Instagram Story Tips
November 8, 2021
In 2016, Instagram launched the Story feature on the app. It allowed you post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. It became very popular, and now many people use it daily. This feature allows for you to boost your account on days you are not posting on your feed. This will trick the algorithm to keep your account active, so you do not fall behind, and lose engagement.
The Popular Features
Location
This feature allows you to tag the location where you took the image at. This can get you new followers when people search up that location.
Hashtag
This feature allows you to tag subjects that relate to the image. This can bring engagement by increasing the likelihood that your story will appear on people’s explore page.
Mention
This feature allows you to tag whomever is in the image, or with you. This can help your friends gain followers, which if they do the same on their account, can do the same for you.
How to use the Hashtag Feature on your stories for the best outcome
Find the Image
Search through your camera roll, and select the image you want to use on your story.
Minimize the Image
After selecting your image, place two fingers on your screen and slowly bring them together (it should shrink your images size like this).
Add the Hashtag
Now it is time to add hashtags. Click on the fourth icon (looks like a post it note smiley face). Then click the Hashtag option.
Choose Hashtags
It is best to use at least 3 hashtags, check out my “Hashtag Tips” blog post to help decide what hashtags to use. After you use the hashtag icon, you will have to type all of the others by doing (#whateveryouchoose). Don’t worry, this works too.
Re-add Picture
Now that you have added your desired hashtags, click back onto the smiley face notes icon. This time scroll down until you see icon that looks similar to the one circled above (click it). Now it should bring up your camera roll. From here, click on the image you wanted to post onto your story.
Hide the Hashtags
Now do the opposite thing you did to shrink your photos. Place two fingers onto the new image you just added. Spread your fingers away from each other to make the photo hide the hashtags and the other photo.
Ready to Edit
Now that your story has hashtags attached to it, it is time to customize. You do not want to go overboard with this, but sometimes it can enhance your story.
Adding Stickers
Stickers can help add something to your photo to make it funny, creative, artsy, or dramatic. When you click the smiley face post it note, there is a search bar at the top, in which you can search your desired sticker or GIFs.
Once you find one you want, click it, and then move it around onto your image. You can shrink/expand it similarly to how you did it to your image (with fingers). You can add as many as you want, but try not to go over board.
When trying to find stickers/giphys, analyze your image and think about what you want to communicate with your followers. If you are at the beach, you could add a sun, waves, seagulls, sunglasses, etc. This feature makes your story very playful, so be as creative as possible. If you are looking for words, try searching things like bold, cursive, words, and then add an adjective in front of it to find a more specific sticker. Example: “red cursive,” or “tiny words.”
More Features=More Engagement
The Poll feature allows you to hold polls. You can find out what your followers prefer, which can help you post more content that they are interested in. Using this will bring more engagement to your story, which will lead to more responses/views.
The Questions feature allows you to ask your followers a question, and them to respond; or they can ask you a question, and they can respond. From this, you can learn more about what they want to see more of. It is similar to the poll feature, but it gives more opportunity to answer freely.
The Scale feature allows your followers to rate your image/video by using a scale. The scale has an emoji attached to it, which you can change based off of your goals of the scale. This feature is typically used with selfies, and is an easy way to boost engagement.
The Quiz feature allows your follows to answer a question. You choose the right answer, so they will know if they picked the right choice or not. It not only helps boost engagement, but it also helps you see what people favor.