How to edit a story on Instagram

Instagram offers many ways to edit a story to reach as many people as possible and encourage them to interact with it. When editing an Instagram story, you can do it before and after you post it. In this article, you’ll find creative ways to edit your stories and achieve your goals.

How to edit a story before publishing it

Among the many ways Instagram allows you to edit a story are hashtags, geolocation, stickers, and more. These are all the ways you can personalize your Instagram Stories using the Instagram app for iPhone and Android. Please note that it is not possible to upload Instagram stories from the web version of the application.

Add stickers

Instagram offers a wide range of stickers that you can add to your stories. First, you will have to create a story by adding a photo or video that you want to share. To do so, follow these steps.

1. Go to your profile icon in the upper left corner. You will see all your latest photos and videos. Choose the one you want to post to your story.
   
2. When the image or video is added to the main page, you can place two fingers on the screen of your phone or tablet to change its size and location on the screen.
   
3. Swipe left and right to add a filter to your story from those preset by Instagram.
   
4. Click the label icon in the upper right corner of the screen. A new menu will appear with many different alternatives.
   

In the stickers menu, you’ll find trending stickers that change over time and some that will always be available. Here is a list of stickers you can add to your stories.

• Specific question. With this sticker you can ask any question you want to your audience. The question can be up to 60 characters. Every time someone replies, you’ll receive a notification and the option to repost the reply in a new story.
• Hashtag. Adding a hashtag to your story will allow you to reach more people with your post. You can write the hashtag you want. However, Instagram will also suggest the most popular ones related to your topic.
• Your location. Every time a follower clicks on the location tag, they can see the area where you posted the story from.
• Add music. You can add your favorite song to your stories with the music stickers. On the screen you can choose whether your followers can see the album cover or the song lyrics.
• Survey etiquette. A survey sticker is like the “question,” but there are some differences. Creating a survey allows you to ask the question and customize the answers. With this sticker, you will get real-time results of your audience’s comments.
• Gifs. Adding Gifs to your Instagram Stories will allow you to express emotions and create a story that is visually appealing at the same time. By clicking on the “Gifs” label, you will have a search bar to find the one you want.
• Tag someone. The “Mention” sticker will allow you to tag one of your followers in your story.
• Countdown. When preparing for a special event, you can use the countdown sticker. It will let people know the time left until the event and they will receive a notification when the big day arrives.
• Current time and weather. These stickers give your followers more information and context of your story.
• Proof. You can ask a multiple choice question and customize the answers. This is a fun way to interact and play with your followers.
• Link. If you’re posting a story with useful information that your followers might be interested in, you can choose the “Link” tag. This will allow you to add the URL of the site you are promoting.

Add text

On your Instagram stories, you can add any message you want by simply writing it yourself. Here’s how to add text to your stories.

1. Go to your profile icon in the upper left corner. You will see all your latest photos and videos. Choose the one you want to post to your story.
   
2. When the image is added to the main page, you can place two fingers on your phone or tablet screen to change its size and location on the screen.
   
3. Swipe left and right to add a filter to your story. If not, you can opt for the original version.
   
4. Click the “Aa” icon in the upper right corner of the screen. You will automatically have the option to write a message.
   
5. At the bottom of the screen you will find different fonts.
   
6. To change the text size, slide the sidebar on the left side of the screen up and down.
   
7. At the top of the screen, you’ll find other options for editing text.
   
   • Click on the horizontal lines to change the position of the text.
   • Tap the color circle to change the color of your massage.
   • The icon with an “A” and two little stars will allow you to add a special effect to the text.
   • Tap the “A” with two lines if you want your message to have a moving effect.

make a drawing

You can also add a drawing to your stories to make your post more personal and decorative. If you want to draw on your Instagram stories, follow these steps:

1. Go to your profile icon in the upper left corner. You will see all your latest photos and videos. Choose the one you want to post to your story.
   
2. When the image is added to the main page, place two fingers on your phone or tablet screen to change its size and location on the screen.
   
3. Swipe left and right to add a filter to your story.
   
4. Click the three dots in the upper right corner and, from the menu, tap “Draw.”
   
5. You can use your finger to decorate your story as you like. At the top of the screen we will have different pencil tools and an eraser in case we make a mistake.
   
6. At the bottom of the screen you can choose the color of the drawing.
   
7. If you want to change the size of the pencil stroke, you can use the sidebar on the left side. Slide it up and down with your finger.
   

Add Instagram effects

Instagram offers many fun effects that you can add to your stories before publishing them. Here’s how to add an effect to your stories.

1. Go to your profile icon in the upper left corner. You will see all your latest photos and videos. Choose the one you want to post to your story.
   
2. When the image is added to the main page, you can change its size and location on the screen with two fingers.
   
3. Click the “Stars” icon in the upper right corner. At the bottom of the screen you will find many effects available. Swipe left and right to see available effects. On the main screen, you will get a preview of the result.
   

Editing stories after publication

Unfortunately, the number of options available for editing an Instagram Story after you’ve posted it is limited. You can’t change the story drastically unless you delete it and start over. Here are the changes you can make and how to do it.

1. Go to the Instagram story you want to edit and click the three dots in the bottom right corner.
   
2. Tap “Story Settings.” A new menu will appear titled “Story Controls.” Here you can:
   
   • Choose the Instagram users you don’t want to see your story.
   • Choose a select group of friends who you want to see your story.
   • Decide who can respond to your story. You can choose from everyone, just your followers, or no one.
   • You can also turn on “Save Stories to Camera Roll” to make sure you don’t lose your stories.
   • Choose “Save Stories to File” if you want to save them but don’t want them to appear in your phone’s camera roll. You are the only person who can access the file from your Instagram account.

Instagram Stories FAQ

Is it possible to delete an Instagram story before 24 hours?

An Instagram story can be deleted whenever you want. Tap the three dots in the lower right corner and select “Delete” from the menu.

Can I choose the users who can see my Instagram story?

Yes. If you want to hide your Instagram story from some users, you can do so from the story settings menu. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner of your story. From the menu, select “Story Settings.” Under “Display”, you will find “Hide history from”. You can add all the users you want to hide your story from in that p.

Why do the same users always appear at the top of my Instagram Stories viewers list?

The list of story viewers is based on the users who interact with your profile the most. When a person visits your profile regularly, he reacts to all your stories and likes your posts, luckily that person will appear at the top of your story viewers list.

Creating Instagram Stories has never been easier

Instagram Stories are a quick way to share moments from your day with your followers for just 24 hours. But this doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Instagram provides many tools that you can use to edit your stories and make them more fun and engaging.

What stickers and editing features do you like to use on your Instagram Stories? Tell us in the comments p.