Instagram has long been more than just a platform for posting simply images and photos. Nowadays, creative content can be showcased in a variety of ways. In this article, we introduce you to the three Instagram features that you’ll find most useful for this.
Instagram Stories is one of the most important features on Instagram. Images usually portray the “perfect” side of a person or company. With Stories, however, a much more realistic and relatable picture can be conveyed. You might wish to take your followers along with you as you go about your daily life, for example, or give them a glimpse behind the scenes.
Instagram Stories are only live for 24 hours, after which they’re automatically deleted. To avoid that happening, you can use Story Highlights. Simply add your story to a suitable Story Highlight (which can be sorted by theme). For example, you might want to keep all of your behind-the-scene stories in a highlight named accordingly. This ensures followers always have access to your Instagram Stories.
In addition to images and stories, Instagram is placing an increasing emphasis on video content in the form of Instagram Reels – short videos of up to 60 seconds at most. They can be edited to add various effects and then uploaded to your feed.
Songs can be taken directly from the Instagram music library when creating reels, or you can use your own music or audio from other reels. Tap the music icon to view numerous songs that can be searched through and saved.
As with Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels can be edited to incorporate text, stickers or GIFs. There’s also the option to subsequently add a voiceover to your video by tapping the microphone icon.
Take stationery retailer Stabilo, for example: the German account currently has over 78,000 followers on Instagram. In its many Instagram Reels, it shows various pens and pencils and how they can be used to design cards, paint notebooks, etc. Therefore, reels are a great way of presenting creative content and shining a spotlight on your products.
With Instagram Guides, different content relating to a single topic is curated for followers, similar to in a blog. Instagram Guides are an especially good way of presenting products and content. Guides are generally used to compile various individual posts on a topic to create one curated collection. This adds direct value for followers.
Essentially, the feature gives followers a deeper insight into a particular topic. An even more comprehensive experience can be created through storytelling and by combining images, videos and text.
It’s worth mentioning paper and stationery retailer Faber Castell here, which has produced Instagram Guides on various themes, including “back to school”. Directly under the heading, it summarises why the topic is important for it. Underneath that are the images and reels published previously by the company that fit this theme. In this way, followers interested in a topic can browse all of the company’s related content at a glance.
Instagram’s features have changed in recent years and the company is always adding new ones. Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels and Instagram Guides are perfect for presenting creative content and showcasing products used for painting and other things. Ideally, your account should use a good mix of all features. This not only offers variety to followers, but also increases the likelihood that new people will come across your content.
About the author:
BASIC thinking is an online magazine and one of the widest-reaching tech portals in German-speaking countries. The editorial team posts daily on social media, marketing and business topics. This article was written by Christina Widner of BASIC thinking GmbH and BASIC thinking International
