Instagram Stories are a powerful tool for engaging your followers and growing your online presence. Understanding how to use various features of stories, including tapping back and forward, exits, and tips and tricks for creating more engaging content, can help you get the most out of your Stories. Read on to learn more about these features and how to use them to benefit your business.
This article is a part of our series: A Comprehensive Glossary of Instagram Terms
Previous article: Maximizing Total Engagement: Likes, Comments, and Shares
What Are Instagram Stories?
Instagram Stories are a type of post that are only visible to users for a limited amount of time. Each story is split up into multiple images or videos, which can range from short clips to longer narratives. You can share stories with your followers or use them to create targeted advertising campaigns to gain more exposure and reach a wider audience.
Instagram Stories also offer a range of creative tools to help you customize your posts. You can add text, stickers, and filters to your stories to make them stand out and draw attention. You can also use the “Highlights” feature to save your stories and keep them visible on your profile for longer.
How to Create an Instagram Story
Creating an Instagram story is simple and straightforward: first, tap on the ‘+’ icon and then select ‘Create Story’. You will then be taken to a page where you can upload photos or videos from your camera roll or shoot them directly from your phone. You can also add text and effects to your story as well as music from your library.
Once you have finished creating your story, you can share it with your followers by tapping the ‘Share’ button. You can also save your story to your camera roll or share it directly to other social media platforms. Additionally, you can also add your story to your Instagram profile for others to view.
How to Tap Back and Forward on an Instagram Story
Tapping back and forward on an Instagram story allows you to skip through the pieces of content you have created for the story. This is especially useful for creating longer stories with more pieces of content. To tap back and forward, simply slide your finger along the screen in either direction. All of these tap back’s and tap forwards can be tracked and analyzed to determine how specific stories are performing.
You can also use the arrows at the bottom of the screen to move back and forward. This is a great way to quickly navigate through your story without having to swipe your finger. Additionally, you can use the arrows to jump to a specific piece of content in your story.
How to Add Exits to an Instagram Story
Exits allow you to direct viewers to another page or profile once they have viewed your story, such as a link to buy a product you are promoting or to another page where they can find out more information. To add an exit to an Instagram Story, just tap the ‘+’ icon and select ‘Add exit’. You can then enter the URL for the page or profile you would like viewers to visit once they have finished viewing your story.
It is important to note that exits are only available to business accounts, so if you are using a personal account you will not be able to add exits to your stories. Additionally, you can only add one exit per story, so make sure you choose the most relevant link for your viewers.
Tips and Tricks for Creating Engaging Instagram Stories
Creating engaging Instagram stories takes practice and experimentation. Here are some tips and tricks to help you create more effective content:
- Use high-quality visuals in your story, such as photos, videos, and graphics.
- Add text and effects to each frame to draw attention and keep viewers engaged.
- Include music in your stories to add atmosphere.
- Provide relevant links so viewers can easily find out more information.
- Encourage viewer interaction by including questions and polls.
You can also use Instagram stories to promote your brand or products. Try to keep your stories short and to the point, and make sure to include a call to action at the end. This will help to drive more engagement and increase your reach.
How to Measure the Impact of Your Instagram Stories
It’s important to measure how your stories are performing in order to understand what works and what doesn’t. Instagram Insights can be used to track various metrics such as the number of views, interactions, and exits from each story. You can also use third-party analytics tools such as Iconosquare to view detailed reports on how your stories are performing.
It’s also important to consider the engagement rate of your stories. This metric is calculated by dividing the number of interactions (likes, comments, shares, etc.) by the number of views. This will give you an indication of how well your stories are resonating with your audience. Additionally, you can use the insights to compare the performance of different stories and identify which ones are performing the best.
Benefits of Using Instagram Stories for Your Business
Using Instagram Stories is a great way to engage with your followers and build brand recognition. You can use stories to showcase products or services, promote events, share stories from customers, introduce new products, highlight content from influencers, and more. Stories are also a great way to increase website traffic directly from Instagram, as they allow you to link out to other pages.
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, Instagram Stories can also be used to create polls and surveys to gain valuable insights from your followers. This can help you better understand your target audience and tailor your content to their needs. You can also use Stories to run contests and giveaways, which can help to increase engagement and build a loyal following.
Troubleshooting Tips for Instagram Stories
If you’re having trouble creating or viewing stories on Instagram, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:
- If you’re not seeing any stories at all, make sure you’re viewing the correct account by logging out of any other accounts.
- If you’re uploading stories but they’re not being saved, try removing any apps that could be interfering with the process (e.g., battery savers).
- If you’re still having issues viewings stories after trying both of the above steps, try restarting your device.
If none of these steps resolve the issue, contact Instagram support or submit a bug report.
If you’re having trouble with a specific story, try deleting and re-uploading it. This can often help to resolve any issues with the story. Additionally, make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app installed on your device.
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