam described Leandro Chong as “an amazing stepfather and an amazing husband.” They claim that all he had in his fanny pack were his keys, a rehab brochure, and a screwdriver.

After the police-involved shooting, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was conducting an investigation and the officers involved were on administrative leave.

Related stories

FDLE investigates fatal police-involved shooting in Homestead

Police identify 34-year-old man officers fatally shot in homestead after response to shooting.

• Witness video shows recent standoff with man killed by police on Saturday in Homestead

Related weekend reports

Clarification: Local 10 News has not seen the alleged video evidence referenced on the GoFundMe page mentioned in this story.

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About the Authors:

Terrell forney.

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.

Andrea Torres

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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