Instagram

Instagram Story Template Guide: How to Find + Use Them

Instagram Story templates are a life-saver for busy marketers.

Whether you need a little something in your back pocket for creating beautiful Instagram Stories designs, need inspo for Stories content, or just want to save yourself some time – a good set of templates can make all the difference!

But how do you find a good set of Instagram Story templates, or even make your own?

That’s what we’re here to answer! In this blog post, we’re covering what an Instagram story template is, why you should use it – and our favorite apps and tools for creating Instagram Stories.

Benefits of Instagram Stories

Sooo… what is an Instagram Story template? Basically, it’s a pre-made Instagram Story sized design (9:16) with graphics, text, and even animations that you can customize to your brand.

In the past, most templates were made in programs like PhotoShop or apps like Canva, and allowed you to customize font styles, text placement, color palettes, and more!

However, Tailwind has launched our own version of “templates”. You upload your website and brand colors, your logo, and give us the text and the photos and we’ll mix it up and give you dozens of pin designs that you can just automatically select and load into Tailwind.

You can get ideas for designs you’d never have otherwise thought of, and the best part is, it only takes seconds to create a design.

You Should Be Using Instagram Story Templates – Here’s Why!

If you haven’t already started looking for an IG Story Template or two, now is your chance! After all, having a stash of branded Instagram Stories templates is a smart move for your social media marketing strategy.

Here are the three main reasons why:

IG Story templates create recognizable Instagram branding for your business.

As your followers interact with more and more of your content and begin to recognize your distinct color palette, fonts and voice on Stories or Instagram posts, brand awareness is being built. And that’s valuable!

Instagram Story templates save you major time and energy.

When you have a stack of Instagram templates for all your content types (think: photos, text posts, collages, product features, etc.), you don’t have to puzzle over design details and putting everything together. Just pop in your content and go!

This is also important because Instagram Stories only last for 24 hours. You want to create quality content, but not spend a ton of time on a post that’s only there for a day!

Story templates will help you “Stop the Swipe.”

Clean, professional-looking designs are so eye-catching in a sea of (usually) unpolished photos and videos in the Stories feed. Your followers are more likely to pause and take notice of your Stories post when they look well-crafted. This gives more time for your various calls to action to be noticed!

So, you get the picture. Stories templates can really help you make more impact in less time!

Now that we have you convinced, let’s talk about the different types of Instagram Story templates and where you can find them in our resource list below!

Types of Instagram Story Templates

When you’re on the hunt for the perfect set of templates, it’s important to know where to look and what you need.

Depending on your technical skill, editing preferences, and branding needs, one type may make more sense than another!

The three types are Story prompt templates, mobile app Story templates, and downloadable Stories template packs. We’ll get into the details below:

1. Story Template Prompts and Inspiration

Figuring out how your Story should look is often just the first (and easiest!) step. Next, you’ll need to figure out what to post, and create enough content ideas to keep followers engaged and interested day after day!

That’s where Story prompts like Tailwind’s new Story Starters come in handy!

With this free download, you’ll get the best of both worlds: Story content inspiration, and free templates and instructions that help you make world-class Stories in just minutes.

Did we mention it’s free? That’s 4 weeks of daily content at your fingertips!

2. Mobile App Story Templates

There are several popular mobile and web apps that make personalizing IG Story templates with your personal branding a breeze.

Template apps are usually favored by novice and beginner social graphic designers because you don’t need a lot of technical know-how to create and customize template designs. That’s why Tailwind Create is ideal, you don’t need any design or branding experience to create beautiful, engaging posts for your feed. 

Another major bonus? Tailwind Create is free, so you won’t break the bank!

Editing a story in StorySwag

Our Favorite Instagram Story Templates

These are a few of our favorite examples for mobile or desktop. These come from our amazing users (who have some amazing brands of their own, if we may say so ourselves)!

If these seem like something you’d love to create for your own brand (in seconds might we add) give Tailwind Create a free trial!

Instagram Story Templates

Created by Tailwind
Created by Your Vegan Family
Created by Tailwind
Created by Your Vegan Family
Created by Tailwind

Schedule Your New Instagram Stories with Tailwind

Now that you have tons of templates and inspiration for new Stories content, why not take advantage of Tailwind’s new Story scheduling feature?

You can schedule Instagram Stories from your desktop or phone. Just upload your images and videos, add text, and find the best hashtags for your Story to increase reach!

You can try it out here — no credit card required!

Pin Me For Later :

Kristen Dahlin

Kristen Dahlin is the Content Marketing Manager at Tailwind — your new Marketing team, helping you create social media designs, schedule posts, and optimize across Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest with one easy-to-use social media management tool. Kristen lives in rural Oklahoma with her husband Kyle, daughter Sophie, boxer Lila, and a very temperamental flower garden.

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