Upping the Instagram Game
With competition increasing since the pandemic and more than half a billion users visiting the Stories platform each day, getting seen and found on Instagram can be a challenge. What’s a brand to do? Here are some ways to increase the odds.
New fonts were recently introduced for Stories and are nice. What’s even better and more appealing is adding and using the brand’s own font. Several graphics design apps can be downloaded and utilized for that purpose. Brands with their own fonts increase visibility and foster stronger recollection.
From the brand’s photo library, select a picture, and create a solid monochrome background to help make the text pop. Use this as the background for a call to action or a note.
Jazz things up a bit! The color selection in Instagram Stories is limited and offers up to 27 colors to work with. What’s not known to many is that touching on any color and holding a finger to it brings up an even larger palette. Dragging one’s finger around gives users a selection of innumerable colors. Similarly, the same color wheel trick can be used to change the background behind fonts.
Although Instagram recently increased their choice of fonts from five to nine, there are many other font options available. One such option is coolsymbol.com, which can be directly accessed from Instagram Stories. With its fancy text option, any text that’s entered can be transformed into any number of fonts.
To further enhance things, downloading and opening hyper type enables brands to also animate text on any photos they download.
Another effect that makes an Instagram Story stand out is the use of the ombre/rainbow text effect. Once the text is written, select all of it and hold a thumb on one color in the palette while holding the other thumb on the text cursor. By sliding both fingers to the left simultaneously, the colors of the letters will change into a rainbow effect.
While hashtags may enhance the chances of a brand being featured on the Stories page, some consumers perceive them as spam. Making the hashtag invisible alleviates that concern while still accomplishing its purpose.
Achieving this requires nearly the same practice and dexterity as using the ombre/rainbow effect. Once a photo for Stories has been selected, type a hashtag, and position it in the corner of the photo with a solid background. Highlight the hashtag as text. Tap on the drawing pen and drag it across the screen until the hashtag matches the background.
Finally, because Instagram is a part of Facebook, be sure to maintain an active and visible presence on Facebook and encourage users to link both platforms. According to some observers, a brand’s connections on Facebook may also influence the ranking on the Instagram Stories view list.
Employing these tricks should enhance a brand’s chances of popularity as well as being more seen and remembered on Instagram Stories. This is particularly important as many consumers emerging from the pandemic are expected to remain dependent on social media platforms.
Ronn Torossian is the CEO and Founder of 5W Public Relations. 5W PR is a leading digital pr and influencer marketing agency.
