Instagram is a popular photo and video-sharing platform that allows users to share their everyday lives with friends and the world. With Instagram stories, users can share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. But how many pictures can you put into an Instagram story? In this article, we’ll look at how many images you can add to an Instagram story and some tips and tricks for creating the perfect story.
1. What is an Instagram Story?
An Instagram Story is a feature of the social media platform that allows users to create a narrative sequence of videos and photos that are displayed in a slideshow format. Stories are only visible for 24 hours after being posted, after which they disappear from the user’s profile. Stories can be used to capture events, activities and moments that users want to share with their followers.
Stories can be created with a selection of easy-to-use features and tools such as hashtags, stickers, polls, location tags, GIFs, music and text. Users can also add photos and videos they’ve taken previously, making it possible to create a slideshow without spending the time to take pictures or videos in the moment.
The primary purpose of Instagram Stories is to allow users to share more candid, fun and creative content than what can be shared in static posts. There are a variety of benefits to utilizing Stories including:
- Helps users build relationships by providing an authentic connection between the user and followers.
- Creates a sense of urgency for viewers to watch the story before it disappears.
- Increases the reach of posts by promoting stories to followers and potential followers.
2. What Are the Restrictions on Instagram Story Posts?
Instagram imposes certain restrictions on story posts.
1. Posts must include text, stickers, or GIFs. Photos, videos, Boomerang, or Layout formats are the only content accepted in stories.
2. Posts must contain no more than 150 characters. This includes the text, GIFs, stickers and hashtags.
3. Images must be cropped to fit into the 1080 x 1920 pixels dimensions allowed on Instagram story posts.
4. The permitted file size for a story post is 4GB.
5. Story posts can be seen only for 24 hours. After that the stories disappear and are not available in the profile grid.
Hashtags in a story post must follow certain conditions to be considered valid.
1. The hashtag should contain no more than 30 characters.
2. No punctuation and special character can be used in hashtags.
3. The hashtag should be added to the post text, it cannot be added separately.
4. There is no limit to the number of hashtags, though they must fit within the 150 characters post length restriction.
Geo-tags, or location tags, can be added to an Instagram story post.
1. The user must first turn on location services from the camera settings of their device.
2. Users can either search for a location or add their current location by tapping on the globe icon next to the text input box.
3. A location can be shared multiple times and all of the stories posted in that location will appear in that particular location tag page.
4. Location tags will be visible to other users in the Stories section or in a user profile if they are public.
3. How Many Pictures Can You Include in an Instagram Story?
When you are considering adding a story on Instagram, understanding what’s allowed can be helpful before you get started. Instagram allows you to add up to 10 pictures and/or videos in an Instagram Story at one time. There is no overall limitation to how many times you can post, as long as you do not post more than 10 items at once.
When creating an Instagram Story, you can include:
- Up to 10 photos or videos (each, a “Media Asset”) in a single story
- Any combination of photos, videos, and GIFs
- Drawings, text, stickers, live filters, or music in your photos and videos
However, there is a 15 second maximum time limit on video or audio clips. The best practice is to aim for 1–2 minutes of content when creating an Instagram Story. As long as you don’t exceed 10 Media Assets per story and 15 seconds for a video or audio clip, you should have no trouble creating engaging and eye-catching Instagram Stories.
4. Tips for Maximizing the Number of Pictures in an Instagram Story
Include Gallery Photos
A great way to maximize the number of pictures in your story is to include several images at once. This is made possible through an Instagram feature known as ‘create a gallery’ which allows users to upload several photos to one post. Selecting this option can add up to ten photos to your story in one post, which is more than enough for most stories shared.
Go Live
Going live allows users to upload more content to their story as it does not have a limit. Live stories can go for up to an hour, meaning that a lot of content can be shared in just one go. As well as this, viewers can interact with you and ask you questions throughout the broadcast, giving users more flexibility and options when it comes to updating their stories.
Try Rewind or Boomerang
Instagram offers a few features that can help you increase the amount of content you can upload to your story. Rewind and Boomerang are particularly useful as they take a normal video and play it back in reverse and loop it respectively. This can help you create different types of videos for your story, as well as taking up less memory.
5. Concluding Thoughts on Posting Pictures in an Instagram Story
Posting pictures in an Instagram story can be a great way to show your followers what you’re up to in a creative way. Before posting:
- Make sure the pictures you post are appropriate for your audience
- Optimize your pictures to be sure they’re viewable on any device
- Ensure the pictures don’t infringe on any copyright laws
- Pay attention to the maximum capacity of an Instagram story
- Consider the resolution of the images you want to upload
- Put some thought into how you want to frame the story
When posting:
In conclusion, if you take the right steps, posting pictures in an Instagram story can be a great way to engage with and inform your followers in an interesting and fun format. From making sure you have the right images to making sure they look great, taking the time to get the details right can maximize engagement. Overall, the number of pictures you can add to an Instagram Story depends on how creative you are. By applying different photo editing techniques and being savvy with the time limits, you can make intriguing multi-photo stories that engage your followers. With a little creativity, the possibilities are truly endless.