How to Use Instagram Stories: Answers to 14 Tricky Questions

How to Use Instagram Stories: Answers to 14 Tricky Questions

Read the basics of using Instagram Stories and then move on to tips and tricks for Instagram Stories that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Contents

What are Instagram Stories?

How to Post an Instagram Story

How to Check Instagram Story Views

How to Schedule Instagram Stories

How to Use Instagram Stories Stickers

How to Use GIFs on Instagram Stories

How to Use Saved Sounds in Instagram Stories

How to Use Original Audio on Instagram Stories

How to Use Instagram Story Filters

How to Change Instagram Stories Layout

How to Use Create Mode on Instagram Stories

How to Add Location to Instagram Stories

How to Add Captions to Instagram Stories

How to Use Instagram Story Highlights

How to Use Shopping on Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories have a variety of built-in tools and features. However, it can be difficult to find them and even more difficult to use. Read everything you need to know about how to use Instagram Stories to make the most of this powerful space at the top of the app.

What are Instagram Stories?

Instagram Stories are full-screen vertical photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. They appear at the top of the Instagram app interface, not in the news feed.

Stories can contain interactive tools such as stickers, polls, and augmented reality filters to make your content really stand out. Here you will learn how to get started with this format.

How to Post a Story on Instagram

1. In the app, click the plus icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen, select STORY from the menu.
3. Tap the white circle at the bottom of the screen to take a photo, OR…
4. Press and hold the white circle to record a video, OR…
5. Tap the camera switch icon in the bottom right corner to switch to selfie camera, OR…
6. Swipe up (or select the square camera icon on the left) to use existing photos or videos.

On the left side of the screen, you can select the format you want to experiment with: Select Create, Boomerang, Layout, or Hands-Free format.

How to Check Instagram Story Views

If your Instagram story is still live (which means less than 24 hours have passed since it was posted), just tap the Your Story icon on the app’s home page and the number of viewers for your story will appear. Tap the number in the bottom left corner to get a list of people who are viewing your Instagram Story and see all the likes your story has received.

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After 24 hours, when your Instagram Story disappears, you still have access to information including reach and views. (Reach is the number of unique accounts that viewed your story. Views is the total number of views of your Story.)

Here’s how to do it:

1. On the app’s home page, tap your profile photo in the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the menu icon in the top right corner and select Insights.
3. Select the time period for which you want the Insights app to display: 7, 14, or 30 days, the previous month, the last 90 days, or a custom time frame.
4. Scroll down to Content you shared and tap Stories.
5. Tap the Sort and filter icon and select your metric and sorting options.

How to Schedule Instagram Stories

Regularly posting Stories is a good way to keep your audience engaged. But having to interrupt your workflow during the day to create and post Stories can be quite disruptive.

Scheduling Stories into your social media posting schedule allows you to use your time more efficiently. You can also plan Story content to complement your other social media posts and effectively integrate it into any ongoing campaigns.

How to Use Instagram Stories Stickers

Adding a sticker to your Instagram story:

1. Start creating your Story.
2. Once your photo or video is ready, tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen – it’s a square with a smiley face and a folded corner.
3. Select the type of sticker you want to use. Each type has its own features. We’ll explain some of the most common ones below, but you can also experiment and see how each one behaves when you tap on it. You can press and drag each sticker to change its position and size.

Link Stickers

To add a link to your Instagram story, use the Link sticker:

1. Tap the sticker icon.
2. Select the LINK sticker
3. Enter the URL of the link you want people to visit.
4. In the Customize sticker text field, enter the text you want to display on the link sticker itself. This can be much shorter than the URL, or you can use a CTA, such as Learn More.
5. Tap the sticker to change the color and press and drag to place it where you want.

Polls, Quizzes, and Questions

Polls, quizzes, and questions in Instagram Stories allow you to easily connect with your audience and encourage them to participate. You can also gather valuable feedback that serves as a source of ideas for future content and campaign strategies.

Creating a poll in Instagram Story:

1. Tap the sticker icon.
2. Select the POLL sticker.
3. Enter your question.
4. Enter your potential answers. The default is Yes/No, but you can enter any answer.
5. Let the poll run for 24 hours.
6. Don’t forget to share the results!

Source: @goingawesomeplaces

Quizzes are similar, except you give your followers a choice of several options and they receive immediate feedback on whether they chose correctly.

Creating an Instagram Story Quiz:

1. Tap the sticker icon.
2. Select the QUIZ sticker.
3. Enter your question prompt.
4. Enter the possible answers.
5. Tap the correct answer. It will be highlighted in green so people get feedback on their choice

Source: @thewestcoasttraveller

And finally, questions in IG Stories offer a completely customizable way to make Stories interactive.

Instead of asking your followers what they think, the questions sticker allows your followers to ask you questions. Think of it as the Instagram equivalent of an AMA (Ask me anything).

Using Instagram Stories Questions:

1. Tap the sticker icon.
2. Select the QUESTIONS sticker.
3. Customize the text of your question prompt.
4. Tap Done.

You’ll find questions in the viewers list. By tapping any question, you can share it and respond to it. The identity of the person asking the question will not be revealed.

With the questions sticker, you can of course work creatively and use it to ask your followers for any kind of feedback:

Source: @smartless

Hashtags

By adding a hashtag sticker to your Insta Story, it can be discovered by a wider audience.

There are two ways to add a hashtag to your Story:

1. Use the #HASHTAG sticker.
2. Use the regular text feature (tap the text sticker – the one that says Aa) and use the # symbol.

Once you start typing, Instagram will suggest several popular hashtags to help you. You can add up to 10 hashtags to your Stories, but we recommend sticking to just a few of the most relevant ones.

Source: @teamcoco

How to Use GIFs in Instagram Stories

GIFs are a great way to add movement and color to even the most static Instagram story. Here’s the easiest way to add one:

1. Tap the sticker icon and select the GIF sticker.
2. Choose from recently used GIFs, trending GIFs, or search for the perfect GIF for your current story.
3. Tap the GIF you want to use to add it to your Story.
4. Drag and drop the GIF to change its position and size.

You can also upload your own GIF or share a GIF directly from GIPHY. For more details, check out our blog post about adding GIFs to Instagram.

How to Use Saved Sounds in Instagram Stories

Adding a saved sound to an Instagram story isn’t available directly, but there are a few workarounds. These are legitimate methods that won’t get you into copyright trouble.

For both methods, you’ll need to start by saving some audio. You do this by tapping the name of the audio track in any Instagram content and tapping the save button in the top right corner of the screen.

Adding a Saved Sound to an Instagram Story Using the Music Sticker

Note that this option only works for music, not for original audio tracks. With this method, your saved audio library essentially functions as a reminder file.

1. On your Instagram profile, tap the menu icon (three lines) and select Saved.
2. Tap Sound, then Music, and find the song you want to use. Write down the song title. (Or simply remember it if that works for you!)
3. Create a story and tap the Music sticker.
4. Search for the song you just wrote down and add it to your Story from the Instagram Music library.

Adding a Saved Sound to an Instagram Story Using Reels

In this solution, you’ll use the saved sound to create a reel and then share it to your Story. It’s not seamless, but it’s the only option for using a saved sound other than music tracks.

1. On your Instagram profile, tap the menu icon (three lines) and tap Saved.
2. Tap Sound and select the song you want to use.
3. Tap Use sound.
4. Make sure you have Reel selected in the bottom menu (instead of Post). Add your photos and clips to complete your Reel. When you’re ready, tap the Share button. If you don’t want the Reel to appear on your main grid, turn off the Also share to Feed toggle.
5. Go to the Reels tab and click on the Reel you want to share.
6. Tap the Share icon and then tap Add to your story.
7. Resize the reel as needed and tap Your story.

How to Use Original Sound in Instagram Stories

As you can see from the section above, there’s no elegant way to add someone else’s original sound to your Instagram Stories. Instead, you’ll need to create your own recording and add it to your Story.

To add original audio from a saved sound library, follow the instructions provided above in the Using Reels section to add saved audio to an Instagram Story.

Here’s what to do if you’re browsing Instagram Reels and come across original audio you want to use right away:

1. Tap on the reels from which you want to use the audio.
2. Tap on the name of the original audio track in the bottom left corner of the screen.
3. Tap on the Use Audio option.
4. Follow steps 4 through 7 from the section above and add the reels to your Story.

How to Use Instagram Story Filters

Let’s clarify this first. Technically, Instagram Story filters are minor color and sharpness changes you can make by swiping across your story. There are only 13 of them and they are all named after cities.

Except for the black and white Tokyo, does anyone use them in 2024?

When most people talk about Instagram Story filters, they are referring to a feature that is technically called camera effects. Here are two ways to use them:

1. Launch a new story and select one of the effects marked with circles at the bottom of the screen. Tap the camera switch icon in the bottom right corner to use the selfie camera. Swipe left to view more effects or swipe all the way to the end and tap the magnifying glass to search for a specific effect. You can then browse trending effects or browse by categories such as appearance and humor.
2. If you see a story with an effect you like, tap the effect name in the top left corner of the screen and then tap Save Effect to save for later or Try and use it right away.

Sources: @dothedaniel / Instagram

How to Change Instagram Story Layout

Here’s how to change the layout of Stories on Instagram.

1. Launch a new story and tap the Layout icon in the left menu.
2. Tap on the four-part grid to view more options. You can choose whether you want to include two, three, four, or six photos in the layout.

Another option is to launch a Story and open the Create mode (more information in the next section). Then tap the sticker icon and swipe down to select a sticker from the camera roll. Repeat this process multiple times to add more photos to your Story.

How to Use Create Mode on Instagram Stories

Create mode is an Instagram Stories feature that allows you to post an Instagram Story without photos or video. Like other types of Stories, you can use stickers here to customize your Story.

How to use Create mode for Instagram Stories:

1. Start a new story and tap the Aa Create Mode icon on the left side of the screen.
2. Start typing or swipe through options at the bottom of the screen to create a memory, question, countdown, quiz, or other option.
3. Tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen to add additional effects.
4. Tap the color icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to change the background color.
5. Share your story.

How to Add a Location to Instagram Stories

Places and businesses can have a location page. Users can find the location page on the Places tab when searching or by tapping a location in another user’s post. If your story ends up there, you can get many more views.

And if you have a physical location, the location page is where your satisfied customers can showcase their experiences with you and where potential customers can learn about you. (To set up a location page for your business, you’ll need an Instagram business account).

Using a location sticker on an Instagram story:

1. Tap the sticker icon and select the location sticker.
2. Select your preferred location from the list (it can be a store, street, or city—you can choose as broad or specific as you like).
3. Tap and drag to adjust the color, size, and placement of the sticker to complement the look of your Story.

Sources: @its.andrea.firmani and Matchstick Davie location page

How to Add Captions to Instagram Stories

If you’re posting videos, captions are a great way to make content accessible. They’re also useful for those of us who choose to watch most Stories with the sound turned off.

If you add a captions sticker, Instagram will automatically create captions for your videos in Stories.

1. Start creating your Story. The captions sticker will only appear if you use video.
2. Once the video is ready, tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen.
3. Tap the Captions sticker.
4. Instagram will automatically create captions. It’s a good idea to look at them and see how well the tool captured what you actually said. If anything went wrong, tap the text to edit any word.
5. You can change the font and color of the caption by tapping. When you’re happy with the captions, tap Done.
6. You can move the caption and resize it by pressing and dragging, just like any other sticker.

How to Use Instagram Story Highlights

Stories don’t have to disappear after 24 hours. Highlighting will keep them pinned to your profile until you decide to remove them. It’s a great way to showcase your best content that defines your brand.

Each highlight can contain any number of Stories and you can continually add them as you post new content.

How to add an Instagram Story to a highlight:

1. If the story is not older than 24 hours and is still visible on Instagram, open it by tapping on Your Story, OR…
2. If the Story is older than 24 hours, load it from the archive. Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner and then tap on the menu icon (three lines) in the top right corner. Tap on Archive. Go back to the Story you want to highlight.
3. In the bottom right corner of the screen, tap the Highlight icon.
4. Select the highlight you want to add the Story to, OR…
5. Create a new highlight.

How to Use Instagram Stories When Shopping

If you haven’t already set up your business for Instagram Shopping, you need to do that first. Check out our step-by-step guide to setting up Instagram Shopping where you’ll find all the details.

Once you have your account set up, just use the shopping sticker to make your Stories shoppable.

1. Create a Story as usual.
2. Before sharing, tap on the sticker icon at the top of the screen.
3. Tap on the Product sticker.
4. Select a product, collection, or storefront from your catalog that you want to tag. You can also choose to tag a product from another business, which allows them to further share the story.
5. Tap on the sticker to edit the name of the product or service you’re promoting.
6. You can move and edit the shopping sticker by dragging and tapping.
7. Share your story.

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