These days, social media is all about documentation.

Where y'all go, what you consume 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.

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

We'll cover the post-obit:

  • What are Instagram Stories?
  • How do Instagram Stories work?
  • 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

Permit'due south get started.

Your Instagram Story is published separately from the photos and videos found in the tiled gallery of your Instagram profile. And although you lot might know the basics of sharing them, there are hidden tools within the app that tin make the photos and videos you add to your Story more artistic and engaging.

How do Instagram Stories piece of work?

Instagram Stories allow you to share short videos and images to a temporary "Story." You can add together stickers, time stamps, and doodles to each Story and utilise 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 take the selection of direct responding to your Story via direct bulletin (DM), but you tin also disable replies in your app'south settings.

You can as well come across who'south viewed it by opening up your Story and swiping upwards on your screen.

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.

A total of 500 meg Instagram users accept started sharing disappearing content on Instagram Stories, increasing the amount of time spent in-app every day to an average of thirty minutes.

What's more, a lot of brands have already seen success publishing content to this platform. Instagram Stories have fueled the growth of brands like Bombas, Chameleon Common cold Brew, and Doritos. 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 boilerplate user's dwindling attending span.

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

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 coating rule, the individual videos you add together to your Instagram Story each have a maximum ringlet time of xv seconds. If you add a video to your Instagram Story, for example, information technology'll play for upward to xv seconds, regardless of how long the original video was, and then terminate.

Despite Instagram Stories' 15-2nd runtime limit, there are ways to play longer videos in your Story. Specifically, you can split a video that's longer than fifteen seconds into 15-second segments and add each segment to your Instagram Story and then they play ane afterward another. Here are some mobile apps that can assist yous make it happen:

  • Continual (iOS only): Continual is an iOS app that automatically splits your videos into fifteen-2nd segments so that yous tin can upload them to your Story. You too take the option to trim videos for Facebook Stories (twenty seconds). Pricing: $7.99
  • Storeo (iOS merely): Like Continual, Storeo splits upwardly your long videos into 15-second snippets for uploading into your Story. It also allows you to create Facebook Stories. The gratuitous version will automatically put a watermark on your Story; nosotros recommend paying the one-fourth dimension fee to upgrade. Pricing: $ix.99
  • Story Cutter (iOS): Story Cutter will trim your Story into Hd and 4K xv-2nd snippets. At that place are no limits to the length of your video, and clips are exported in chronological order so information technology's easy to upload them. Pricing: $0.99
  • Story Cutter (Android): Like the similarly-named iOS version, the Story Cutter Android app will let you split videos into smaller segments to upload to your Instagram Story. You can record videos using the app or upload an existing video from your gallery. Pricing: Gratis with in-app purchases
  • CutStory (iOS only): CutStory is a trimmer for Instagram Stories, also as an editor. Add effects, templates, and text to your Story prior to uploading. There's a costless version, only your Story will exist watermarked. Nosotros recommend upgrading. Pricing: $3.99

How to View Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories announced at the top of your screen when you're on the Instagram mobile app. Because they're often the beginning 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 up Instagram and navigate to the home screen.

To starting time viewing Instagram Stories, open your Instagram mobile app and tap the abode icon on the bottom-lefthand corner of your screen. Instagram Stories are not available for viewing on the desktop site.

One time you lot've navigated to Instagram's abode 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. These icons are highlighted inside a red square in the screenshot beneath. Equally you tin run into, your own Story is available for viewing (and adding to) on the far left of the Stories you follow.

Instagram Stories carousel in the Instagram app's home page

two. Tap on a circular icon to view that user'due south Story.

Each circular icon y'all see at the height of your home screen will accept a slope circle effectually it, denoting that the user has recently posted a Story. Tap on it to aggrandize the user'southward Story — it'll either be a photograph or a video, and the latter volition play automatically once you tap on the Story.

3. Tap to navigate between a Story'southward photos and videos.

A single Instagram Story tin can contain numerous individual photos and videos strung together in society of when the user posted them. The first slice of content you'll come across volition be the most recent one. Tap your mobile device's screen to cut to the next photo or video that the user has posted to their Story.

4. Swipe to navigate from 1 Instagram Story to another.

Swiping left and right while viewing an Instagram Story volition allow y'all to shuffle between Stories from dissimilar users. When y'all open up an Instagram Story after becoming an Instagram user for the first fourth dimension, you'll see the following carte du jour:

Black menu of finger motions for watching Instagram Stories on a mobile device

Use the above screenshot as a reference for viewing the Instagram Stories of the accounts yous follow.

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

Did you lot know that you tin can use a 3rd-party tool to view Stories without the user knowing? An Instagram Story viewer allows you to spotter Stories anonymously. You lot might want to do this if y'all're scouting freelancers and don't want them to run into you start. Some Story viewers permit you to autosave copies of the Stories, while others will offering a paid choice so you lot tin automatically salve copies of new Stories.

Instagram Story viewers 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 volition popular up. Hither's what that looks similar in Ingramer'south Instagram Story viewer:

Instagram Story viewer example

Additional tools you tin can use include:

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

Ready to offset posting? Let'due south go over how you can create Instagram Stories step-past-stride.

You can brand successful Instagram Stories also — but it requires a few more than hacks and tips to make them expect like the Stories big brands and influencers share. (Some of my favorite Instagram Stories are shared by chef Chloe Coscarelli, actress Busy Phillips, mattress make Casper, and interior blueprint app Hutch — and don't forget to bank check out HubSpot's Stories as well.)

Just first, permit'due south review the nuts of how to share an Instagram Story.

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

To start posting a Story, open up up the Instagram app and click on your profile epitome in the elevation left corner. Yous tin also swipe right or click the plus sign near the top correct.

Options to open up the Instagram Story creator on the Instagram feed page

If you click the plus sign, you'll automatically be prompted to create a mail instead of a Story. To become to the Story creator, cull Story at the bottom correct.

story-creator-instagram-1

2. Choose a filter and paradigm capture way.

Once yous commencement creating your Story, yous tin can choose a filter by swiping correct and left on the filter carousel at the bottom of the screen.

Filter options within Instagram StoriesAside from a filter, you can choose a capture mode when taking a photo or filming straight from the app. The options appear on the left-paw side of the screen.

Image and video capture options in Instagram StoriesYou accept a few options to choose from:

Normal

Normal means choosing no selection. It ways what it says: Tapping in one case on the camera button volition capture a photo, and holding downward volition tape a video. Instagram Stories can be 15 seconds in length, and so if you want to share a video that'south longer, film in fifteen-second stints, or employ a tool to split your longer clip into 15-2d installments.

Create

Create way volition take yous to a screen where you lot can create a Story from scratch. In this screen, you tin choose stickers, place gifs, and write text.

Boomerang

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

Layout

Layout style will have y'all to a screen with four quadrants, in which you tin capture four different photos. Y'all tin alter the fashion of the grid.

Multi-Capture

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

Photobooth

Photobooth fashion allows y'all to take four photos that then appear in consecutive order in your Story. There'due south a flash in between, giving the effect of photos taken in an bodily photobooth.

Hands-Gratuitous

Use hands-costless mode if you want to set up your photographic camera to film a video for you. Make sure you prop it somewhere stable earlier you start recording. We'll talk more than near this characteristic in a minute.

Level

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

iii. Capture a photo or video using the camera.

Now that you've chosen your filter and prototype capture mode, it'south time to actually start filming and creating content. Hold down on the push button to picture show a video, and tap once to capture an epitome.

If you don't like the filter, you can modify it. You can as well add stickers, text, and drawings.

4. In one case you lot've edited your photo or video, tap "Your Story."

Yous can too salve your edited photo or video to your gallery by tapping the "Download" icon up elevation.

Finished Instagram Story

Knowing how to post to your Instagram Story is one thing, just knowing what to post is a different ... well, story. For businesses looking to tell their story on Instagram, it'due south 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 hateful y'all can't teach or promote something in the process.

Below, nosotros embrace a few ideas for using Instagram Stories to attract followers and build a customer base of operations.

1. Mail footage of an role event.

Sometimes, the best matter a business organization can do on Instagram is be as human equally possible. Ane mode to practise this is to postal service a brief video of a visitor role. Whether it's an office holiday political party or an award feast, posting footage of it to your Story is easy and in-the-moment entertainment for your followers. This content as well shows people you're a relevant and friendly voice in your market.

two. Mail service breaking news about your industry.

Just as y'all might on your company weblog, you can utilise your Instagram Story to written 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 commodity — into a Story on your Instagram account.

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

Instagram Story example sharing news

iii. Demonstrate your product.

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

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

Just remember to alter your video's dimensions before uploading information technology to your Instagram Story. Remember, Instagram Stories' epitome dimensions are 1920px high and 1080px broad, with an aspect ratio of nine:16.

4. Promote a visitor event.

Does your arrangement host a trade conference or attend a big one every yr? Apply your Instagram Story to promote the event and tell your followers to wait for you in that location. Work with a graphic designer, or practise some artwork yourself, to illustrate an event flyer with all the data one would need to find you.

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

  • The event's proper noun.
  • Where the result is located.
  • Dates you'll exist attention.
  • Your berth number.
  • The effect'south official hashtag.

5. Preview one of your company'due south weblog posts or videos.

Your blog posts and YouTube videos need all the exposure they can get. Even if social media isn't your web log'southward master source of traffic, your Instagram Story can assistance readers discover that mail service or video for the beginning fourth dimension and find it afterwards.

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

Instagram Story example sharing a new YouTube video

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

As your Instagram post-obit grows, you'll somewhen pick upwardly other business accounts who want to follow yous as well. Whether those accounts are your business organization 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'southward growth. Nosotros'll explicate 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

one. Use stickers.

In one case you've captured a great photo or video, it's time to jazz it upward with some fun stickers. You can admission these past clicking "Create," then tapping the smiling sticker icon in the upper right-mitt 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.

Y'all tin can pinch the sticker once you've added it to your Story to increase or decrease its size. You lot can too tap and drag information technology effectually the frame to change its position.

Resized sticker in Instagram Story

Check stickers every day for new and unique ones.

Instagram releases unique Story stickers oft — whether information technology'due south for a weekday, a holiday, or a season. Check this department every day for new and timely stickers to add to your Story.

Seasonal sticker in Instagram Stories

Add together location, hashtag, poll, and selfie stickers.

Boost date on your Instagram Story past opening information technology upwards to other people doing the same things you are. Open up up the stickers section, and tap any of these buttons to customize your Story:

Sticker options in Instagram Stories

Location Stickers

Start typing in your location, and y'all'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 aforementioned place.

Instagram Stories posted with the location Atlanta Botanical Garden

Hashtag Stickers

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

Hashtag sticker in Instagram Stories

Poll Stickers

You tin can add a two-option poll to your Instagram Story, and y'all can fifty-fifty customize the possible answers and then they're more than unique than "Yep" or "No." Apply a poll sticker to gauge if people are really engaging with your content.

Poll stickers in Instagram Stories

Selfie Stickers

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

Selfie sticker in Instagram StoriesAnd so, take a selfie — or accept a picture of anyone else's confront (that will work as well). Then, you lot tin use that face to decorate your Instagram Story. Somewhat creepy, but very memorable and funny, likewise.

ii. Record a hands-free Instagram video.

If you lot're a frequent video-recorder on Instagram, you know you need to concord your thumb against the record push button for as long equally you're recording. This tin can make it irksome when attempting dynamic and interesting videos that crave more hand mobility.

But did yous know you can record these videos "easily-complimentary"?

Hands-free mode in Instagram StoriesThe hands-free video feature can be constitute in the list of image capture options, as shown above. Just tap the tape button once to start the video, and once more to cease it after you've gotten the footage yous want.

three. Let viewers share your Stories.

Increase appointment and views of your Instagram Story past letting viewers share them with their friends — equally directly messages (DMs).

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

Instagram Story settings inside the Instagram appToggle on "Allow Sharing as Message" and then viewers tin DM your Story to friends to increase your audience achieve. Voila!

Instagram Story sharing settings

4. Utilize 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-paw corner of your screen in one case you've captured a photo or video, y'all'll open up your options.

From at that place, you lot can adjust the thickness of your pen stroke or alter the color you lot're writing with.

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

Highlighter tool inside Instagram Stories

5. Add a background color.

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

Take a picture (it doesn't have to be a motion-picture show of anything in particular), and so tap the pen icon to open upwards the color palette.

Instagram Stories pen tool with a color menu at the bottomY'all can cull 1 of the colors from the three available menus, or if y'all desire a specific shade of i of those colors, you can open up upwards the full color spectrum by pressing and holding one of the colors.

Choosing a color using the Instagram Story color pickerThen, scribble anywhere on the screen, and concur your finger down until you get the groundwork colour you desire to appear.

Adding a background color to an Instagram story - scribbling first

Adding a background color to an Instagram story - pressing down until it fillsIf you desire to get really crazy, you could employ the eraser tool (the quaternary option) to create new words or shapes from the background, too.

Green background added to Instagram Story of a plant

6. Mention some other Instagram account in your Story.

Sometimes, it'due south simply not plenty to send an Instagram Story to a item person — you need to requite 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 photograph 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'southward first letter. Roll through the suggested accounts that announced beneath your cursor until you discover the account yous have in listen, and tap information technology. Meet what these options wait like beneath.

Tagging another account in Instagram StoriesOnce yous post this Story, the person or business relationship you've tagged in the photograph or video will receive a notification of your shoutout, regardless of whether or not you transport the Story to them.

seven. Make your text funkier.

The text on Instagram Stories is pretty bones — jazz information technology upwards with these tricks.

Customize your colors.

If you lot're unsatisfied with the colour 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.

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

Using the color picker tool inside Instagram Stories

Add a driblet shadow to your Story's text.

If yous want to add some extra drama to your text, add highlighting or shadowing past retyping or rewriting your text in a dissimilar color. I recommend choosing black or white to add together accent to a vivid colour you've picked. Then, motion 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 y'all can actually plough your text into a gradient rainbow.

Tap the text icon, and type out your message to add to your Story. And then, highlight your text.

This is where it gets tricky: Turn your phone to the side so y'all can concur 1 finger down on the right side of your text, and with another finger, tap on a colour and hold until the color wheel pops up.

Then, slowly drag both fingers beyond both the text and the color wheel from right to left to create rainbow text. Go slowly, letter past letter until you've created a rainbow. (This i took me several tries before I nailed it, and I succeeded using both thumbs to highlight the text and the color bike.)

Gradually add text to a Story.

Sometimes, you might want to add text or stickers to an image to build on it — perchance to promote a content offer or event, or to encourage viewers to swipe up to read a link you've shared (this is only available to verified accounts).

Start editing the photo you want to share, post it, and relieve it to your camera curlicue. 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 photograph. Continue doing this for as long as you want the Story to final. Just make sure to go on taking screenshots of your latest photo so you tin can add to information technology.

8. See who has viewed your Instagram Story.

Snapchat users have e'er been able to see which of their friends have viewed their snapped Stories over the 24-hr period that the Story is visible. Well, Instagram Stories tin can practise the same thing — in exactly the same manner.

To see who has viewed your Instagram Story, navigate to the homepage of Instagram on your telephone and click on the circular icon denoting your Story. See what this looks like in the screenshot below.

Click on your Profile icon to view your own Instagram Story

Click on "Your Story" from the Instagram home screen and swipe upwardly from the bottom of your open up Story. This will pull up a list of all the accounts that take viewed this content.

Seeing who's viewed your Story might be an ego heave to personal Instagrammers, but business organisation users can learn a lot about what their followers are interested in this fashion. By looking at which users view which Stories, you tin figure out which types of photos and videos you should proceed posting.

9. Center your text and stickers.

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

Aligning elements in Instagram Stories

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

That said, make certain you don't add anything to your Story too loftier or too low in the frame — or information technology will be cut off when viewers ringlet through your Story, when Instagram adds things similar your name and how long ago your Story was posted that could cake out your carefully-crafted text.

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

This i'southward piece of cake: Plough on music using your telephone'southward native streaming app, and record a video Story. Once you get set up to edit and share, make certain the sound icon isn't muted so your viewers can jam with you.

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

Muting sound in Instagram Stories

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

Keen Instagram Stories aren't simply created through the Instagram app. You tin also upload photos and videos from your mobile device's native camera curlicue.

To upload a photo or video for apply as an Instagram Story, open your Instagram Story's photographic camera lens and tap the trivial foursquare icon on the bottom lefthand corner. See what this looks like beneath.

Opening up your phone gallery from Instagram StoriesTapping the icon shown above will recall your phone'southward native media gallery, where you can select whatever photograph or video to publish as an Instagram Story. It'due south that easy.

Post Instagram Stories to Grow Your Adience

Nosotros hope these tips help you post killer Instagram Stories your audience won't be able to stop post-obit. There are lots of subconscious ways to accept your Stories to the next level — some we may not even have covered hither. Our best communication? Go along clicking around and run into what you lot can do with the latest updates from the app. Happy 'gramming!

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

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Originally published Jul 1, 2021 7:00:00 AM, updated October 07 2021