We just get used to using Snapchat for random little posts and building up an audience on another platform then Instagram pops up with SURPRISE WE’RE GOING TO BUILD A SNAPCHAT LOL.
There’s no denying that temporary videos showing snapshots of your life is a very similar concept to Snapchat – if you read the post by Instagram announcing this, you’ll see they’ve been very careful not to use either the words snap or chat!
So how do you do it? It’s super simple – once you’ve updated your Instagram app, you should see a collection of circles at the top of your feed like this:
(If they’re not showing up, then close the app completely then reopen it – it just takes a little time) Tap on other people in this row to watch their Stories, or to post your own, tap the circle with the plus inside in the top left corner
From here, you can take your pic or hold down on the bottom middle circle to do a video, but if you want to use a pic or video off your camera roll, just swipe down while in the Stories photo taking screen and you’ll see your library pics there. (A good way to use Snapchat filters in Instagram stories too!)
Stories last 24 hours, you can draw on your images and control who sees it. You’ll be able to see who has watched your Stories by watching them again yourself, and if viewers want to reply to you, their conversation will appear in the message inbox (which is the icon in the top right corner of the above image)
So is it worth trying? It’s early days yet to be making a choice, but many of the users we follow are already finding that they’ve got higher numbers of viewers than Snapchat. Whether it’s intrigue at a new feature or because of the higher number of followers they are likely to have compared to Snapchat, it’s something to consider.
Snapchat feels a lot more casual and personal, but with Instagram, users may feel like they need to try and curate their Stories to fit in with their timelines. The benefit at least is that Stories will disappear after a certain time so they won’t affect your Instagram grid!
How are you guys finding Instagram Stories? Do you prefer them to Snapchat, or can you just not get enough of that bee filter?
