Want to look like a pro on Instagram?
There's more to it than creating attractive posts and captions for your follower's newsfeeds. You need to also take Instagram Stories into consideration. Upon first look, the customization options in Stories might look simple but with a little imagination you can create fun and creative posts to stand out.
Read on to step up your Instagram Stories with these 5 easy hacks.
Create solid colored backgrounds
Want to share a text-heavy message on Stories? Solid backgrounds are an easy way to stay on-brand and share messages to your followers.
Here are the steps to easily create solid backgrounds. First, take or select a photo. It won’t matter what it looks like since it will be covered with a solid color.
Select the draw tool on the top of the screen and leave it on the marker option.
Choose the color you want for the background. Tap and hold the screen for a few seconds and your screen will fill with the selected color!
Bonus tip: To get more than the pre-selected colors, tap on a color and hold it down to bring up color picker and choose your hue.
Create a translucent overlay on photos
Another option to use branded colors while still incorporating photography is creating a translucent overlay in your stories. This can add interesting textures and shadows to your Stories without the image being too distracting.
The steps are similar to the previous hack but let’s dive into the differences. First, take or select a photo. In this case, the photo does matter since it will still be peaking through the translucent color.
Select the draw tool on the top of the screen and then select the highlighter option.
Choose the color you want for the background. Tap and hold the screen for a few seconds and your screen will fill with the selected color but you should still be able to see the photo underneath.
Use the eraser tool to create more interesting photos
Flex your creative muscle and experiment with different ways to use the drawing tools.
Create a peek-a-boo image by erasing sections of a filled-in photo. Can be a great way to reveal new products or have your audience engage with your stories.
Another fun way to use the eraser tool is to create something that looks like an overlay effect like in the image below.
To get the look, take or select a photo from your camera roll. Choose the color and drawing tool of your choice and draw your design on your photo. Once you have a design you like, select the eraser tool and carefully erase the areas of your drawing to create the desired effect.
Create gradient rainbow text
Want to add even more color to your stories? Bring gradients and rainbows to your text with this fun hack.
To get started, have your image and text as you’d like it to look in your Story. (This is important because if you accidentally tap the text settings, you will lose the gradient you created.) Tap the text and choose 'Select All'. To get the rainbow effect, you will need to use both hands at the same time. With your left hand, hold down and drag the blue selector tool while holding down and dragging the color selector at the same time.
This might take a couple tries to get the hang of it and to achieve your desired look but the colorful end result is worth it!
Get more from the slider sticker
Add a twist to the slider engagement sticker—literally! Instead of leaving the slider horizontal to move left and right, use it as a scale like in the example below.
In order to get the most from a vertical slider, ask a question that could have a range of answers. Choose the arrow or pointing finger emoji to point at the answers and then type out your answer choices.
Get the basics of engaging Instagram stories for small businesses as well as 7 Instagram Story poll ideas.
Comments