Instagram stories are one of the most used and viewed features on Instagram. In 2016, Instagram launched stories. It has images, videos, and graphics that automatically delete after 24 hours. You can also save it as a highlight. It will always stay pinned in your profile.
When you open the app, you will see the profile picture of the users you follow along the top of the screen. If you tap on that picture, stories from all users stats playing one after another. Because of this, stories are very easy to view. From one account to another, each set of stories will play automatically. It is a lot less effort than scrolling the feed with your thumb. Many photographers use this feature to promote their work.
Here I’ll be sharing some tricks and tips to promote your photos:
Table of Contents
Why should you use Instagram stories?
If you have some doubts like Instagram stories are worth the time, here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Everyone’s usage is not in a same way
Some people on Instagram nearly spend all their time scrolling the news feed. But some others will completely ignore this and spend their app-time completely looking through stories.
If you are not posting stories, you miss a chance for a new set of people looking at you.
2. Without changing your feed, you can share more frequently
When someone visits your profile, the first thing they see will be your bio description and the grid (photo feed). They decide whether they want to follow you or not, with the help of these. Most photographers want to hold this area for their best work or photos that match their theme and style.
What happens if you want to share something with your audience that doesn’t have outstanding nature to go with it?
You can share it with your stories. Instead of showing on your profile page, stories allow you to share your updates. Each story you will share will be specific, and it adds a little more flexibility and independence.
3. You can find new followers
You can find many new followers through stories. One of the best methods to improve your profile is to use Snaphappen story views, since it increases your popularity in a short time. It will make your profile more strong and genuine.
4. Keep engaging your audience
Getting more followers is one thing. But another important thing is to keep engaging them. Other than consistently posting quality content, you have to make sure that your followers are staying engaged. Stories are the best place for updating regularly. It has lots of built-in tools to increase engagement.
Engagement tools of Instagram stories:
There are many tools within an app you can use to do more for your photos and let your followers interact with them. Here are some of the best tools you must try.
1. Adding Text
Your story will look incomplete without some words.
- Tap the “Aa” button in the top right corner. It will bring a keyboard and different font style options to you.
- To change the text’s background colour, tap the A button(inside the square box).
- To change the colour of the text, tap the colour wheel button.
- To change the placement of the text, click the four lines button.
- You can increase or decrease the size of the text using the slider on the left side.
Pro tip: You can use the colour picker tool to select the colour in your photo itself. It looks amazing!
2. Add Lines
You want to do more art to your story or point specific areas in your story to use these lines. You can do this by taping the winggy line and click the arrow button. At the end of your line, it will automatically add an arrow. You can use a slider on the left to make this line thicker or thinner.
3. Stickers
You will find many different options and things inside the sticker section for your stories. They include
Local sticker: To mention your location
Mention sticker: To mention someone from your followers list
Hashtag sticker: To use the hashtag in your stories also
GIFs: to add short animation that creates an extra bit of flare on your story.
Sliders: used to interact with your audience, they can move it along where they wish
Polls sticker: Used to A/B type of questions to your audience.
Quiz sticker: It will ask to choose the correct option from the choices.
Question boxes: you can tell your followers to ask a question to you.
Countdown clock: It will add excitement and reminder about some updates or sales you are going to release.
These are the different types of sticker sections used in Instagram stories. The purpose of every sticker is different. But their main goal is to interact with the audience.
Ideas for posting stories
With your photos, you can tell a story to your followers. It is the best way rather than posting it on a feed.
Let your audience get to know who you are.
Using these stories, you can show how you work behind the screen.
You can also share tips and advice using stories.
Summing up
There is no need for the use of all these tricks every day. But whenever you want to post a story like a pro, you must follow these because they are the best place to show and tell.