Posted by There has been a significant decline in engagement on the feed posts. But, the engagement rate for Reels and Instagram stories has stayed high.
This could be because Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app?
So, it is clear that Instagram Stories should definitely be a part of your content strategy.
When you use Instagram’s native app, you can create beautiful stories by just dabbling with the options available.
1. Create: This option includes — Text, Shoutouts, GIFs, Templates, On this day, Poll, Questions, Countdown, and Quiz that you can tap and modify as per your content niche.
2. Layout: You can create and share collages within Instagram stories. All you have to do is select a layout based on the number of images and then go ahead to capture them.
3. Multi-Capture: This feature allows you to capture a total of 8 images at once and then you can edit each one of them individually and upload it at once.
4. Level: This feature allows you to check if you’ve positioned your mobile device right while capturing an image. When you tap on the “Level” icon, you’ll see a grid appear on your screen. This helps you align the image at the center of your screen. When it’s aligned well, you’ll see the icon turns yellow, giving you that go-ahead to capture.
5. Photobooth: This feature captures a total of 4 images with a gap of 3 seconds and then stitches them together into a stop-motion clip for you to share on your Instagram story.
6. Superzoom: By its name, we know it’s a feature that zooms in. Instagram launched a few more effects within Superzooms like — Classic, Dramatic, Hearts, and Surprise.
7. Hands-free: This feature allows you to record quick videos, Q&As, go live without any hassle. All you have to do is tap on this feature and you’re good to go hands-free.
Apart from these, there are apps that allow you to create cohesive content for your Instagram stories.
Let’s look at 9 of these today?
1. Canva
This tool allows you to create posts as per the social platforms you’d like to publish to. The available templates and 5GB cloud storage are just enough for anybody starting off or more.
Canva is super easy to use the app and the fact that you do not have to look for the image dimension or rack your head too much on the creatives is a bonus of why it stands out amongst other content creation tools.
For Instagram stories, all you have to do is tap the “Story template”
Where can you get it? Web App, Android & iOS
2. Unfold
If you love communicating via Instagram stories, you’d love the Unfold app. It lets you create stories that help you maintain consistency and have a standard story format.
Its USP is that it allows you to add video, images, and text all in one single post. These elements together in a story make it attractive, stand out, fun, and interactive.
Where can you get it? Android & iOS
3. PhotoGrid
The PhotoGrid app helps you add quirky backgrounds, stickers, frames, grids, create collages and short clips with images.
It also has options that help in photo editing. To add on there are filters available.
You can also draw/ doodle on images before you could save and upload them to your Instagram story.
Where can you get it? Android & iOS
4. Snapseed
While Instagram stories are best when they are raw and unedited a seamless and aesthetically pleasing Instagram story forces a viewer to spend more time appreciating it. The time spent could also be potential engagement with your content.
The app has quite a number of features even on the free version.
You can also pick a filter or save an edit to use it on all your images for Instagarm stories by tapping the “Last Edit” filter. When you’ve finalized the image and its edit you can tap the “Done” opinion and save/ share as you’d like to.
Where can you get it? Android & iOS
5. Boomerang
Instagram launched boomerang as a standalone app and then brought it to Instagram. A few years later, they now have 3 other effects -Slowmo, Duo, and Echo that can be applied to your Instagram story videos.
You can add GIFs, stickers, and text to make these fun!
Where can you get it? Android & iOS
6. Adobe Spark
Adobe spark is a free app that helps you create quick key information/ communication posts and videos in just a few steps.
They have a template recommendation pop-up that has more than 40k templates available.
To make it easier to start creating content, the dimensions show up on the basis of the platform you would be publishing to.
So, when you tap Instagram Story as the design template, you will see ready-to-use templates to choose from and also a blank canvas to start from scratch.
Other cool features available are animation of text, color schemes, designs, sharing templates or creating +saving them for future use.
Where can you get it? Web App, Android & iOS
7. Lifelapse
Life Lapse is a mobile app that helps you capture and bring your memories to life in a unique way — Stop motion videos
It could be something as simple as sharing your OOTD, document your travel or vacation or capture one product in multiple locations or settings and the list goes on.
All you have to do is create a project, capture images as the app directs you to or add all previously clicked images/ videos to a project.
Once done, the app stitches all the images or video clips together. You can then select a filter, a song/music, and a video ratio based on the platform you’d like to publish to and you’re done.
Where can you get it? Android & iOS
8. Crello
Crello helps you create Social posts for Instagram stories, animated posts, and videos. They have a standard set of formats that you could choose from or you could also create a design by adding custom dimensions.
It’s similar to Canva but has limited templates when compared.
Other key features of the app are that it has a background remover, 70+ design formats for web and print, 1000’s of Full HD videos and animations, 200M+ images, videos, and music tracks to choose from, to create beautiful Instagram content for your stories.
Where can you get it? Web App, Android & iOS
9. Instories
The In stories app, by its name, tells you that the app helps you create content for your Instagram stories.
With this app, you will learn and make trendy engaging stories from scratch without any special skill or too much effort.
It provides inspiration, sources and helps you edit posts in a creative and straightforward way.
If you’re looking at getting help in making your Instagram stories stand out.
This tool is freemium. It means you can start a 3 days trial and see if you’d like to go ahead subscribing or cancels if it does not fit well for your need.
Where can you get it? Only available on iOS
There are other apps that are specific to iOS and Android that didn’t make it to my top 9.
You can give these a spin too — Mojo, Studio, Story Art, and UNUM.
That’s it, folks!
If there is anything you’d like to read more on, do share your suggestions in the comments and I’ll get put my brains, hands, love, and research all into it! 
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