The Stories function, or "Stories" in Russian localization, allows you to create photos and 10-second videos with text, emoji and handwritten notes. Key feature such posts is that, unlike regular posts in your feed, they don’t live forever and are deleted exactly after 24 hours.
Why is it necessary
The official description of Instagram says that a new feature is needed for the exchange of not very important information about everyday life.
How to use it
At its core, the innovation is very similar to and works in much the same way, but with slight differences. Despite the fact that Instagram Stories has not so many possibilities and they are all very simple, not all users manage to deal with them on the go.
View stories
All available stories are displayed at the top of the feed as circles with user avatars and are hidden during scrolling. New stories appear as they are published, and after a day disappear without a trace. In this case, the stories are sorted not in chronological order, but by the number of playback cycles and comments.
To view, you just need to tap on the mug. A photo or video will open, which will be displayed for 10 seconds. Tap and hold pause the movie.
At the top, next to the username, is the publication time. If the people you follow have other stories, then the first will immediately show the following. You can switch between them by swiping left and right.
Stories that you have already viewed do not disappear from the menu, but are grayed out. They can be opened again until they are removed after a day.
Commenting on stories is possible only with the help of messages that are sent to Direct and are visible only to the author, and not to all subscribers. This bug or feature is unknown.
Storytelling
Clicking on the plus sign at the top of the tape and swipe from the edge of the screen to the right opens the menu for recording a new story. Everything is simple here: we tap on the record button - we get a photo, hold it - shoot a video.
Shooting or uploading
You can switch the front and rear cameras or turn on the flash. It is also easy to select a media file from those that were shot during the last day: this is done by swiping down. All photos from the gallery, including timelapses and company boomerangs, get here.
Treatment
When the photos or videos are ready, they can be published, pre-processed. Both the photo and video tools are the same: filters, text and emoji, drawings.
Filters are switched in a circle with simple swipes from the edge of the screen. There are six of them, including a rainbow gradient, as on the Instagram icon.
Added text can be enlarged or reduced, moved around the photo. But leave more than one comment, unfortunately, is impossible. Emoji is also inserted through the text, so if you want to cover your face with a smiley, you have to choose.
Drawing has a bit more features. We have at our disposal a palette and as many as three brushes: regular, marker and with a “neon” stroke. You can draw immediately with everyone, while an unsuccessful stroke can be undone.
Are you satisfied with the result? Click the checkmark button and your video will be available to subscribers. It can be saved to the gallery both before and after.
Privacy Settings, Statistics
The settings and statistics screen is called upwards while viewing the story. From here, the story can be saved to the gallery, deleted or published in the main stream, turning into a regular recording. The list of viewers is displayed below. You can hide the story from any of them by clicking on the cross next to the name.
The settings that hide behind the gear icon allow you to choose who can answer your stories and hide the story from certain subscribers. At the same time, privacy settings are remembered and applied to all subsequent publications.
How to live with it
Fine. Yes, many took the Stories with hostility because of their similarities with Snapchat and unresolved Instagram issues that developers should focus on. But I find the innovation useful.
The problem of the clutter of the tape, when you have to unsubscribe from friends, laying out literally every step you take, has existed for a long time, and they did not come up with an intelligible solution. Stories can be considered the first step to this. Over time, people need to get used to the culture of behavior being offered and start posting only really important and noteworthy content in the feed. Everything else should go to Stories. It's true?
In the summer of 2016, Instagram released a big update - in the application there was a function to create temporary posts called Stories (in Russian - stories or stories). Our article will help you to find out what Instagram stories are, how to post a photo taken and how to make several stories at once.
What are Instagram Stories?
To view the story - just click on the circle with the user you are interested in. You can also go to the profile of a specific user: if there is a colored stroke around the avatar, tap it and see the story. When you have not looked at the story, the circle is colored, and when the story is viewed, the stroke disappears.
How to make a story on Instagram?
1. To create your story while in the news feed, click on the camera icon in the upper left corner or swipe the screen from left to right.
2. The camera and the editing window will open. In order to take a photo, simply click on the white button at the bottom of the screen, and for a video, click on it and hold it for the whole time while taking it.
How to make a story on Instagram from photos taken earlier (maximum - per day)? Swipe up and down to select a picture or video.
3. Click on the button below “To History” and the video or photo will go to Instagram Stories.
Helpful information
1. How to make several stories on Instagram? After you add one picture or video to the story, publish it. Then repeat the steps that we described in the paragraph “How to add a story to Instagram”: there will be several stories.
2. To find out who watched your story, open it and swipe up from the bottom of the screen - you will see the names of people and the number of views. Other users are not allowed to view statistics on your story.
3. History can be hidden from certain people. To do this, in the published story, click on the three dots in the lower right corner, select “History Settings”, after which you can select specific users from whom the stories will be hidden. The same parameters can be found in the account settings.
4. To reply to the story (Stories does not have commenting functions), click on “Send message” in the lower left corner of the story, then enter a message and tap “Send”.
Editing and processing stories
After the photo or video is uploaded, it can be edited. What tools does Instagram offer us:
1. To take a loop of photos, tap Boomerang at the bottom of the screen. And in order to make a video without touching and holding, select the “Hands-free” tool, tap it to start the video.
2. During video recording, you can alternately shoot both the main and the front camera.
3. To apply filters to a picture or video, swipe left or right - you will be offered different options.
4. Add stickers: with your location (the link to the geolocation will be active), with current time, weather conditions or decorate the publication with emoticons.
5. Add text: you can resize or rotate the inscription, bringing your fingers together or apart; align left or right; change color and add emoticons. Using this tool, you can mention the user: just write @nickname (where nickname is the profile name) and the link to the account will become active.
6. Draw something: using a marker, highlighter or neon brush. You can choose the thickness of the line and its color.
7. How to make two stories on Instagram? Just lay out photos or videos one at a time, creating various stories from them. You can switch between publications by tapping the screen.
What can I use Stories for?
Stories is a great tool for all types of accounts: personal or commercial. Since Instagram introduced the algorithmic feed, subscribers do not see your posts in chronological order, which is why many pictures may go unnoticed. But if you publish Stories, they will appear with all your subscribers: use this tool to attract additional attention.
If you have a business account, show a behind-the-scenes life (for example, if you sew clothes, show fabric samples, details, etc.); Tell us about a new promotion or special offer.
Remind about an event or event or contest.
Make your Stories feed interesting, use it as an additional way to promote your account, and don't be afraid to experiment!
Instagram Storeys almost immediately received the status of “killer” Snapchat, because as in this application, in Instagram Stories you can add photos and videos for 10 seconds, overlay inscriptions and pictures on top of them. Bloggers who already know how to add History to Instagram directly say "Bye-bye, Snapchat, now you can not leave Instagram."
Why does it happen that someone does not have Instagram Stories? Because you need to update the Instagram application to the latest version.
How to view Instagram History?
Using the Instagram Instagram feature is easy. As soon as one of your friends publishes a “story”, his avatar will appear in the general tape at the very top, there will be a colored circle around it. After viewing the colored circle disappears, and when the user uploads a new story, the colored circle appears again. Another colored circle of Storeys appears around the profile picture when you scroll through the feed and if you log into your account. And the most enterprising bloggers made themselves the original profile picture on Instagram. Therefore, when they load Storeys, they have a double border, which is highlighted in the general ribbon at the top.
Switching between photos and videos from different accounts is simple - swipe left or right. If you want to see the stories of the same user, touch the right or left side of the screen.
Now photos and videos in Instagram Stories cannot be commented or like, but you can send a message to Yandex.Direct.
Video: Instagram introduces Instagram Stories / Instagram Stories
How to add a photo or video to Instagram History?
After the Instagram update, your avatar with a plus sign will appear on the top left in the general ribbon of your subscriptions - this is Instagram History. In this separate section you can add photos and videos with a length of 10 seconds, which are made directly in the application. There you can edit your pictures by adding labels, stickers or filters to them.
To take photos or videos on Instagram Stories, in the general stream, click the plus sign in the upper left corner. Or just swipe your finger from left to right (so you can add a few stories when there is no plus sign around your avatar, but there is a colored circle). To change the camera to the front (for selfie), double-click in the middle of the screen. There will be a round button at the bottom. Click it and take a photo. Press and hold for 10 seconds - record a video. After the left there will be a button for cancellation, and on the right - for download. If you change your mind later, you can delete the photo / video. Or download to your phone. When you watch your stories, swipe up and see the statistics of views and buttons for deleting and downloading to your phone.
Do you want to add already captured video / photo from the gallery to Instagram History? Click on your avatar with a plus sign in the upper left corner in the general ribbon (or swipe left to right), and then swipe up from the bottom. But you can add only those photos or videos from the gallery that you took today. After loading, you can apply a filter - swipe left or right. There will be buttons at the top and bottom to add an inscription or drawing.
How to block stories?If you are not interested in Stories from a specific user, then press and hold your finger on his avatar (his avatar in the top ribbon, where everything is Storey). A menu will appear - “view profile” and “hide stories”. Click "hide stories" and this account will no longer clog up your airtime.
Features photos and videos on Instagram Stories:
- Unlike those photos and videos that you add in your account, on Instagram Stories everything will be automatically deleted after 24 hours.
- If you want, you can save the added photos / videos on your phone - put the appropriate checkbox in the settings.
- You can decide which of the subscribers will be able to see your photos and videos, and which will not.
- You can find out who looked at your Instagram Stories by swiping upwards (there will be a special button below).
- You can publish the History in your account (so that it appears in the shared Instagram feed)
- You can do several (as many as you like) stories in a row.
Instagram once made the possibility of publishing a video and it “killed” the formerly popular social network Vine. And now there are Stories - and this is a direct competitor to Snapchat.
Now, bloggers will be able to communicate even more closely with subscribers and there will be no need to create and maintain additional accounts on Snapchat. At the same time, you will not frighten subscribers if you take new photos and videos in the Stories 10 times a day.
Theoretically, you can record video and upload it to both social networks. But most likely, people from Snapchat will gradually leave on Instagram.
New on Instagram Stories
In stories, you can now make a "boomerang" and mark another account. And verified accounts will be able to put an active (!) Link. More about this in the article.
Want to broadcast? Go out, viewers will be able to write comments and like you, and after the broadcast the video immediately disappears.
And a new feature.
If you love Instagram Stories (or at least watch your friends' posts), you probably know how to use the new features. Draw on pics? It’s easy. Change the filter for the post by moving it to the left or right? Not a problem either. Instagram does not stand still, and the creators are constantly coming up with something new. Are you ready? Now you can stream the video. IN DIRECT. ETHER. This thing is called Instagram Live. Just a bomb, right? Imagine now you can see your favorite stars in your mobile in real time! Suddenly you are lucky, and you can even chat with them ... The broadcast can be like and comment. There is one caveat - videos will not be saved after the broadcast (in Facebook Live, for example, they automatically post to the wall). So look at both!
By the way, you will have to seize the moment not only in Live broadcasts. In Instagram Direct, you can now set the self-deletion feature for your posts. For example, your interlocutor will look at the photo twice - and that’s all, it will be deleted.
And if you are interested in how to take good photos at night or use shades that are not included in the standard set of nine colors, read our tips.
Go back and forth
To scroll through the post, touch the right side of the screen - and you will see the next entry. If you want to see the previous post, touch the left side.
Pause
If you want to interrupt when you watch someone’s story, hold your finger on the screen to pause the video, and to continue watching, remove your finger from the screen.
10 billion. This is the number of videos users watch on Snapchat every day. Instagram Stories have similar potential - short videos and photos that disappear after 24 hours. Almost like Snapchat, but with an audience of 500 million users.
Is this worth it new channel your attention? Definitely yes. has always been a key component of marketing, and features like Instagram Stories encourage marketers to tell better and deeper brand stories.
In today's article, we’ll talk about 19 marketers who are already pretty effective at working with Instagram Stories. Use their experience for your inspiration.
Successful brands implement several different approaches to working with Instagram Stories. What pleases, most of these strategies do not require significant investments and resources.
1. NASA (@nasa)
Enhance Instagram core content with bonus stories in Stories.
The main difference between Instagram and Snapchat is that Instagram creates public accounts that anyone can see at any time, however Snapchat gives you the opportunity to tell your story about each post.
Therefore, NASA decided to use Stories to publish more detailed information about the posts. For example, they recently published a Perseid meteor shower record and supplemented it in Stories, introducing scientists and equipment to users.
Having prepared the photo for publication on Instagram, take a couple of additional pictures for the Stories: change the shooting angle, angle, zoom, photograph the team, etc.
2. LOFT (@loft)
Turn Stories into Events.
The LOFT brand of women's clothing in Stories invites friends to take part in the competition. The task is to find in the LOFT store something that a friend definitely will not wear.
So the brand not only offered subscribers an interesting competition, but also increased engagement and expanded its reach by asking to mark a friend in a post.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Browse through your calendar and find an event or event (meetings, conferences, tours) that your followers could attend. Or organize a game in which your community can participate by leaving a comment for one of the last posts on Instagram or by sharing a photo with a specific hashtag.
3. Huffington Post (@huffingtonpost)
Use the caption photo to tell the story.
Using text and a drawing function, the Huffington Post adds short captions to the photo to make it easy and fun to talk about the latest news.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Examine your blog entries and make a photo story from one of them. Be sure to add an inscription or (and) picture using one of the three markers.
4. TechCrunch (@techcrunch)
Let your subscribers quickly and easily explore content.
How to use this strategy in your business:
If you regularly publish a lot of content, share the headings and summary of articles in Stories. To increase your brand awareness, add a brand logo to the photo.
5. Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee)
Mix high quality content with draft content.
Gary Vaynerchuk uses Instagram Stories to promote his DailyVee videos with high-quality photos, while diluting them with snapshots from everyday life.
Gary is also actively interacting with his audience. For example, at the request of subscribers, he made more screensavers.
How to use this strategy in your business:
If you use Instagram posts to drive traffic to content on another platform, use appropriate images and don't forget to add links. Remember, it can help you understand what kind of content users like.
6. Chris Burkard (@chrisburkard)
Show your adventures behind the scenes.
Chris is a very talented photographer with nearly 2 million Instagram followers. He uses Stories to show the conditions under which he takes his amazing photos. One of the latest adventures is crossing the river and shooting in strong winds.
How to use this strategy in your business:
7. New York University (@nyuniversity)
Invite your followers on a journey.
New York University has many followers on Instagram. Each post collects thousands of likes and 10-20 comments. The brand invites users to travel around the city and campus, causing them to interest in their account.
How to use this strategy in your business:
It’s great if your brand represents a point of interest, an educational institution or a store in a picturesque place. While walking in the surroundings, take a couple of photos and share them with subscribers. Perhaps after that they will want to visit here themselves.
8. GoPro (@gopro)
Give your subscribers an adventure.
GoPro is strongly associated with adventure. Instagram Stories shares the brand large quantity content shot by GoPro. For example, they recently talked about fulfilling the dream of a family of users to see the southern lights and their adventures.
How to use this strategy in your business:
If your brand is about spending time outdoors, share the exciting videos of your adventure with your followers. Also through Stories you can promote your hashtag and show the lucky winners of yours and draws.
9. When I Work (@wheniwork)
Show your customers and scenes behind the scenes.
When I Work - software with over 15,000 satisfied users. They recently visited their customers in Canada and showed them on Instagram Stories.
How to use this strategy in your business:
If you have such an opportunity, visit your customers and tell about it in the stories. This will allow users to understand who is using your product or service, and will be an excellent tool for social approval. Your stories will also strengthen customer relationships.
10. Shopify (@shopify)
Creatively promote blog posts.
Not everyone has the opportunity to visit their customers, so Shopify allowed companies using their product to share their business with their Instagram account. Also through Stories, the brand promotes its blog posts.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Highlight in your post 3-5 key points that will attract the attention of users. Turn them into an interesting Story using suitable photos, inscriptions and drawings. In the last photo, use the link.
11. Remote Year (@remoteyear)
Combine your online and offline community.
Remote Year is a one-year program in which 75 users travel the world to work together in 12 different cities. On Instagram Stories, they share what they do every day so that other followers can also become part of the adventure.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Your subscribers may be upset if they don’t have the opportunity to participate in events such as meetings, conferences and exclusive events. However, they should not miss all the fun. Share your impressions of the participants of the event, remove the most memorable moments, appoint a person responsible for Instagram Stories, who will report from the place of events.
12. Black Sheep Cycling (@blacksheepcycling)
Show off your upcoming products or launch them through Instagram Stories.
Black Sheep Cycling sells clothing for cyclists. They recently released a collection for their community. The brand announced the event on Instagram, and also used Stories to show the product from different angles.
How to use this strategy in your business:
When preparing materials for the upcoming launch or announcement, create several vertical images for Instagram Stories with product photos from different angles, highlight the features of the product, show people using the product, share ways of using the product, etc.
13. Olympics (@olympics)
Share the latest news and opinions.
During the Instagram account, a lot of interesting and relevant information about the Olympians was published. Also for one day, Harrison Barnes took control of the account in his hands and shared his opinion on the events of that day.
How to use this strategy in your business:
There are likely to be important events in your industry. You can visit them and share your impressions and news with subscribers. Tell about important events using simple images, supplement them with your thoughts or conduct an interview with one of the participants.
14. Brian Fanzo (@isocialfanz)
Announce your performances and upcoming events.
Brian is very popular among millennials, only in 2016 he will perform at more than 40 events around the world. He uses Stories to announce upcoming performances and events, such as #Cloudtalk. Also, Brian often takes the account management of other brands for a while.
How to use this strategy in your business:
15. Minaal (@minaalofficial)
Share custom content.
In its stories, the Minaal brand shares photos of its subscribers who travel around the world with their amazing backpacks and gear.
How to use this strategy in your business:
16.9gag (@ 9gag)
Use fun custom content and stories.
With Instagram, Stories 9gag, the resource with the most popular user-generated content, took its storytelling to a new level.
How to use this strategy in your business:
You can learn from 9gag to tell the same stories in different formats (on the site, on Instagram, on Instagram Stories, etc.)
Instagram stories allow you to quickly publish a series of photos and videos, which is very convenient for creating stories. Choose photos suitable for the future story, upload them to your phone and add captions. Publish them all together at the appropriate time.
17. Sean McCabe (@seanwes)
Tell us about upcoming live events and courses.
Sean used to do calligraphy, his work quickly became very popular on the net. After that, he decided to launch courses designed to teach people how to succeed and grow their business. On Instagram Stories, he shares photos from his lectures.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Instagram Stories can be a great way to attract an audience to your paid courses or exclusive content. And adding a link will allow subscribers to act immediately.
18. TrackMaven (@trackmaven)
Share the best news from your industry.
TrackMaven is a marketing analytics tool. On Instagram, the brand shares the latest news falling within the interests of its subscribers.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Choose 3-5 most useful or shocking news, share them by adding a few words from yourself.
19. Buffer (@buffer)
Educate users.
Buffer shares marketing tips with subscribers social networks, work with authorities and experience of team members.
How to use this strategy in your business:
Try to share with users the most useful and relevant information so that they always want to be in the know about your updates.
It's up to you
There are many other creative brands and users who have not made it to this article. But the listed 19 brands have a lot to learn. Choose the strategy most suitable for you and act!
