How long do Instagram Stories last? Can I keep mine longer? How do I create a Story? Is it the same as Snapchat Stories?
Instagram Stories was designed to take Snapchat Stories and offer a different way to interact with your friends on the social network. To say they went well would be an understatement. Stories are located separately from your main Instagram feed and are ideal for things you want to share but don’t quite deserve to be in your permanent listing.
Instagram Stories have been around for a few years now but people are discovering this feature all the time. As part of TechJunkie’s back to basics program, we’re covering some of the key functions of social networks to ensure everyone can get the most out of them.
How long do Instagram Stories last?
Just like those on Snapchat, Instagram Stories last for 24 hours before disappearing. Unless you specifically want to keep them, the story will time out and be lost forever after this time.
Can I keep my Instagram Stories longer?
You can keep an Instagram Story longer if you want, but it shouldn’t be used for all. You can also use a standard post if you want to keep them around. Highlights are where you go to keep a particular story longer.
- Select your Instagram profile.
- Select Highlights or the ‘+’ icon.
- Select the Story you want to keep around and hit Next.
- Choose a new cover image and name and select Done (Add for iPhone).
Highlights pin an Instagram Story to your profile. It will stay in place until you physically remove it. They do not expire or disappear.
How do I create Instagram Stories?
One of the reasons Instagram Stories are so popular is because they add a whole new dimension to the social network and are so easy to add. Choosing a topic is up to you, but the mechanics of creating a Story are simple enough.
- Open Instagram and select the camera icon.
- Use a gallery image or take a photo to use in your story.
- Select the Your Story icon at the bottom of the window or Next to share immediately.
Stories can be more than just a still image. You can use a video, live stream or even use a GIF and use Boomerang to loop continuously. There is also Super Zoom mode to really zoom in or Rewind to play the video backwards. Stop Motion is a nice effect if you know what you’re doing with the video, but it takes some getting used to for the video to work properly.
Otherwise, the process is very simple, it will take some practice to perfect it so that your final result is of good quality.
Are Instagram Stories the same as Snapchat Stories?
Yup. Instagram Stories are pretty much the same as Snapchat stories.
How can I use Instagram Stories?
How you use Instagram Stories depends on how you use your Instagram account. If it’s a personal account, you can use Stories to share all those little things you want to share without filling your account with tons of stuff you won’t want forever.
For example, if you’re on vacation and love the white sandy beach and turquoise water, but don’t want to text and bore your friends, Instagram Stories is the place to go. You can post as many beach photos as you want, but you don’t fill your main feed with them.
If you’re promoting a business, Instagram Stories are ideal for limited-time promotions like product launches, special events, breaking news, blog post promotions or mentions. Everything you want to share but not add to your main stream will quickly become obsolete and irrelevant. It means you don’t have to use Instagram Stories, although you can delete them from your feed.
Can you control who can see your Instagram Stories?
Yes you can. For Instagram Stories, you have the same privacy options you do with the rest of Instagram. You can make it public and viewable by everyone, limit it to friends only, or even block certain people from seeing them. All controlled from your privacy menu.
Here’s how to restrict your story to friends only.
- Open Instagram and select your profile.
- Select Close Friends and create a list of friends you want to share your Instagram Stories with.
- Before posting a Story, select Close Friends from the options so only they can see it.
You can also stop specific people from viewing them. I’m not sure I like this option as it might cause problems but it’s there if you want to use it.
- Select your Instagram profile and select Account.
- Select Story Settings and Hide Story From.
- Select the contact or contacts you want to hide and select Done.
You can also select the person from another Story or from another part of Instagram by selecting the ‘X’ to the right of their name and selecting Hide Story from ADNAN.
