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Instagram Stories still remain the same, with 900 million people watching them every day. This is where trends take off, captured, shared, and remembered in an instant. To ensure that your content leaves a lasting impression, you need to use the best Instagram Story size and dimensions.
What are the sizes for Instagram Stories?
The Instagram Story size is 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels. This means your image or video should be 1080 pixels wide and 1920 pixels high. This is also known as a 9:16 aspect ratio.
Here are the templates for these Instagram Story dimensions, which you can download and use to create your stories.
To download the image:
- Mac: Hold Control and click on the image, then click "Save Image As" to save it to your computer.
- PC: Right-click on the image, then click "Save Image As" to save it to your computer.
- iPhone/Android: Tap and hold the image until the save option appears, then tap "Save Image".
Note: Instagram Stories accept JPG and PNG images, and the file size must be under 30MB. This is enough for most creators, unless you’re trying to upload raw images.
Why is the Instagram Story size important?
Using the correct Instagram Story size ensures that your image or video looks its best. If you don't, Instagram may stretch or compress your content to fit. This can make your photo or video appear blurry or cut off important parts.
For example, I recently took this photo of the cliffs in Cornwall, UK:
But when I shared it as a story, the photo was zoomed in to fit Instagram's strict Story dimensions, which greatly reduced the quality of the image and cut off the beach and the bay, which were the key parts of the image.
Bottom line: Always post Instagram stories at the correct size to ensure proper framing and quality retention.
How to Create Instagram Stories
If you want to create Instagram stories, first take a vertical photo or video using your phone or camera. Vertical means holding your device up and down to make the most of Instagram's screen space.
For those who already have vertical videos, tools like iMovie or Adobe Premiere Pro can easily resize them to fit Instagram. They can help you crop your video to 1080 pixels wide and 1920 pixels high, so it fits perfectly and looks great.
To add engaging text and eye-catching visuals to your story, use Canva. This tool is designed specifically for Instagram Stories. You can customize these designs to match the content you want to convey or showcase.
Things to Remember When Posting Instagram Stories
1. Use a 9:16 Aspect Ratio for Faster Uploads
The ideal Instagram Story size is 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels, which gives you sharp, crisp images and videos. However, there’s a downside: these high-quality visuals are large files, so they take up a lot of space on your phone and may upload slowly.
To solve this, you can use smaller sizes while still ensuring your story looks good on Instagram. You can choose from the following sizes:
- 1080 px x 1920 px: Best resolution, but larger file size.
- 720 px x 1280 px: Still looks good (HD) and uploads faster.
- 450 px x 800 px: Faster upload, but lower quality.
2. Stay Within the Instagram Story Safe Zone
The “safe zone” is a guideline that suggests keeping the top and bottom 250 pixels of your Instagram Story free of interactive elements like stickers or text. This ensures that these elements won’t overlap with Instagram’s features (such as swipe-up links or profile icons).
The ideal Instagram Story size within the safe zone is 1080 pixels wide x 1420 pixels high.
3. Use the Right Resolution for Your Story
Resolution measures the pixel density in an image and is expressed as pixels per inch (PPI). For stories, Instagram recommends uploading images with at least 72 PPI. This level of detail ensures that your photos and videos look sharp across different devices.
8 Instagram Story Ideas for Your Business
Now that you know the correct Instagram Story size, let’s explore different types of content you can create.
1. Create a Content Series: Gary Vaynerchuk
Coming up with great content ideas every day for social media can be difficult. The solution? Content series.
For example, MrBeast has created a series of Instagram Stories including “Feastables,” “CoolPeeps,” and “Basketball,” among others.
2. Repurpose and Reuse Your Other Content: Condé Nast Traveler
Repurpose your blog posts, videos, or images for Instagram.
Condé Nast Traveler strikes a careful balance between fun facts and a call to action when promoting its annual road trip guide on Instagram Stories.
3. Create Games: HubSpot
Use Instagram Stories poll stickers to create games and engage your followers.
4. Share User-Generated Content: Mercedes-Benz
Share customer photos as Instagram Story content. Mercedes-Benz regularly shares stories featuring customer images to promote its cars.
5. Promote New Products: Xiaomi
Promote new products, such as the Xiaomi Watch S3.
6. Do Takeovers: Think Grow Prosper
Increase your Instagram audience through takeover collaborations.
7. Showcase Recommendations: Nike Football
Build brand trust using social proof through recommendations.
8. Personalize: HubSpot Life
Share behind-the-scenes content to showcase your company culture.
Instagram Story Tips and Best Practices
The content you share on Instagram Stories is just as important as how you present it. Here are some tips to help you create compelling Instagram Stories:
- Engage with questions: Use question stickers to interact with your followers.
- Share tutorials and tips: Provide value and help your audience learn.
- Showcase user-generated content: Build a sense of community.
- Leverage event countdowns: Build anticipation for events.
- Poll your audience: Interact with your followers through Instagram Story polls.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Instagram Stories
- Posting long or repetitive stories.
- Using irrelevant hashtags.
- Over-promoting your brand.
- Overloading your story with all your content.