Growing a Following – Tips, Tricks, & Hacks for Instagram Stories (+Video!)
When Instagram first rolled out their Stories feature (aka snaps 2.0), I think I can speak for all of us when I say I was a tiny bit skeptical. Mostly I was seriously overwhelmed by the idea of having to create even more content to keep up on all of the social platforms. I never really got into Snapchat for personal use because my everyday business is so social media heavy that I didn’t want another thing to think about outside of that.
Once I tried out an IG stories or two and realized I could share with even more of you within the same platform I loved the most, I dropped Snapchat like a hot rock. Do you all still use it often, or just for personal messages with friends?! I know a lot of you really loved the Snapchat content, so I’m super curious about what you think of us only on IG stories! Do you use both, or prefer one over the other? Let me know!
In the meantime, our team has become pretty obsessed with dreaming up tips, tricks, and hacks for Instagram stories. Not only did we compile some not-so-well-known tricks of the trade, but we broke it down into some simple design inspirations for jazzing things up on the fly. Did I mention we even put together a video version for you to see them in action?!…
You can now take photos in Instagram stories that play as a looping video. It’s switched up from the traditional still images and live videos, providing a fun new way to engage your followers with your brand! You can also use boomerang on Facebook Stories – just look for the “Live” button!
If you’re using the back camera on your phone to take a video, try putting just one finger over part of the screen during recording. This will zoom in and make your videos feel more professional without applying complicated filters!
Instead of taking a photo or video and immediately uploading it, save your post for later. Hold down the blue icon at the bottom to save your shots as an unlisted post in your phone’s gallery. Once you do this, you can choose what time the photo or videos go live!
In Instagram stories, when you add a background or text to your posts, you’ll have the option to select from a wide variety of colors. To access even more colors, go to “Your Story,” click on a post in your feed, and choose the color wheel option in the top chat menu.
If you’d like to create a solid color background for your live photos, tap and hold on the screen after you press record. This will capture a screenshot of whatever’s in front of you, even if it’s only one person!
If you’ve got stickers in your Instagram stories, try out different colors to mix up the look! Navigate to the sticker page and tap on “your story.” You can find different color options under each sticker pack.
If you have multiple text boxes in your story, change the color of each label from white to another color! You can also select a different font style and size as well. Make sure to upload your story first, then access the edit page within the chat menu on the right side.
If you have text in your Instagram stories, try out the shadow feature! Navigate to the sticker page and tap on “your story.” As well as selecting a size and color, choose whether or not you’d like a shadow under your label.
Change up your story with a color overlay or colored fog! Tap and hold on the screen after you’ve taken your photo, and swipe onto “Your Story.” From there, select the top option to change the location of where your color appears. If you want a blue fog instead of your usual yellow line, pick the bottom option.
If you have polka dots in your Instagram stories, tap on the sticker menu and select “Your Story.” You can change the color of each dot by tapping on them. Make sure to upload your story first, then access the edit page within the chat menu on the right side.
If you have text in your Instagram stories, pick from a variety of shapes to change up the look! Navigate to the sticker page and tap on “your story.” You can find different shape options under each sticker pack.
It’s been really fun to think of new ways to creatively show our content – plus, we’re always super inspired by other creatives. Some of our favorites to follow are @alilabelle, @mattcrump, @peytonperry, @shopbando, @imakestagram, @topher, @designlovefest, @aimeemazzenga, @brightbazaar, @jeffreydgerson & @glossier!
What do ya think? Did you learn anything new? Are there any major tricks we missed? Would love to hear your tips, ideas, and favorites to follow too!…
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