Instagram Stories offer a great way to engage continuously your audience, showcase your brand, and experiment with content. But to truly make an impact, it's crucial to understand how to use the space effectively. Nothing dampens the excitement of posting a killer piece of content like realizing it's cut off, blurry, or doesn't fit the screen properly.
Here's a guide on how to create compelling Instagram Stories by leveraging the correct dimensions, tools like Canva, Midjourney, and Sherpo's AI-generated images for a seamless and professional touch.
To make sure your content looks crisp and professional, you need to follow the correct Instagram Story dimensions. The optimal size is 1080 x 1920 pixels, with a 9:16 aspect ratio. This ensures your content fits perfectly on mobile screens without being cropped or distorted.
Most mobile phones already capture videos in this ratio when shooting vertically, but if you're using external software, digital cameras, or other devices, make sure your content aligns with these dimensions before posting.
Instagram Stories are more than just temporary posts-they're a chance to engage directly with your followers. Here's why:
Experimentation: Stories give you the freedom to try out new content ideas—polls, quizzes, countdowns, and more. Because they disappear after 24 hours, you can test different styles without affecting your main feed.
Authenticity: Stories are great for showing real, behind-the-scenes moments, helping your followers connect with your brand on a personal level.
Visibility: Instagram Stories sit at the top of your followers' feeds, offering prime real estate for engagement.
Hyperlinks: Stories let you include links, which is great for directing followers to your products or landing pages on Sherpo, without needing them to click through your bio link.
Use Canva for Easy Story Design: Canva is an incredible free tool for creating Instagram Stories. It offers pre-set templates with the perfect dimensions, allowing you to customize your stories without worrying about cropping or scaling issues. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can add text, images, and even your own brand elements with ease.
Leverage Sherpo’s AI Features: Need eye-catching backgrounds or visuals? Sherpo’s AI-generated images are perfect for adding unique, professional-quality visuals to your stories. These images can help elevate your content, ensuring it looks polished and premium. Alternatively, you could use Midjourney for AI images.
Shoot Vertically: Since Instagram Stories are viewed vertically, make sure you’re shooting your photos and videos in vertical format. Shooting horizontally could lead to awkward cropping or low-quality visuals once you upload them.
Utilize Safe Zones: Keep important elements like text, buttons, and logos within Instagram’s “safe zone” to avoid anything getting cut off. Stay clear of the top and bottom 250 pixels to ensure no critical information is blocked by Instagram's UI.
Keep It Short and Sweet: While Instagram allows up to 60 seconds per Story, it’s best to keep them concise. Attention spans are short, and the goal is to deliver your message quickly and effectively without viewers swiping away.
Add Text, Stickers, and Polls: To make your stories more engaging, add text and stickers. Use call-to-actions to prompt users to swipe up or visit your website, and incorporate interactive elements like polls and quizzes to get your audience involved.
Don’t Forget the Sound: Make sure your audio is clear! Muffled or poor-quality sound can cause people to skip your stories. If your video doesn’t need sound, consider adding captions to convey the message without relying on audio.
Check Your Resolution: Ensure all your photos and videos are in the optimal 1080 x 1920 resolution. Lower resolution content will look blurry or pixelated, which can detract from your message and hurt engagement.
Instagram Stories are a powerful tool for engaging your audience and growing your brand. By optimizing your content for the correct dimensions, using tools like Canva for design, and incorporating Sherpo’s AI images, you’ll be well on your way to crafting stunning stories that captivate your followers.
Happy storytelling!
Giacomo Di Pinto
Aug 15, 2024
3m reading time
Read more articles
With Sherpo,
the sky is the limit!
