In the earlier years of Instagram, a pretty Instagram feed with dream destinations and stylish “OOTDs” was the most important attention grabber for your followers as an influencer. However, fast forward to today, the rise of influencers around the globe has saturated the market, and it’s no longer enough to just have pretty pictures. A popular function has taken Instagram users by storm – Instagram Stories. This function allows users to upload photos and short videos onto their Story which is visible to their followers for 24 hours before it disappears.
With more and more influencers leveraging Instagram stories, creating a Story by simply talking at the camera is no longer sufficient to engage with your followers and connect with brands. Sound like a lot of work? No worries! We’ve got you covered with the latest tips and tricks to create original Instagram Stories to boost your potential and content quality.
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Use your Phone’s Camera for High-Quality Content
If you take a photo or video directly via Instagram Story, you may notice that Instagram lowers the visual quality of the content in order for it to publish and load quicker. By first taking the photo or video on your phone’s camera app (outside of Instagram) and uploading it in your story, the compression quality of the content will be hardly noticeable. It’s an extra step, but well worth the effort to give your followers a more aesthetically pleasing experience which will improve engagement with your brand. -
Post Content that Matters to your Followers
Always keep in mind that as an influencer you are a brand, and your followers follow you for a reason: your expertise in a certain niche. By sharing useful information and creating a storyline, your followers will feel a closer connection to your brand and content that will keep them coming back for more. For example, if you are a travel blogger or influencer, documenting your journey to arrive at a cool, off-the-beaten path restaurant you found and also tagging its location will engage your followers, especially if they have been dreaming of going to that same destination too.
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Highlight Your Best Stories and Categorize Them
At times it seems as if the stories themselves are more interesting than the official posts in your grid. Why let them disappear after 24 hours, depriving tons of followers who may have missed your story? By organizing and categorizing your stories, Instagram’s Highlights feature lets you collect experiences to share beyond the 24-hour expiration, bringing your niche-expertise front and center in your profile and advertising your content.
Want to learn how to add hashtags or earn more views on your Instagram Stories? Check out 11 Instagram hacks you need to know.
Awesome Apps that Influencers Love to Use for their Instagram Stories
Unfold App
Have a photo that you love but doesn’t quite cut it to be an official post? The Unfold App allows you to frame one or several photos together in various layouts for a more sophisticated and original composition. And ever wonder where some influencers get those special fonts in their Stories? The Unfold App also features a set of free fonts to add onto your photo compositions – setting your stories apart from the rest. This app is perfect to use if you want to build a story for your audience around a blog post, giving them just enough of a sneak peek to arouse curiosity and drive traffic towards your blog.
Canva
Showcase your latest looks or sponsored products using templates by Canva. This app makes it easy for influencers to create and maintain a consistent brand aesthetic in their Instagram Stories. You can choose from thousands of backgrounds, hundreds of fonts, and endless stock-free graphics to give your brand that extra pizzazz above the rest. You can also promote your brand by uploading your own logo and selecting your brand’s colors!
Hype-Type
This third app is a favourite amongst influencers thanks to its remarkable feature to insert animated text over photos, boomerangs, and videos. Although you aren’t able to customize the fonts themselves, the app has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy and quick to use. Adding these styled and designed motion typography will surely captivate the attention of your followers as they swipe through your Instagram Stories.
