<div><p>Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms to date, and it just keeps getting better. One of the IG features that people love the most is the Instagram stories.</p>
<p>According to studies, approximately <a href="https://www.oberlo.com/blog/instagram-stats-every-marketer-should-know" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer">500 million IG accounts</a> use Instagram stories each day. Wow, that’s a lot of storytelling!</p>
<p>If you haven’t used IG stories before, you’re in for a treat. Check out the information below to learn more about this incredible Instagram feature.</p>
<h2>What Are Instagram Stories?</h2>
<p>We’ll start off by saying that Instagram stories are a lot of fun. When you click on the IG app, it opens directly to your home screen which displays all of the stories of the people that you follow.</p>
<p>It’s a cool feature offered by IG that allows users to share the highlights of their day without posting to their profile. You can add photos or videos that display in a slideshow format, similar to Snapchat. The content that you post on your stories disappears within 24 hours.</p>
<p>So, let’s say you go to Starbucks, you can post a picture of your cup along with a message that says good morning.</p>
<h3>How to View Instagram Stories</h3>
<p>Viewing Instagram stories is simple. When you open up the app, you’ll see all the stories scrolled across the top. Simply click on one of them and it’ll automatically start to go through every picture and video.</p>
<p>Once you press on a story all the content from that user will roll through, then it’ll automatically go to the next story posted by a different person, and so on.</p>
<p>If you’re not interested in seeing everything on a story, you can tap the right side of the screen and it’ll skip to the next slide. But if you want to go back to a previous slide, you can tap the left side of the screen.</p>
<p>Also, if you’d like to bypass the remaining content on the current story and go to the next user’s content, swipe left across the screen.</p>
<h2>How to Add Music to Instagram Stories</h2>
<p>Do you want to make your Instagram stories more enjoyable to watch? Well, one of the best ways to do that is by adding music.</p>
<p>For example, if you want to post a short video or a boomerang of yourself on the treadmill, pair it with a motivational song. Use something that’s fun and gets everyone pumped.</p>
<p>Or you can use whatever type of tune you’d like. After all, it’s your story! Here’s how to use the music feature:</p>
<p>1. Open your Instagram app to the home screen</p>
<p>2. Click on the bubble at the top left corner that’s labeled “Your Story”</p>
<p>If you have a picture or video ready for use, you can add it by clicking the small icon on the bottom left of the screen. You can take a pic, or record a video inside of the app. Whichever you choose, you have to add your content first.</p>
<p>3. Once you’ve done that, you’ll see an icon at the top that looks like a square-shaped smiley face. Click on it.</p>
<p>4. On that page, there’s a button that’s labeled music.</p>
<p>Once you click on that, a list of suggested songs will pop up. You can choose from those or search for the particular song you want.</p>
<h2>Cool Instagram Story Features</h2>
<p>There are so many neat things you can do with your IG story. If you’re looking for some creative Instagram story ideas, here are a few suggestions to help you out:</p>
<h3>Stickers</h3>
<p>IG stickers are amazing. They’re fun, interactive, and entertaining. You can do things like put a timestamp on a photo or video to display the time.</p>
<p>So, if you woke up early for a morning hike, adding the time helps to complete the story. You can also <a href="https://giphy.com/explore/what-are" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer">add a GIF</a>, which is pretty much an animated picture. They’re really cool.</p>
<h3>Filters</h3>
<p>Another option for your Instagram story is filters. Similar to Snapchat, IG users can put little animated heart eyes or other designs over their faces in their videos.</p>
<p>When you add a photo or video to IG, you must get the <a href="https://setapp.com/how-to/instagram-sizes-and-dimensions-guide" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Instagram story dimensions</a> just right. Follow the link to learn how to do so.</p>
<h3>Interactive Features</h3>
<p>If you like to be social with your followers, there are plenty of tools on Instagram that allow you to do so. If you want to tag another IG user, the @mention lets you post their account name and it also notifies them of the tag.</p>
<p>Plus, you can do polls on your Instagram stories. For instance, if you’re undecided about which pair of shoes you should buy, you can post a picture of both options and ask your followers which one you should get.</p>
<p>Once everyone votes, the poll will tell you what percentage of the voters chose each option.</p>
<p>Furthermore, your followers can send you a message in your DM. If you post a picture of your puppy, an Instagram user can reply to the story and say “Oh my gosh she’s so cute”!</p>
<h3>Views</h3>
<p>If you ever wondered if anyone actually cares to look at the stories you post, you can view that information on the story itself.</p>
<p>At the bottom left corner, there is an icon that looks similar to an eye. When you click on it, it’ll show every user who’s viewed it.</p>
<p>Speaking of viewing, if there are individuals that you don’t want to see your IG story, you can customize the settings to exclude them.</p>
<h2>Tell Your Story</h2>
<p>Social media is all about interacting with friends near and far. Sometimes we can’t be around the people we love, but it’s nice to know we can share a bit of our lives with them via our Instagram stories.</p>
<p>It’s also just fun to take a peek into other people’s lives and see what your favorite celebrity had for breakfast.</p>
<p>If you enjoyed reading this article, feel free to browse the rest of our posts. Our website provides a variety of helpful articles regarding working from home, <a href="https://workinmypajamas.com/category/saving-money/" data-wpel-link="internal">saving money</a>, and more. Check it out!</p>
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Story Time! How to Make the Most of Instagram Stories
