Take Your Instagram Stories Up a Notch with Multiple Photos

Instagram and it’s creators have come a long way since the app launched in 2010. The platform used to be similar to Facebook, as another way to keep each other up-to-date by sharing #ThrowbackThursday pictures and our (at the time) not so Instagram-worthy lunches. #guiltyascharged

However, through the creativity of its users and app developers, Instagram has transformed into its own category of glory. And has now become the go-to app for many businesses and brands, holding a whole lot of rank in a company’s marketing authority and social media presence.

So, do you want to know the best way to stand out and keep the spotlight on yourself and establish a strong authority? Well, it’s through your Instagram Stories! 

A big turning point for Instagram was when they rolled out the Stories feature, taking it from an app geared towards sharing now-and-again special moments to everyday usability. Stories allow Instagram Creators and brands to show their daily moments, humanizing their brand and establishing deeper connections with their audience.

Stories are where people get to know you and, therefore, truly care about your account. And with engaging Stories, users can reach new heights and grow at rapid rates through consistent engagement!

While your posts are meant to draw new people in, the Stories are how you keep them intrigued and coming back for more with regular updates and bite-sized content. And the best part about Instagram Stories? Unless you save them as a highlight, they disappear in 24 hours, making Stories the perfect place to experiment and explore new creative ideas. 

So why not take your aesthetics up a notch and try something new? Like… adding multiple photos to one story, making a collage, or using several slides to tell a story and reference some “inside jokes” with your audience? 

There are plenty of ways to tell a story in your Stories creatively.

In this article, we’ll be going over them! And you’ll learn all about the different ways to visually appeal to your audience without doing a one-click photo and done. Instead, you’ll tap into your inner creativity to stand out .

How to Add Multiple Photos with Instagram Photo Sticker (Step by Step!)

Using the Instagram photo sticker to add multiple photos is super easy. Here’s how to do it!

Step 1: Open your Instagram Story camera and take or upload your first photo for the background.

Just think of Instagram Stories as a blank canvas.

You’re the talented artist trying to capture the attention of onlookers by standing out and showing them something they’re used to seeing, but in a new and stimulating way.

Speaking of blank canvases, you can even skip changing the background color and simply upload an Instagram Story background template! Search for hundreds of unique designs and customize them to your branding in Tailwind Create.

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You can resize the photos by taking two fingers and bringing them closer together (the “zoom in” motion) to make the photo smaller or by spreading your fingers wider (the “zoom-out” motion) to make it larger. 

And if you don’t like the standard rounded edges, tap on the photo, and it’ll switch to square edges. 

Instagram also has custom layouts if you don’t want to worry about resizing, dragging, and dropping. Curious about how to find those? Well, keep on reading, friends!

How to Make a Collage Layout on Instagram Story

Suppose creating your own layout feels a little intimidating, but you’re down to try multiple photos in one Instagram Story. Maybe rearranging and tweaking isn’t your cup of tea. 

I get it. Trying new things can be scary, especially if visual arts aren’t your biggest passion. And sometimes, we need to start with a smaller step and test the waters. 

Well, in that case, you’re in luck because Instagram has its very own layout feature within Stories. And it makes picture layouts easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

Step 1: Open Instagram Story Camera back up.

Step 2: Press the Layout template button located in the middle and left of the screen. Then choose how many images you’d like to include, which can be anywhere from 2-6 photos.

You can double-click each picture to move and adjust it to just the right spot. You can also zoom in or out to make it absolutely positively perfect. 

Whatever small tweak or adjustment you’d like to make, you can still do so in an Instagram Story layout. Making this a pretty fool-proof method for adding multiple pictures or videos to a slide. 

Even if you’re a seasoned Story professional, these layouts are an easy way to make some visual appeal without the added stress of choosing where to put the pictures and how to lay them out.

I know what you’re thinking, it can’t be that easy! But oh, it truly is. :’) 

And there’s one more method I’d like to discuss that makes creating multiple slides at once as easy as eating pie (unless you’re allergic, in which case, uh, my sincerest apologies). 

How to Upload Multiple Photo Stories at Once

You can also upload a story of multiple slides of photos at one time. Whether you’re sharing a recipe, telling a story, or showing your personality and humor, this is a great way to draw something out in a fun and creative way.

I think it’s safe to say we’re pros after my screenshots above, and we all know how to open up the Instagram Stories Camera and find the Photo Sticker. But let’s say you want to share a funny story over multiple slides? Or you want to share multiple layout slides, and you want to see how they look side by side before uploading?

Well, the good news is you can create multiple sides at once and even have custom or standard layouts on each, giving you some big creative bang for the buck.

Now, let’s get into adding multiple slides at once.

After clicking the Photo Sticker, you’ll see a little square inception button at the top right of the screen (a square within a square, intriguing indeed). Pressing it allows you to choose multiple images to tell an entire story, give a tutorial, or post a recipe all at once.

You can click on each slide individually to edit and tweak, allowing you to upload up to 10 slides at once! Gone are the days of recording one video at a time, followed by finally posting the follow-up several minutes later when most people have forgotten the original video. *eye twitch* (Been there, unfortunately, done that one too many times.)

This option allows you to post it all together and give one swift punch instead of some false starts. Making it easier than ever to post those longer Stories and create a memorable and significant impact while you still have your audience’s attention.

You can then customize each slide with even more creative elements, which we’ll get into next!

Adding Extra Creative Elements

Let’s say you’re an overachiever, a perfectionist, or possibly, want your Instagram Stories to look as visually appealing as possible. Well then, THIS section is just for you. 

We have another article on creative ways to spark engagement in your Stories, but here are a few more pointers to give those photos some extra pizazz and take it up another notch: 

• The drawing feature
  • The squiggly line at the top of your Stories create screen allows you to doodle or even draw out words.
• Adding GIFs and other elements
  • Whether it’s a funny GIF, sparkles, or a sticker, these options definitely help your story stand out.
• Posting a poll
  • It’s the easiest way to get some engagement as it’s quick for your audience, and people love polls!
• Tagging another account
  • Whether it’s a friend, a brand, or someone you admire, this option can possibly get reshared and also show your audience some other potentially great accounts to follow.
• Using a relatable hashtag
  • Get your story on the front and center stage for new people with some hashtags.
• Location Tag
  • This allows your story to pop up to people in the same area and get you even more visibility!
• Asking a question
  • One of the most popular and effective ways to get engagement just requires your time to filter and answer questions. So pro tip, wait for a day where you have lots of time to answer questions.

Your Stories are a platform to try new avenues within your niche, showcase your personality, and express how unique you are as an individual. And to especially humanize a brand!

Make Your Stories Count

Stand out from the crowd, try something new, and tell a story in a new way. That’s how you get people to not only follow but to continue checking in and seeing what you’re up to next. Make your Stories visually stimulating and challenge your creativity by adding multiple photos and slides at once. You can even add music to your Instagram Stories for some emotion!

Your Stories are your place to experiment, shine, explore, and truly make the account your own.

Hook em’ in, and keep them coming back for more!  

Taking a photo and posting it is only the beginning, and making your photos stand out in Stories can be a fun challenge for both you and your audience. Whether it’s a visual story involving separate slides or you’re adding multiple photos in one Instagram Story, you can stand out as far as you allow yourself.

How do you make the photos in your Stories stand out? Comment below and I’ll catch you later alligators.

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