How to Change an Instagram Story Background? Best Practices

Instagram has been one of the most popular platforms continuously for several years. Fans of this app have fallen directly in love with Instagram Stories, and many companies provide information through this feature on a daily basis. But to make your Stories attractive, you need to take care of every detail of the message, especially the background.

In today's post, we'll tell you the essentials of Insta Story and show you up to three ways to customize the background of this feature. Let's get started!

What are Instagram Stories?

Stories is an Instagram app feature that was launched in August 2016, and from that moment, it has grown more and more popular. In addition to attracting interest, Instagram Stories also generate engagement, which benefits users, influencers, and marketers all over the world. Just sharing the moments became more accessible with these short videos.

The Instagram Stories feature lets users post photos and recordings that disappear after 24 hours. During this time, followers can view one's content and engage with it.

How to see such a Story? All you have to do is follow the user, and then the content they publish through this feature will appear at the top of the main page.

Source: about.instagram.com

What’s more, Instagram Stories can be kept for longer if their author wishes. They can highlight the Story and, as a result, add such material to the profile. It will appear just below the user bio.

Why is the Instagram Stories Feature so Popular?

Let's be honest: Stories are a big hit.

Can you imagine there are over 500 million active daily Instagram Stories users? Moreover, 86.6% of Instagrammers post them, and 70% watch them every day. Additionally, 25% of Gen Z and Millennials use them to find specific products and services.

So yes, they are trendy.

But precisely: why do we see such large numbers? Why are Stories so widely used? Because it's short and concise content that is easily accessible and can be created in an exciting way - whether for individual users or large companies.

What are some other reasons why people watch Insta Stories? Here are examples:

#1 They are Attractive and Eye-Catching

This type of messaging can be extremely attractive to audiences. You can use Stories in many different ways, for example:

• take advantage of filters, as they will slightly change the image of your materials (but remember not to overdo it, your message should be as true to reality as possible),
• choose the boomerang option; it will coolly loop the video,
• if you use the layout function, you will be able to add several photos at once,
• you can also draw something,
• change the background (we will tell you about it in a moment),
• and you can add paid partnership label as well.

Remember, however, that what's too much is not healthy, so it's a good idea to develop some strategy and stick to a particular style. For example, you can always use the same background, such as the color of your logo, or the same font.

#2 They can Quickly Engage Instagram Users

You can also use an Instagram Story to engage your audience, much more so than an Instagram post, which has fewer options for interactivity.

And in Stories, we have a lot of features, for example:

• polls,
• quizzes,
• mentions,
• gifs,
• show location,
• reactions,
• hashtags,
• give a message,
• send Story to a friend,
• and even save the music and filter used

In addition, Stories can make your brand more human, as they allow you to talk to your followers on a daily basis, without having to add these materials to your feed. This can also continually bring new curious viewers about how your company works.

#3 They Keep your Fans Informed

Nowadays, when we are constantly rushing somewhere, and the world is speeding forward, we don't have time to browse a large number of apps during the day. Meanwhile, Stories do not require a lot of time and effort to view, and still, we can learn a lot from them, for example, about:

• a new promotion at a favorite store,
• a free delivery,
• what a holiday is a today,
• adding a new post to the profile,
• the release of a new song.

In this way, this feature from Instagram allows you to be up to date and, at the same time, does not require you to scroll the screen to find relevant information.

Why is Instagram Story Background so Important?

Let's return to the main topic, the Instagram Stories background.

You can certainly divide them into those that you find attractive and those that are not particularly interesting. And not because of the content they had. Many elements determine what the final level of attractiveness of your materials will be, and the background is one of them.

The right background will allow you to create beautiful materials, inspire others, or stand out from the competition. It will also change the perception of your message and the level of interest among your audience.

It is these reasons that make the background of Stories not a random element of the overall message.

How to Change an Instagram Story Background?

Today we'll speak about the background in your Stories because it doesn't have to be the default - you can customize it yourself, and there's nothing difficult here. Here are three ways to change them.

#1 Single-Color

Let's start with a single-color background. Go to Stories and take a picture. If you want a solid background, you need to click on the option that lets you draw. It is located in the top right corner and looks like this:

Choose the color you want your new background to be and press the screen with your finger. Thanks to the pen icon, the selected color will fill the entire Stories space. At this stage, you can also pick up other options. For example, click on an eraser icon, and explore drawing with an arrow or a marker.

#2 Gradient

However, if you want your Story background to be covered by a gradient, you need to use another option. Go to Stories, and then click the Create "Aa" option. Then take a picture. You can change the color scheme by selecting the circle (O) icon at the top of the screen and clicking through until you find the one you like. Choose wisely, as every color on your Instagram matters because each fulfills its own role and has a different effect on the psyche.

#3 Your Picture

But you can also upload your own photo as a background! Just take a picture and open the options panel by clicking this button.

On the left-hand side, you will find the relevant option. Click on it to add your own background image from the camera roll. Select the one you are interested in from the gallery. Finally, customize it to your screen, and you're done! If you have finished, click Send to button in the bottom right corner.

After choosing one of the ways, you can insert what you want. Add text, photo, GIF, stickers, and location - the decision is yours. But keep in mind at all times that the message should be as straightforward as possible, so use elements in proper balance.

Bonus Tip: Choose FeedHive for your Instagram

Yes, yes, we said we have 3 ways for you to create an excellent Story background, but we wouldn't be ourselves if we didn't add something from our own hearts ;)

If you're looking for help for your business - not just when it comes to your Stories - then we recommend you use FeedHive - the social media management tool.

FeedHive is an AI platform that will allow you to create, schedule, publish, and easily manage your social media content at scale. In addition, you can get ahead of your competition with our amazing features that can make your Instagram app experience a success it hasn't seen before.

And how will it help your Stories? With over 3,000 AI-generated Instagram Story templates that will grab your audience's attention and help you engage them! Once you choose a background for your message, FeedHive will take care of the content. You can select any template and customize it to your needs, then use that content and paste it into Stories. This way, you'll finish your work faster, and the results will be even more satisfying.

But as we mentioned above - FeedHive has hundreds more uses for Instagram. For example, you can:

• create Instagram Carousels - make, schedule, and publish carousel posts with up to 10 images/videos,
• use the Instagram Grid Preview option - make sure your content looks amazing on your Instagram Feed,
• automatically generate hashtags - make your work even faster,
• predict your post's performance - to know when to publish.

But best of all - it has multiple pricing plans, and you can try each of them for free!

Use Instagram Stories for your Business

Insta Stories are used by 36% of businesses to promote their products. Moreover, 96% of marketers in the US plan on using this feature in the near future. Well, the data above should convenience you to take advantage of Instagram Stories and make them work for your business.

But what content should you publish? Let us give you some tips:

#1 Educate your Audience

First, you can teach your followers. But on what topics? Preferably on ones, you know about - after all, it's hard to talk about something you have no idea about.

You can conduct tutorials on how to use your products. You can also do a Q&A section and answer questions. Or talk about industry news and how it translates to your business. Or maybe notify about a new blog post and encourage the audience to read it because it contains important information on a particular topic.

The possibilities are many, and such content will be of great value to your customers.

#2 Make Your Brand Less Mysterious

With Insta Story, you can also make your business more humanized and closer to your customers. To achieve this, you can talk about your day at work, describe the departments you work in, what responsibilities you have, or, if you want, tell what you are working on now.

Such activities have two more advantages:

• They show what your brand is doing to meet customer expectations - how hard it is working to succeed and how important it is for it to reach its goals.
• They also show that your company is a friendly place to work - on these short Stories videos, people can see how you treat your employees, whether they are happy and whether they feel comfortable working for you.

All of these mentioned elements can increase the trust in your products and your brand as a whole.

#3 Keep your fans Entertained

But of course, you can also provide your audience with entertainment! Any funny situations happened in the company? Or have you released new Reels and would like to show them off? There is nothing stopping you from informing about it through Stories!

You may find that such content is insanely interesting, and you will gain more followers through them. And maybe in the near future, these followers will turn into your customers? It's worth a try!

To Sum up

Instagram Story background color is an essential element that can make your materials attractive. But now, you can change the background color and create Instagram stories in seconds! We hope this article will now make Insta Story a powerful tool in your hands!

If you also want to create this kind of content like a pro and improve your marketing strategy, use FeedHive, which offers you a variety of features dedicated to Instagram. Good luck!