Instagram Story is really what it is: storytelling. It's a clever and temporary way to tell stories that engage and draw in your audience. For that, I've compiled quite a few tips and ideas to spark your creativity. Here we go!
Invisible Tags
To tag people or leave hashtags that increase your audience without looking tacky, make them 'invisible'. Add your tagged account, reduce the font to be as small as possible, pin it against a plain enough background, and change the color of the tag to be the color of the background. Et voila!
Choose Your Own Background Color
You don't have to stick to the gradient Instagram provides by default. Use the brush tool. Pick the color you want. Press on the background and watch it change into your desired color.
Add Pictures as Stickers
You can turn your pictures into stickers for Insta Story. All you need to do is prep the background you desire. Then, go on your Camera Roll, click the 'share' button then the 'copy photo' button. Head over to the Instagram app and click on the photo labeled 'add sticker'. Voila!
*please note however that these instructions are specifically for iPhones
Mix And Match Fonts
Instagram offers different fonts. But you can also push your creativity in different ways. You can use the brush tool to write (penmanship is always nice). You can add spaces between your letters, use all caps, etc.
Storytelling Basics
If you start to pay attention, you'll see that the best Insta Stories, the best vlogs on YouTube, the best movies at the cinema are the ones that have 3 main components: a beginning, a middle, and an end. I know! It sounds super basic. But think about it. When crafting your next Insta Story, introduce what you'll be doing. Let's say you're baking and want to share the process. Tell your audience what you're hoping to bake. Show them the middle, the process, the ups and downs. Finally, show them the result. Bonus tip, get others engaged rather than passive about what they're seeing by asking questions, adding a poll, etc.
My Insta Story Tool Kit
The secret is finally revealed! Haha! Here are some of the apps I've used over the years to create and craft my Insta Stories. All the apps I am sharing are free (of course) though they may have in-app purchases.
Unfold: flexible, fun, reliable, clean
Storyluxe: unique templates, especially for a film look
Instories: good especially for adding animation and any type of music
Filmm: editing and color correcting/grading videos
VSCO: library of presets for editing photos (and videos for a fee)
RNI Films: photo editing
A Design Kit: designing, some flexibility with fonts especially
Spark Camera: storytelling, good for vlogging
Instagram filters: there are many wonderful filters you can find on the app. Try and find the ones you like, and enjoy making Stories!
What burning questions do you still have? Leave them in the comments below. Share this post with a friend who'd enjoy knowing these tips for their next travel adventure, their next cooking session, their next event, or their next boring day at home!
And if you're a brand (that is a business, an organization, a blogger or influencer) looking to start, revamp or elevate your Insta page, I have exciting news! I am launching an online workshop called "Instagram 101". Find out more about it here: Instagram 101 | The Workshop.
In the meantime, I'll be seeing you on Insta Story. Tag me (invisibly) on your next crafted story!
