Instagram is the most suitable platform for Stories. According to social network statistics, 250 million people use them. But only a few of them managed to succeed. With bigger amount of users increased demands to quality of content which made it more difficult to stand out. Some people use new Instagram tools like Stories to attract more followers, but some of them choose an easy way of buying followers which is described here https://howsociable.com/buy-instagram-followers/ .
Recently, there were new content formats and other improvements introduced. Read about the latest Stories updates and general advice on how to make them look beautiful.
Settings
By default, all subscribers can watch Stories. You can hide them from specific users, allow them to respond to publications and share, enable automatic saving, etc. To go to the settings, open stories creation window and click the button in the upper left corner of the screen. To choose from whom to hide publications, select accounts, and mark the users in the list.
It is also configured whether subscribers will be able to share your publications. The automatic saving of the stories to the device's memory and cross-posting to Facebook is very convenient.
Stories formats
Live
These are live video broadcasts. Air recordings are like other publications in the stories for 24 hours. You can also save your record to the device's memory.
You can invite friends to broadcast together. You can also disable comments. Important: Instagram Live videos mode only support portrait orientation. Masks, stickers, and other effects cannot be added.
Normal
This is the original format of publications in the stories - here you can take a photo or video, and also add them from the device's memory (swipe up). Some time ago any photos and videos from the device's memory may be added to the stories, not just those taken in the last 24 hours.
To take a photo, press the capture button, to record a video, press and hold it. Filters, stickers, text, sketches may be added to publications. The option to turn off the sound playback for video is available.
Boomerang
It is a looping video that plays several times. To make one, you do not need a separate application. You can also apply filter, add text, stickers, sketches.
Superzoom
These are funny videos with zooming and dramatic music. The Verge called Superzoom "the best creative tool on Instagram since the Boomerangs."
Rewind
Records a video and plays it in reverse order. You can add stickers, sketches, text, apply filters, as in regular videos.
Hands-Free
The main difference from regular publications is that you don't need to hold the record button to record a video, press it once. The same options are available here as for videos in the "Normal" format.
Masks
In all formats of publications, except for Superzoom and live broadcasts, cover faces are available. They work with both photos and videos. It is challenging to advise certain filters - it all depends on the particular picture or video. But there are some general recommendations:
- Avoid filters that make your publication too saturated, vibrant, or contrasty.
- Do not apply filters just because you can. If the video or photo looks excellent on its own, then publish as it is.
- Remember that unlike the publications in the main Instagram feed, in the stories, you cannot adjust the filter intensity and edit pictures and videos.
Text
There is a size adjustment on the left of the screen. You can choose the color of the text and set the background. At the bottom, you can select a color. You can also choose on which edge the text will be aligned: left, right, or center.
How to use the text in the stories wisely:
- Do not add too many labels only if it is not a publication consisting of one text. Behind the text, the basis of the "History" should be visible.
- Do not make the inscriptions too large and too small
Brushes
To fill the entire picture with one color, select the desired one, press and hold for several seconds on any part of the publication.
Instagram Stories has tools for drawing. The social network offers four brushes to choose from the regular, marker, and bushes with a neon "trace" and "hearts." As for text labels, adjusting the stroke size and selecting a color with a dropper is available.
Tips for using brushes:
- With the help of brushes, you can focus on a specific area of the picture.
- Remember that the previous step can always be undone by the corresponding button in the upper left.
- Do not add too many sketches
- Remember to adjust the stroke size. Do not make strokes too large - it is important that the main subject is not lost.
Stickers
Another interesting format for decorating publications is stickers. There are standard stickers with emoji and objects, as well as stickers with geodata, weather, time, selfie, hashtag and poll.
In the sticker with geodata, you can specify where the picture was taken. So you can find a new audience - stories with geodata fall into the "Interesting" tab of the corresponding city.
The weather sticker indicates the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, there are two more options with weather conditions: white and color.
For a time, there are two options: a digital clock and an analog one.
You can add a hashtag, as in regular posts on the Instagram feed.
Polls make publications more interactive and involve subscribers.
To add stickers to specific moments of a video, click on it and hold for two seconds - a timeline will appear. Select the desired timecode with the element to which you attach the sticker, select the location and size, and click "Attach" - the sticker will be attached to the chosen place of the video.
Remember:
- More than 250 million people use stories on Instagram. This is the leading platform for accounts on social networks.
- In the settings, you can choose to whom to show publications, whether to allow subscribers to respond to the stories and share them — two more exciting options: automatic saving of publications to the device's memory and cross-posts to Facebook.
- Geolocation stickers help publications to collect more views
- Use tools carefully - do not add too many effects and filters. Remember that stories are a more original content format.
