These days, social media is all most documentation.

Where you go, what you eat and drink, who you meet, 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 yous 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 meet.

We'll cover the post-obit:

  • What are Instagram Stories?
  • How do Instagram Stories piece of work?
  • How long are Instagram Stories?
  • How to View Instagram Stories
  • How to Make an Instagram Story
  • How to Employ Instagram Stories for Business
  • Instagram Stories Tricks and Hacks

Let's 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 might know the basics of sharing them, at that place are hidden tools within the app that can make the photos and videos you add to your Story more than artistic and engaging.

How do Instagram Stories work?

Instagram Stories permit you to share short videos and images to a temporary "Story." You can add stickers, time stamps, and doodles to each Story and utilize certain filters and effects. If your business relationship is public, your Story is visible to anyone, but if your account is individual, your Story is simply visible to those who follow yous.

Viewers have the pick of directly responding to your Story via direct bulletin (DM), but you tin can also disable replies in your app's settings.

You tin also see who's viewed information technology by opening up your Story and swiping upward on your screen.

Why should you use Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories tin 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 have started sharing disappearing content on Instagram Stories, increasing the amount of time spent in-app every 24-hour interval to an average of 30 minutes.

What's more, a lot of brands take already seen success publishing content to this platform. Instagram Stories have fueled the growth of brands like Bombas, Chameleon Cold Brew, and Doritos. Whether publishers are trying to grow brand sensation, grow traffic to videos or newsletters exterior of Instagram, or share sponsored posts, Instagram Stories allows them to publish fun disappearing content that infuses brand voice and personality without taking upwardly likewise much of the boilerplate user'south dwindling attention bridge.

That'due south why Instagram Stories are so curt and why they merely last a brusk while on the platform.

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

As a blanket dominion, the individual videos you add to your Instagram Story each have a maximum gyre time of xv seconds. If you lot add a video to your Instagram Story, for example, it'll play for upwardly to 15 seconds, regardless of how long the original video was, and then end.

Despite Instagram Stories' 15-second runtime limit, at that place are means to play longer videos in your Story. Specifically, yous tin can split up a video that'due south longer than 15 seconds into 15-2d segments and add each segment to your Instagram Story so they play one after some other. Here are some mobile apps that can help you make information technology happen:

  • Continual (iOS just): Continual is an iOS app that automatically splits your videos into 15-second segments and then that you can upload them to your Story. You lot besides have the option to trim videos for Facebook Stories (20 seconds). Pricing: $vii.99
  • Storeo (iOS merely): Like Continual, Storeo splits up your long videos into 15-second snippets for uploading into your Story. Information technology too allows you to create Facebook Stories. The gratis version will automatically put a watermark on your Story; we recommend paying the erstwhile fee to upgrade. Pricing: $9.99
  • Story Cutter (iOS): Story Cutter will trim your Story into HD and 4K 15-second snippets. There are no limits to the length of your video, and clips are exported in chronological order so it's like shooting fish in a barrel to upload them. Pricing: $0.99
  • Story Cutter (Android): Similar the similarly-named iOS version, the Story Cutter Android app will let y'all separate videos into smaller segments to upload to your Instagram Story. You lot can record videos using the app or upload an existing video from your gallery. Pricing: Complimentary with in-app purchases
  • CutStory (iOS but): CutStory is a trimmer for Instagram Stories, besides as an editor. Add effects, templates, and text to your Story prior to uploading. In that location's a free version, only your Story will be watermarked. We recommend upgrading. Pricing: $3.99

How to View Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories appear at the elevation of your screen when yous're on the Instagram mobile app. Because they're oft the first pieces of content users see when they open Instagram, these Stories can get a ton of engagement and aid yous annunciate your regular Instagram photo gallery to more users.

Let'due south go over how yous can view Instagram Stories.

1. Open Instagram and navigate to the dwelling screen.

To start viewing Instagram Stories, open your Instagram mobile app and tap the home icon on the lesser-lefthand corner of your screen. Instagram Stories are not bachelor for viewing on the desktop site.

In one case you've navigated to Instagram's home screen, you'll run into a serial of circular icons along the summit, each of which represents the active Stories posted by the users you follow. These icons are highlighted inside a red square in the screenshot below. As yous tin meet, your own Story is available for viewing (and calculation to) on the far left of the Stories you follow.

Instagram Stories carousel in the Instagram app's home page

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

Each circular icon you lot run across at the top of your home screen volition have a gradient circle around it, cogent that the user has recently posted a Story. Tap on it to expand the user's Story — it'll either be a photo or a video, and the latter will play automatically once you tap on the Story.

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

A unmarried Instagram Story can comprise numerous individual photos and videos strung together in lodge of when the user posted them. The kickoff piece of content you'll run across volition be the virtually contempo 1. 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 different users. When yous open up an Instagram Story after becoming an Instagram user for the first time, yous'll see the following menu:

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

Use the in a higher place screenshot equally a reference for viewing the Instagram Stories of the accounts you follow.

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

Did y'all know that you lot can use a third-party tool to view Stories without the user knowing? An Instagram Story viewer allows you to watch Stories anonymously. You might want to do this if you're scouting freelancers and don't want them to see you lot first. Some Story viewers let you to autosave copies of the Stories, while others will offering a paid pick so y'all can automatically salve copies of new Stories.

Instagram Story viewers are available on the web; yous don't demand to download an app. You lot can search for any username, and copies of the Stories posted from that username will pop up. Here's what that looks like in Ingramer'southward Instagram Story viewer:

Instagram Story viewer example

Additional tools you lot can utilize include:

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

Ready to outset posting? Let'southward go over how you tin can create Instagram Stories step-by-footstep.

You tin make successful Instagram Stories too — merely it requires a few more hacks and tips to make them look like the Stories big brands and influencers share. (Some of my favorite Instagram Stories are shared by chef Chloe Coscarelli, actress Decorated Phillips, mattress make Casper, and interior design app Hutch — and don't forget to cheque out HubSpot'south Stories likewise.)

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

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

To start posting a Story, open upward the Instagram app and click on your profile prototype in the pinnacle left corner. Yous tin can also swipe correct or click the plus sign well-nigh the peak right.

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 postal service instead of a Story. To become to the Story creator, choose Story at the lesser right.

story-creator-instagram-1

2. Choose a filter and image capture mode.

Once y'all outset creating your Story, you lot can choose a filter by swiping right and left on the filter carousel at the lesser of the screen.

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

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

Normal

Normal means choosing no choice. It ways what it says: Tapping once on the camera push will capture a photo, and belongings downwards volition record a video. Instagram Stories can be xv seconds in length, so if you lot want to share a video that'southward longer, film in 15-second stints, or apply a tool to separate your longer clip into 15-2nd installments.

Create

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

Boomerang

Boomerang mode films looping GIFs upwards to 3 seconds in length.

Layout

Layout style will take you to a screen with iv quadrants, in which you lot can capture 4 unlike photos. Yous tin change the style of the filigree.

Multi-Capture

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

Photobooth

Photobooth style allows you to take four photos that and then announced in consecutive order in your Story. There's a flash in between, giving the result of photos taken in an bodily photobooth.

Hands-Free

Use hands-complimentary fashion if you desire to set up your camera to pic a video for y'all. Make certain you lot prop information technology somewhere stable before you commencement recording. We'll talk more about this feature in a infinitesimal.

Level

The level option will overlay a grid over your camera so that y'all tin can accurately align objects so that they're direct. Y'all can combine this selection with other image capture modes such as multi-capture and photobooth.

3. Capture a photo or video using the photographic camera.

At present that you've chosen your filter and prototype capture mode, it's time to actually start filming and creating content. Agree down on the button to film a video, and tap in one case to capture an prototype.

If you don't like the filter, you can change information technology. You can besides add stickers, text, and drawings.

iv. Once yous've edited your photo or video, tap "Your Story."

You lot can as well save your edited photo or video to your gallery by tapping the "Download" icon up meridian.

Finished Instagram Story

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 exist interested in seeing on Instagram. Remember, Instagram is a visual platform, but that doesn't mean you lot can't teach or promote something in the process.

Beneath, we cover a few ideas for using Instagram Stories to concenter followers and build a client base.

1. Post footage of an office effect.

Sometimes, the best thing a business organisation can exercise on Instagram is be every bit human as possible. One way to do this is to post a cursory video of a company function. Whether it'southward an office holiday party or an accolade feast, posting footage of it to your Story is like shooting fish in a barrel and in-the-moment entertainment for your followers. This content also shows people y'all're a relevant and friendly vocalization in your market.

ii. Post breaking news well-nigh your industry.

Merely every bit you might on your company blog, you tin utilize your Instagram Story to report on the latest happenings in your industry. With the right design piece of work, you tin 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 lot to stay abreast with market trends. You tin can fifty-fifty ask users what they think, equally shown in the Instagram Story past HubSpot below. We'll explain how Instagram "stickers" tin help you lot practise this in merely a minute.

Instagram Story example sharing news

3. Demonstrate your product.

Your production 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. Mail service a long video, segmented into xv-2nd clips that bear witness users what your production or service does and how it helps your customers.

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

Only remember to modify your video's dimensions before uploading information technology to your Instagram Story. Call up, Instagram Stories' image dimensions are 1920px loftier and 1080px broad, with an aspect ratio of 9:xvi.

iv. Promote a company issue.

Does your organization host a merchandise conference or attend a big one every year? Use your Instagram Story to promote the event and tell your followers to look for y'all there. Piece of work with a graphic designer, or do some artwork yourself, to illustrate an event flyer with all the information one would demand to detect y'all.

Nigh of this you can practice directly in Instagram. For example, employ the native text options in your Story to add:

  • The event's proper noun.
  • Where the consequence is located.
  • Dates you'll exist attending.
  • Your berth number.
  • The event's official hashtag.

5. Preview 1 of your company'south blog posts or videos.

Your blog posts and YouTube videos need all the exposure they can go. Fifty-fifty if social media isn't your blog's master source of traffic, your Instagram Story can assist readers observe that mail service or video for the start time and find it later.

In the screenshot below, Google Pixel used its Instagram Story to preview a video it published well-nigh a client who used the device. When you tap all the style 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.

Instagram Story example sharing a new YouTube video

vi. Mention other companies who follow or piece of work with you.

Equally your Instagram following grows, you lot'll eventually pick upward other business accounts who desire to follow y'all equally 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 constructive way to nurture your relationships with the users that thing almost to your business's growth. Nosotros'll explain how to link to other accounts in an Instagram Story in the tips below.

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

Instagram Story Tricks and Hacks

1. Utilise 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," and then tapping the grinning sticker icon in the upper right-paw corner of your screen once you've captured a photo or video.

Hither are some best practices after you cull a sticker.

Modify the size of your stickers.

Yous can pinch the sticker once you've added information technology to your Story to increase or decrease its size. You tin can also tap and elevate information technology around 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 often — whether it's for a weekday, a holiday, or a season. Check this section every day for new and timely stickers to add together to your Story.

Seasonal sticker in Instagram Stories

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:

Sticker options in Instagram Stories

Location Stickers

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

Instagram Stories posted with the location Atlanta Botanical Garden

Hashtag Stickers

Aforementioned concept hither: If you add together this sticker and blazon in a hashtag, your Story volition appear in searches for that hashtag, and viewers will be able to click information technology and come across who else is using it.

Hashtag sticker in Instagram Stories

Poll Stickers

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

Poll stickers in Instagram Stories

Selfie Stickers

Open up the Stickers bill of fare, and tap on the camera icon.

Selfie sticker in Instagram StoriesSo, have a selfie — or have a picture of anyone else's face (that volition work too). Then, yous can employ that face to decorate your Instagram Story. Somewhat creepy, but very memorable and funny, too.

2. Record a easily-free Instagram video.

If you're a frequent video-recorder on Instagram, y'all know you demand to agree your thumb against the tape push for as long equally you're recording. This can brand information technology wearisome when attempting dynamic and interesting videos that require more hand mobility.

Merely did yous know you tin can tape these videos "hands-costless"?

Hands-free mode in Instagram StoriesThe hands-gratuitous video feature can be establish in the listing of image capture options, as shown above. Simply tap the tape push once to start the video, and over again to stop information technology afterward you lot've gotten the footage you want.

3. Allow viewers share your Stories.

Increase engagement and views of your Instagram Story past letting viewers share them with their friends — as directly letters (DMs).

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

Instagram Story settings inside the Instagram appToggle on "Allow Sharing as Bulletin" and then viewers can DM your Story to friends to increment your audience accomplish. Voila!

Instagram Story sharing settings

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 one time you lot've captured a photo or video, you'll open up your options.

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

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

Highlighter tool inside Instagram Stories

five. Add a background color.

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

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

Instagram Stories pen tool with a color menu at the bottomYou lot can choose i of the colors from the iii bachelor menus, or if you want a specific shade of one of those colors, yous can open up the total color spectrum past pressing and belongings one of the colors.

Choosing a color using the Instagram Story color pickerThen, scribble anywhere on the screen, and hold your finger down until yous get the background color you lot want 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 use the eraser tool (the fourth pick) to create new words or shapes from the background, also.

Green background added to Instagram Story of a plant

6. Mention some other Instagram account in your Story.

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

To mention an Instagram account in your Story, shoot a photo or video and so tap the square "A" icon in the upper righthand corner of the screen. Enter the business relationship you'd similar to tag, starting with the "@" symbol and the business relationship's first letter. Ringlet through the suggested accounts that appear beneath your cursor until yous notice the business relationship yous accept in listen, and tap it. Come across what these options look like below.

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

7. Make your text funkier.

The text on Instagram Stories is pretty basic — jazz information technology 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 upwards the text icon, and tap the eyedropper icon in the lower left-hand corner of your screen.

Use the dropper to sample a colour from somewhere in the image 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 drop shadow to your Story's text.

If you lot 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 vivid color yous'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 1's catchy, merely you tin can actually plow 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 tin can concord one finger down on the right side of your text, and with another finger, tap on a colour and hold until the colour wheel pops up.

And 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 1 took me several tries earlier I nailed information technology, and I succeeded using both thumbs to highlight the text and the color wheel.)

Gradually add together text to a Story.

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

Start editing the photo you want to share, post information technology, and salve information technology to your photographic camera curl. And so, 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. Keep doing this for as long as you want the Story to last. Merely make sure to keep taking screenshots of your latest photo so y'all tin add together to it.

8. See who has viewed your Instagram Story.

Snapchat users take 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 — in exactly the same way.

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 similar in the screenshot beneath.

Click on your Profile icon to view your own Instagram Story

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

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

9. Middle your text and stickers.

When you're moving effectually text and stickers on your Story, you'll see blue lines appear vertically or horizontally in the frame. These are guiding lines you tin apply to brand sure y'all're keeping everything centered.

Aligning elements in Instagram Stories

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

That said, brand certain you don't add together annihilation to your Story too high or too low in the frame — or it will exist cut off when viewers curlicue through your Story, when Instagram adds things like your proper name and how long ago your Story was posted that could block out your advisedly-crafted text.

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

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

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

Muting sound in Instagram Stories

eleven. Upload Instagram Stories from your telephone'due south camera roll.

Cracking Instagram Stories aren't just created through the Instagram app. Y'all can also upload photos and videos from your mobile device's native camera gyre.

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

Opening up your phone gallery from Instagram StoriesBorer the icon shown to a higher place will phone call up your telephone's native media gallery, where y'all can select any photo or video to publish as an Instagram Story. It's that piece of cake.

Post Instagram Stories to Grow Your Adience

We promise these tips assist you mail killer Instagram Stories your audience won't exist able to stop following. There are lots of subconscious ways to take your Stories to the next level — some nosotros may not even accept covered hither. Our best advice? Keep clicking around and run across what you can do with the latest updates from the app. Happy 'gramming!

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

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