Using Instagram Story GIFs is all the rage today. GIFs help express emotions and ideas in a fun and engaging way. They can make your Instagram Stories stand out and connect with your audience.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explain everything about using GIFs on Instagram Stories:
- Why GIFs are so popular on Instagram
- How to find and add GIFs to Stories
- How to create your own branded GIFs
- Tips for using GIFs effectively
- Maximizing engagement and results with GIFs
Let‘s dive in!
Contents
Why Do People Love GIFs on Instagram Stories?
GIFs are short, looping, animated clips that seamlessly express emotions and reactions. They are like digital emoticons that convey meaning beyond just words.
Users love GIFs because they:
- Help communicate ideas and feelings more vividly
- Add personality and humor to Stories
- Make content more visually engaging
- Are quick and easy to use in Stories
- Allow users to express themselves creatively
For brands, GIFs help:
- Showcase brand personality and style
- Make announcements and campaigns more fun and memorable
- Encourage audience participation and engagement
- Show off products in an eye-catching way
- Keep content fresh and current
According to Instagram, over 400 million people use Stories every day. GIFs have become an extremely popular way for users and brands to enhance their Stories and stand out.
Animated GIFs on Instagram
In 2018, Instagram integrated the GIF library of Giphy into the platform. This allowed easy access to a vast collection of animated GIFs.
Users can now add GIF stickers directly to their Instagram Stories. GIF stickers have transparent backgrounds so they can be overlaid seamlessly on photos and videos.
Here are some types of animated GIFs ideal for Instagram Stories:
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Reaction GIFs: These express common reactions like laughter, shock, excitement etc. They are great for responding to things in Stories.
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Celebratory GIFs: Pop open the champagne or throw confetti with these GIFs for announcements and launches.
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Text GIFs: GIFs containing text in fun fonts and animations work great to convey short messages.
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Brand Mascots: Turn your brand mascot into a GIF sticker to create branded and personalized GIF content.
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Product/Service GIFs: Showcase your offering in an eye-catching way by turning product videos and demos into GIFs.
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How-To GIFs: Create useful "How To" style GIFs to educate and engage your audience.
Now let‘s see how to find and add GIFs in Instagram Stories.
How to Add GIFs to Instagram Stories
Adding GIF stickers to your Instagram Stories is easy:
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Open the Instagram app and tap on the “Your Story” icon in the top left.
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Take or select a photo/video for your Story.
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Tap on the sticker icon at the top and select “GIF” from the menu.
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This will open up the Giphy library. Browse for GIFs by using the search bar or selecting from trending and recommended sections.
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Once you find a suitable GIF, tap on it to add it as a sticker to your Story.
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You can resize, rotate or reposition the GIF sticker before posting your Story.
The GIF stickers automatically play as you view the Story, adding visual interest to your content. You can add multiple GIFs to a single Story this way.
Pro Tip: When selecting a GIF, pick ones that are relevant to your Story content and brand style. Avoid overusing too many GIFs as it can become distracting.
Now let‘s look at how to create custom branded GIFs for your Instagram Stories.
How to Create Branded GIFs for Instagram Stories
Creating your own branded GIFs for Instagram takes a bit more effort but gives you more customization options.
Follow these steps:
1. Sign up on Giphy
Giphy is Instagram‘s official GIF partner. So you need to have a Giphy account first to upload your custom GIFs.
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Go to Giphy.com and click on “Join Giphy” to create your account. Select the “Brand” option.
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Fill in your brand details in the application. Giphy will review and verify your account.
2. Create Your Branded GIFs
Once approved, you can start uploading your own GIF creations.
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Use graphic design tools like Photoshop, InDesign or free online tools like Canva to create short animated graphics and text in GIF format.
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The ideal specs for GIF stickers are 500×600 px dimension, RGB color mode, and 20% transparent background.
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Add relevant titles and tags to your GIFs so they are easy to find in the Instagram sticker library. Include your brand name in the tags.
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Upload the GIF files directly through your Giphy account.
Once your branded GIFs are uploaded to Giphy:
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Go to Instagram Stories and search for your GIFs using your brand name and relevant tags.
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Add the GIF stickers to your Story creatively to showcase your brand.
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Use them consistently in your Instagram marketing to boost brand awareness.
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Track their performance using the analytics in your Giphy account. Identify popular GIFs among users.
Creating custom GIFs requires some effort but gives your brand memorable and engaging Instagram content. Let‘s look at some tips for using GIFs effectively.
Tips for Using GIFs Effectively in Instagram Stories
Here are some expert tips to use GIF stickers successfully in your Instagram Stories:
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Align with brand style: Ensure your GIF stickers match your brand personality and style guide. Maintain visual consistency.
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Spark curiosity: Use GIFs in an intriguing way to tease upcoming product launches or announcements. Create anticipation.
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Highlight key information: Draw attention to important details like sales figures, contest terms etc. with relevant GIF animations.
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Reinforce key messages: Use GIFs to visually reinforce your main message or CTA for the Story.
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Add humor: Judiciously use humorous reaction GIFs to add laughs and connect with your audience. But don’t go overboard.
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Use appropriately: Avoid profane or offensive GIFs. Select GIFs suiting your brand’s tone and target audience.
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Find the right fit: Search thoroughly to find GIFs that exactly match the context of your Story rather than just a generic fit.
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Originality is key: While popular GIFs have higher visibility, try using unique and original GIFs to stand out.
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Track performance: Check GIF view counts and shares in your Giphy account. This helps identify high-performing GIFs to guide future usage.
By following these tips, you can take your Instagram Stories up a notch and delight your audience using GIFs!
Maximizing Engagement and Results with Instagram Story GIFs
Adding GIFs boosts engagement on Instagram Stories. Let‘s look at some of the benefits GIFs provide:
Show Brand Personality
GIFs add a fun, human touch to Stories. Audiences enjoy this glimpse into the brand’s personality beyond just products/services. Using humorous, meme-style GIFs moderatedly projects easygoing brand persona.
Grab Attention for Announcements
Announcing product launches, events or sales? GIFs featuring celebrations, excitement and flair help showcase the news prominently and build anticipation.
Draw Users to CTAs
Strategically placed GIFs attract viewer attention to Call-to-Actions like links, discounts codes or poll questions. This improves CTA click-through-rate.
Promote Products Visually
Short looping product videos converted into GIFs present your offering uniquely while still conveying their purpose effectively. These help boost interest in your products.
Add Interest to Stories
GIFs give an interactive, eye-catching element to Stories. Interesting GIF placements result in higher views, shares and @mentions as audiences love the engaging experience.
Maintain Pop Culture Relevance
Trending meme and pop culture GIFs make your brand seem current, in-the-know and culturally relevant. But balance it as per your brand personality.
As you can see, GIFs provide many benefits for Instagram marketing. Follow the tips in this guide and tap into the power of GIFs for maximum success!
Takeaways: Key Points to Remember
To summarize, here are the key points from this guide on creating GIFs for Instagram Stories:
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GIFs grab attention and express emotions effectively in Stories.
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Tap into Giphy‘s massive library of GIFs using Instagram‘s sticker function.
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Create custom branded GIFs by signing up on Giphy and uploading your animations.
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Align GIFs with your brand personality for consistency. Use strategically to highlight announcements and CTAs.
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Track performance data to identify winning GIFs amongst your audience.
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Use GIFs to showcase products uniquely. Add interest and pop culture relevance.
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Avoid overuse and keep proper brand tone. Originality gives higher visibility.
Implementing these tips and best practices for using Instagram Story GIFs will boost your brand and product promotion considerably!
So don‘t hesitate to embrace GIFs in your Instagram marketing mix and level up your Stories game. Get started creating and adding cool GIFs to your Instagram Stories today. Your audience will love them!
