While a billion people use Instagram, half of this number, 500 million to be exact, they watch and use Instagram stories every day. They have become a unique attraction for good reason and have become an irreplaceable funnel for all companies, including agencies and self-employed workers.
According to the Social Captain, it is a sure way to get 10 times more commitment. They have so many creative features that the public loves that if you're still not in the game, it's time to consider Instagram as your next marketing destination.
In this guide, I'll show you everything you need to know about a good Instagram story and how to make one. If you are already familiar with the basics, go to the best practices for the brands at the end of the tutorial.
What is an Instagram story?
It is a type of visual content on Instagram that disappears 24 hours after it was published, in the form of a photo, a 10-second video or a continuous feeding of both, reflecting on their activities of daily life. People often create Stories to tell the world what they are doing right now and establish a close connection with their followers.
Due to the fear of getting lost, more people will eventually want to see Stories, compared to the traditional Instagram channel. The concept behind them is similar to Snapchat, but more user-oriented. They appeal to our sense of urgency, but still, they give us the opportunity to block the best pieces of content in Highlights.
To see Stories on your phone, go to the top bar of your feed and touch your friend's avatar that appears in a purple circle, or simply go to a person's account and do the same. An Instagram desktop version has a special section on the right side of the screen.
After a typical post, what you see above may seem like a secondary type of content on Instagram, but in reality, by exposing yourself to Stories every day, you generate more confidence than a photo could generate in the feed. They encourage us to be more natural in the social – and that is what makes them so attractive.
Also, compared to traditional messages, this type of content always has priority because, when it is updated, it always appears in advance in your feed.
The beauty of the stories is also found in different subtitles and overlays that you can apply to make them look even more beautiful. More information on how everything works in the next section. Stay tuned!
How Instagram stories work
When you touch your friend's story, the next thing you will see is a photo or a full-screen video and everything that has been previously recorded in small time intervals chronologically. The oldest ones will appear first and take you to the new ones.
Make sure you first see the stories that are most important to you, because they will only last 24 hours and disappear. Instagram always shows first the Stories of my brother if he has published any. Their algorithms were created to understand which accounts are your favorites.
Also, when you start following new people, Instagram will put your Stories at the beginning. After seeing them, they will not disappear immediately, so you can touch the left side to go back and the right side to go to the front. To watch another person's videos, simply slide your finger to the left or to the right.
Until now, the Instagram application allowed recording a single story without saving it for later publication. But this has changed recently. Social Media Today has announced that Instagram will keep all the content captured in the Chamber of Stories for seven days.
With minor tweaks from time to time, Instagram is becoming more practical, simpler and less restricted. Now I can record and add a story about Instagram at my convenience. Is not it great? (Previously, you could record something with just your phone's camera and then upload it to Instagram without Boomerang, etc.).
How to make an Instagram story
Making Instagram Stories is as easy as ABC. When I created an Instagram account years ago, however, I was a bit confused, because it was allowed to add these to Instagram (as well as any other content) just by using the mobile application. So to do it on Instagram, simply click on the "+" icon in the upper left corner of your screen. Soon, you will also discover that the camera opens if you slide to the left.
Note: Apart from making an Instagram story locally, you can use a feature to add content from your camera roll that has been created in the last 24 hours. It will appear in the lower part of the camera screen.
As long as you use this format, your stories will look good on other people's screens.
When you open the camera, there are two things you can do: take a picture or record a video. Once you've made your snapshots, Instagram will suggest a series of filters to choose from and encourage you to add text or stickers to your content. To make Instagram stories more attractive, you can follow some of the following steps:
Use the Instagram Story stickers
There is a whole database of Instagram stickers that you can use to your liking. You just have to print a word in the search box and you will have a variety of Emojis and GIF stickers to choose from. In this way, you can capture the attention of your followers and commit them, making them always come back to review their Stories.
Add a location
We are always on the move, so why not add a location to find out where we are at this moment? Instagram encourages you to tag the locations not without a reason. Labeling a specific place, a cafeteria, a cinema or any other place, your story appears in the public feed of that place.
It will make anyone looking for that location on Instagram find it. Instagram's location is a good way to be discovered by people who are not following it. You can also draw more attention to the location of your business, if that is one of your intentions.
Add a hashtag
The use of hashtags when creating Instagram stories is as important as the labeling of locations. A relevant hashtag will attract the attention of people interested in a particular topic. Your story will automatically appear on the feed page of that hashtag, adding more discoveries to your profile.
Create surveys Instagram Stories Polls
Surveys are created to generate ideas, collect comments and discover more about the people who follow you. They are the key to creating unique content that will have the maximum commitment from your audience. There are two types of surveys you can do on Instagram – Emoji Sliders and ordinary polls, where your followers can vote under your question, just like on the next screen.
Use question stickers
The question stickers on Instagram are aimed at your followers. In this way, you can reveal information about yourself that is of interest to your followers, who will be the ones who ask questions this time, compared to the sliders and the emoji surveys.
Congratulations! This will be your first story about Instagram and your followers will receive a small notification that you have posted it. If you use this type of content rarely.
Instagram will also send notifications to your followers, saying that you have posted something for the first time in a long time. To see who has seen it, swipe up as you watch. There, you will get basic facts that reveal how many times you have been seen and who has seen it.
Why use Instagram stories for business?
Now, since you understand everything about Instagram stories and can create one as a beginner (easy, right?), I would like to direct your attention to the reason why you should on a regular basis for your business. The following diagram will show you how popular they have become over the years:
Re-share the content of your followers
The term is content generated by the user. If you have run out of ideas, take a look where your followers tagged you as a brand and re-share, if relevant. Such Stories will be his small successes that are very well perceived in the social.
Share what's behind the scenes
Post a story on Instagram to emphasize real life and look behind the scenes. People would love to follow you in your next efforts, like a conference or a public event. Allow yourself a little imperfection and naturalness. You're not making a Hollywood movie, anyway.
Highlight what is for sale
Tell the world that your products or services are for sale. Announce special offers and offers, make gifts, reveal short news.
In summary, save everything you do not need an explanatory text for Instagram Stories. They are an important tool in the marketing of social networks, but traditional regular publication in social networks remains a priority. Using PromoRepublic, you can streamline content creation and publishing efforts.