It\u2019s hard to imagine anything easier than posting a story on Instagram. After all, it only takes a few seconds and three taps to take a photo or video and immediately share it on your profile. Especially as Stories are often seen as the unpolished antidote to many users\u2019 curated Instagram feeds.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s more to Instagram Stories than meets the eye. When used properly, they are an incredible tool for driving engagement with your followers, building connections with other users, and sharing your life with the people you care about.<\/p>\n
When used improperly, however, Stories can quickly become annoying and over-long monologues that are confusing to anyone but their creator. Here are our best Instagram Stories tips to help your posts stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n
In case you\u2019re still unfamiliar with the Stories feature (pioneered by Snapchat and quickly integrated into Facebook and Instagram), here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n
Essentially, an Instagram story is a sequential collection of photos and videos that is visible on your Instagram profile to any of your followers for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the story disappears.<\/p>\n
Instagram Stories fill a variety of purposes. They can tell the behind-the-scenes story of an impressive Instagram post, provide insider information about a promotion, or can be a fun way to share an event in your life that doesn\u2019t warrant a formal post.<\/p>\n
Posting a story is easy: open Instagram, and tap the camera icon in the top left. Take a photo, and hit Send To<\/strong>, then press Share<\/strong> next to the contact labelled \u201cYour Story\u201d.<\/p>\n Of course, there\u2019s a whole lot more to know, including Instagram mistakes you should avoid making<\/a>.<\/p>\n While this Instagram Story tip may seem like common sense, it\u2019s often overlooked by Instagram users. Instagram stories are less formal than official Instagram posts, and leave some room for unedited photos or videos that sound more like a casual conversation.<\/p>\n However, if you are looking for social media success, everything you post needs to be worth your audience\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick checklist:<\/p>\n Also, just because Stories gives you the freedom to post as many photos or videos as you want doesn\u2019t mean that you should post every photo or video you take. Your complete story shouldn\u2019t last longer than two or three minutes\u2014and that\u2019s an absolute maximum. Stories are designed to give people a quick and exclusive look \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d of your social media; lengthy commentary is better suited to a blog post or YouTube video.<\/p>\n One of the biggest mistakes Instagram users make is posting stories that don\u2019t make any sense. But, you also don\u2019t want to spend your time typing out lengthy explanations that no one will read, or offering voice overs that no one will listen to.<\/p>\n Instead, Instagram offers simple stickers (found in the top right of the photo-editing screen) for each image or video. Use these stickers to identify your location, provide a time stamp, tag the people you\u2019re with, or to add a relevant hashtag.<\/p>\n Paired with a sentence or two on Instagram Stories\u2019 \u201cType\u201d screen (swipe all the way left after opening the Stories camera), your story will make sense to everyone who views it.<\/p>\n Instagram has a ton of great features specifically for Stories. And since one of the main purposes of Instagram Stories is to show off a more personal (and fun!) side of your social media, you should take full advantage of these features whenever possible!<\/p>\n Great Instagram Stories features include:<\/p>\n Have fun exploring these Instagram Stories tricks<\/a> to make your Instagram Stories stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n One easy way to get viewers invested in your Instagram Story is to ask them to share their opinion. Instagram offers two easy tools to get input from the people watching your story.<\/p>\n First, you can choose to create a poll. Simply select the \u201cPoll\u201d sticker, type in your question, and then enter two options for viewers to choose between. As people select either option the poll will constantly update its percentage.<\/p>\n Want something a little less polarizing? Choose the slider sticker instead. You can customize both the question you ask and the sticker you use to label the slider. Viewers can then drag the slider to the intensity of their reaction to your question.<\/p>\n One of the potential downsides to Instagram Stories is that your followers can\u2019t respond publicly to your posts through comments. And while the polls and sliders shown above are fun, they don\u2019t allow for a lot of nuance. Many successful Instagram accounts address this shortcoming by posting screenshots of thoughtful responses that have landed in their direct messages.<\/p>\n This strategy can be a great way to build a community around your Instagram account\u2014but be careful to respect your followers\u2019 privacy. It\u2019s always best to ask before tagging someone\u2019s username or showing identifying information in a screenshot. You can also always draw over any identifying information using the marker tool.<\/p>\n Instagram has a ton of great features that are native to the app. But you can also add to your stories from any photos (or screenshots of photos) that you\u2019ve saved to your phone over the last 24 hours. This feature opens up a world of possibilities , especially when paired with awesome third-party Instagram apps<\/a>.<\/p>\n When it comes to Instagram Stories, the only limits are your creativity and your audience\u2019s attention span. Stories offer a truly unique method of telling stories and sharing information, and third-party apps and editing features can go a long way towards helping you to achieve any effect you want.<\/p>\n1. Post Quality Photos and Videos<\/h2>\n
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2. Give Context for Your Instagram Stories<\/h2>\n
3. Be Interesting<\/h2>\n
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4. Ask Questions on Instagram Stories<\/h2>\n
5. Cultivate a Community on Instagram<\/h2>\n
6. Think Outside the Box<\/h2>\n
7. Branch Out<\/h2>\n