There is no better time than now to step up your Instagram game.

Instagram has approximately 1 billion users, 400 million of them who use Instagram stories each day (Instagram.com). When planning your monthly social media calendar, consider using one of these eye-catching Instagram trends.

1. Behind the Scenes Instagram Slider

Behind the scenes content is a great way to engage your audience and personalize your brand. One of the biggest Instagram trends we’ve seen in 2020 is using the slider post feature to show how an image or effect was created.

Do this by creating a slider post that leads with the final product. Next, select your behind the scenes photo or video. Be sure to encourage your followers to interact with your post by ‘swiping to see the behind the scenes shot.’

 

 

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A post shared by Soar Media Group Inc. (@soarmediagroup) on Apr 27, 2020 at 2:36pm PDT

 

This is also a great engaging tactic for lifestyle brands that have before and after images. Be sure to start the ‘after’ image then swipe to see the ‘before’ image.

 

 

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A post shared by S T E V E C O R D O N Y (@stevecordony) on May 25, 2020 at 2:25am PDT

2. Instagram Story Music Feature

Instagram has officially given Canadians the option to add music to their stories. The Music Feature is a great option for any content you want to remove the background noise from. For example, if you have filmed a behind the scenes timelapse you can replace the audio from your timelapse with a catchy song. This will eliminate the fast forwarded squeaky audio with a song that will be much more compelling for your viewers to watch and listen to.

3. Instagram Story Rainbow Text Hack

There are also new DIY Instagram Story hacks that are gaining momentum, like the rainbow text effect (perfect for Pride Month).

To achieve this effect, follow the steps below or watch a video tutorial here.

• Type out the text you would like in your story
• Select all of your text

• Keep one finger on your selected text
• Use another finger to select and hold a colour
• Slowly move the finger held on your text while simultaneously moving your finger across the colour options

 

4. Instagram Story Post to Story Share 

Another Instagram story feature we encourage you to use in 2020 is the Instagram post share. This feature can be used right after you post. Coupling your post with an Instagram Story will keep your brand top of mind — when you post stories your account appears at the top of follower’s Instagram feed.

Image from Pinterest

The feature allows you to share your post directly to your story. Users who click on the story will be directly linked to the post on your feed. It is the perfect marketing tool and simple to achieve. To do it you must go to the post you want to share and click on the paper airplane icon. From there select the ‘Share to story’ option and let your creativity take over. 

5. Multiple Images in your Instagram Story

Another Instagram story hack we have been loving for 2020 is the multiple images story. These stories are a great template to use when hosting polls to increase your engagement. Follow the steps below to create this simple yet eye-catching story:

@soarmediagroupinc Instagram

• Gather all of the images you would like to include in the story
• Begin a story and select your first image
• Go to your camera roll and copy the second image you would like to incorporate into the story
• Paste it into your story

• Resize the images and adjust the placement
• Insert your poll, text, and GIFS, adjust them until you are satisfied with the placement of your elements

 

6. Instagram Story Features as Feed Posts

Last on our list is using Instagram story features on your Instagram Feed. Whether you want to promote the ‘Ask a question’ feature, or you just launched a poll that you want your followers to take part in, Instagram story graphics are a great way to capture attention and generate engagement. 

Image from @gisou

To learn more about how you can utilize Instagram to your benefit, be sure to check out our blog on Instagram’s 2021 Algorithm Trends.