What’s even more compelling is their appeal to businesses. Approximately 1/3rd of the most-viewed stories come from brands, and 36% of businesses use Instagram Stories for marketing. This reflects the platform’s effectiveness as a marketing tool – driving engagement and sales.

These statistics clearly show Instagram Stories’ widespread acceptance and effectiveness, making them a dominant force in social media storytelling.

How to Schedule Instagram Stories with Meta Business Suite

The Meta Business Suite, formerly known as the Creator Studio, is the official tool of the social media giant. This suite, offered by Facebook (which owns Instagram), allows you to plan and schedule your stories in advance. You can even get insights into how your stories are performing.

However, if you are present on other social media channels, you’ll benefit from a social media scheduling tool like Hopper HQ. With it, you’ll be able to schedule the same post on multiple platforms, saving time to focus on other important tasks.

1) Access the Meta Business Suite:

Head to your Facebook account and access your Meta Business Suite by clicking on Pages.

2) Create an Instagram Story:

You should be able to see the option “Create Story” on the top of your dashboard under your handle. Make sure that you select only your Instagram profile rather than posting to both platforms (only if you want to!)

3) Upload your content:

Now Upload your content and edit it if you need to. You can add up to 10 images and videos.

4) Schedule your story:

Instead of hitting ‘Share Now,’ select the option “Schedule”. You’ll see the option Choose your desired date and time, and your job is done.

Your Instagram story is queued up and ready to go live for the set time.

5) Review and confirm:

Double-check everything, and when you’re satisfied, click ‘Schedule.’ Your Story is now in the queue, and you can manage it alongside your regular Instagram posts in the Business Suite.

But remember, this isn’t the scheduling app to use. In the next section, we’ll explore our very own option – Hopper HQ, for those looking to take their scheduling game up a notch.

How to Schedule Instagram Stories with Hopper HQ

If you’re after a more robust Instagram stories scheduler, Hopper HQ is the best app for scheduling Instagram stories. It offers a user-friendly interface and supports Instagram and other social platforms.

With Hopper HQ, you can schedule stories, posts, and even carousel content all in one place.

1) Sign up and connect your account:

Start by signing up for Hopper HQ. You’ll need to connect your Instagram account. Hopper HQ supports multiple accounts, so you can handle them all in one place if you’re managing more than one.

2) Create a new post:

Once you’re inside the Hopper HQ dashboard, click on ‘Create’. You can choose ‘Instagram Story’ as your post type.

3) Craft your story:

Add the images or videos that you’d like to schedule. Then also any other necessary details that you’d like to include.

4) Set your schedule:

Select your desired date and time for your Instagram story to go live. You can even auto-post the same story multiple times on different days or times – perfect for keeping your content in rotation.

5) Preview and schedule:

Before hitting the ‘Schedule’ button, take a moment to preview your story. Make sure everything looks just the way you want it.

Once satisfied, click ‘Schedule,’ and your Instagram story is officially in the queue!

Tips and Tricks for Story Scheduling

1) Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience’s behavior is vital for scheduling your Instagram stories.

Hopper HQ offers in-depth analytics, including engagement metrics, user demographics, and posting performance. By analyzing these insights, you can pinpoint when your audience is most active, ensuring your scheduled stories reach maximum impact.

Furthermore, you can tailor content to match their preferences, increasing engagement and forging a deeper connection.

2) Test With Different Posting Times

Testing different posting times is crucial for optimizing your Instagram stories’ impact.

By experimenting with posting times, you can discover when your audience is most active and responsive. Some may engage more during lunch breaks, while others prefer evenings.

Continuous testing enables you to refine your schedule for maximum engagement, increasing the likelihood of your stories being viewed and interacted with.

Hopper HQ’s scheduling capabilities empower you to adapt your strategy based on real data, ultimately boosting the effectiveness of your Instagram story campaigns.

3) Stay Relevant and Timely

Whether it’s a festive greeting, a themed promotion, or holiday-related tips, planning ensures your content is prepared and published precisely when it’s most contextually relevant.

This approach resonates with your audience’s current interests and emotions, fostering a stronger connection. 

By recognizing and embracing holidays, you show your brand’s awareness and adaptability, creating a more engaging and relatable experience for your followers.

4) Bonus Tips

Swipe-up Links: This feature ensures that your call-to-action is seamlessly integrated into your stories, whether it’s promoting a blog post, a product sale, or an event registration.

By strategically placing Swipe-up links, you guide your audience effortlessly toward your desired destination, enhancing user engagement and achieving your marketing objectives efficiently and precisely.

Use Hashtags and Location Tags: Incorporating hashtags and location tags into your Instagram stories is a smart strategy for broader reach and discoverability.

Adding relevant hashtags lets you tap into trending topics and communities interested in those keywords, potentially attracting a wider audience. Additionally, location tags connect you with users exploring or residing in that area, enhancing local engagement.

Hopper HQ allows hashtag research options that recommend popular tags to you. 

Find more ways to grow your Instagram following.

Mastering Instagram Story Scheduling

We’ve uncovered the power of scheduling tools like Hopper HQ and the Meta Business Suite, simplifying the processes. We’ve shared invaluable tips and tricks for optimizing your Instagram story strategy.

By planning, you can free up your time for real-time engagement and stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving social media landscape.

While both tools offer benefits, Hopper HQ stands out for more needy users.

With its user-friendly interface, support for multiple platforms, advanced scheduling options, and in-depth analytics. For those seeking a versatile and efficient Instagram story scheduling solution, Hopper HQ is the top recommendation

The post How to Schedule Instagram Stories appeared first on Hopper HQ.

On This Page

• The Perfect Instagram Story Size
• What’s An Instagram Story?
• How to Create an Instagram Story
• How to schedule an Instagram story
• Best Practices and Tips To Make The Most Out of Stories
• Perfectly Size Your Stories To Make The Best Use Of Instagram

The Perfect Instagram Story Size

The answer is: 1080px X 1920px.
This 9:16 aspect ratio is your golden ratio.

But what does that mean in plain English?

Imagine your phone screen. It’s usually taller than it is wide, right? Well, that’s the 9:16 ratio we’re talking about. It’s like a portrait, not a landscape. This is crucial because when you upload a Story that’s not the right size, Instagram will try to squeeze it into that 9:16 frame and unnecessarily trim your stories.

Now, you might be thinking, “How do I make my Stories exactly 1080×1920?” There are tons of apps out there that can help you get the job done, like Canva, Adobe Spark, Hopper HQ, or even Instagram’s own built-in editor.

Here are other Instagram story pixel sizes that have a 9:16 aspect ratio:

• 720 pixels by 1280 pixels 
• 1440 pixels by 2560 pixels 
• 2160 pixels by 3840 pixels 

What’s An Instagram Story?

Instagram Stories have become way more than just a passing trend. With over 500 million daily active users, they’ve become a cultural phenomenon.

Stories vanish after 24 hours. But why would you want to share something that disappears so quickly? Well, it’s all about the fleeting moments. Those snapshots of life that aren’t meant to be permanent but are still worth sharing with your followers.

Your morning coffee, a cute dog you saw on your walk, or that sandwich you had for lunch – these are all prime Instagram Story material.

You can even permanently keep them in your highlights.

How to Create an Instagram Story

1. Open Instagram: First, open up your Instagram app. Tap your profile picture in the upper left corner or swipe right from your feed to access the Story camera.
2. Choose your media: Once you’re in the Story camera, you can take a photo or record a video by pressing the white circle at the bottom. Or you can swipe up to access your camera roll. Choose a photo or video that you feel like sharing.
3. Get creative: Instagram offers a bunch of creative tools to spice up your Stories. You can add text, stickers, emojis, GIFs, music, and even draw freehand. To access these, just tap the icons at the top.
4. Adjust your story: You can use the editing options on the left. You can resize, rotate, or even change the text color.
5. Add to your story: Hit the “Your Story” button in the bottom left corner to share it with your followers. You can also send it directly to specific friends using the “Send To” button.

Your Story is now posted. It’ll disappear after 24 hours, but you can always save it to your highlights if it’s too good to vanish into the digital abyss.

How to schedule an Instagram story

Tired of putting effort into posting your Instagram Stories at the perfect moment? Well, you’re in luck because Hopper HQ can help you schedule your Stories like a pro.

It’s not just for Stories; you can schedule regular posts too as well as cross-schedule to other social media channels. But for now, let’s focus on those Stories.

1. Create Your Hopper HQ Account: First, head over to the Hopper HQ website and sign up for an account.
2. Connect Your Instagram Account: Link your Instagram account to Hopper HQ. This step is crucial as it allows Hopper HQ to post on your behalf.
3. Create and upload your story: Now, hit the “create” button on the top left of your screen and select “Create a story”.
4. Choose Your Posting Time: Hopper HQ gives you the power to pick when your Stories go live. No more last-minute rushes. You can plan your content days or even weeks in advance. You can see it visualized on the content calendar.

Hopper HQ has an AI resizer that automatically resizes your picture to the perfect Instagram story size.

Then, hit the scheduling button instead of the post button.

5. Sit Back and Relax: When the scheduled time arrives, Hopper HQ will auto-post it to your Instagram account. 

Best Practices and Tips To Make The Most Out of Stories

1) Instagram Story Polls

Story polls are simple tools that let you pose questions to your audience, offering them two choices with a tap-to-vote option. Use them to gather opinions on anything from fashion choices to menu options.

The trick is to make your audience feel involved. People love sharing their thoughts, and polls give them a platform. Ask them about what restaurant you should visit and see the votes flood in.

2) Reposting User-Generated Content

User-generated content is a treasure trove of authentic, community-driven content your followers create. Reposting these acknowledges your audience’s contributions and deepens the sense of community around your brand.

By reposting, you demonstrate appreciation for your customers or fans, transforming them into brand advocates. This acknowledgement fosters trust and loyalty, showcasing real people enjoying your products or services.

It’s like a virtual word-of-mouth recommendation.

Encourage user-generated content by creating a unique hashtag for your brand or running contests that inspire your audience to share their experiences.

3) Analyzing Data With Hopper HQ

Hopper HQ offers comprehensive analytics that provides deep insights into your Instagram performance.

With Hopper HQ, you can track essential metrics such as engagement rates, follower growth, and story performance over time. It lets you dive into the details, revealing which stories resonate the most with your audience and when they are most active.

Hopper HQ takes it a step further by providing audience demographics, helping you understand who your followers are, and helping you tailor your content accordingly.

Its intuitive data visualization tools make it easy to digest and act on these insights.

4) Sneak Peeks

Think of them as little glimpses into the exciting things brewing in your world.

It could be a sneak peek of a new product you’re launching, a snippet of a forthcoming video, or a preview of an upcoming event.

Sneak peeks create anticipation, leaving your followers eager to see more. And guess what? People love being in the know, feeling like they’re part of an exclusive club with insider access.

5) Live Content

During a live session, you can answer questions, respond to comments, and interact with viewers on the spot. It breaks down the barriers of traditional content, creating a sense of immediacy and authenticity.

Live content is perfect for Q&A sessions, product launches, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or sharing breaking news.

Moreover, live content invites your audience to participate actively in the experience, fostering a stronger sense of community and connection. The unscripted nature can also make you more relatable, showing your human side.

However, it’s essential to plan your live sessions, promote them beforehand, and have a clear purpose to ensure a successful and engaging experience for both you and your audience.

6) Avoid Excessive Text

Excessive text in your Instagram Stories can be a real buzzkill. Imagine scrolling through Stories and suddenly being confronted with a block of tiny text that resembles a novel. It’s a surefire way to make your audience quickly swipe away.

Keep your text concise and to the point. If you have a lot to say, break it into smaller, digestible chunks. If you must include text, make it larger, bold, and strategically placed to grab attention.

7) Avoid Too Much Promotion

Imagine sitting down with a friend for coffee. If they spent the entire time talking about themselves and their achievements, you might find the conversation one-sided and tedious.

Think of your Stories as a conversation rather than a sales pitch.

The same principle applies to your Instagram Stories. Constantly bombarding your audience with promotional content can come across as pushy and disengaging.

Instead, strike a balance. Mix in valuable, non-promotional content like memes, behind-the-scenes glimpses, user-generated content, or even a slice of your daily life. This variety keeps your Stories exciting and your audience engaged.

8) Behind-the-Scenes

Show them the messiness behind the perfection and the human side of your brand. Share candid moments, bloopers, or the making of your latest project.

Behind-the-scenes content builds authenticity and trust. It says, “Hey, we’re real people like you, and this is how we do things.”

Perfectly Size Your Stories To Make The Best Use Of Instagram

In a world where digital storytelling reigns supreme, mastering the art of Instagram Stories has become a crucial skill.

We’ve learned that the right Instagram Story size, at 1080×1920 pixels, can transform your content from mediocre to mesmerizing. 

Whether you’re a budding influencer, a business owner, or someone looking to connect with friends and followers, these insights are your ticket to success in the Instagram universe.

You may also consider using a tool like Hopper HQ, which has built-in features that resize your video content to the correct dimensions. Why not give our 14-day free trial a try?

The post What Is The Right Instagram Story Size? appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Instagram Stories are full of amazing features that drive engagement and offer a direct line of communication with stories reactions and DM replies, they’re also a great way to show off your brand personality and leave a lasting impression.

The downside? It’s hard to stand out and get more eyes on your content.

Instagram has recently shut down bots generating fake views, followers, likes, and comments; The fake accounts generated exposure and drove engagement. Influencers, brands, and businesses saw a drop in their Instagram story views when the bots were eliminated.

But does this mean the end of your brand presence on Instagram stories?

Thankfully, no. There are several ways to cut through the noise and increase your Instagram Story views organically.

In this blog post, we’ll look at possible reasons why your Instagram Story views dropped and how to increase them.

What are Instagram Story Views?

Simply put, Instagram Story views show you the number of people that have viewed your Instagram Story. Essentially, each impression of the Story counts as a single view.

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How to Check Instagram Story Views?

There are 2 ways to check your Instagram story views depending on whether your story is still up or has disappeared after 24 hours.

Before the 24 hour window:

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile
2. Tap on the Story icon in the upper left corner of your screen
3. In the lower-left corner, you’ll see multiple circles with Instagram profile pictures
4. Tap on that icon to see the number of views and who viewed your Instagram story

After the 24-hour window:

Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours of posting them, and while you can’t view profiles who have viewed your stories after 24 hours, you can still check your story impressions and reach from your Instagram story insights.

Reach refers to the number of individual users who viewed your Instagram story, while Impressions express the number of times your Instagram story is viewed. Impressions are sometimes higher than reach as it counts multiple views by the same user if they view your story more than once.

How to see Instagram story insights

1. Open your Instagram account and go to your profile
2. Tap the three horizontal lines on the top right corner
3. Tap insights from the list
4. You’ll see a section titled “Content You Shared“, tap “See All“
5. Filter to see insights for Stories
6. You will see a page with individual stories and impressions
7. Tap on any individual story to see its detailed insights

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5 Reasons Why Instagram Story Views Drop

Bots are not the only factor responsible for your Instagram Story views going down.

Here are other possible reasons that may contribute to your Instagram Story views dropping and strategies to get more Instagram Story views:

1) Your Content is Stale

Instagram users like fresh content. If your content is unoriginal or doesn’t offer any value, it won’t get engagement.

You need to optimize your creative strategy to create content that resonates with your followers. 

That’s why it’s critical that you head to the Explore page on Instagram to find trending topics and create story content around them. You can also look at what other brands in your niche are posting to get an idea of where to start.

Once you’ve found a topic, create a Story around it and publish it. Considering the topic is trending, your Story is likely to gain traction.

For instance, note how McDonald’s UAE got creative and used the FIFA World Cup 2022 trend on its story. 

Solution: Publish Diverse & Trending Content

Your audience expects new and engaging content from your brand. Therefore, it is up to you to generate diverse content for your Stories that matches their preferences.

Tip: Use your Instagram analytics to gain insight into what content your audience prefers for Stories. Then, tailor your content to meet those needs by highlighting the product or service features they like most.

You can also leverage digital marketing tools or content marketing platforms to ensure that your audience gets meaningful content. These platforms will help you plan, produce, and optimize your Instagram Stories.

Use high-quality Story formats, including photos, shoppable videos, and boomerangs. According to Hubspot, people are more likely to tap the following types of Instagram stories to the end:

• Short narrative stories with photos, videos, or text
• Stories with quizzes or polls
• A mix of all these elements put together
• Demos and tutorials
• Behind the scenes
• Stories with open-ended question stickers
• Testimonials
• Documentary-style stories

Use content to tell your brand story, share customer stories, sell your products, or communicate brand offers. This brings better engagement.

The History Channel is an excellent example of a brand maximising Instagram stories for engagement. It posts regularly, utilises user-generated content, and includes hashtags to pique interest.

2) You’re Not Using Hashtags Right

Using relevant hashtags allows audiences to discover your Stories, even if they don’t follow you. This helps you get more views on your Instagram Stories.

The improper use of hashtags, or no use at all, can have the opposite effect and be the reason for fewer Story views.

Solution: Use Hashtags in Stories

Find hashtags relevant to your content and business by conducting hashtag research. Then, select the hashtag sticker and search for a hashtag related to your content, combine it with branded hashtags, and use them on your Stories. Incorporate popular or niche hashtags for better targeting. 

Here’s an example of a hashtag sticker in a Story.

To find the right set of hashtags, you can use the Hopper HQ Hashtag Explorer to search for hashtags and get a list of similar hashtags, find trending hashtags, or choose from preset hashtag categories. You can then compare them based on various metrics, such as post count, competition, likes, comments, and more. 

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With such in-depth data on hashtags, you can make data-driven decisions to select the best-performing hashtags for your Stories and help them gain traction.

3) You’re Posting at the Wrong Times

Are you posting when your audience is most active? This is one of the questions that should guide your Instagram content strategy and when you post Instagram stories.

Finding out which days and times your audience is most active on Instagram is essential, especially because Stories only last for 24 hours.

If you end up posting them at the wrong time, they might not garner enough views. 

Solution: Use Analytics to Improve Your Strategy

After analysing millions of posts, Hopper HQ found that the best time to post on Instagram varies depending on the day of the week.

But this is a general guideline. To understand the right timing for your audience, it’s best to start looking at your Instagram analytics. 

Check out our detailed guide on the best time to post on Instagram.

With analytics, you’ll be able to figure out when your audience is the most active during a particular day. You’ll also discover the days when they’re the most active. These are the days you should target. 

But that’s not all that you can find using Instagram analytics.

You can also use analytics to establish why your Story views have dropped. To view your Instagram Story analytics:

1. Open your Instagram account
2. Click on the “Insights” button on your Story Highlights
3. Scroll down to “Content you shared” and expand on shared stories.

The impressions figure indicates the number of Instagram Story views. At the same time, the reach shows you the number of accounts you’ve reached through your Stories.

Using this data, you can determine which content performed best and fine-tune your content strategy accordingly.

What’s more?

You can also bring your small business CRM into the mix. One of the many advantages of CRMs is that it holds a lot of customer data. With this data, you can figure out their likes and dislikes, which, in turn, can help you create more compelling Stories for them and get more views. 

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4) You’re Not Very Active on Instagram

If you want the audience to engage with your Stories, you must do the same. Instagram’s algorithm assesses your history of interaction with others to determine the level of engagement your content will get.

If you rarely reciprocate community interests, your content will likely be buried. That makes it essential to connect with your audience through comments and messages. 

At the same time, if you don’t create enough content, you’ll come across as inactive. In fact, according to a recent study, you need to post up to five Stories a day to maintain an engagement rate of over 70%.

Solution: Add Reels to Stories

Producing a lot of original content takes time and effort. So, how do you create numerous Stories without burning a hole in your pocket?

The answer lies in Reels.

According to an analysis, Reels drive about 35% more engagement than other content types like videos, images, and carousels. So, creating Reels and sharing them through your Stories is a great way to increase your views for both Reels and Stories. 

However, not just any Reel will generate engagement.

You need to craft captivating Reels that can stop your audience from swiping to the next Story. 

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For instance, you can share a short testimonial video as a Reel. When you share it on your Stories, you can combine it with stickers to have users offer their thoughts.

It is also essential to add trending music in videos before sharing them as Reels. When a user recognises a song or a clip on your Reels shared in Stories, they will likely stop scrolling and watch it. They might also react, like, or message you due to it.

Here’s an example of Daniel Wellington sharing a Reel through their Stories.

Related: How to Add Music to Instagram Stories 

5) Previous Story Views Were Bot-Generated

One of the greatest mistakes you can make is purchasing Story views. It serves little purpose and doesn’t do you any good in the long run. It does work well as a vanity metric though for a short time, but don’t expect it to have long-lasting effects. 

But even if you haven’t done anything like that, there’s also a possibility that bots generated your previous Story views.

When Instagram eliminated these bots, the number of inauthentic accounts engaging with your account reduces, leading to a drop in Instagram Story views.

Solution: Employ Tactics to Increase Story Views

Not opting for fake views is an obvious point to start. But how do you push your organic views up?

Tips on how to boost your organic views

1. Run Contests & Giveaways

Accounts that run Instagram contests or giveaways grow 70% faster than those that don’t. Running contests, therefore, is one of the best ways to use Instagram Stories.

You can, for example, ask followers to reply to your Stories and win a reward. Or you can ask them to share your Story with their friends and also share the contest on their Stories.

Basically, if you offer a lucrative reward, people will happily perform all the engagement-boosting steps you want them to take.

Running contests at regular intervals with effective reactions to messages will drive engagement and increase your Instagram Story views. 

To boost your contest Story views further, you can leverage paid promotions. Reporting tools will provide you with valuable insights into your potential audience, and this can go a long way in helping you craft more compelling Story content for them.

Here’s how Hankki used a Reel to invite people to its giveaway.

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2. Run an Influencer Takeover

Instagram influencer takeovers can be a great strategy for driving up your Story views as they bring in the influencer’s fans to your account. This creates a better immersive experience, something 80% of audiences desire.

As the influencer’s fans run to your page, your Instagram activity will increase, boosting Story views.

For example, if you are running a campaign for your skincare products, you can find skincare Instagram influencers or partners and get them to take over your Stories for the day.  

This will bring the respective influencer’s followers to your account, thus increasing Story views and engagement.

For instance, note how Glamping Canyon Lands took over Go Cherish Tours Instagram page for a day.

3. Add Stickers

Adding stickers to your Instagram Stories is a great way to increase their views and engagement. For instance, polls are excellent for social media, particularly when soliciting customer feedback. They are fun, easy to create, and highly engaging. In fact, they allow for two-way communication between you and your customers.

Here’s an example of how Fenty Beauty used a poll feature with a slider to engage its audience.

While at it, include emojis, time, weather, GIFs, and other stickers on your Stories. You can also use quizzes, Q&A, and countdown timers to boost engagement.

Here is an example of how you can use the question sticker on Instagram Stories:

4. Use Location Tags

Similarly, location tags increase the chances of audiences finding you when searching for location-specific posts; there’s a special spot for Stories related to that location on the location search result page. 

Conclusion

So your Instagram Story views have dropped. Does this translate to poor sales? Not really.

You now have a perfect idea of where you’re failing and solutions to remedy the situation. Using the above tips can help you boost Story views organically.

Remember, adopting a quality content strategy is better than trying to beat the Instagram algorithm. Master this, and you can enhance your brand presence sustainably.

Looking for more Instagram Story tips and strategies for driving engagement?

Check out this ultimate guide to using Instagram Stories for valuable insights.

The post Why Are My Instagram Story Views So Low & How Can I Increase Them? appeared first on Hopper HQ.

According to Instagram, over 500 million accounts use Instagram stories daily. 58% of those users say they become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it on Instagram stories. And a whopping 50% of them say they have actually visited a website to buy a product or a service after seeing it in stories. 

If you want to get in on this action and create Instagram stories that make a lasting impression, you’ll need to learn how to add music to Instagram stories. In this blog post, we’ll go over all the different options to add music to Instagram Story, and we’ll share how to troubleshoot some of the common issues that come up along the way.

Instagram stickers

Instagram music is a story sticker that allows you to add music to your Instagram story. The Instagram music sticker is available on iOS and Android devices, but not in every country.

So, before we dive into the different options for adding music to Instagram stories, let’s look at Instagram stickers. 

Instagram stickers are drawings or interactive buttons that you can add to your Story. Instagram has 2 types of stickers:

1. Animated GIF Stickers
2. Interactive Stickers (which your followers can tap and interact with)

To see Instagram story stickers:

• Open your Instagram story
• You should upload or take a photo or video
• Tap the “Smiley” button
• You will see the “Stickers” screen

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What is an Instagram music sticker

Instagram Stickers are additional features you can add to make your stories more interactive. It’s an easy way to add 15-second audio clips to your stories by accessing a library with thousands of songs. Whether it’s your favourite pop song or a soundtrack from your favourite movie, the choice is yours!

Which countries have Instagram music?

When Instagram launched this music on Instagram stories feature in 2018, it was only available in certain countries. Since then, Instagram has made this feature available in more countries and regions.

As of May 2022, Instagram music is available in 60 countries, including New Zealand, France, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Sweden, the US, Canada, Italy and UK.

How to add music to Instagram Stories with a sticker

Access the sticker library on your Instagram story and you’ll see a music sticker!

• Tap this to open the entire library of songs now at your fingertips.

The app lets you search by keyword, mood, genre or what’s trending right now. Make sure you hit the play button to sample before choosing your track.

• You can browse through the song as shown below to make your selection.

• If you are adding a piece to a still photo or image, you can choose how long to play the music selection by setting the length of your story.

Many songs have lyrics and are automatically opened when saved in the app. You can choose from four different lyric styles to add a little character.

And finally, you can choose what kind of album sticker you want.

Since the songs are up to 15 seconds long, it’s important to choose the part that best fits your Story’s content (or your favourite lyrics).

Fortunately, Instagram’s music stickers automatically start with the song’s chorus to help you use the part of the song you’re more likely to prefer. As a result, you don’t need to spend a lot of time searching for the perfect part of the song. Instagram has you covered.

Remember that the selected song will play automatically when your followers view your Instagram story, so make sure to pick the best part!

How to add music lyrics to Instagram Story

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to add a song’s lyrics to your stories, don’t worry. Below are instructions on how to find and use this editing feature:

• Open the Instagram app.
• Press the Story icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
• Upload your Story or shoot with the Story camera by swiping up to access your Camera Roll.
• Press the Music sticker button.
• Find the song you want to use.
• Tap the song and add it to your story.
• Press the letter button directly on the music player and swipe left to see more font options.
• Select the font you want to use.
• Press Done.
• Press the Your Story button in the lower-left corner of the screen.
  

That’s it! Your story is now posted with the lyrics.

How to hide the music sticker on Instagram stories

Often, Instagram stories are created on a whim and there is no time to carefully shoot and edit them, especially when creating them just for fun. If you don’t like the Instagram music sticker that blocks your story, you can hide it so that it becomes invisible.

After capturing or selecting a picture or a video from your gallery, you will see the preview screen. On this screen, you can define the look and feel of the story. You can add hashtags, edit titles, apply filters and place stickers. Tap the Stickers button at the top to bring up the Stickers tray.

Search for music in the search bar and the Music sticker will appear. Tap on it and you will get an option to choose a song.

After choosing a song, you have the option to trim any part of the story you want. While the lyrics seem okay and sometimes complete the story, you can hide them completely. Select the regular label and tap Done.

Now pinch to reduce the size of the sticker and drag upwards until it is off the screen. You will see that the music continues to play but the sticker is completely hidden.

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How to edit the music sticker on Instagram Story

You can only edit your music before publishing your Instagram story. So, once you’re happy with your song selection, you can fast forward and rewind the song to pick the part that fits your story perfectly. If the lyrics of the song you selected are available, they should appear on your screen.

After that, you can choose different designs and fonts and edit which part of the song you want to play. When your followers watch your story, they can press the lyrics to learn more about the artist or listen to the song.

Finally, you can customise the look of the sticker by tapping the sticker before publishing it. Now you’re ready to post on Instagram stories. As usual, you can add GIFs, polls and even hashtags. Next, tap the “Your Story” button at the bottom of your screen and you’re all set!

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How to add music to Instagram Story without a sticker

1) Add music from Apple Music to Instagram stories

• Sharing your Instagram story from Apple Music is simple. If the song is currently playing, tap the three dots (•••), then select “Share”. If the song is not playing, long press or tap the 3D track.

• After that, select “Share Song”. In both cases, you will see the same share screen.

• Now, browse the application row, then tap Instagram. If you don’t see the app you want here, scroll to the end, tap ‘More’, then select the app under ‘Suggestions’.

• Tap on the app and Apple Music will automatically be added to your story draft.

If this is your first time using this feature, Apple Music will prompt you to launch the said app. Tap “Open” and iOS will launch the app and the story editor with the song you selected.

The background colours will match the album artwork and create a great effect to match the mood of the song. But the song itself does not play. Instead, friends can tap the picture to launch Apple Music on their devices.

2) Add a song from Spotify to Instagram Story

1. First, you should open Spotify and play a song.

2. Tap on the Share button and select the Instagram app on the share page. When you do this, Spotify will create a story for you in the Instagram app.

3. Tap Your Story at the bottom to share stories.

Such stories have interactive text above the story being read. Essentially, people viewing your story can listen to the entire song by clicking the text in the same music streaming app.

3) Add a song to your Instagram Story from SoundCloud

With this update, you don’t need to take screenshots from SoundCloud and post them on Instagram. Instead, you can use the new option built right into the SoundCloud app to share SoundCloud song links to Instagram stories. Here’s how.

1. Open the SoundCloud app and navigate to the song you want.

2. Next, push on the share button and select it to Instagram Stories.

3. With this, you will be redirected to Instagram Stories and the song or album art will be set as the background. However, there is a sticker with the SoundCloud logo and the name of the song.

4. Then, if you wish, you can make edits such as adding stickers such as text, hashtags, and Polls to your story, and finally send it to your story. That’s all you have to do!

Viewers will need to tap Play on SoundCloud at the top and select Open SoundCloud to listen to that track on SoundCloud. This means it only adds a link to the songs, not the actual song itself.

Therefore, users need to step away from Instagram to listen to the songs. Also, if the SoundCloud app is not installed, the song will open in your smartphone’s browser and play smoothly.

4) Add a song to your Instagram Story from Shazam

1. First open the Shazam app and make sure it is linked to your Instagram account.

2. Then hold your phone to the screen while watching an Instagram story and wait for the Shazam logo to appear.

3. Once it does, release your finger and the song will start to play.

How to use third-party apps for Instagram music?

Most third-party apps today let you add custom music to videos. And if you install the right app, you might also find some free-for-use music to add to your Instagram stories.

1) Storybeat

 Firstly, you can create eye-catching stories, add music to your photos or videos and share on Instagram by using Storybeat.

This app helps you add music to your Instagram stories regardless of your current location.

2) InStories

You can create original Instagram stories and add music to them with InStories. The app has an unlimited music library like iTunes preview tracks, InStories personal compilation and themed sounds etc.

Why can’t I add music to my Instagram Story?

There are several reasons why you might have trouble adding music to your Instagram story:

• If you can’t find the music sticker in your Stories, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling your Instagram app. Sometimes all it takes to bring your music feature back is a quick update.
  
• If you reinstall the app and there are still no stickers, it may be because your country is not on the list to access music for Instagram stories.

As we mentioned before, the feature is only available in 60 countries. If your country is not listed, you can use ClearVPN, which has an “Instagram Music Unlock shortcut” option.

Press this shortcut and ClearVPN will connect your iPhone to the IP of a country where Instagram music stickers are available.

Instagram Music Isn’t Available in Your Region: How to Fix It

Due to copyright infringement or piracy issues, Instagram needs a license to play music. The platform implemented this feature after Facebook. Instagram has a deal with Sony Music, Universal Music, and Warner Music Group to add songs to videos.

 In regions where the feature is not available, there are a few legal procedures to follow as there is no universal law regarding copyright and piracy. The global rollout of the feature may take some time.

 Currently, the feature is only available in seven countries: Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. Fortunately, there is an alternative that lets you not only listen to other people’s musical stories but even create one.

Let’s look at how you can do it.

How to use a VPN For Instagram Stories music

Before getting a VPN, you need to delete the Instagram app from your device. It is very important to delete your Instagram app as the app detects your current location when you run the app for the first time.

• After uninstalling the app, you must activate the VPN.
• Once your VPN is working, go to Google Play or App Store and reinstall Instagram.
• After completing the installation, log in to your Instagram account, and the music sticker feature should be available.

Happy Instagramming! Enjoyed this post? Here are some more useful Instagram resources to check out:

• How to Repost on Instagram (Posts, Stories, Reels)
• Top 10 Tips for Instagram Growth for Small Businesses
• How to Post on Instagram from PC (Windows and Mac)

The post How to Add Music to Instagram Stories: 7 Ways to Do It appeared first on Hopper HQ.

In a world where we instinctually reject a lot of advertising (‘Skip Ad’ on YouTube) and even pay to not be marketed to (Spotify Premium) — Instagram Stories offer a saving grace.

It’s like a conveyor belt of consumption: you get on it by innocently clicking on a photo of your friend’s dinner. Before you know it you’ve tapped through 30 people’s Instagram Stories, watched 5 adverts, swiped up to see links from influencers’ wardrobes, and you’re not sure where the last 20 minutes of your life went.

Once you’re on the conveyor belt, it’s hard to get off.

The addictive design of Instagram Stories has us stuck viewing them for longer than we ever plan to. We don’t know what’s coming up next, and it’s easy to keep clicking through rather than exiting.

I’m not basing this on my personal experience alone. Instagram Business insights show you how many people clicked forward on to the next Story from yours, and how many left the conveyor belt. Looking at Hopper HQ’s account, on average 80% of users ‘Forward Tap’ through Instagram Stories rather than ‘Exit’, proving that people like to stay on for the ride.

Instagram Stories therefore lock users into watching things they didn’t even know they wanted to, which is why it’s the perfect place for businesses to be. Don’t believe us? Check out this infographic for 30 amazing business case studies!

Without further ado, here are 14 things you can start doing on Instagram Stories now to raise your brand’s profile, grow engagement and convert more customers!

Instagram Stories lock users into watching things they didn’t even know they wanted to, which is why it’s the perfect place for businesses to be!
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P.S for more tips for your business Instagram account, check out:
 How To Create A Winning Instagram Marketing Strategy 

Contents:
1. Announcements
2. Collaborations 
3. Highlights 
4. Polls 
5. Questions 
6. Reaction Slider 
7. Countdown 
8. Links 
9. Templates 
10. Location Stickers 
11. Hashtag Stickers #⃣
12. ‘New Post’ 
13. Contests 
14. Live 

1) Announcements

Due to the instant nature of Instagram Stories, they’re a great way to share company announcements such as new products, new staff members and general updates!

These moments are a brilliant opportunity to post behind-the-scenes footage of the company that wouldn’t necessarily earn a spot on your main profile. Your followers will feel like they’re privy to the latest info, as well as getting to know you and the business. You can add multiple photos to your Instagram Story to make it more engaging for your followers.

These personal insights could be anything from packaging a new product to playing a prank on a colleague. They will help convey the human side of your company, and consequently boost brand awareness and engagement!

            
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2) Collaborations

Instagram Stories offer a great way for brands and influencers to collaborate!

You can team up with a relevant business you think your followers could benefit from getting to know, or perhaps a customer who happens to be an influencer. I’ll give you an example…

Content curators Quuu are a start-up operating in a fully remote team, and so their Instagram account concentrates on all aspects of remote work and co-working!

During the month of February, Hopper HQ were working remotely from Thailand, and we saw a great opportunity for a collaboration. We prepared ‘A Day In The Life Of A Remote Team’ to feature on their profile, and their team put together a series of video tips for staying productive while working remotely, which we posted on our Story.

This gave both businesses some new exposure, and was generally a lot of fun to produce! Similarly, we could’ve posted a Q&A interview with Quuu, or mutually shouted out/promoted one another.

Just a heads up, some of these kinds of collaborations might be paid for, particularly if they involve influencers! Even so, there’s loads of different ways you could collaborate over Instagram Story, so think about how your business could benefit from it.

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3) Story Highlights

Instagram Story Highlights have been a game changer since they were released in December 2017.

For regular users they act as a personal show reel of ‘best bits’. But for brands, being able to pin Stories to the top of your profile essentially acts as an extension of your bio.

As a business you can utilise highlights to tell people that land on your page who you are, what you do and why you do it, as well as displaying your product or service! Create Stories for the purpose of being Highlights, with an eye catching cover they’ll transform your Instagram page into a brochure!

These are both great examples of companies utilising Highlights in their Instagram marketing! They have attention grabbing covers, and provide so much more content for users to look through, ultimately keeping people on their page for longer.

4) Polls

Gone are the days of boring customer questionnaires, get your answers with just a tap!

Using polls in your Instagram Stories is a great way to drive interaction with your followers. You can use them for market research, customer feedback, or just to get to know your audience and have a bit of fun!

The possibilities with polls are endless, and it’s possible to think of highly relevant creative campaigns specific to your brand or target demographic!

For example, Swell (whose Instagram game is fantastic – check them out) have used polls to share important information with their audience in the form of a quiz:

We think brand client interaction on Stories is a trend that will only get bigger! As Instagram keep releasing features to encourage real conversation and brand loyalty. Bringing us on to our next suggestion…

5) Questions

The questions sticker made it possible for brands to invite their audience to ask them any burning questions, as well as ask their audience questions themselves!

This is such a great feature for building a community and encouraging customer interaction. By showing they care about their customers opinion, and also that they’re present to answer questions positions a brand as reliable, human, and kind — which in turn engenders customer loyalty!

Here are two different examples of how to use the questions sticker on Stories, either open forum, or specific feedback:

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6) Reaction Slider

A fun addition to Instagram Stories, allowing users to respond to the content of your Stories. ]

Interactions on Instagram Stories all feed back to the algorithm about how good content is and how engaged users are with it. It’s therefore a good tactic for brands to use reaction sliders to boost their engagement rate!

Most of the time, brands use this feature with heart eyes, to gage how much their audience like a product. However, there are many creative ways to utilise the slider on your Instagram Stories, check out the example below from Colour Pop Cosmetics:

7) Countdown

A recent addition to Instagram Stories, the countdown sticker is a great feature for brands to promote competitions, sales, and announcements.

Users can set reminders for the countdown deadline, and brands receive this data so they know exactly how many (and which) of their audience are most engaged!

This data is another great feature for helping build community, and we can see Instagram continuing to develop these kinds of features in 2022.

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8) Links

 Sadly, this feature is currently only available for accounts with 10k followers or more.

If you belong to that lucky group of businesses, then you get to include external links in your Instagram Stories!

As we all know, Instagram doesn’t allow functioning links anywhere but the bio (they’re trying to keep us on their app, and it’s working) so to have them in Stories is a serious bonus. The link will redirect users to a browser within Instagram, meaning when you cross off you’ll pick up right where you left off.

Make the most of this feature by including clear call to actions in your Stories: ‘SHOP SALE NOW’, ‘START FREE TRIAL’, ‘BOOK TODAY’ so people know where they’re heading when they ‘Swipe Up’.

9) Story Templates

You might have noticed an emergence of Story Templates being used by influencers and on-trend brands on Instagram Stories last year. These are nicely designed templates that can be screenshotted and completed by users, predominantly so their followers can get to know them. For example:

As you can see, these templates are branded by the influencer who designed them. When their followers screenshot them and fill them in on their own Instagram Stories, they are essentially doing their marketing for them.

There is a great opportunity for brands to get involved here! Think about your target audience and the things that they engage with. Then make a Story Template in your company branding for them to complete and share. Fill it in yourself too, as it’s a great way to give your followers some more information about your business or company culture.

 Anyone who makes a template off the back of this blog, I’d love to see them! Drop me a tweet (@Nicola_HHQ) or send them direct to @hopper_hq on Instagram!

10) Location Stickers

Instagram is all about community and bringing people together over shared interests. Increase the discoverability of your Instagram Stories by always tagging locations!

They will be added to that location’s official Story, and therefore people that don’t follow you will be able to watch them. Such a quick and simple trick that will get you far more impressions on your Stories.

11) Hashtag Stickers #⃣

Similarly, hashtags in Instagram Stories work to the same effect, meaning that your Story will be added to a larger Story compiling every Story using that hashtag (that was a mouthful).

Do your research on which hashtags are most used by your target audience and your competitors and include these in your Stories! Check out our All In One Guide To Instagram Hashtags for more info on hashtag strategy!

Instagram is all about bringing people together over a shared interest
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12) ‘New Post’

Due to the current workings of the Instagram Algorithm, it matters how fast your Instagram posts get engagement (read more here). As a result, more and more users have begun promoting their most recent post on their Instagram Stories, usually blocking out the thumbnail to entice people to click on to their profile to see it.

Those with over 10k followers can link to the post with a CTA to ‘Swipe Up To Like’, encouraging higher and faster engagement. This trick must be working from the huge amount of accounts doing it right now, so go give it a try on your business Instagram!

            

13) Contests

Got a great product or service to give away? Create a bit of buzz by hosting a contest on your brand’s Instagram Story!

The good thing with hosting competitions over Stories is that there’s only 24 hours to enter, creating a sense of urgency for your followers. Photograph or video the prize and include rules for entering, i.e ‘reply to this Story with your email address to enter’. You can then collate all the data to randomly pick a winner after the competition has ended!

You can also use Instagram Stories to promote a competition being run on your main profile! As a result of the current algorithm, many of your followers might not see a post announcing a giveaway.

Use Stories to tell your followers and push them in the right direction to enter! Using hashtags such as #giveaway,  #contest and #competition will make your Story discoverable to people that don’t follow you, and therefore increase your reach!

14) Live

Instagram Live offers a great way for businesses to drive engagement! Prepare for it in advance so you can let your followers know it will be happening and promote it elsewhere.

The more viewers and engagement your Live video gets, the more likely it is to be featured in ‘Top live’ on the Explore page, so it’s good to try and get as many people tuned in as possible. This will also give you and your colleagues time to plan what you’ll be doing and saying during the live stream!

If you’re wondering what kinds of things your business could use Live for, the possibilities are endless! Many brands use Live to unveil new products or features, document events, film interviews, hold Q&As with their followers or offer limited-time discounts.

Instagram are trying to push Live to become the next big thing, so they help promote it by notifying your followers that you’ve started a live stream. Live videos also hold pride of place at the top of the Stories bar! This means your video will be the first thing people see when they get on the Story conveyor belt.

Parting Words

With over 300 million people on the Instagram Story conveyor belt every day, it’s a no-brainer to include in your social media marketing strategy. Utilise the temporary and laid-back nature of Stories to show off how awesome your company and product/service is!

Happy posting

 Do you use Stories in any other ways? I’d love to hear about what works for your business! Leave a comment or tweet me @Nicola_HHQ!

Utilise the temporary and laid-back nature of Instagram Stories to share how awesome your company is!
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The post 14 Brilliant Ways To Use Instagram Stories For Business appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Inspired by Snapchat’s ephemeral content format, Stories gives Instagram users the ability to post photos and videos that disappear in 24 hours. 

Today, it is one of the stickiest features on the Instagram app. It is estimated that nearly half a billion users interact with Instagram Stories every single day. This gives businesses a terrific platform to market their products and be seen.

You may, for instance, tag your products from within an Instagram Story that your followers can click and buy. You could use stickers to organize a pop quiz, or a survey, ask questions, add a countdown timer, display the current time, and so on.

Business users can also include a swipe-up link on their Story that takes users to their product page.

But having said that, Instagram Stories can be a little confusing for the first-time user. There are a number of different icons and terms that can be intimidating. 

This article will make it all easy for you. You will not only learn how to add multiple photos to Instagram Stories but also learn what these different icons do. 

Let’s get started. 

How To Post An Instagram Story

Before adding multiple pictures on Instagram Story, you need to first learn to post one!

This is where Stories posted by everyone else you follow get shown.

There are three ways to open the ‘New Post’ window to post your own Instagram Story. 

Option 1: Tap on the + sign at the top left of the Instagram app. 

When you do this, you will launch the ‘New Post’ window from where you may pick ‘Story’ from among the different posting options you see at the bottom of the screen. 

Other posting options you will see here include ‘Post’, Reels’, and ‘Live’. 

Option 2: I showed you where the Stories from all the other people you follow get posted. Here, the first icon you see will be your own profile pic with the text ‘Your Story’ below it. 

Tap on this image and you will end up on the same ‘New Post’ window as earlier. 

Option 3: This is the easiest alternative. While on the homescreen of Instagram, swipe left to reach the ‘New Post’ window.

How To Add Multiple Pictures To Instagram Story

Step 1: Once you are on the Instagram “New Post” window, scroll through the options to the bottom of the screen to pick ‘Story’. 

Step 2: Tap on the image you see at the bottom-left of the app screen. 

Step 3: You will now see images from your gallery. Tap on the option on the top-right of the screen. Sometimes, you will also have the text ‘Select Multiple’ displayed here. 

Step 4: You will now be able to pick as many images as you would like from your Gallery. Tap on the ‘Next’ button once you are done. 

Step 5: You are now shown the different stickers you could add to your Story. Swipe up on this screen to view all the different options. 

Once you have added your sticker, tap on the ‘Next’ button to continue. 

Step 6: Instagram will now display a list of your followers you can send the Story to. But if you want to make a public Story, simply tap ‘Share’. Tap on ‘Done’ to publish. 

There you have it. You can now add more than one photo to your Instagram Story.

There are however times when you do not have the photos you want to share on your Gallery. 

What if you want to snap several new photos right from the Instagram app and share them as a Story?

One way to directly add multiple photos to your Instagram Story from a camera is to use the ‘Layout’ option. 

Add multiple pictures using the “Layout” option

Step 1: Launch the ‘New Post’ window by tapping on the ‘+’ icon at the top of your screen (or any of the other methods described earlier)

Step 2: Tap on the ‘Layout’ icon on the left side of the screen. 

Step 3: Instagram will now provide you with different grid options to choose from. Pick from any of the alternatives by scrolling up or down.

Step 4: You may now capture photos one at a time and they get added into your Instagram Story. 

At present, you may capture up to 6 photos in one layout. 

This is not the only way to post several photos in an Instagram Story though. There are several other ways for users to showcase multiple photos within a Story. 

All these different options can be accessed on the left part of the screen from where you accessed the Layout option. 

[Quick note: Instagram offers the ability to push these sets of options to the right side of the screen. So, depending on your settings, you might be seeing them on the right side]

Boomerang on Instagram

Instagram’s Boomerang feature lets you capture a burst of photos in quick succession and show them in a fun GIF-like format. 

What’s the point? Well, if you are at a racing event, or at a New Year party, you may want to capture a burst of photos and show them in a single Story. 

It’s a little quirky and users seem to love it. 

Multi-Capture on Instagram

This is the classic way to add multiple photos from your camera to your Instagram Story. Once you have launched multi-capture, simply start snapping photos. They get added to your Story in succession. 

Instagram’s Multiple-Capture feature lets you add up to 8 photos at a time. 

Photobooth on Instagram

Photobooth is a feature that is similar to the photobooths you may have used at fairs. When you launch this feature, the app runs a 3-second countdown timer and then captures four photos one after the other. 

This is a nice feature for users who want to post multiple selfies to their Instagram Story. It may not hold a lot of value for business users on Instagram.

What’s the best way to put multiple pictures on Instagram Story?

So, as we have seen there are a number of different ways you can add more than one photo to your Instagram Story. Your choice ultimately depends on what you want to capture, and how you want to showcase it. 

Business users who want to showcase the latest deals may like the traditional option that we described early in this article. However, there are cases where you want to pick other options. For instance, someone at a trade fair may prefer the Boomerang or Multi-Capture option. 

Experiment with these different options and identify what works best under different settings. That’s the best way to maximize the use of Instagram Stories for your business. 

The post How To Put Multiple Pictures On Instagram Story appeared first on Hopper HQ.

In this ever-changing age of social media, we’re getting bored more easily, and want to digest information as quickly as possible. And so, the social media manager’s job gets harder with every new update and trend.

That’s why we’ve compiled the ultimate guide to producing epic Instagram content for your business or clients, and importantly, how it can help growth and drive sales!

Contents:

1. Strategy 
2. Themes 
3. Content Ideas 
4. User Generated Content 
5. Influencer Marketing 
6. Stories 

1. Let’s Talk Strategy 

Before we get to the exciting bit about making visually awesome Instagram content, first, we need to talk about the purpose of it.

Everyone likes a well-crafted post, but what is the objective behind it? If your marketing team spend hours a week creating Instagram content that gets loads of likes but drives no conversions, it might not be worth their time and resources.

When beginning the daunting task of writing an Instagram content marketing strategy, think about what the ideal business outcomes would be from the photos, videos, Stories and ads you’re planning to post. Often people come up with cool ideas for Instagram content, but struggle to apply a reason for them. They become attached to the idea and end up going ahead with it, hoping their audience find it as cool as they do (sound familiar?).

So the way I like to think about this process is by starting with why rather than what.

Let’s take an independent bakery as an example:

Why are they using Instagram for their business?

• To reach more potential customers
• Grow brand awareness
• Sell more bread and cakes

Therefore, what content should they posting?

• Photos/Stories/videos of their baking process to share a behind the scenes insight into the business
• Photos of impressive final products
• Photos/Stories of daily offers
• User-generated content from customers

Going through this quick process will ensure you’re putting business objectives at the heart of the Instagram content you’re posting. For more info and tips on the strategy side of Instagram marketing, check out our guide:

 How To Create A Winning Instagram Marketing Strategy

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2. Let’s get vis-u-al 

Once you feel organised, you can move on to the good stuff. Not only is consistency important with how often you’re posting, but also with what you’re posting. Business Instagram accounts are acting more and more like websites rather than just a place to post photos — so how can you keep people on your page? Start with finding your style and become recognisable!

In order to create a great Instagram theme, you have to think about what your images look like all together on your profile, rather than as single posts. Here are some great examples of different Instagram themes…

Consistent Colour Palette

A great way to create an attractive Instagram theme is to use a consistent colour palette throughout your feed! This might be through only choosing certain types of photos, or editing them using the same filter.

Hotel comparison giant Trivago is great at this:

The purple tones in their photos make their entire feed look cohesive and aesthetically pleasing, naturally encouraging new visitors to stay on their profile for longer.

Grid Patterns

Or you could think of your feed as a visual gallery, with each image linking to the one beside/above/below it. When a new user visits your page, you want them to be impressed with the overall aesthetic in order to keep them scrolling and exploring individual posts. You may have great captions on all your photos, but if nobody is clicking that far, they won’t help convert new users (remember your objectives!).

There are many different ways you could use a grid pattern. Adidas Originals uses each strip of 3 to focus on a particular product with a contrasting design, giving the feel of viewing different billboards as you scroll…

We do something similar on our own account at Hopper HQ, working in horizontal lines of the same colour palette, and vertical lines for the type of post…

Or you could follow Zara‘s suit and consistently use white borders for all Instagram content. These borders might be uniform in size and shape, or alternate depending on the content. There’s loads of photo editing apps that can add borders for you, notably Afterlight and Whitagram. This technique breaks the feed up and gives the impression of a catalogue, which is perfect for a clothing brand’s profile!

A checkerboard theme is another effective way to separate images and catch attention. The alternate tiles could be of different products, or taken from another viewpoint, like Shu Uemura does on their profile. This grid style also works nicely with text posts, such as quotes or facts, to break up the photos and videos.

Another option is splitting your image into 3, 6 or 9 parts and posting them in order to make the full image appear on your whole profile. This looks visually impressive (so long as all the parts are high resolution), however, due to Instagram’s home feed no longer being chronological, the different parts of the photo will appear as people are scrolling and might not make sense on their own.

I’d avoid doing your whole profile this way as a result, but it works nicely to make an announcement or unveil a new product, like Harmur did in the example below. If you’re going to do tiled posts like this, in your caption make sure to point people in the direction of your profile to see the whole image — this can be a great way of getting people to click through to your account!

Pulling off a themed Instagram account like the ones above requires consistency and organisation, which is why creating your brand guidelines in advance is really beneficial! The extra effort it may require will be worth the wow-factor that someone will get when they find your business’ page.

 TOP TIP

Use a grid planner like the one on Hopper HQ to see what your scheduled posts will look like on your Instagram feed once they’re published! This way you can play around in advance to get the perfect grid theme and feed aesthetic!

3. Instagram Content 

“But what should we actually be posting?!” I hear you cry.

This will be a key discussion in your strategy sessions, and also be dependent on your theme (if you have one, which we recommend you do). There’s many different angles to approach Instagram content from depending on your business, and it helps to consider things like:

• Tone — how humorous is your brand on Instagram?
• Influencer — do you work with influencers who’ll be creating content for you?
• Illustrations and graphics — or just photography?
• Stock images — or only original content?

If you’re shooting your own content, make sure you invest in a good-quality camera! It doesn’t even have to break the bank, with plenty of high quality affordable cameras available.

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Instagram Content for B2C Businesses

If your product or service is photographable, then that’s an obvious place to start.

All B2C businesses should have some form of Instagram content displaying what they’re selling. However, many companies go above and beyond their product to create a brand lifestyle on their Instagram account.

Here are few ideas and examples of Instagram content to B2C businesses — and you don’t have to be restricted to one kind, but mix and match as fits your brand and theme:

Straight Product Shots:

The original kind of Instagram content for brands! Sometimes simplicity is good. Whether you’re launching a new product, or keeping your best seller at the forefront of your audience’s minds, posting clean cut product shots are great on Instagram.

You can also great creative with composition and photography here. Make the most of flat lay shots, or photograph the product in various exciting settings. You’ll know what fits your brand best!

Check out David Kind eyewear for perfecting the clean and simple product shoot:

Company Ethos:

If your objectives of Instagram marketing are to increase brand awareness and customer loyalty, this could be a great strategy to steer your Instagram content.

In order to successfully sell your product, you first need to sell the business and what it stands for. Many B2C businesses use Instagram to promote their ethos and wider global issues they care about or are involved in. Whether it’s climate change, mental health or gender equality, be vocal about your company ethos in your Instagram content.

Sloppy Tunas sell swimwear from 100% recycled material, and their Instagram is not just full of photos of swimming shorts, but the story behind why they make them:

Memes:

Depending on your audience demographic, custom memes are a brilliant form of Instagram content for your business. Whether they’re funny or motivational, memes encourage engagement (‘tag a friend’) and are low-cost and quick to produce.

Not all Instagram themes lend themselves to text posts mixed with photography, which is something to bear in mind when considering this type of Instagram content. Take a look at Pretty Little Thing who are doing it well:

Lifestyle:

The reason influencer marketing works so well is because we don’t feel like ‘the brand’ is selling to us, but somebody approachable (who has a lovely feed to scroll through). Taking that trend on board, many businesses post Instagram content that makes their profile look more like a lifestyle blog than a shop window.

Using stock images, you can post images that your audience will relate to and enjoy without focusing on selling anything. This creates an affiliation and sense of loyalty with your brand which will increase sales in the long run.

See how candle makers Homesick do this with an image that will likely resonate with their audience (furnishings, home decor, pets) but does not feature their product or a sell in the caption:

Instagram Content for B2B Businesses

While Instagram naturally gears itself to the consumer market, that doesn’t mean B2B companies can’t gain a lot of value from the platform…

Information:

Many B2B businesses use Instagram to share useful information in the form of text and graphic posts. Whether it’s tips and tricks of the industry, relevant statistics or infographics, this is a staple Instagram content idea for SaaS businesses.

Check out how B2B content curators Quuu use carousel posts to share ideas and spark conversation with their audience:

Company Culture:

Another key driver of Instagram content for B2B businesses is recruitment. Documenting company lifestyle with behind-the-scenes insights and presenting a fun and human side to your business can be great for brand awareness and attracting potential new employees.

Evernote shares office shots and company events on their profile, using the hashtag #LifeAtEvernote to show the people behind their brand:

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Customer Appreciation:

Another good Instagram content strategy for B2B businesses is to shine a light on their customers by promoting or sharing their work. This nurtures the relationship with the existing client while portraying a good image to prospective ones.

At Hopper HQ we highlight businesses killing it on Instagram, and often feature our customers to build community and show our support:

No matter your business or industry, the key thing with deciding what Instagram content to post is to think about your target audience first and what matters to them . Don’t just guess, go and find out by speaking to customers so you can cater your Instagram content effectively.

For more Instagram content ideas, check out: Instagram Post Ideas: The Killer Content That Works

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4. User Generated Content 

Your customers can be your best marketers. Photos other people have posted on Instagram of your product, establishment or service make really valuable content. Keep an eye on your mentions and tags for any great snaps that would fit with your feed. Remember to ask permission to repost another user’s image — this could be through a friendly comment, a direct message, or a link to T&Cs which big companies like Airbnb have begun using.

(Starbucks go the extra mile by messaging AND commenting)

Another great way to generate and find customer Instagram content is by creating a brand hashtag, such as River Island’s #ImWearingRI. You can include this in your bio with a call to action for followers to ‘tag to be featured’ to easily keep track of UGC. However, this works best once you already have a bit of momentum. If you’re just getting started with your brand Instagram, it’s a great thing to have in place, but don’t expect a lot of results straight away!

You can also find user-generated content libraries online, such as Scop.io, which help you find high-quality images that are relevant to your audience!

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5. Influencer Marketing 

If you have a decent budget allocated to your Instagram content, you could also use influencer marketing. Instagram influencers are people with a highly engaged group of followers, who take notice of what they use and recommend. For example, if you follow a travel blogger for their great photos and funny captions, and they post about the best airplane pillow ever, you’re more inclined to remember the brand because you like and trust them. It’s good logic, but more and more influencers are finding it dishonest to authentically recommend a product they’re being paid to post about. You may have seen the following hashtags on product posts: ‘#ad’, ‘#spon’, ‘#paid’ and so on, which let followers know it has been funded by a brand. An update last year also allowed influencers to tag their posts as ‘Paid Partnerships’ with brands.

Despite this, influencer marketing is still very effective. The space has grown rapidly in the past couple of years, and as a result, these kinds of campaigns can cost a fair bit. If you have a smaller budget, it would be worth looking for micro influencers to promote your brand. These are people with less followers (1,000 – 10,000) but who have really good engagement on their posts.

Engagement = likes and comments ÷ number of followers

This percentage could be far higher on a smaller account than somebody with 100,000 followers, and it will cost a lot less! Reach out to them directly, or go through an influencer agency.

For all you need to know about instagram influencers, check out:

 A Simple Guide To Instagram Influencer Marketing in 2020 

6. Instagram Stories 

As I said at the beginning, we want to absorb Instagram content in the quickest, most visual way possible, so it’s no wonder the addictive thumb tapping of Instagram Stories has taken over so much of our time on the app.

400 million people use Stories every day. It is therefore a great place to market your business in a fun and approachable way. Unfortunately, the ‘swipe up to see link’ feature is restricted to business accounts with 10,000 followers or more, so if you fall below that you’ll have to think of more creative way to get people to convert.

Due to the temporary nature of Stories (24 hours), it’s possible to be more flexible with what you publish. It could be an outlet for more personal snaps and videos of your business, or a great place to offer daily deals and competitions. Instagram has made it even easier to do this by adding a text-only Story option, so you can share information quickly and easily without having to worry about a background image or video to post with it.

If you post a great Story that you never want to disappear, it can be added as a ‘Highlight’ on your profile. This is a really useful feature to save the best of your Stories, and gives new visitors more to explore on your profile:

Want some Story inspiration? Check out:

 14 Ridiculously Easy Ways To Use Instagram Stories For Your Business 

Parting Words 

Take your time thinking about how you can apply the points in this blog to your own Instagram content, and do some research! Find a competitor that’s excelling at digital marketing and assess the kind of Instagram content they post. Also see how they engage with people online, and importantly, what their audience is asking for, as they will be the same people you’re hoping to reach.

Happy posting!

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The post How To Produce Epic Instagram Content For Your Business appeared first on Hopper HQ.

A very familiar concept, Instagram Stories shares images and videos with followers in a showreel style form that only lasts for 24 hours.

When first playing with ‘Stories’ it appears that you can only capture live video and images to be posted. “How can I add any picture to my Instagram Story” quickly became the most asked question of Hopper users, rather excitingly here is the answer.

Stories has the ability to share any picture or video on your camera roll taken within the last 24 hours. Here’s how:

1) Open your Instagram add and click + to add a new story.

2) Instead of taking a live snap scroll your finger from the top of the screen down to slide down a gallery view.

3) Here you will see all photos and videos taken in the last 24 hours.

4) Select a photo and caption and edit as usual.

We hope this little tip helps, Happy Gramming!

Team Hopper HQ

The post Add Any Photo or Video to Your Instagram Stories appeared first on Hopper HQ.