Welcome to the exciting world of Instagram Stories - a powerful marketing tool that allows you to captivate your audience with engaging visuals and snippets of your brand's story.
We understand just how important it is for social media managers and agencies to maximise this dynamic channel.
That's why we're thrilled to introduce you to a game-changing feature: scheduling and auto-posting Instagram Stories using Sendible.
In this guide, we'll take you through the ins and outs of scheduling Stories and publishing them, revealing the numerous benefits that come with it.
From saving time and boosting efficiency to expanding your audience reach, Sendible's scheduling tool is a must-have for any social media pro.
- Why use Instagram Stories?
- About auto-posting Instagram Stories with Sendible
- Other Instagram features that you'll love
- Quick how-to schedule guide
- Three actionable exercises
- Crush the 'Gram: Free resources to amp up your marketing mojo
Before we get started with exploring how you can up your Instagram Stories game with Sendible, don't forget to grab our useful Instagram Audit Checklist.
Why use Instagram Stories for your business account?
Social media is all about authentic connection, and Instagram Stories are a great way to capture the immediate attention of your viewers.
Instagram Stories are sequences of images and videos designed to disappear after 24 hours unless you turn them into a highlight or send them to your feed.
Since Instagram Stories were built to be temporary compared to photos and videos shared to your main feed, they create urgency and allow for more variety in the types of content shared by brands and creators on their business accounts.
It’s a powerful way to showcase your personality, gain instant interest, and build relationships with your followers by showing them behind-the-scenes content.
About auto-posting Instagram Stories with Sendible
Benefits of scheduling Instagram Stories
Who doesn't love a good Story? They're one of the most consumed content formats on Instagram.
Unfortunately, posting Stories can be a daunting task.
But fear not, because that's all in the past now!
We at Sendible believe in empowering social media managers and agencies with tools that simplify their workflows and drive results.
Plus, why waste time on going to the app to publish a Story when you can have some extra free time to scroll through your Instagram feed, engage with your community, and find new inspo?
So, why is scheduling Instagram Stories with Sendible a game-changer? Let's break it down even further.
- Plan ahead and take control: With Sendible, you can plan your Instagram Stories in advance, seamlessly integrating them into your larger campaigns. No more last-minute rushes or missed opportunities. You're in complete control of when your Stories go live.
- Never miss a beat: Say goodbye to relying on reminders or push notifications that you might accidentally overlook. By scheduling your Stories with Sendible, you can publish them exactly when you want, ensuring you make the most impact without missing a single beat.
- Repurpose with ease: Why reinvent the wheel? With Sendible, you can effortlessly repurpose your short-form videos and other media used across other social channels and publish them as Instagram Stories.
It's a time-saving hack that helps you maximize your content reach without breaking a sweat. - Engage like never before: Instagram Stories are known for their engagement potential. By scheduling Stories in advance, you have a unique opportunity to connect with your followers on a deeper level. Spark their curiosity, share behind-the-scenes moments, and keep them coming back for more!
- Streamline your social media management: At Sendible, we understand the importance of having all your social content in one place. With our scheduling tool, you don't have to switch between platforms. Schedule and post all your social content, including Instagram Stories, without ever leaving Sendible.
Sendible Smart Compose Box.
Tailor posts to match every platform by customising copy, adding tags, using our built-in image editor, and more.
Comparison with other tools
When it comes to scheduling Instagram Stories, not all tools are created equal. Here's why Sendible stands out from the crowd:
- Schedule a month's worth of content in minutes: Be the master of efficiency! With Sendible, bulk uploading from a CSV file, adding recurring posts to queues, and the dashboard's calendar featuring over 300 social media holidays, you'll schedule content at scale in a blink. No more wasting time, get ahead effortlessly!
Bulk uploads and visual calendar
Make scheduling a breeze by uploading or composing months’ worth of content in one go and visually managing your calendar.
- Make every post pop: Stand out from the crowd! Dive into a treasure trove of millions of royalty-free images in Sendible. Not only that, take advantage of our built-in image editor and Canva integration to add that extra oomph to your Stories. Prepare for greatness!
- Creative inspiration: Unleash your inner genius! Sendible's calendar auto-populates with hundreds of topical social media holidays, making it a breeze to share relevant content in just a few clicks. But wait, there's more! Get even more inspiration with automated RSS feeds and Google alerts. Fuel your creativity and watch it soar!
"I loaded an entire month of content across four platforms for one client the other day, each one with an image and a web link. It took me 35 minutes."
Anna Rump, founder of Amelia Rose Media
Who can benefit from this feature
If you're a social media manager or part of a social media agency, scheduling Instagram Stories with Sendible is a game-changer for you. Here are the key beneficiaries:
- Social Media Managers: Juggling multiple client accounts? Sendible's scheduling feature ensures you stay on top of your Instagram Stories game, delivering consistent and timely content for each client.
- Businesses and Influencers: Want to maintain an active presence on Instagram without the hassle? Sendible simplifies the process, allowing you to schedule Stories and focus on engaging with your followers.
- Social Media Agencies: Streamline your social media workflows by utilizing Sendible's comprehensive scheduling tool. From planning and getting clients' approval to publishing, it's a one-stop solution for managing multiple clients efficiently.
Meet Approval Workflows.
Get approval from clients and steer clear of typos by setting up approval workflows for every post.
Highlights for agencies
If you haven’t been using Stories as a part of your client strategy, here’s a quick overview of just how impactful Stories can be:
- According to Facebook, over 500 million users use and consume Stories daily
- 200 million businesses are on Instagram with 90% of people following at least one business
- 58% of people became more interested in a product after viewing Stories posted by a business
- 50% of people then went on to purchase the product
No matter your clients' industry, your agency can take advantage of this engaging feature!
Other Instagram features that you'll love
While scheduling Instagram Stories with Sendible is a game-changer, there's a plethora of other Instagram features that will make your life easy. 👇
- Auto-posting Reels
- Instagram Grid preview
- Schedule instagram carousels
- Visually planning your posts
- Getting the client’s approval
- Maximising your reach with Instagram geotags
- Adding predefined tags right through the Sendible scheduling system.
- Targeting the right audience with our hashtag selector
- Keeping your captions clutter-free with the first-comment feature
- Creating a thumb-stopping feed for Instagram with our Canva integration
Quick how-to schedule Instagram stories guide
Now that you're eager to start scheduling Instagram Stories using Sendible, let's walk through the process step-by-step.
Follow these simple instructions to unlock the power of seamless Story scheduling:
Step 1: Access the Sendible Dashboard
- Log in to your Sendible account and navigate to the dashboard.
Step 2: Connect your Instagram Account
- If you haven't already, connect your Instagram account to Sendible. This will enable you to schedule and publish Stories seamlessly.
Step 3: Create a New Story
- In the Compose Box, under the Instagram tab, the option to toggle between publishing a "Post", "Reel" or "Story" will be displayed. Select "Story".
Step 4: Design your Story
- Unleash your creativity! Design your Story by adding engaging visuals, text, stickers, and more. Customise it to align with your brand's voice and style with our powerful Canva integration!
Step 5: Schedule your Story
- Once you're satisfied with your Story, select the desired date and time for it to go live. Sendible's intuitive scheduling interface makes it easy to choose the perfect timing for maximum impact.
Step 6: Review and Confirm
- Before scheduling, review your Story to ensure everything looks great. Double-check the date, time, and content to avoid any surprises. Then assign it to the client to get the approval.
Step 7: Sit Back and Relax
- Congratulations! You've successfully scheduled your Instagram Story using Sendible. Now, sit back and let Sendible take care of publishing it at the scheduled time.
Remember, Sendible offers a comprehensive support article with detailed instructions and visuals to assist you further.
If you prefer visual guidance, check out our video tutorial below.
Use Instagram Reminders to add stickers and links
We know that stickers, links, polls, and other interactive elements play a significant role in enhancing your Instagram Stories.
Due to limitations in the Instagram API, these features are not currently available for auto-posting on any third-party tools.
Instead, we recommend leveraging our Instagram Reminders feature to incorporate stickers, links, and other interactive elements into your Stories.