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What is an Instagram Story? Your Guide to This Key Instagram Feature

Posted on 14th Apr, 2025.

TL;DR (The Short Version)

Instagram stories are images or videos that appear on your profile and in the Feed for only 24 hours.
You can post an Instagram story easily in just a few steps.
Instagram Stories benefit engagement and provide a more casual way to share insights into your life.

While Instagram posts are the heart of the platform, don't overlook the importance of stories! Instagram stories are short, temporary photo or video posts that last for 24 hours, and unlike posts, they won't stay on your profile (unless you save them to a highlight). They're incredibly useful for boosting engagement.

Posts tend to be used for photos you want to stay on your profile forever because they're part of your personal brand, and these pictures tend to be more polished. Stories are used for casual, intimate posts where you give users a laid-back insight into your life. Whether you're casually sharing your morning coffee or hyping a product drop, stories let you connect with your audience in the moment.

Stories appear at the top of your Feed in profile bubbles, and you can click and swipe through for as long as they're up (24 hours). When someone posts a Story, their profile bubble gets a colourful ring around it. Unlike regular posts, stories are meant to be more casual, behind-the-scenes, and unfiltered.

How Do You Post an Instagram Story?

Posting a Story on Instagram is simple and takes just a few steps:

Open Instagram: Start by opening your Instagram app.
Tap Your Profile Icon: At the top left of the screen, tap your profile icon or the ‘+’ icon in the top left to begin creating a Story. Or, swipe your whole Feed to the right.
Take or Upload Content: You can either take a photo or video directly in the app or swipe up to upload something from your gallery.
Edit Your Story: Once your content is ready, you can add stickers, text, emojis, music, and even filters. Instagram gives you plenty of creative options to make your Story unique.
Post Your Story: After editing, hit ‘Your Story’ to share it. Alternatively, you can choose ‘Close Friends’ if you want to share it with a smaller group of people.
Your Story will automatically be added to the top of your followers’ feeds for the next 24 hours. After that, it will disappear, but you can always save it to your Highlights.

Why Use Instagram Stories?

There are multiple reasons why you might want to use Instagram Stories alongside posts.

1. Instant and Casual Content

Unlike regular Instagram posts, which may require editing and thought-out captions, Stories are quick and easy to create. This makes them perfect for sharing spontaneous moments, real-time events, or behind-the-scenes peeks that give followers a closer look at your life or brand. They also create a sense of closeness with you and your followers since they allow for more authentic content.

2. Boosts Engagement

Stories provide more direct interaction with your followers. With features like polls, quizzes, questions, and sliders, you can encourage people to engage with your content.

3. Drives Traffic to Your Profile

With call-to-action (CTA) stickers like “Swipe Up” or “See More,” you can drive traffic to your profile, blog, or online store. This is a perfect way to funnel your audience into your broader social strategy and encourage them to take action. Plus, when people see your Story, they'll be reminded of how much they like your content, and they'll head straight to your content for a scroll.

4. Great for Marketing

For businesses, Stories are a powerful tool for brand promotion, product launches, and special offers. You can also use them for customer testimonials, sneak peeks of upcoming products, or as part of a larger campaign. Instagram also has features like swipe-up links (for accounts with over 10,000 followers) that allow users to go directly to your website or product page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a post and a story on Instagram?

An Instagram post is a piece of content (image, video, or carousel) that appears on your main profile grid and stays there permanently unless you delete it. It’s best used for high-quality, curated images or videos that you want to showcase for the long term. Posts allow for longer captions, and followers can like, comment, and share them.

An Instagram Story is more temporary and casual. Stories appear at the top of the Instagram app and remain visible for only 24 hours, unless you save them to your Highlights. They’re designed for more spontaneous, real-time moments and come with interactive features like polls, stickers, and music. People can also react and respond to Stories. While posts are more formal and long-lasting, Stories offer a quick, engaging way to connect with followers in the moment.

Like Posts, Stories can also be either video or images.

What is the point of Instagram Stories?

The purpose of Instagram Stories is to give users a fun, flexible way to share everyday moments without the pressure of creating polished, permanent content. Stories are meant to be informal and engaging, allowing you to post behind-the-scenes glimpses, quick updates, or even ask your audience questions.

While posts are best created 3-5 times weekly, you can post Stories as frequently as you like. Daily is best!

How long do Stories stay on Instagram?

Stories stay on Instagram for 24 hours, but you can pin them to your profile by adding them to Highlights. This is especially useful for vacation content, since you might want all your holiday snaps to stay on your profile for followers to browse whenevr.

Instagram Stories can be super useful for drawing in more likes and views and a way to interact with your followers in a more casual, less carefully-curated way.