Instagram stories: How does it work? Features & more [2023]

Table of Contents

Introduction – Instagram stories

Instagram stories are something that lets you “share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile.”

The feature lets you share multiple photos and videos, and they appear together in a “slideshow format,”

It means a reel, like Snapchat. And, of course, those photos and videos will be gone after 24 hours. Seriously.

You can even add text and doodles to your photos and videos. See? We weren’t kidding; it’s exactly like Snapchat Stories.

Tap the camera button at the top left of your screen or swipe right from anywhere in your Instagram feed.
Then press or long-press the record button at the bottom to take a photo or video, respectively.
You can also press Boomerang to take burst photos that loop forwards or backward, and you can swipe left to switch hands-free.
Throughout its life, Instagram has added several new features to Stories, such as Superzoom, Stop-motion, Rewind, and most recently, Music.
Either way, when done, tap the doodle, text, or sticker icons to add effects. Stickers can include location information, polls, and songs.
Once you complete editing, you can save your creation to your phone or tap the icon + circle to share it with your story.
The photos and videos you share with your story disappear from the feed and your profile 24 hours.
If you don’t want someone to see your story, you can hide your Account from them. Just tap the profile icon to access your profile, then tap the Settings / More button.
From there, select Story settings under Account, then tap Hide story from and select the people you want to hide your story from Simple.

When you post a photo or video in your story, it will appear on your profile (a colored ring will appear around your profile photo, and people can tap it to view your Account).
Instagram feed (your photo from the profile will appear in a row at the top of your subscribers’ meals, and they can tap it to view your story).
Publicly shared stories can also appear in the Find and Explore tabs.
Additionally, if you have added a hashtag, location, or location-based sticker, it may appear on hashtag or location pages as well.

You can reply to the stories with a photo or video. In addition to composing a reply to a message, you can also reply with a picture.
When watching a story, there is a new camera button at the bottom of the screen.
Tap it, then take a photo of yourself or record a video or take a Boomerang.
You can also move and resize the story image you reply to and insert it into your photo.
From there, apply filters or stickers, and when you complete the setting, the tape sends to share your creation with your friend.
Your friend will receive your photo/video response in their direct message inbox, along with the original story thumbnail.

To create an Instagram story, select the camera icon located at the top left of your screen or the circle “Your story.” Another alternative: swipe right from your news feed.
Then, press the shutter button to take a photo, or press and hold it longer to record a video.
If you prefer to use existing content, select a photo or video from your smartphone’s camera roll, using the dedicated icon at the bottom left.

Position, mention, hashtag, music, time, poll, questions, challenge, countdown, temperature, quiz
But also emojis and GIFs.

Add text by choosing one of the nine styles available: modern, neon, typewriter. Adjust the alignment, change the color, use a background.

You may draw using the felt-tip pen, the arrow, the highlighter (slight transparency effect), the neon brush (shiny outline), the eraser.
Remember that you can move, enlarge or reduce your stickers, emojis, drawings, and texts, very simply by selecting them manually.
If one of the actions performed does not suit you, drag the item concerned into the trash can.
To apply a filter (Cairo, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro…), swipe your screen to the left.

Add new photos or videos to your Instagram story by repeating the operations described above
Hide your deck for specific accounts (cogwheel> hide the story)
Allow or disable messages (cogwheel> allow messages)

Featured Stories are containers located on Instagram profiles, below the bio.
They allow the lifespan of stories to be extended until they are voluntarily distant from this section.
To make a story featured, tap the heart icon at the bottom of your Account when it’s online.
Another option: go to your profile, press the “new” circle, and choose your archived stories’ desired stories.
When you create a container, you will be encouraged to give it a name.
Note that you can change the cover photo of your featured stories.

Instagram Stories also an awesome interactive poll sticker that lets you ask a question and see results from your friends and followers as they vote.
After you’ve taken a photo or video for your story, open up the Stickers menu and select the “poll” sticker.
Once you’ve tapped the “poll” sticker, Instagram will prompt you to write a question and customize the poll choices.
After you’ve created your poll, post your story, and your followers will be able to vote right away.
Once someone has voted on your poll, they’ll see which choice is in the lead at any given moment. And if anyone watches your story again later, they will see the latest results.

If you’re managing a business or creator account on Instagram, you might want to schedule your stories in advance to ensure you’re always sharing fresh, engaging content with your audience.
Whether you want to boost engagement, take your followers behind-the-scenes or promote your latest product releases and sales, you can do it all with Instagram Stories.

Stories have become an essential part of Instagram’s marketing strategy, and here at Buffer, we enable you to plan, preview, and schedule.
Instagram Stories ahead of time, so you have everything ready to post with a single push notification.

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