Swiping through your Instagram Stories, you’re blown away by some of the cool tricks top Instagrammers are using to draw you in and keep you engaged.
It’s easy to assume that you’d never be able to make something like that and so fall back into your old “take a photo of coffee, video the cat” habit in defeat. Well, step away from the latte and leave Fluffy alone – we’re going to show you how to dazzle your followers with some simple Story Tricks of your own!
Believe it or not, most of your favorite brands and influencers achieve cool text and background effects right in the Instagram app – with a handful of must-know Instagram Story hacks.
We’ve rounded up 8 of our favorite Instagram Story tricks below, and included videos and step-by-step instructions to help you master them on your own.
Ready to take your Instagram Stories to the next level? Get ready for some razzle-dazzle! ✨
Hashtags, locations, and user mentions can boost your reach in a big way, but they can also make your Story look cluttered – ugh. 😑 If only you could hide hashtags in your Instagram Stories, right?
Spoiler alert: you can! There are a few easy ways to do it.
Let’s take a look! 👀
The quick answer? Yes, you can hide hashtags on Instagram Stories (and they’ll remain functional!) using one of these three methods:
To see how it’s done, check out the screenshots below. In the first, you can see my chosen kayaking hashtags towards the top right.
Using the Color Picker tool in the bottom left, I sampled the patch of sky just behind my hashtags:
Now you see them, now you don’t! To make the hashtags even less visible, just shrink the text by “pinching” it until it’s small enough to blend in.
Tailwind Tip: This method of hiding hashtags works even better on large, flat blocks of color, including clothing!
You should do some hashtag research beforehand to find the best hashtag search streams to push your Stories into. This exposes your content to readers who have similar interests, and you may just earn a follow!
You can research hashtags for popularity on Instagram, or you can take the guesswork out of hashtag research with Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder!
Just begin typing a word into the Hashtag finder to see a list of usable hashtags labeled niche (not many searches, but not much competition), competitive (lots of searches AND competition), good (a good balance), and best (your best opportunity to get discovered).
Try a few from each category. You can even save your favorite hashtags into a List to drop into your post captions and comments!
Did you know you can try Tailwind for Instagram and all its handy features (like Hashtag Finder, Auto Post, Smart Schedule and more!) for FREE – no credit card required! Just click here to grab a free trial of Tailwind for Instagram
If you want to punch up the visuals on your Instagram Stories, this easy text trick is a must-know. Peek at the quick video below to see how you can create a shadow effect on your text!
To create a drop shadow on your Instagram Stories text:
You can use a sheer overlay to make the most important elements really pop in your Stories photo or video! There are three levels of this overlay available, from sheer to completely solid.
You can also use the Eraser tool to reveal some parts of your photo or emphasize details. Check out the video example below to see how it’s done!
Using the Eraser tool, you can handwrite words or phrases or even create little doodles on an overlay to reveal a teaser of the image beneath. Want to see how it works?
Here’s a quick how-to video using a solid overlay!
To use the Eraser tool on a solid overlay, just do this:
If you’re like most Instagram users these days and struggling with engagement in your Instagram feed, you can leverage your Stories to drive more traffic to your posts! Why?
Because Instagram users are more likely to see your feed AFTER they’ve seen your Stories!
To use Stories to your advantage, why not share your new post to your feed, like we did in the video example above?
It’s super easy to do, and your followers can tap on the post in your Stories to be taken to the post on your feed! This increases the chance that they’ll actually go look and engage there as well. Otherwise, they’d have to back out of your Stories, go to your profile, and find the post. It’s a lot to ask of a person mid-scroll!
Here’s a quick video!
Here’s how:
This next trick is a little umm, tricky, the first time. BUT, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be adding this rainbow text effect to your Instagram Stories like a pro. 🌈
To add rainbow text to your Story, you’ll need both your thumbs and a little patience! Here’s how to do it:
Here’s a quick video of how it works:
Cool, right? 🤩Coordinating both your thumbs at the same time may take a little practice, but it’s just like riding a bike! Once you have the hang of it, you’ll be creating Instagram rainbow text in no time!
Ever wondered how some of your Instagram favorites create an “animated” text effect where each new word appears on the screen as you watch?
It’s not a fancy program, just a handy Instagram Stories trick that keeps your viewers watching in amazement.
Here’s what the effect looks like in action:
To create this Story, you’ll create several Stories and string them together! Let’s break it down:
If this seems like a lot of Story images to keep track of, you can always upload each frame into your Tailwind drafts to Schedule each image in the order it should be posted!
Simply enable Push notifications for each Story – you’ll be able to push your images through at the peak time when most of your followers are online and engaging with your content and take the headache out of planning multiple Story images!
Want to see for yourself? Try Tailwind for Instagram free!
Our final Instagram Story trick is a fun way to dress up a word in your post – by creating multi-colored letter blocks!
Here’s what the letter block text effect on Instagram Stories looks like:
Super simple, right? Using the Classic Text tool and by changing the text background color, you can get rounded block letters that look playful, fresh and unique! Here are all the steps:
Taking your designs from good to GREAT has never been easier, especially when you know all the Instagram Story hacks to help you along the way!
In this article, we talked about:
Want to learn even more about how Instagram Stories can impact your growth, sales, and engagement? Check out our tell-all blog post here!
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Yes it is really great I hope to deal with you soon
You were not lying about these videos being quick. They were TOO quick. If these are supposed to be instructional and educational and targeted for someone who doesn't know these tricks, might be worth slowing down a bit.
I'm sorry to hear that Clem! We tried to list thorough instructions enough so that the videos would be a visual aid. We're also putting tutorials on our Instagram Stories at @tailwindapp if you ever want to take a look! -Kristen
Hi Kristen - I was pleasantly surprised by how many new things I've learned, thanks so much! What also surprised me was the fact that you can flip stickers! Can you please tell me how? I've tried googling it, but haven't found any useful information about it. Or does it just work on iPhones?? Thanks in advance :)
Jasmin
Hi Jasmin!
Simply just tap the sticker to flip it! This is usually only for certain stickers, such as arrows. Other ones sometimes change colors or effects, but not all stickers will flip, unfortunately! This works on both Android and iphones! -Kristen
You guys always have the best advice and the coolest tips!
Hi Jordyn,
Thank you so much for that feedback! We're so happy that you enjoy our tips, tricks and blog posts! -Kristen
Okay, this has got to be the best post ever!!! thanks! It definitely went to Pinterest!
Hi Alexandra,
That's so great! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and found value in the post! :D . Kristen
Wow, I've been learning more and more from Tailwind blog on growing my IG ever since I switched from Pinterest marketing. Since I learnt the hashtag tips/tricks posting it in the first comment from one of the live videos, my followers haev been steadily growing.
Stella, that's great news! Thank you so much for sharing your successes! -Kristen
Nice article, Kristen!
I really appreciate your Instagram story tricks to dazzle followers! This blog post is helping me to create a marvelous story!
Your articles really impressed for me, because of all the information so nice.
Thank you for the very useful tips and tidbits about the story for Instagram! I look forward to seeing any other suggestions you might have!
Cool tips, thanks :)
You're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed this article. -Kristen
These are great tips; thanks! Sorry if I'm just not understanding, but re #3: how do you get a semi-translucent overlay before you use the eraser? Thanks!
Hi Lisa!
To get that semi-translucent overlay before using the eraser, open your pens, select the highlighter pen (second option with the angled-tip marker icon), then select your color and hold in the middle of the screen! A translucent overlay will appear, and if you hold again, a more opaque version will appear. Holding one more time will turn it solid!
Hope this helps,
Kristen