WHAT ARE INSTAGRAM STORIES AND WHY SHOULD I USE THEM?

Hey Instagrammers, you may have noticed something different going on with your homepage lately what with all those little circles at the top of the page featuring people you follow. These are Instagram Stories, the latest feature from Instagram that allows you to post videos and pics with text and doodles for up to 24 hours. Not quite sure what it’s all about and why you should use it? Read on to learn more.

 

WHAT ARE INSTAGRAM STORIES?

 

If you’re already familiar with Snapchat Stories, then Instagram Stories are very similar in the sense that you can post pics and videos with extras like text, emoticons and doodles, and they will display for up to a maximum of 24 hours before they disappear. Your stories are separate from your feed, so they will not show up in your profile grid or feed unless you choose to save them there. Plus you can add multiple photos or videos that will play in sequence, which really allows you to tell a story.

Some other great aspects of this feature include the fact that you can hide your Story from particular people and there are no public likes or comments; instead viewers can choose to send you a private message in response to your Story. Moreover, you can click on your Story and then swipe up to see who has checked out each photo and video. How cool is that?

 

 

WHY SHOULD I USE INSTAGRAM STORIES FOR MY BUSINESS?

 

Instagram Stories give you the opportunity to be a little more creative and personal with your posting. This is a great way to show your audience a different side of your business and brand. For example, your feed might have carefully curated photos that look stunning as a whole, but they may lack that human touch. Here you can show more of your unique personality with behind the scenes shots, real-time experiences and customised pics with personal messages.

This feature is also a great way to hype up a new product or announce a launch, exclusive sale or promotion without cluttering up your feed. Many businesses are already using IS to show product designs in the making, give impromptu fashion shows of products about to hit the market, and alert or remind people about upcoming workshops and courses. Even better, you can add in external links and/or messages that direct people to your blog, sales page or shop.

 

 

HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES?

 

To create a Story, go to your home page and either click on your circle at the top of your feed (it should be the first one on the left with a blue plus sign on it) or swipe right. This will take you to a camera screen where you can opt to take a normal pic from the front or back camera or a boomerang video that will take a burst of photos and stitch them together into a looped video that will repeat. Before you take the shot you can also click on the wheel in the top left corner to modify who you want to hide the post from and who can and cannot reply to the post.

After you take the shot, you have the option to doodle or add text by clicking on the icons in the upper right corner of the screen. When you’re done, click on the arrow in the bottom right to add the shot to your Story or to send it to individual followers. You can also save the shot to your camera roll or delete it if you’re not happy with it. Once you have saved the pic or video to your Story, you can view it and then click on the three dots in the bottom right corner to see options to delete it, save the photo, share as a post, or enter Story settings.

Want to add more cool snippets from your day? No problem—just follow the steps above to add a new photo or video to your Story. You can also swipe up while you’re in the camera screen to choose pics and videos that have been taken on your phone in the last 24 hours. Once you’re done posting to your Story, your images and videos will be visible to your followers or whoever you choose to make them visible for the next 24 hours!