Instagram Stories are becoming one of the best ways to connect with your audience and to grow your followers. Yet a common problem is that posting consistently can be tricky — but it doesn’t have to be difficult! 

On Instagram, stickers are super popular right now! There isn’t a ton to choose from on Instagram, but never fear — you can easily make your own and have them feel right on brand at the same time!

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Here’s a quick step-by-step tutorial on how you can add stickers to your Instagram stories

1. Download the graphics you want to use for stickers to your camera roll. You can do this by downloading them directly using your phone.

You can also download the graphics to your computer and save them to Google Drive or Dropbox or AirDrop the files to yourself.

I love to airdrop them to myself, and I also have them saved to Google Drive as a backup.

2. Choose the graphic you want to use for a sticker from your camera roll and select COPY.

3. Open Instagram and choose the image you want to use for the background.

4. Tap the screen (as if you’re about to type) and tap again or hold down until you can press paste. Then, PASTE the sticker overlay into Instagram.

The paste feature can be a bit touchy, so don’t worry if it doesn’t pop up right away. It’ll show up eventually!

5. Pinch and squeeze with your fingers to move and resize the sticker and place it as desired on top of the image.

6. Add additional stickers, text, or hashtags and then post to Instagram.

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How to create branded Instagram stories

I love a great customer experience, so creating on-brand experiences in all areas of my business is really important to me. While there are some great stickers on Instagram that coordinate with my brand, I love creating consistency.

So, I had a designer (the amazing Kelly over at Star Castle Studio) create some custom icons for my brand. Check them out:

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You've probably noticed a few new icons popping up in my feed lately.⁣ .⁣ These beauties were custom designed by the wonderfully talented Kelly of @starcastlestudio 🙌⁣ .⁣ She nailed my brand and I had to restrain myself to a certain number of icons that I would use the most or there would literally be icons for everything!! (And one day there may be…I love them that much!!)⁣ .⁣ If you ever find yourself in the need of a positive, pastel and Disney-loving designer you've gotta check out Kelly's work! 🌟⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #shesgotvision #starcastlestudio ⁣ #womeninbiz #womensupportingwomen #femaleentrepreneur #womenwhohustle #savvybusinessowner #creativeentrepreneur #mycreativebiz #buildyourempire #solopreneur #youngentrepreneurs #creativepreneur #bossbabes #communityovercompetition #risingtidesociety #calledtobecreative #creativelifehappylife #handsandhustle #bosschick #womeninbusiness #wearethemakers #youngentrepreneur #creativeentrepeneur #dreambigorgohome #gogetit #businesswomen #businesspartner #entrepreneurmindset

A post shared by Marketing for Creatives (@shesgotvision) on Jan 3, 2019 at 1:39pm PST

She turned all those icons into different color variations, and I used the steps above to turn those into on-brand Instagram story stickers.

I can also take text and turn it into png graphics that allow me to make cute on-brand saying stickers to add to my stories as well. Here’s a sample of a phrase, an icon and my logo as stickers to create an Instagram post:

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I want to empower you to push the boundaries of good enough in running your business — to move beyond quick hacks and embrace quality and ethics in marketing.⁠ .⁠ With where we're at today in the quick gratification mindset, it's common to want to get it all done quickly. But what gets missed is the research and deeper connections with our audience.⁠ .⁠ When you're missing the language that helps you speak to your audience in the way they speak, you wind up creating things that fizzle out. Worse yet, you wind up attracting the wrong people!⁠ .⁠ It's time to stop the crappy content cycle and move toward creating amazing content.⁠ .⁠ Don't worry, it's not complicated! It just takes a little time and effort to really understand who you're wanting to attract and build relationships with.⁠ .⁠ It's as simple as interviewing people who fit your ideal client profile and having a conversation with them about their struggles, needs, and wins. That research and insight will help you to create better content and nail your messaging every time.⁠ .⁠ Once you nail that, the content creation process becomes easy and idea drought disappears. In its place is an idea ocean, and it's an awesome way to share your perspective and experiences while providing value back to your audience.⁠ .⁠ Do you have a solid picture of your ideal client?⁠ .⁠ If not, go back to the basics and think about what your client's life looked like before working with you and what it will look like after working with you. Paint a picture, then go out and talk to people who fit your ideal customer profile to help you understand their needs in a deeper way.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #shesgotvision #shemovesmountains #quotestoliveby #empoweredwomen #lifeisajourney #locationindependent #marketingstrategy #experientialmarketing #marketingtips #experiencedesign #marketingonline #digitaladvertising #contentmarketing #socialmediastrategy #marketing101 #businesstips #marketingagency #solopreneur #socialmediamanager #tiptuesday #socialmedia101 #customerfirst #bosschick #buildingbrands #getdifferentfaster #femaleboss #buildingwealth #professionalservices #savvybusinessowner

A post shared by Marketing for Creatives (@shesgotvision) on Feb 19, 2020 at 9:02am PST

The icon in the Instagram post above is from a collection by Nicole Yang.

Pro Tip: To turn your logo into a sticker, save it as a png file and follow the steps above. It’s as easy as that!

Have you created any stickers for your Instagram stories yet? If not, give it a try today!

If you need more help with getting your Instagram account set up for business growth and visibility, get my free Instagram profile audit workbook.