What Are Instagram Stories? Everything You Need To Know

Instagram Stories are colorful, full-screen photos and videos that appear at the top of your feed, designed to capture authentic moments throughout your day. Unlike permanent grid posts, Stories provide a low-pressure way to connect with followers through content that disappears after 24 hours.

In this article, you'll discover how to create Instagram Stories that boost your following. 

What Are Instagram Stories? 

Instagram Stories are a casual way to share photos, videos, and other forms of content without permanently adding to your profile grid. They appear at the top of the feed for 24 hours, and when you upload a new Story, a colorful ring surrounds your profile picture. Many people include interactive features like polls and music in their Stories to boost engagement.

How To Post an Instagram Story

Follow these steps to upload a Story to your profile:

• Open Instagram — Access the Story feature by swiping left or tapping the plus button at the bottom of the home screen.
• Create or select your Story — Click the white circular button at the bottom of the screen to take a picture or record a video. To upload content from your camera roll instead, swipe up.
• Enhance your Story with customizations — Add personal touches like filters, stickers, and GIFs to your post. Even better, use Captions’ Instagram Story Maker to access premade templates and customize each post to suit your brand.
• Share — Once you finish, tap "Your Story" to upload your content.

10 Types of Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are more than just pictures and videos — here are 10 additional formats that make this feature great.

1. Boomerangs 

Boomerangs are short, looping videos that run for one to two seconds. When creating one, you can customize the speed and style like so: 

• Slow-mo — Halves the speed of the original clip.
• Echo — Inserts a motion blur on each frame.
• Duo — Adds a rewinding and glitchy effect to the post.

Creators often use this format to share a quick moment in their lives, such as a friend backflipping or a group of people toasting drinks.

2. Live Videos 

Live videos broadcast your footage in real time, letting you interact with followers while you record. To use this feature: 

• Navigate to your feed — Tap the plus sign at the bottom center of your screen. 
• Record — Click "Live" on the bottom right. 
• Finish the stream — End your livestream, and then choose whether or not to save the footage.
  

3. Different Layouts

By default, Instagram uploads Stories in full screen. However, you can change this layout by selecting a grid to create posts featuring two, three, four, or six photos. 

While editing your Story, just tap “Layout” to access this feature. It’s a great option for showing off vacation highlights, product sneak peeks, and event recaps.

4. Dual Camera

The dual camera function lets you simultaneously record video using your phone’s front and back camera. To access it:

• Navigate to your feed — Tap the plus sign at the bottom of your screen. 
• Customize your settings — Click "Story," then select the camera option. 

Start filming — Choose "Dual Camera" and record.

5. Hands-Free 

A hands-free Instagram Story lets you record video without holding the button down. Once you enable this feature, your phone will start a short countdown timer before recording footage. This is especially useful for filming activities like cooking a meal or sharing a workout routine.

6. Polls and Questions Stories

Polls let you ask a question and provide four options for answers, while questions offer a blank space for audience answers. Both features help you interact with your audience and understand their interests better. 

A common way to use these features is to ask viewers what kind of content they want to see in the future. For instance, run a poll with four potential video ideas or upload a question field asking what color to dye your hair next.

7. Stickers, GIFs, and Music

Using dynamic elements like stickers, GIFs, and music is a quick way to liven up your Stories. Head to the square smiley face in the corner to find the perfect additions to your posts. Search for trending sounds in the audio library, as the algorithm may promote posts featuring these songs.

To make personalized royalty-free sounds for each upload, try Captions. We’ve partnered with multiple generative AI brands to bring you the best in audio customization. Simply upload your footage, choose the model you want to use, and input a prompt — no professional mixing skills required. 

8. Order Stickers

If you’re selling a product or service, tell people about it using Instagram’s customizable shopping stickers. Input details like your item’s description and price, and the platform will include this sticker in your Story. Any time viewers tap it, you’ll receive an order request. This turns shopping into a single-click experience, which may increase your overall sales. 

9. Links

To drive traffic to your website or other social media handles, link to them in your Instagram Stories. The easiest way to do this is through stickers — find the link option, paste your URL, and then customize the text. Browsers will head directly to the page without leaving the app.

10. Close Friends

To share your Story with select followers, choose the “Close Friends” toggle before posting. Add or remove people from this list in your profile settings. 

Content creators primarily use this tool to share exclusive content with a select group of loyal followers or subscribers. It’s great for uploading sneak peeks, testing new content ideas, and sharing personal life updates.

How To Use Instagram Story Highlights

Although Stories typically disappear after 24 hours, you can save these posts in Highlights folders. These curated collections are a great way to introduce yourself to new followers and spotlight content you love.

Here’s how to make a new Highlight:

• Go to your profile page — Click “New” or “Story highlight.”
• Customize — Update your Highlight’s name.
• Save content — Pick the Stories you want to bookmark.
• Create the folder — Choose the cover photo and hit “Done.”

If you want to add content to an existing folder, follow these steps: 

• Open your profile — Select a collection and tap the three dots in the top right.
• Choose “Edit” — Update your Highlight’s name, then select which Stories you want to save.
• Finalize — Tap “Next,” then “Done.”

Tips for a Successful Instagram Story Strategy 

Below are some tips to improve your Instagram Story Strategy.

Post Frequently

The platform doesn’t limit how many Instagram Stories you can post per day, but it’s best to find a balance between uploading regularly and spamming content. For most creators, anywhere from one to seven Stories seems to be the sweet spot. This is enough to put your image back at the top of viewers’ feeds without dominating it and seeming too self-promotional.

Make Interactive Posts

Like all social media platforms, Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes uploads that get a lot of traction. One way to encourage more likes, shares, and clicks is by sharing interactive content, such as polls and challenges. 

These posts directly invite people to engage with your profile. High levels of activity tell the platform that people enjoy your uploads, so it’ll push these posts to a broader audience. 

Post Stories at Optimal Times

Connecting with your audience while they’re online increases the chances that they’ll see and engage with your content. To find out when most of your followers are online, check your analytics using Instagram Insights. Here, you’ll find which time zones your average follower lives in.

Another option is posting at specific times: 

• Before work — 7–8 a.m.
• During lunch — 12–3 p.m.
• After work — 3–6 p.m.

Create Engaging Instagram Stories With Captions 

With a great editing app, you'll never worry about creating dynamic Stories. Captions, an all-in-one creative studio, helps you make appealing Stories that boost your brand image. Our platform simplifies the video creation process, using AI to do everything from editing Instagram videos to generating subtitles. 

Stop spending hours refining footage — create Stories at scale with Captions.

FAQ

How Long Do Instagram Stories Stay Up?

Instagram Stories are only live for 24 hours. If you want access to that content for longer, you’ll need to save it to your Highlights folders.

Can You See How Many Times Someone Looks at Your Story?

The platform doesn’t track individual views in this way, but you can see a list of people who’ve looked at your Story at least once — just swipe up from the bottom of your Story.

What’s the Difference Between Instagram Reels and Stories? 

An Instagram Story is a temporary photo or video that disappears after 24 hours. It’s great for quick updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and interactive features like polls or Q&As.

A Reel is a short, edited video that stays on your profile unless deleted. It appears in your grid alongside image posts.