The best Instagram Stories hacks are usually top-secret, but were here to reveal them all!
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From new and useful features to editing tools and techniques, were unearthing some of our favorite Instagram Stories hacks that are sure to make your stories stand out.
Keep reading to learn how you can make engaging, artistic, and effective stories with these 18 Instagram Stories hacks!
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Instagram Stories are getting a lot more creative and interactive from AR filters and animations, to templates and Instagram Stories stickers, there are a lot of new features to experiment with.
While new updates and features are always exciting, they can be a bit intimidating when starting out which is why why were dishing out our best-kept secrets.
With our design hacks and in-app tricks, you can use Instagram Stories to widen your reach, drive more traffic, and gain more followers in no time.
Ready to get started? Were sharing all our best Instagram Stories tips and tricks you (probably) dont know yet. Watch the video or continue reading this blog post.
Have you ever wanted to add in extra images or have multiple photos in a single Instagram story? Or add a specific GIF you cant find in Instagrams GIF Library?
Were going to show you two ways to do it:
This is a super simple and quick way to get an extra photo or GIF onto your Instagram story post. All you have to do is copy a photo from your camera roll and then paste it onto your story using the text tool!
Start by opening a photo and tapping the export button.
Now tap Copy and head back to your Instagram story.
Double-tap the screen to pull up the Paste option.
And thats it! The photo you copied earlier should now appear on your story.
The second option is to download Googles Gboard app and paste photos directly from your keyboard.
To do this, simply open a story, and tap the screen to pull up the Gboard.
Now tap the G Google logo and type a query into the search bar.
You can sort your search to include images and GIFs.
Once you find what youre looking for, simply tap the image or GIF to copy it, and then tap the screen once to paste it!
Just remember to check the usage rights or credit the image where needed.
Whats great about this Instagram Stories hack is that there are so many use cases. For example, if youre re-sharing an Instagram post to your stories, you can paste a rectangle onto the story and then place it behind the post to create a framing effect.
Or if youre trying to add your brand colors to a story, you can paste an element that contains the colors onto your story (like a graphic or logo), and then use the color dropper tool to pick up the exact color from that element.
Did you know that you can turn your live photos into Boomerangs in Instagram Stories?
As far as Instagram Stories hacks go, this ones definitely on the lesser-known side. The reason is that in order for it to work, the live photo needs to be taken within the last 24 hours!Heres how to do it:
Simply open Instagram Stories, swipe up, and pick a live photo from your camera roll.
Once selected, press firmly on the screen for a few seconds until you see the word Boomerang appear briefly.
And thats it! Youve now turned your shot into a Boomerang!
Instagram Stories offers a bunch of great fonts, but nothing beats having your own brand font! If youre looking to add a little more brand to your stories, writing in your brand font is a great option. And luckily, theres a way to do it.
Start by downloading the Over mobile app. Once downloaded, AirDrop your fonts .OFT file to your mobile device.
Select Over from the menu that pops up.
And thats all. Now when you design a story in Over, youll be able to incorporate your brand fonts!
Looking for more ways to create Instagram Stories that match your branding? Check out our free video workshop on how design captivating Instagram Stories using the popular design app Over!
Instagram collects a ton of great data around your Instagram posts performance, like the number of impressions, saves, follows, and more. But theres one piece of data you might be missing out on: story reshares.
You wont find this in your Instagram Insights. Instead, youll need to tap the ellipsis in the top right corner of a post to pull up a menu with the option to View Story Reshares.
This will take you to a screen with a list of your current public reshares.
You can even tap one of the reshares to see it live on the users account.
If you dont see the option to see reshares, this means that your post isnt currently being shared in anyones stories!
This can be particularly useful if youre looking to share user-generated content on your Instagram Stories! For example, if youve just launched a new product, you might want to reshare how your followers are reacting to your big announcement!
A few of the font styles in Instagram Stories lack the option to be left- or right-aligned, which can be a bit of a nuisance.
Usually, you can just tap the alignment button in the top left corner of the screen to change your texts alignment. But if the button is missing (which is the case for the Modern, Neon, and Strong fonts), your text will automatically appear centered.
Luckily, theres an easy solution! Simply type a message in Instagram Stories with a font that doesnt have the alignment button.
Now swipe a finger left or right on your text. This should change the texts alignment.
Instagram Stories is a great place to show off your brands personality, but its also really important to reflect your brands style, tone and aesthetic. And one of the easiest ways to do this is to integrate your brands color palette.
But what if Instagram doesnt offer your brand colors in its default color options?
Lucky for you, theres a hidden Instagram Stories hack that lets you access every color you could need for your text!
All you have to do is open your Instagram Stories and select the brush tool. Now tap and long-hold any of the default color options at the bottom of the screen to open the color slider.
Now just swipe across the slider to pick a custom color for your story.
Similarly, if youre using an Instagram Stories template that youve designed with your brand colors, you can use the color picker tool to pinpoint the exact brand color from your template!
Looking to get started with using Instagram Stories for your business? Check out our free 45-minute video course on how to design beautiful Instagram Stories that will help you get more followers, traffic, and sales!
If you really want to make your text design even more impressive, you can use the color picker tool to create a color gradient (or rainbow) effect with your text!
To do this, open Instagram Stories and type out a message. Then tap on your text and tap Select All to highlight it.
While your text is highlighted, press and hold one finger down on the color palette tool at the bottom of your screen (like you did before) to open the entire color spectrum.
With one finger held down on the color slider, and one on your highlighted text, begin to drag both fingers toward the left side of your screen at the same time.
Youll see your text begin to change color, letter by letter, as you drag your finger across the color spectrum! You can move your finger faster or slower for additional color variations, or alternate the direction that you drag your fingers across the screen to achieve an entirely different result.
Sometimes the simplest Instagram Stories hacks are the most fun!
If youve ever wanted to make your emojis really stand out on Instagram Stories, theres a hidden trick to give them a glow effect.
To do this, simply open your stories, tap the screen to open the text tool, and select the Neon font.
Now when you add an emoji, it should have a slight glow behind it!
This color-fill trick is pretty useful when you want to share a canvas with drawings and text rather than a photo or video!
Tap the pen icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and select a color.
Next, tap and hold on the screen for 1-3 seconds until the screen is filled with a solid color.
Note: The screen will have a solid color fill if you use the marker or neon brush, or a translucent color fill if you use the chisel-tip brush.
If you want to take this Instagram Stories hack a step further, you can use the eraser tool to create a sort of scratch card effect thats perfect for reveals!
For example, if youre teasing an upcoming campaign or even a new blog post, you can paint your screen with the brush tool and then use the eraser to share a few details about whats to come.
Heres how to do it:
Open Instagram Stories and take a photo or upload one from your camera roll. Once your photo is in, tap the pen icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and select a color.
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