Instagram Stories have taken the world by storm. The platform is booming, with over 300 million daily active users. Some people argue that Instagram stories are useless, boring, and not engaging.
Meanwhile, some companies are using branded stories as one of their marketing channels. Stories are a great way to engage and be more creative. You can also give your community a sneak peek into your business and what you do.
What is a branded Instagram Story?
It’s an advertisement in the user’s feed. Instagram Stories appear on their screen when they scroll through the Stories page. Users can swipe up to interact with the story, or tap on it to view it in full-screen mode.
Branded Instagram Stories are an excellent way for brands to tell their stories. They can use it to promote products or services and engage with customers. These days, users expect brands to be present wherever they go online. They’re not only watching videos but also interacting with them.
The Benefits of Branded Instagram Stories
Instagram has been a game-changer for social media marketing. The Instagram Stories feature is now one of the most popular on the platform.
So what are the benefits of branded Instagram Stories? Here are three:
1. Brand visibility
If you’re looking to build brand awareness, then branded Instagram Stories are a great way to do it. They offer a unique opportunity to showcase your products and services. You can also promote your brand identity in fun and engaging ways.
2. Direct response ads
Instagram’s new feature allows you to create direct response ads. These are ads that lead to your website or landing page.
This makes it easier for users to take action on the content they see in their feeds. It will also help increase sales and conversions for your business.
3. User engagement
Branded Instagram Stories can help you put a personal touch on your advertising. This help in connecting you with your customers.
Brands that use Instagram Stories see double the engagement compared with others.
The Best Platforms for Creating Attractive Instagram Stories
If you want to create branded Instagram stories that stand out from the crowd, you need a platform that makes creating them easy. This means that not just any old platform will do.
Here are our picks for the best platforms available right now.
1. Canva
Canva has millions of images in its library that you can use for free. It also has templates for every social media post type, including Instagram Stories.
Canva is an excellent resource for creating branded Instagram Stories. With Canva’s easy-to-use templates and images, you can easily create a branded Instagram story without hiring a designer.
The best part about using Canva is that it’s free. You don’t need any design skills to use this app. Anyone can create beautiful designs with a few clicks on their phone or computer.
2. CutStory
There are many ways to create branded Instagram stories, but CutStory is one of the best.
CutStory is a free mobile app that allows anyone to create professional-looking branded stories in just a few minutes. You can use the app to create your own personal stories or use it as an easy way to create branded stories for clients.
With the CutStory app, you can add text overlays, filters, stickers, and more to your story. The app also lets you create photo collages or choose from pre-made templates. The app also lets you add music, so your story looks even more like a movie trailer.
3. Storyluxe
Storyluxe lets you create your own branded stories, add text and graphics, and then share them on social media.
The Storyluxe interface is straightforward, with all the features you need to create high-quality branded Instagram Stories. You can also create animated GIFs from videos. This makes it easy to create multi-part stories or highlight specific moments in your video.
Storyluxe also has a bunch of templates you can use to create your own branded stories. These templates are great if you want something that’s not too complicated but has some personality. The templates include simple banners to full-screen backgrounds with customizable colors and fonts.
4. Unfold
Unfold is a DIY Instagram Story design tool that lets you create your own branded Instagram stories. It’s ideal for small businesses, freelancers, and bloggers who want to create their own branded content without hiring an expensive designer.
It’s easy to start with Unfold. You only need to choose a template, add your images and text, and customize it to fit your branding needs.
Once you’ve finished designing your story, you can download the image or video file and share it.
5. Seen: Stories Maker
Seen is an online platform that allows you to create branded Instagram stories in seconds. It offers a range of templates and customizable options. These allow you to make your brand stand out among the competition on Instagram.
One of the biggest benefits of using Seen is its simplicity in branding your content. Before sharing, you can easily choose from various templates and customize them with your logo or brand colors. This makes it easier than ever to create branded content without technical knowledge or skills.
6. Later
It might not be easy to create branded stories on Instagram. But one of the easiest ways is to use Later. This tool helps upload your video content and adds your brand’s watermark. Later will take care of everything else, including adding hashtags and geotagging your posts. You can also add text overlays with your brand’s logo and tagline and some stickers.
Remember that, unlike other platforms, Later does not let you schedule your posts ahead of time. It only allows you to post them immediately or later when you’re ready.
7. InShot
InShot is a tool for creating branded Instagram Stories. It’s a simple and intuitive way to create branded Instagram stories with no coding or design skills. With InShot, you can create interactive Instagram stories and use custom overlays to promote your brand, products, and services.
The platform allows you to create multiple types of stories. You can create videos, photos, carousels, and slideshows. You can add text, emojis, stickers, motion graphics, and other elements. There’s even an option for adding links, polls, and more.
InShot has an impressive set of tutorials that will help you get started with your first branded story in no time at all.
8. Mojo
You may have never heard of Mojo before. Still, it’s quickly becoming one of the most popular tools when creating branded Instagram stories.
Mojo lets you create amazing branded Instagram stories in minutes. The tool allows you to customize your layout, add text, photos, and videos, and even schedule your stories ahead of time.
Mojo also offers some unique features that aren’t available with other tools on this list. For example, let’s say you want to share previous posts from your website or blog on your Instagram story. Mojo has a built-in library of elements you can add to your story without downloading anything else. You can also pull in content from other sources, like YouTube videos or Google Maps.
9. Adobe Creative Cloud Express
Adobe Creative Cloud Express is a free and subscription-based software program. You can create and edit images, graphics, and videos with the help of this website.
It allows you to create custom stories for your business or brand. You can also add text and other content to your branded Instagram story.
It has an inbuilt library of templates, so you don’t need to design everything from scratch. You can choose a template from the library and use it according to your needs.
You can also customize them according to your requirements. The customization options are simple and easy to understand, even without design experience.
10. Filmm
Filmm is an app that also allows you to create branded Instagram stories. Unlike other apps, Filmm enables you to add filters, stickers, text, and video clips to your story.
Filmm is a great way to create appealing Instagram stories for your brand. The app has over 100 built-in filters and effects, so you can make your content stand out. You can also use Filmm’s custom stickers for brand messaging.
