Instagram stories are one of the many content formats that the social network lets you post. Instagram Stories is probably the most popular feature of the service and is part of the range of tools that let you reach your audience. It is interesting to note that they have their origin in Snapchat, a popular application of ephemeral messages. After the failed purchase attempt by Facebook, the company of Mark Zuckerberg copied the concept and integrated it into its social photography network under the name of Instagram Stories.
They have two characteristics that differentiate them from the rest of the content. First, they are displayed in portrait format. This has been a real paradigm shift within the multimedia world, completely accustomed to videos and montages created in a horizontal format. Thanks to this particular way of showing the content, the stories can be watched without the need to rotate the screen of the phone. On the other hand, the stories follow the original pattern set by Snapchat. This is why they disappear after 24 hours and can only be retrieved by the user who originally posted them.
Instagram has turned its story section into a real Swiss Army knife, full of interactive features. Beyond the possibility of uploading a video of a maximum of 14 seconds, or a photograph, the stories let you create surveys, add background music, embed animations, write text, or ask for the opinion of others. Additionally, they have the basic functions of any Instagram post and can, therefore, contain tags, locations, or mentions. The most popular accounts are also let to link to any website.
Finally, it is important to note that, as with all other posts, they are also used to display advertising. Thus, when a user navigates through the account stories, Instagram often displays ads that look very much like a conventional publication.
Without a doubt, Instagram has been adding more and more features in recent years, and stories, in particular, are one of the greatest symbols of its evolution. If you really want to make the most of it, do not stop experimenting with them. It is the only way to become an expert.
