In a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, nailing Instagram Stories is your best bet for grabbing attention and telling your own story, and you know it.
It can help you reach your goals, whether you want to showcase your products, give behind-the-scenes glances, or simply have fun.
In this quick guide, we’ll show you the ropes, step by step, on how to share a story on Instagram like a pro.
Ready to dive in? Let’s roll!
Understanding the Basics of Instagram Stories
Unlike Instagram posts, Stories (short videos and photos) disappear after 24 hours.
They are shown at the top of your home feed and may also be viewed on your profile or the Explore page. You’ve got a solid 15 seconds per story, and the cool part? You can add up to a whopping 100 Instagram stories every day.
With effects such as filters, stickers, text, and music, you can let your creativity run wild. Polls, questions, and quizzes are also great for gathering input from your audience and sparking conversations.
And you know what’s even cooler?
You can see who has viewed your stories and reply to their messages directly.
Stories may help you demonstrate your personality and inventiveness and tell a bigger brand story while also fostering trust and commitment among your followers.
Accessing the Instagram Stories Feature
To share an Instagram story, you can follow these steps:
On your mobile phone:
Option 1: Spot your profile picture encircled in the upper left corner. Tap on it.
Option 2: Swipe right from anywhere on your home feed.
Option 3: On your home feed, click on the Plus button in the center of the lower panel. Then press Story.
On your desktop:
Usually, Instagram on your PC won’t let you post a story. But guess what? I’ve got a sneaky trick for you.
- Go to the instagram.com and login to your account.
- Right-click on the website’s background and select Inspect.
- Choose a mobile device at the top of the Inspect menu.
- Press on Dimensions and pick a type of device you’d like to see Instagram as
- There you go – now you can see Instagram as if you’re on your phone.
Creating Your Story Content
Before you start posting Stories, let me share some tips that can help you capture engaging and high-quality visuals:
Choose a format that suits your content.
Normal, Boomerang, Layout, Hands-free, and Dual are the formats currently available.
Swipe left or right on the lower part of the screen to browse through different filters to enhance your stories.
Oh, and once you’ve got the photo ready, you can access stickers at the top clicking on the smiley face. You have a ton of options – location, hashtag, mention, time, weather, emoji, GIF, countdown, donation, and more.
Consider using interactive stickers, such as polls, questions, quizzes, slider, and chats, to get feedback from your audience and spark conversations.
Also, you can add text to your visuals by tapping the Aa icon at the top. Type your text, and then change its color, size, font, alignment, and background.
And don’t forget to try the drawing tool to write or draw on your stories with different brushes and colors.
Adding Media to Your Story
So, now that you’ve accessed the Instagram Story feature, it’s time to post to your story!
- Swipe right to access your camera roll or gallery.
- Select the photo or video you want to post. You can also select multiple photos or videos by clicking on Select in the upper right corner.
- Edit the content as you like, using features like stickers, drawing tools, etc.
- Tap Your Stories to share them with everyone or Close Friends to share with only your chosen people.
Utilizing Interactive Features
Create an original story using interactive features that effectively generate engagement:
- Poll: Ask your audience a question and provide them with two alternatives. You can also check how many votes each choice earned, as well as who voted for which option.
- Question: Allow your followers to ask you questions or respond to questions you pose to them. You can personalize the question as you see fit and then respond to the replies in your stories.
- Quiz: Evaluate people’s knowledge or opinions on a certain issue. Set the proper answer and see how many people replied correctly and who answered what.
- Slider: Ask your audience to rate something on a scale.
- Chat: You can use the chat sticker to start a group chat with your followers on a topic.
Customizing Your Story
It’s time to customize your stories even more! To use the creative tools, you need to tap the sticker icon in the top right corner and select the tool you want to use.
- Music sticker: Search by name, artist, genre, or mood. Pick popular songs and a specific segment, and display lyrics. You may move and resize them on your screen.
- Text Styles: You can use the text styles tool to customize the appearance of your text. Swipe left or right to choose from different text styles. You may also alter the color of the words by tapping the text style button again.
- Emojis: Sort through various emoji categories, such as smileys, animals, food, activities, and symbols. Alternatively, use the search field to find an emoji by name or phrase. Drag, resize, and rotate them as desired.
Setting Privacy and Sharing Options
Before you share your story, here’s a heads-up on some privacy and sharing tricks.
- Close Friends Feature: Create a list of people who want to give an inside scoop. Hit the menu icon in the top right corner, choose Close Friends, and add or remove followers without notifying them. Before you share a story, you must first tap the Close Friends symbol in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Public Sharing: Using this feature will share your story with everyone on Instagram, including people who don’t follow you. To do so, before posting, press the Your Story symbol in the lower-left corner of the screen.
- Hide Story From: Sometimes, you want to keep certain eyes off your Stories. Here’s how:
- Tap the menu icon in the upper right-hand corner of your profile
- Select Settings, then Privacy
- Under Privacy, go to Story
- Click on Hide Story From and choose the people you don’t want to see your Story updates.
Scheduling and Timing Your Stories
Improving your social media strategy involves mastering how often and when you click the Share button. You want to spread relevant content when your target audience is most engaged and likely to see it.
And, Instagram Insights can be your best friend on that mission. From the menu, choose Insights, and monitor your audience’s behavior, including peak activity hours. Other indicators, such as age, gender, and region of your followers, are also available.
Thinking about scheduling in advance? Smart move.
Consider using third-party tools to line up your stories in advance. These technologies optimize the process, saving time and assuring ideal posting times.
Quick tip: Certain tools may require a business account or a subscription for full features.
And here’s the golden rule: Experiment! Try different posting times and frequencies to see what works best with your specific following.
Highlighting and Archiving Stories
Instagram Stories have a downside—they disappear after 24 hours. However, with Instagram Story Highlights and archive feature your coolest Stories can stick around.
To highlight the best moments, click the New icon in the Stories Highlights on your profile. Pick the stories, design the covers, titles, and order.
And here’s the cool part – every story you post is archived on your profile in chronological order. To go back in time, go to the menu bar and select Archive.
Collaborative Storytelling with Others
Spicing up your Instagram strategy is easy when you team up with other Instagram accounts and throw in some user-generated content.
Got tagged in someone else’s story and want to spread the love? Just click the paper airplane icon or Repost from the direct message, and it will be shared on your Story.
And don’t forget to mention other people in a particular story with the mention sticker. No need to hold back—pile on the mentions for an extra dose of fun!
And, if you want to enhance your online presence, check out Flock Social. The aim here is to attract authentic and engaged followers to your account, ensuring that your content resonates with Instagram accounts that are genuinely interested in your topic.
Cross-promoting stories on Other Platforms
Ever considered expanding the reach of your Insta Stories?
Well, with cross-promotion tools, you can now drive visitors to your other social media networks.
Insert website or social media links using the link icon when creating or editing. Keep track of link clicks and user information. Just a heads up, this feature is only for verified or business accounts with 10,000+ followers.
And for that smooth integration with other social media accounts, hit the linking feature. Go to the menu icon, pick Settings, head to Account, and choose Linked Accounts. Follow the steps, and soon you’ll be sharing your stories across platforms like a pro.
Summing Up
There you go – a detailed guide on how to share a story on Instagram.
By following these steps and tips, you will be able to master the art of storytelling on Instagram and boost your engagement.
Remember, the more you share your stories, the more you will learn and improve. And, of course, sign up for Flock today to skyrocket your engagement and create a genuine community that follows your every click!
