If your business is not using animated Instagram Stories you could be missing out on a huge opportunity!
Instagram Stories are creative, fun, and engaging and provide a way to connect with your audience in an authentic way. But how do you stand out on Stories now that everyone is using them? Is there a way to cut through the noise?
We have the answer – animation!
Animated Instagram Stories are trendy and create a way for you to make captivating content for your audience that will stop them in their tracks. Just a little bit of movement can go a long way.
With so many creative apps and platforms on the market, it isn’t hard to create dazzling Story slides. We’re sharing with you our top 7 platforms to make animated Instagram Story content super easy for your business.
Why You Should Make Animated Instagram Stories Part of your Strategy
Instagram is all about engagement with your audience. It can be tricky to get your audience to listen on a platform that overflowing with information and content. Finding creative ways to engage with your audience and share your message has become more important than ever before.
In order to engage and interact with your following, you must capture their attention. Animated Stories are more likely to catch someone’s eye as they are clicking through rather than a still image with some text.
You may be asking yourself if it is worth it to post to Instagram Stories if you are already posting in your feed. Our recommended posting cadence depends on two things: Industry best practices and audience experience. Based on what we’re seeing industry-wide, our recommendation is to post a minimum of 4x a week in-feed and have a stronger Instagram Story presence. In-feed posts grow your brand presence, but Instagram Stories help to keep content top of mind and keep your audience engaged throughout the day
Providing your audience with content both in-feed and on Stories will keep their interest peaked. Visually enticing content will not only grab their attention but will also create interest in your business or brand.
The Best Platforms to Make Animated Instagram Stories
#1. Instagram
If you are new to creating Instagram Stories or want to start animating your slides, using the Instagram app is a great place to start!
When uploading an image or a video, Instagram has hundreds of stickers that can add movement to your story.
Using stickers in the Instagram app is one of the easiest ways to quickly add a little flair to your content.
#2. Over
The Over app is a great tool to help you step up your Instagram Story game.
Over has a vast selection of eye-catching templates that can be used when designing Instagram Stories. All of the templates can be customized and changed with ease. Over also has features that allow you to upload fonts, colors, logos, and images to ensure you’re staying on brand.
Don’t have the photo, video, or graphic you want to animate your story? Use Over’s library and stock collections to make your story just the way you want.
#3. GIPHY
Taking a break from the serious and branded content is needed sometimes. One way to mix up your story game is to use GIFs!
Like we mentioned earlier, Instagram has thousands of stickers and GIFs already in the app that you can use to animate your stories. If you’re looking for something that stands out more, the GIPHY app is perfect for full-frame GIFs.
The GIPHY app is the world’s largest library of animated GIFs and stickers. We’re sure you’ll find a GIF that’s hilarious or relatable to share with your audience. To do so, select “share to Instagram” and save the GIF to your camera roll. It’ll be ready to go for your next story!
#4. Instories
Dig into your creative side with Instories! This app is great for animating pictures or videos and allows you to find a unique style that works for your business.
Instories helps you create high-quality Instagram Story slides without the hassle of hard and expensive software. Create eye-catching story slides in minutes, especially when you use one of the templates in the app.
After customizing your story exactly how you’d like, easily export your slides to Instagram or another social media app.
#5. Life Lapse
Try something new on stories with stop motion slides! The Life Lapse app makes creating stop motion videos a breeze. Say goodbye to overused stock footage and create original videos featuring your own products in motion that will capture the attention of your audience.
Don’t know how to make a stop-motion video? No worries! Life Lapse has you covered with their in-app academy, full of tutorials and tips on how to get started. After learning the ropes, shoot and edit your video in the app until you’re ready to save it.
With Life Lapse you can keep up with fancy editing trends without doing all of the heavy lifting. As long as you have a phone, a tripod, and good lighting, you’re all set!
#6. Mojo
Capturing video content for stories is a great way to vary your content. With the Mojo app, you can add an extra amount of flair to your videos.
With hundreds of templates to choose from, Mojo allows you to create stunning video stories. Each template is customizable, making it easy for you to add effects, text, animation, and more.
Encourage sales with the animated price tag and swipe up features. A call to action that stands out will definitely grab your audience’s attention!
#7. Adobe Spark
Complicated may be the thought that comes to mind when thinking about creating with Adobe. Not anymore! With Adobe Spark you can create stunning stories with no design experience required.
Accessible on the web or on mobile, Adobe Spark can be used to animate text or add subtle movement to your design. Whatever you have in mind, Adobe Spark can help. Choose from an abundance of templates or create your own story from scratch.
Upload your own photos to add to your designs, or choose from stock images available in Spark. Need some inspiration for creating a story slide? Check out Adobe Spark’s Inspiration wall for an idea to get you going.
Start Creating!
Now that we’ve shared some of our favorite apps for making animated Instagram Stories it’s your turn to try them out. There are countless apps and platforms that can be used for content creation. However, just knowing about them doesn’t do anything for your business. We encourage you to choose two or three apps and start using them to create awesome Instagram Stories!