Social media marketers, rejoice: planning and scheduling Instagram Stories content just got a lot easier with Tailwind App.
In fact, it’s so easy, you can schedule an Instagram Story in just four steps!
In this blog post, we’re covering how to schedule a story on Instagram with Tailwind App, how it works, and some pros and cons of scheduling.
What are you waiting for — let’s go!
How to Schedule Instagram Stories
If you’ve been wondering how to schedule an Instagram Story, or were under the impression that it can’t be done, you’re going to be really excited by our latest feature.
Below, we’re outlining the four-step process for planning Instagram Stories with Tailwind.
From uploading multiple photos and videos, selecting precise times, and even finding relevant hashtags for your Story, we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to get some control over your Stories content calendar!
Here’s how it’s done:
1. Upload Story Images to Your Tailwind Dashboard
The first step is to upload your photos and videos to Tailwind!
If you’re already a user of our Instagram publishing tool, you’ll notice a brand new Stories icon over your 9-grid preview.
Just starting out with a free trial of Tailwind for Instagram?
Log into your Tailwind dashboard and look for a large purple ⊕ icon to the top right of your screen. This icon takes you to your Create Story dashboard!
Here’s how to add a new Story to your Tailwind drafts:
- Tap the Create Story Button (purple plus) on the right side of your dashboard
- Drag & drop photos and videos to your dashboard or tap “Choose a local file” to upload manually from your camera roll
- Preview your selected file uploads
- Select “Add”
Now that you’ve added your Story images to drafts, you’ll see thumbnails of each displayed in your Create Story dashboard!
2. Schedule Your Instagram Story for the Best Time
The next step is to choose your posting time!
When you select the Story draft you want to schedule, you’ll see a section appear to the right of your image called ” Select a Time.”
When you click here, a calendar popup will appear, allowing you to select the date and time that you’d like to schedule posts for.
Keep in mind that you should select a time when you see a lot of engagement from your followers (check your Tailwind Smart Schedule or Instagram Insights if you aren’t sure!) and a time when you’ll be able to interact with the push notification on your phone.
3. Add Texts and Hashtags to Your Instagram Story
After you’ve scheduled your Story, you can either save your changes or add text to your Instagram Story with the Notes section!
This handy feature saves so much time – rather than typing a few sentences on your phone and looking for emojis to accompany your image, you can just craft your message in advance here.
It’s all copied to your clipboard with the push notification. Just drop it in with the Paste function and you’re all set!
And that’s not the only handy feature here! Our Hashtag Finder tool also works for Story Notes.
As you type your Story text in the Notes, suggested hashtags will auto-populate in real-time.
These help increase your Story visibility and reach!
4. Save Your Instagram Story and Wait for a Push Notification
Now that you’ve scheduled your Instagram Story, added text, and searched for the best hashtags for your post, it’s time to send it live.
Save the changes to your new Story, and settle down to wait! When it’s time to post, you’ll receive a push notification to your phone from Tailwind app. Opening this notification will copy your text to your clipboard and download your Stories image to your phone before opening the Instagram app.
Then post to Instagram Stories! Super easy, right?
Should You Schedule Instagram Stories? Pros + Cons
If you’re wondering to yourself, “can I schedule Instagram Stories? Should I be scheduling Instagram Stories?”, this section may help clear a few things up.
As with all things on social media, there are pros and cons to everything you do! Here are the pros and cons for scheduling Stories, and a few instances where you should weigh your options carefully.
Pros of Instagram Story Scheduling
- Keep your branding on Instagram consistent, with advanced planning using Instagram Story templates and brand colors.
- Eliminate typos, errors and broken links (you can triple-check everything before posting!)
- Save time by planning and creating content in advance, which equals more time engaging and building your overall Instagram strategy!
- Post Instagram content more consistently (which is one of the main factors of Instagram growth!)
Cons of Instagram Story Scheduling
- You might lose that spur-of-the-moment, organic feel with pre-scheduled Instagram content.
- Reposting user-generated content and engaging through responses will still have to be done in the app.
- You’ll have to remember to check the app regularly to catch shares, mentions and engagement before 24 hours is up.
Depending on your overall social media strategy, you’ll want to weigh the above pros and cons to decide what’s right for your audience. Remember, you don’t have to schedule all of your Stories content if organic engagement and spur-of-the-moment Lives are your thing.
Just schedule the important stuff, like product launches, FAQs, new blog post teasers, and more to lighten your load!
Can You Schedule Instagram Stories to Post Automatically?
One of the major questions we get is, can you schedule an Instagram story with automatic posting?
While this is the dream for some Instagram accounts, Instagram does not currently allow API access for automatic posting. There are no approved apps for scheduling Instagram Stories automatically.
That means that in order to schedule Stories content, you’ll have to rely on push notifications through mobile apps to send your Story live.
The good news is, it’s only one extra step, and Tailwind app reminds you when it’s time to post!
Post Your First Story with Tailwind’s Instagram Story Scheduler!
Ready to start scheduling your Instagram Stories with Tailwind? You can try this feature (and all our other amazing features like Instagram Carousel posting, visual planning, Auto Posting to your Feed, and Hashtag Finder with a free trial of Tailwind for Instagram right now – no credit card required!
Sign up and post your Stories today!
