What Is Instagram Story? Everything You Need to Know

How can you get more exposure on Instagram? That’s the question that many people ask themselves when using Instagram to promote their own business or brand.

While there are plenty of ways to do so, one of the best ways to get more exposure on Instagram is through creating and posting Instagram stories, which have recently received many updates that have made it much more powerful than they were before.

And in this article, we are going to learn and understand what Instagram story is all about as well as important facts including its benefits over using other platforms.

What is Instagram Story?

As you may already know, there are two different ways you can use Instagram. The first is your standard feed. This is where you view a chronological account of what people share and engage with on the app.

The second option is Stories. These are unique photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours and only appear in your feed if they’re liked or interacted with while they’re still available to view.

If this sounds confusing, don’t worry because we’ll go into more detail about what Stories are, how they work, and some other facts about Stories that may make them a good fit for your business.

Stories have become one of the most popular features on Instagram, used by hundreds of millions of people every day. It’s a great way to get creative with your posts without worrying about them going away forever.

In fact, many users prefer Stories over feeds because they’re able to better control their experience. Users can swipe through Stories individually as opposed to viewing everything chronologically. They also receive notifications when somebody likes or comments on their Story, which keeps the user coming back for more engagement time and time again.

Stories on Instagram can be created using any type of phone including iPhones, Android phones, Windows phones, and Blackberry devices.

What is Instagram Feed?

The Instagram feed is a list of posts that show up in chronological order on the right side of your profile.

If you’ve turned on the option for stories on Instagram, then your story will appear at the top of your feed instead.

Instastories are photos and videos with filters and doodles that disappear after 24 hours after their posting date.

They don’t require additional work from followers because they are not meant to be archived or saved as an image to be shared or shown again later. Some people may use other means unknown to us currently to save.

The Process and Important Facts

Download the Instagram app and create an account if you haven’t already, post a photo or video, and follow people.

Then use filters like Tilt-shift or Celeste to create artsy effects that make your photos and videos stand out. Once you’re done, hit the little square with two arrows in it at the bottom of your screen.

This will put it on your Instagram feed for all of your followers to see! Use this as another way to interact with them. Your followers can leave comments, and likes, or even send you direct messages within the story itself if they want something more personal from you.

These comments disappear after 24 hours, but many users still save their stories just in case they have someone who wants to comment on a specific picture.

If someone tags you in their story, click on their name and then the green tag button so that others who are following both of you can also see it.

In order to respond directly to someone’s story comment; go into their profile settings > scroll down > click comment under direct message.

How do you create an Instagram story?

To start your story, you just need to open the Instagram app. Tap on the plus icon from the upper right corner of the screen(this opens a drop-down menu such as post, story, reel, and live). Tap on the story.

If this is your first time or on a new device, you will be prompted with a pop-up to allow Instagram to access your camera and media as well as audio permission.

When you do this, you’ll be asked what type of media content you want to upload or add – whether it’s pictures or videos. You can choose pictures only, video only, picture & video, or looping videos.

After selecting which one you want to use, tap Next in the bottom right corner. Then either select an existing photo or video from your phone or take one with the built-in camera in order to create a new story.

Once you’ve selected the content for your story, double tap on the preview window in order to zoom out so that you can see what will appear once posted.

Now, give your story a name and write a caption before tapping on Post in the upper left-hand corner.

You can also share your stories directly on Facebook if you have your accounts linked together.

Who can see your stories on Instagram?

The people who follow you on Instagram can see your stories. For example, if someone follows you and likes your posts in their newsfeed, they will also be able to see your stories.

And if they don’t follow you but still want to see your story, then they can search for the hashtag that corresponds with the photo.

People are now doing so much more with their profiles; following each other, creating games and polls, and making a community out of an account.

Share memories by posting a video and letting followers know what’s happening in real-time. They can also like or react right there in the comments section!

It makes it easier to communicate with fans and make sure they are always up-to-date on everything going on in your life.

Can I edit my own stories on the app?

Yes! The app will remember what you’ve added as long as you try to edit the story within 24 hours.

You can add or delete photos and videos by tapping on the three dots in the top right corner of the post. If you want to revert back to a previous photo or video, tap and hold on it until a menu pops up with four options: Delete, Share Link, Add To Album, and Edit. Select edit if you want to change the image. Tap the blue circle button at the bottom of the screen for filters.

You’ll be able to choose from a number of different effects including black and white, sepia tone, or pastel. There are also lots of other editing tools available like cropping out part of the picture, adding text overlays (in case you want to write something), stickers, frames, drawing tools (to paint over your image), shapes, blurring filters (like bokeh!), textures, etc.

After selecting one of these editing tools, use two fingers to make adjustments on the screen. When finished making edits tap Done in the upper left-hand corner.

Can I set the time limit for my Insta story posts on my phone?

You can set your story post’s time limit by swiping left on the post and tapping on Set a duration.

After you select how long you want the story post to last, make sure you press Done. If you change your mind later on, go back into your story and tap on Edit for any posts that need a new time limit.

Remember that once you’ve set the length of a story post, it can’t be changed unless it expires or is deleted. You’ll have to delete the original story post before setting another one with a different duration.

How do I know if someone has read my stories on their own phone?

Yes! You’ll see this by tapping on your story or the story you’d want to check for. Swipe up to see insights and how many people view including their profile.

If someone finds interest in your story, they give it a like and comment. The problem with this metric is that many people are shy about commenting or liking posts (sometimes for cultural reasons).

Also, another best bet for tracking if someone saw your post is by targeting them with a direct message. Direct messages allow you to send individual messages to one person at a time, so you can ask if they saw your story.

In order to do this, tap on their profile picture in the app and select Send Message from the bottom of their screen. You can also create group chats to reach more people.

How do you delete an Instagram Story from your account entirely?

If you’ve realized that you don’t want an Instagram story anymore, but it’s still up on your profile, there is a way for you to delete it from your account.

The best way to do this is by following the steps below;

1) Open your Instagram app and make sure you’re logged in to your account.

2) Tap on your profile from the upper left corner of the screen.

3) Locate the story that you want to delete.

4) Below each story, there will be three dots with a ‘more’ in the corner on the right-hand side of each one. Press this button and wait for a pop-up with the delete written in red.

5) Tap Delete and press delete again from the final pop-up.

6) Now the photo or video has been deleted from your account! But you’ve chances of restoring if you’ve changed your mind until they’re permanently deleted.

The Benefits of Using Instagram Stories Over Other Social Media Platforms

In the world of social media, you might wonder what makes Instagram stories so different and why they are so important.

It’s important to understand that there are a lot of benefits when it comes to using this app for personal use or for business purposes.

No permanent posts! This is a fantastic way to provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of what your day is like or give an update on an event you are hosting.

It’s also a great way for businesses to show their followers what goes on behind the scenes.

Another fantastic benefit is that, unlike Facebook or Twitter, your entire following doesn’t have to be seeing every post in order for them all to see one post; as long as they follow you and swipe up on your story, they will be able to see it!

Plus, if they don’t want to watch your story live but still want to see it at some point, they can always replay it by tapping the screen

Another great thing about using stories is that it is a visual medium. Since users typically only view content from accounts they are following, your followers will see what you post on your story without having to search for it.

This means that your audience is more likely to see everything you post! And even if you don’t want all of your followers to see everything, you can always adjust your settings so only specific people can see your story.