Instagram Stories is a feature that lets users post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours. More than half a billion people use Instagram Stories every day. This is a great way to boost your engagement. Your followers can message you through stories directly.
But, how to create a perfect Instagram story? Here are some Instagram Stories tips and tricks to help you stand out from the crowd.
11 Instagram Stories Tips and Tricks
1. Use stickers.
When you have captured a good picture or video, it is time to jazz it up with some fun stickers. You could access those by tapping the smiling sticker icon on the top right corner of your screen once you have captured a photo or video — or swipe up from the bottom of your screen. This is one of the best Instagram stories tips you should know.
Change the size of your stickers.
You could pinch the sticker when you have added to your story to increase or decrease its size. You could also tap and drag it around the frame to change its position.
Check stickers for new and unique ones daily.
Instagram releases unique Story stickers often — whether it is Monday, a holiday, or a season. Check this part every day for new and timely stickers to add to your Story.
Add location, hashtag, poll, and selfie stickers.
Increase the engagement on your Instagram Story by opening it up to other people doing the same things you’re. Open up the stickers part, and tap any of these buttons to customize your story:
Location Stickers
Begin typing in wherever you’re, and you’ll be able to pull in a geographically-specific sticker to show where you’re.
When people view your Story, they will be capable to tap the location sticker and see other images and Stories occurring around the same place.
Hashtag Stickers
Same concept here: When you add this sticker and kind in a hashtag, your Story will appear in searches for that hashtag, and viewers will be capable of click on it and see who else is utilizing it. #MotivationMonday, amirite?
Poll Stickers
You could add a two-option poll to your Instagram Story, and you could even customize the possible answers so they are more unique than “Yes” or “No.” Use a poll sticker to gauge if people are actually engaging with your content.
Selfie Stickers
Open the Stickers menu, and choose the camera icon.
Then, take a selfie — or take an image of anybody else’s face (that’ll work too). Then, you could use that face to decorate your Instagram Story. Somewhat creepy, however, very memorable and humorous, too.
2. Record a hands-free Instagram video.
When you are a frequent video-recorder on Instagram, you should hold your thumb against the record button for as long as you are recording. This could make it tedious when attempting dynamic and fascinating videos that require more hand mobility.
However, did you know you could record these videos “hands-free“?
The hands-free video function could be found in the carousel of camera lens options beneath the record button, as shown above. Simply tap the record button once to begin the video, and again to stop it after you have got the footage you want.
3. Let viewers share your Stories.
Improve engagement and views of your Instagram Story by letting viewers share them with their friends — as Direct Messages.
Go to your profile, choose the gear icon, and navigate to “Story Settings.”
Toggle on “Allow Sharing” so viewers can DM your Story to friends to improve your audience reach. Voila!
4. Use the pen.
Use the pen to include embellishment, symbols, or more text for your Story. When you tap the pen icon at the top right corner of your screen once you have captured a photo or video, you will open up your options.
From there, you could adjust the thickness of your pen stroke or change the color you are writing with (more on that later).
I like utilizing the highlighter pen (the third option) to add emphasis to words — or even the highlight of my picture or video.
5. Add a background color.
If you wish to share a Story with a background color — like the pictures I have shared above — you could actually choose it from the color palette.
Take an image (it does not have to be an image of anything particularly), and then tap the pen icon to open up the color palette. (Here is Leela again — my unwitting cat model.)
You could select one of the colors from the 3 available menus, or if you want a particular shade of one of those colors, you could open up the full-color spectrum by pressing and holding one of the colors.
Then, scribble anywhere on the screen, and hold your finger down until you get the background color you wish to appear.
If you wish to get really crazy, you can utilize the eraser tool (the fourth option) to make new words or shapes from the background, too.
6. Mention another Instagram account in your Story.
Sometimes, it is just not enough to send an Instagram Story to a specific person — you should give them a shoutout in the picture or video itself. In these cases, Instagram permits you to tag up to 10 particular handles directly in your Story’s picture or video.
To mention an Instagram account in your Story, shoot a photo or video and then tap the square “A” icon at the top right corner of the screen. Enter the account you’d like to tag, beginning with the “@” symbol and the account’s first letter. Scroll through the suggested accounts that appear below your cursor until you discover the account you have in mind, and tap it. See what these options look like below.
When you post this Story, the person or account you have tagged in the picture or video will receive a notification of your shoutout, regardless of whether or not you send the Story to them.