8 Quick Hacks For Creating Instagram Stories Like a Pro For Your Brand
Instagram Stories is huge! In fact, ever since it was introduced to the public in November 2017, it managed to generate 500 million users every day.
So what made it so compelling?
Well, instagram Stories is like Reality TV. People and brands usually share what they are working on or experiencing daily. With users having direct access to their favorite brands and profiles, there is no wonder that it became a hit.
In this post, we will give you a run-through of each hack and share several helpful tips on how to create great Instagram Stories for your brand.
Also Read: Instagram Name Ideas
1. Go for Natural Lighting
Lighting has the power to make or break the professional nature of your instagram Story.
But it does not mean that you go out of your way and set up professional lights. In fact, the best lighting is the ones that come from natural light.
Natural lighting is more flattering to all types of skin tones and even helps you avoid strange shadows. Usually, the best time of the day to get natural light is during the golden hour ‒ after sunrise or an hour before sunset.
If your spending your time mostly indoors, why not consider looking for ideal places in your house or office that have large windows facing the light? That way, when you are shooting, it would not be backlit.
2. Jazz it Up With Stickers
After you have captured a compelling video or photo, it is time to jazz it up with some stickers.
You can access these by simply clicking the sticker icon found on the top-right corner of your screen once you have taken a photo or a video.
3. Tell a Story
Instagram Stories are called that way because they are stories. You cannot treat this feature the same with your feed.
It is all about creating a real connection with your audience.
For instance, you can create a behind-the-scenes story that will make your Instagram followers feel important as they are getting an inside look of your brand.
If you have a difficult time creating a cohesive story, you can sit it out and plan what you want to say and show your audience through a storyboarding session.
4. Use a Consistent Template
It can sometimes be tempting to use a different template each time. However, in the long run, this could hurt your branding and impact the way how your audience sees your posts.
So, be sure to be consistent with your template! To help you accomplish that, it is recommended that you save the templates that you like to a folder in an app for fast and easy access later.
Once you settle with a template that works for you, you can then use it to mix and match to create your Stories.
5. Engage With Your Audience
When social media was first introduced in the public, there was so much buzz with having to be able to talk to people’s favorite brands and celebrities.
Instagram Stories allows you to go back to your roots on social media and engage with your followers on a more personal level.
For instance, you can run quick Q&A sessions in your Stories with people who are sending you over questions via Direct Messages (DMs).
Also Read: How to Use Instagram Insights to Establish an Effective Marketing Strategy
6. Use Instagram Apps
Aside from Boomerang, there are several Instagram apps like Over, Adobe Spark, and Hype Type that have excellent features that specifically tailors to your Stories.
From creative overlays, templates, to fonts, having a paid app might be an excellent resource that you might need to take your photos (and creativity) to the next level.
7. Keep Things Snappy
As you are already aware, you can only post videos that are up to 15 seconds long on IG Stories. So, you have to keep things snappy as much as possible.
You can either shoot videos in landscape and portrait mode. But since a lot of users are using their phones vertically, then you just have to stick with portrait.
An excellent way to ensure that you are fitting everything into a 15-second snippet is to let the video flow through nicely without awkwardly cutting anything off.
8. Make it Shareable
You can boost the view and engagement of your Story by letting your followers share it with their own friends through Direct Message.
To do that, simply go to your profile, click the gear icon, and go to “Story Settings.” You can then choose the “Allow Sharing” option so that your audience can DM your story to their friends and improve your reach!
Wrap Up
Instagram Stories is not slowing down anytime soon. So if you are not crafting and posting branded Stories, it is now the time to start being creative.
Create posts that will impress and engage your audience. Give users a reason to follow your Stories by taking it to the next level with these tips.