What you need to know about Instagram Story dimensions
We’ll cut to the chase: Any Instagram Story you upload has to have an aspect ratio of 9:16. In terms of pixels wide and dimensions, this translates to 1080px by 1920px.
However, the following dimensions for Story size also work perfectly fine:
- 720px by 1280px
- 1440px by 2560px
- 2160px by 3840px
While we’re on this topic, let’s discuss a few more need-to-know details about Instagram Stories:
- Your photo file size must be less than 30 MB. This shouldn’t be a problem, considering you can download approximately 7–8 songs for that file size. Note: Instagram only supports PNG and JPG file formats.
- Your video file size must be less than 4 GB. Keep this in mind during the video editing process with the proper video editing app. The platform can support GIF, MOV, and MP4 file formats.
- While vertical video Stories can last as long as 60 seconds, Instagram caps the limit for photo Stories to 5 seconds. The rules for video ads are different, though — they only last for 15 seconds.
- If you wish to make your vertical photo Stories longer than the 5-second mark, experts suggest adding music in the background. This makes your photo Story stay for as long as 15 seconds.
Another important thing to consider is “safe zones” for Instagram Stories. For example, while IG Stories are most optimized with an aspect ratio of 9:16, you can’t write any text (or add any elements) near the top part of the Stories where the profile photo and user name are mentioned.
As a reference, you can consider this Story on mortgage loans by SoFi. The main text is in the middle of the page, and all text/elements are near the safe zone real estate — aka, not coinciding with the user name and the profile picture (or sitting in the left corner).
As another example, here’s a Story by StudioSuits that promotes its collection of tuxedo suits with vertical images and a product page link for easy shopping. Again, no text or elements coincide with the top part of the Story.
Experts also suggest not coinciding any elements or text near the bottom of the page. For example, if you run polls or insert an emoji slider on your Story, any time someone goes to answer your poll or engage with the slider, they might end up replying to the Story or skipping it.
For reference, something like this can cause unwarranted problems:
Pro tip: If you’re using your phone to create Instagram Stories, you can customize your settings so it takes photos/videos with the 9:16 aspect ratio. You can also customize the file format and size of your images/videos.
5 best practices for creating engaging Stories
Now that we’ve covered all things Instagram Story dimensions, let’s dive into a few tips and tricks to help you create Stories that you can add to your winning marketing strategy.
1. Strategize your plan and implementation
Oftentimes, when we leverage platforms like Instagram (and its subsequent content formats like Stories and Reels), we mainly do so because that’s what our competitors have been doing. Or because one of the thousand articles on the internet tells us to.
However, the journey is different for every business. And it’s much better for your business to be actively present on a few social media channels as opposed to passively being present on all platforms and channels.
Which is why, even before you start creating Instagram stories, ask yourself:
- Does this make sense for me (aka, are my direct or indirect audiences on this platform)?
- Will I be able to maintain a regular cadence on the platform (i.e., do I have the time and resources to invest in this platform)?
- Do I expect to see any benefits from this platform (and if yes, what’s my end goal here)?
- Do I have content assets I can use on Instagram (or the team to create these assets)?
Oftentimes, certain businesses shy away from using platforms like Instagram because they believe they’re not the kind of industry that markets itself on Instagram. Sometimes, they believe the only benefit of using this platform is to convert people into customers.
For example, we find more divorce mediators on the SERPs (thanks to educational blog posts) and fewer accounts of them on platforms like Instagram. However, even divorce mediators can use Instagram Stories to educate their clients and raise awareness about certain laws (which can help potential customers) and their company’s offerings (which can help them).
2. Try a sequential storytelling style
Experts suggest using a sequential storytelling style for Instagram Stories to ensure there’s a narrative flow in the conversations you’re trying to have with your active users.
Taking the sequential style of storytelling one step further, Scott Evans, the MD of a digital marketing company, Gorilla 360, recommends breaking down Stories over several days to keep people coming back.
For example, Instagram influencers who create episodes on Reels often post updates about these episodes on their Stories.
Case in point:
3. Consider leveraging mobile analytics
Mobile analytics tools offer data on user behavior, preferences, and interactions with Instagram Stories, enabling creators to understand which dimensions and content formats resonate best with their audience.
When analyzing metrics (such as Story views, taps, swipes, and completion rates), creators can:
- Tailor content to meet audience expectations
- Maximize the impact of their stories
- Refine their storytelling techniques
These insights can also help identify trends, track performance over time, and inform future content decisions. In short, it’s one of the best tools to empower creators/brands to create more compelling and effective Instagram Stories that captivate their audience and drive meaningful engagement.
Alternatively, you can also leverage social media listening tools and media monitoring tools to keep a close eye on customer sentiments and trends. On that note, sometimes, your audience will let you know what they like about your content through replies, too.
4. Embrace authenticity
Another best practice experts suggest following for your Instagram Stories? Embracing authenticity.
Silvija Kemeraite, social media manager at Omnisend, says,
“In order for people to engage with your Stories, you have to create content that feels authentic and relatable. The bigger audience can relate to it, the better.”
"Because Stories have quite a short lifetime compared to other posts, it’s a great opportunity to experiment with more authentic and unique content. People love behind-the-scenes content and real emotions — seeing people behind the brand and Stories is a perfect place to show that. And if you see content that performs especially well, don’t forget to save it to highlights so that it can continue its life there for visitors who’ll discover your profile later.”
5. Try engaging with your viewers
It might come as a surprise, but Instagram Stories are the best feature of the platform to engage with your audience.
For example, you can:
- Update audiences about all your activities (e.g., if you upload a Reel/photo, you can ask your audiences to go engage with them)
- Repurpose user-generated content to build trust and humanize your brand
- Offer a sneak peek into the content-making process
- Directly answer audience questions
- Introduce your team members
- Host social media takeovers
- Run polls and quizzes
- Create lives
For instance, brands like Form Health often host Instagram takeovers, where their lead dietician, Julia, answers user questions.
Why is this tactic so valuable? The team at Form Health says they often receive weight-loss-related questions (e.g., types of diets, medications like Wegovy or Zepbound for weight loss, exercises one should follow for weight loss, healthy eating, drinking habits, etc.).
They consciously host these takeovers to ensure their target audience gets insights from an actual expert on such topics (aka, topics that already have tons of misinformation online).
Let us help you perfect Instagram Stories
Posting IG Stories with the correct dimensions is a great start.
However, if you want your Instagram Stories to reach far and wide, you’ll also have to ensure that they are accessible and understandable to most of your audience.
An easy way to do this is to add captions to your Instagram video Stories so your audience can completely understand the context and conversations you’re having.
BIGVU, can’t only help you create captions for your Instagram videos, but we can help out in other ways, too. For example, you can leverage our tool to fix your Story backgrounds, generate scripts for videos, maintain eye contact with viewers, trim videos, remove unwanted noises, and translate Story text to localize them.
The best part of it all? You can use these features to your advantage without paying a single dime. That’s right — you can sign up for BIGVU for free!
About the author:
Guillaume is a digital marketer focused on handling the outreach strategy at uSERP and content management at Wordable. Outside of work, he enjoys his expat life in sunny Mexico, reading books, wandering around and catching the latest shows on TV.