Instagram Stories have been found to be hugely useful not only for sharing moments, but also for interacting with the audience, and brand development. There are more than 500 million people using Instagram Stories every day and they became popular and relevant for both – personal and business accounts. Nonetheless, there are many features which the majority of people ignore and which can improve the usage and make the page more distinguished.
Now let’s dive into this article to discover the 5 lesser-known features of Instagram Stories that can help you take your social media game to the next level.
1. Hidden Color Palettes for Text and Drawings
While Instagram provides a standard set of colors for text and drawings, there’s a way to unlock a broader color palette to better match your brand’s aesthetic. Here’s how to access it:
- Tap on the drawing tool or text option.
- Hold down any of the default color options at the bottom of the screen.
- A hidden gradient color palette will appear, allowing you to choose from a wider range of shades.
This feature is especially useful for users wanting to maintain a cohesive color scheme on their Stories or create unique visuals that align with their personal or brand identity.
2. Swipe-Up Links for Everyone (Via IGTV)
Traditionally, the swipe-up feature in Stories was reserved for users with more than 10,000 followers. However, Instagram offers a workaround through IGTV that allows anyone to use swipe-up links regardless of follower count:
- Create an IGTV video with a call to action (CTA).
- Share the video to your Story.
- Add a “Swipe-Up” link directing viewers to your IGTV video.
This is an excellent way for smaller accounts or those still growing their follower base to drive traffic to external websites, e-commerce stores, or other platforms.
For marketers and brands, leveraging this feature can drive significant engagement. For example, if you’re a digital marketer looking to showcase the latest tools for social media, linking to valuable resources through your Stories can be a game changer. A great resource for evaluating such tools is SocialMarketing90, a platform that reviews and tests the best digital marketing tools. They provide insights on how to maximize your social media strategies, which can be extremely helpful for brands looking to elevate their Instagram presence.
3. Interactive Polls and Quizzes to Boost Engagement
Various polls and quizzes aren’t something new for Instagram Stories, but their role in boosting engagement is underestimated, as a rule. Such features can help you shall your followers respond more willingly, hence boosting the general engagement and visibility. Policies can be used to look at people’s choices, attitudes or even ideas about certain products or content to create.
For the business institutions, conducting polls on a new product or a new idea is a perfect way of getting immediate feedback from the customers. For influencers, any kind of quizzes that are associated with your content niche will indeed let you have a treasured bond with your followers. These are amongst the most basic and yet rather helpful tricks that will help you make your Stories more appealing to the viewers.
4. Close Friends List for Exclusive Stories
Not every Story needs to be shared with all your followers. The Close Friends feature allows you to create a selective audience for more personal or exclusive content. Whether you’re sharing sneak peeks of a product launch, behind-the-scenes footage, or special offers, this feature is perfect for creating a sense of exclusivity.
Here’s how to use it:
- Go to your profile and tap the menu icon.
- Select “Close Friends.”
- Add the people you want to your Close Friends list.
Once set, you can choose to share Stories with just your Close Friends, allowing for more intimate interactions and targeted content. This can also help cultivate a loyal following by providing exclusive content to your most engaged followers.
5. Custom GIFs and Stickers with Giphy
Instagram’s library of GIFs and stickers is vast, but did you know you can upload your own custom GIFs to use in Stories? This feature is especially valuable for brands looking to add a personal touch to their Stories content. Through a partnership with Giphy, Instagram allows you to submit branded GIFs that can be used by your followers.
To create your own custom GIFs:
- Design your GIF using graphic design software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop).
- Upload your GIF to Giphy, making sure it’s tagged properly.
- Once approved, your GIF will be available to use directly within Instagram Stories.
This feature allows brands and creators to maintain consistent branding across their Stories while also providing followers with fun, shareable content.
Conclusion
But besides the fact that Instagram Stories are an extension of the main application that was initially conceived as a place to share photos and videos, Instagram Stories contain numerous features hidden beyond their surface. To properly engage your target audience it helps to exploit these hidden features in order to create content that is more visually appealing and probably more interactive.
From using the color palette for hidden colors to using swipe up through IGTV to using polls and quizzes within Instagram Stories, these secret features put you in the spotlight in an overcrowded market. To brands and marketers, using these tools is very helpful and can help your social media accounts to grow in the long run.If you are looking to up your Instagram even higher then you need to check out these tips. There are numerous sites including SocialMarketing90 which provides detailed information on the various options to use in improving your social media marketing. They can guide you to the best utilization of Instagram and other social media platforms for your digital marketing strategy to get improved results than ever before.
Now that you have the Instagram Story hacks that you can use in your marketing efforts, you are now in a position to create the best content that can engage, entertain and make your audience convert.
