It seems like Instagram is always upping their game and producing a new feature that is more hip than the one before. On August 2, 2016, the Instagram Story was born to combat the similar feature popularized by Snapchat. Since the creation of the IG Story, so much has changed and even more features have been added to the app. If you haven’t seen the many features they have added along the way, here are five simple features that can instantly up your Instagram stories. 

Fill your Story background with a solid color in 3 seconds flat.

Stop wasting your time trying to color the entire screen with your finger, and inevitably, posting it just to realize you missed a spot. This quick hack will not only save you time and make your life easier but will also make sure the entire screen is filled with your ideal color. How to do it:

  1. Select the brush tool. 
  2. Tap and hold any of the default color circles Instagram provides. 
  3. This will open a slider of colors that has every color of the rainbow for you to choose from!

You’ll end up with a perfectly filled screen with the color of your liking.

Find the perfect color for your Story.

I know, there are plenty of color options that Instagram gives you as default color options. Although, if you’re like me, having the perfect color to match the aesthetic of the rest of the story is more important than you think. How to do it: 

  1. Select the brush tool. 
  2. Tap and hold any of the default color circles Instagram provides. 
  3. This will open a slider of colors that has every color of the rainbow for you to choose from! 

You can also drop an image into your Story and use the eyedropper tool to grab a specific color from your image, as well. 

Use a green screen in your Story.

With the pandemic affecting nearly everyone last year, using a green screen seemed to be like second nature to most of us. Whether you’re on a zoom call or creating an Instagram Story you can use a green screen to change up your current environment. How to do it: 

  1. Scroll through the default filters at the bottom of the screen until you get to the magnifying glass, and then tap to search from there. 
  2. Search “green screen” and select the filter. 
  3. Click “add media” to choose your desired background photo or video from your camera roll. 
  4. Then take a picture or create a video in front of the green screen. 

This feature is such a simple way to explain something visually in your Story and is often very eye-catching to viewers. 

Create a Boomerang from a live photo.

Sometimes taking an IG Story isn’t top of mind during some of life’s greatest moments. Although, if you took a live photo and are wanting to relive that moment as an Instagram Boomerang, Instagram has you covered. How to do it: 

  1. Open Instagram Stories and swipe up to view your camera roll. 
  2. Pick your live photo from there. 
  3. Once the photo is in Instagram, hold down the photo until the word “Boomerang” appears. 

This is such a simple, but fun feature that many people don’t realize Instagram offers!

Schedule your Stories in advance.

Stories may have started as a fun, spur-of-the-moment medium, but creating quality stories often can be difficult. Whether you’re a content creator, social media manager, or business owner, scheduling out your content is a lifesaver. That goes for Instagram Stories now too. How to do it: You can use whatever social media scheduler you prefer, although we use Hootsuite to schedule both our IG Posts and Stories. 

  1. Once you’re logged in, click the drop-down arrow next to the new post button and select “new story.” 
  2. From there, you’ll schedule your stories just as you do your posts. 

Scheduling your IG Stories allows you to stay organized and ensures you’re producing the best Story content possible!

Instagram Stories are a great way to engage your audience in a less formal way than traditional posts. Instagram Stories may technically be an “old feature,” but the updates that Instagram has made to them allow them to continue to be an asset in organically growing on the platform. Don’t underestimate the power of a strong Story strategy, and adding these hacks will only make your Instagram story game stronger!