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Instagram Story Size: Optimize Content and Grow Your Account

Plixi Team

Jun 11, 2024 11 min read

10x Faster Instagram Growth. Automatically.

Are you trying to figure out the right Instagram Story size? Then you’ve come to the right place since we reveal the Instagram Story dimensions in this article. This ensures that your content is optimized and will look fantastic for viewers with different devices. 

IG Stories is great for growing your Instagram channel, generating brand interest, and getting new buyers. However, you need the right approach to succeed. We’ll share some of the top that you should consider to tilt the odds of success in your favor.

Finally, read the article to the end for insight into how we can help grow your Instagram account. Our proven strategy has a long list of satisfied customers, and you could be the next one.

Instagram Story Size: Optimize Content and Grow Your Account

How To Create a Story on Instagram With the Right Size

The Instagram story size is 1080px by 1920px. This corresponds to an Instagram Story size ratio of 9:16. This is the ideal size for mobile devices and should be what you aim for with your content production. 

The majority of mobile devices allow you to create Instagram Stories of the right size. This means almost anyone can create these Insta Stories with their current equipment.

Are you wondering how to create a story on Instagram? You can create Stories from existing content or by creating new content. Here is the step-by-step process for completing this process:

  1. On the Instagram app, tap the plus icon at the bottom of the screen. 
  2. Select Story from the menu. 
  3. You can take a picture by tapping the white circle at the bottom of the screen. 
  4. Alternatively, you can record a video by holding the white circle. 
  5. On the other hand, switch the camera to selfie mode by tapping the switch-camera icon. 
  6. Finally, you can swipe up to use videos and photos currently in your phone’s library.
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What Are Instagram Stories?

Are you wondering what Instagram Stories are? Instagram Stories is a content type that allows you to share videos and photos that are automatically deleted after 24 hours. Therefore, it’s a good type of content when it will go out of date in a short period. 

Here are the advantages of using Instagram Stories when posting content:

  • Popular content form: Insta Stories is a highly liked type of content on the social media platform. Therefore, you can expect many of your entries to be found by your audience. Overall, Instagram does a good job of informing users of new IG Stories for the accounts they follow. 
  • Generate new followers: You will also find that many new people will discover your IG account through Stories. This means that you can grow your Instagram follower count. This will increase the size of your viewership and help you meet new goals. 
  • Creativity: You can get very creative with the content on IG Stories. Also, you can experiment with different ideas since it automatically deletes within 24 hours. Hence, you can test ideas and use the ones that work for content types, such as Instagram Reels
  • Organization: It will be easier to organize the content on your account since IG removes stories within 24 hours. This reduces the amount of editing you need to complete when updating posts on your IG account. 
  • Announcements: IG Stories is a good method for making announcements. For example, you can share new products, deals, or content ideas. This means it’s a good content type for sharing with your follower lists.
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Best Practices for Creating Instagram Stories

Now, let’s look at some of the best practices for creating Instagram Stories. This will help you get more viewers, followers, and sales. Note that these best practices are just a starting point, and you need to develop your list.

Instagram Story Templates

Instagram story templates are specific layouts where the animations, text, and graphics are already created. Here are some of the top reasons to use an Instagram Story template for your content strategy:

  • Speed: You can create content at a faster pace with templates. That’s because they add the basics, and you only need to fill in the details. Therefore, you may find yourself creating more Stories moving forward.
  • Creativity: Scan the list of Instagram story templates for ideas of what you create next. This strategy is good if you’re stuck for ideas and need inspiration. Also, look out for new templates that capitalize on trends. Using them may bring you an avalanche of traffic. 
  • Free: You can find many free templates for Instagram Stories, so there’s no need to spend money. Also, you can customize them using an interactive builder. These are usually intuitive and allow you to fine-tune the template to meet your needs. 
  • Consistency: Templates allow your content to have a level of consistency some followers prefer. Therefore, they will instantly recognize that the content is coming from your Instagram account. 
  • Scheduling tools: Some Instagram scheduling tools allow you to use in-house templates to create content. Typically you can use free trials to test the tools, so you can decide if the templates match your requirements.

Compare TikTok vs Instagram

It’s a good idea to compare TikTok vs Instagram to get some ideas for creating IG Stories. That’s because the reel-type content on TikTok is among the most popular on the internet. You may spot viral trends before they appear on Instagram. 

It’s especially handy to do research for the best marketing strategies. IG content creators must be one step ahead of the competition, so explore other social media channels to get an edge.

However, don’t copy what content you find on TikTok since that’s in bad taste. Instead, use it for inspiration and put a unique twist on what you find. This ensures you’re not known as a copycat content creator. People on social media prefer to follow IG accounts that offer something different.

Schedule Your Instagram Stories

You can simplify your Story content production by scheduling them in advance. This means you can create a batch of content at a time and release it at your own pace. Therefore, you don’t need to log in daily for your followers to receive IG Stories every day. 

To schedule these posts, use tools such as Hootsuite, Tailwind, and Buffer. Here are a few considerations to make when picking the right scheduling tool for IG Stories:

  • Free trial: It’s a good idea to find scheduling tools with a free trial. This ensures that you can give the software a test to see if it meets your expectations. Also, some services have a freemium version if you don’t want to pay for the extras. 
  • Price: Compare the prices of the Insta scheduling tools to find a competitive option. The market is flooded with lots of options, so bargain hunters can find a good deal. 
  • Instagram Stories support: Make sure to find a scheduling tool that supports IG Stories. Some scheduling tools don’t support every content type and may not even support Instagram. 
  • Extra features: Look for extra features to make your experience of using the scheduling tool more productive. For example, you can look out for features like templates, advanced analytics, content customizability, and much more. 
  • Good reviews: Look at what other content creators share about the scheduling tools. Reading reviews from websites like TrustPilot gives you an idea of what to expect.
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Time-Sensitive Content

Instagram Stories is best used for creating time-sensitive content. That’s because it will be deleted within 24 hours, and only you will have access to the content from your account. Therefore, stories are great for sharing news or life updates that will go out of date. 

The content that will not go out of date as you create is Instagram Reels. There are a lot of similarities between these types of content, as you will learn in the next section.

Provide a Mix of Content

It’s important to give your IG followers a mix of content so it doesn’t become repetitive. Here are a few ideas for how you can achieve this:

  • Brand updates: Is your brand working on new products, hiring new employees, or moving to a new physical location? You should share whatever brand updates you have to keep your audience in the loop. This will give your viewers a sense of being invested in the company by following along. 
  • Promotions: Instagram Stories are an excellent way to promote short-term discounts. For example, you can share limited-time offers and limited availability notices. Also, you can experiment with offers you only want your followers to enjoy. Make sure to keep track of all your promotions to see what’s working and what you can improve upon. 
  • Positive customer reviews: You can share IG Stories of customers loving your brand, products, and content. This can be in the form of testimonials or reviews you’ve found elsewhere on the internet. This is an excellent way to share the seal of approval to increase your brand reputation. 
  • Educational content: Add IG Stories that aim to educate your audience. This might be industry-related news or how to use your products correctly. When you add educational content, the audience begins to view you as an authority in the niche. This makes it easier to sell products, and they are less likely to be put off by marketing messages. 
  • Marketing messages: You should sprinkle in marketing messages occasionally to increase sales on Instagram. However, don’t do this too often since that may frustrate followers. Also, make the photos or videos entertaining. At least they will enjoy the content if they don’t find the offer useful. 
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Instagram Reel vs Story

Instagram Reels is an alternative type of content instead of stories. Let’s explore Instagram reel vs story to compare the two. They are similar to stories since you can create videos or photos. However, the big difference here is that Instagram Reels do not automatically delete after 24 hours.

Therefore, Instagram Reels is the right option for content creators who aren’t focusing on short-term content. Also, most Instagram accounts have a lot of overlap between reels and story content. If you have success with one content type, then it’s likely to convert to the other.

Finally, Instagram Stories are only sent to your Instagram account followers. In comparison, Instagram Reels are public unless you make your account private. Therefore, Reels are distributed to a much wider audience. It’s the better strategy when you want to market products and grow your follower count.

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Instagram Reel Dimensions

The Instagram Reel dimensions are the same as the Instagram Story pixel size, which is 1080px by 1920px. This is also the same aspect ratio of 9:16, so it’s ideal for viewing content on smartphones. Therefore, if you’re comfortable creating the right Instagram Story size, you can do the same with reels. 

This also means that you can reuse content for IG reels that you’ve previously used as stories. However, you should make modifications so the audience has something different to experience.

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Why Instagram Story Size Is Important To Give Your Audience the Best Experience

To summarize, the Instagram Stories dimensions are 1080px by 1920px, and an aspect ratio of 9:16. Getting the image sizes right ensures that your viewers enjoy an optimized experience. Instagram’s tool helps you create content of the right size.

However, when exporting content from your phone, you need to keep the Instagram Story size in mind. This ensures that your vertical videos will look smooth and without quality issues. Striving for higher quality leads to more success on the social media platform.

Are you looking for further ways to grow your Instagram account? Then take advantage of the services provided here at Plixi. We offer a mix of an in-house algorithm and Instagram influencers to help target any audience. So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today

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