Rise of the Instagram Story Infographic

I dread the weekly iPhone screen time reminder like the plague. I’ve consumed so many seasons of USA Network’s Psych on my Prime Video app I can probably write a dissertation on the fall of the traditional 2000s sitcom. I’m not surprised that my binge-watching has spiked over the past few months of staying-at-home, but what has surprised me, however, is the atmospheric rise of the Instagram infographic.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Tiktok all have their own strengths and utilization. While Instagram’s user base has grown significantly over its decade of existence, its algorithm has not been that optimal for consuming and sharing informational content—until now. Given the demands of the current news cycle, everyone has been hungry for the most up-to-date information across all social media platforms. Thankfully, Instagram was prepared.

A few years ago, Instagram created its “story” feature to replicate Snapchat’s carousel of limited-time photo sharing. What separates it from Snapchat, however, is its ease of sharing of permanent, living posts over time, increasing a piece of content’s ability to go viral organically.

Since quarantine began, we’ve seen a huge increase in Instagram users sharing informative (and beautiful) infographics, letting users finally bridge the gap between Snapchat’s temporary nature and Twitter’s journalistic focus. Personally, I’ve loved seeing friends, nonprofits and corporations get in on the trend. Want to get in on it too? Here are a few tips to follow when creating your own infographic content:

• Brainstorm your content like a middle school essay.
  • Have a topic and create 3-5 points to back up the initial headline. Think of it like an informative essay—each slide has its own specific purpose.

• Let sites like Canva be your guide.
  • You don’t need to use an expensive program like Photoshop! Graphic design can be easy and quick with premade templates from Canva.

• Create an attention-grabbing headline.
  • Followers are more likely to engage and share the post if the first slide resonates. Make sure the text is bold and easy to read.

• Host the image series as a permanent static post on your Instagram feed.
  • Sharing information is easy to do when the original post lives permanently on a feed. Users can simply press the paper airplane button underneath a post to instantly share on a story feed.
  • Make sure to optimize the post as a square (1080 x 1080 pixels) so it fits in nicely on your profile feed. This image size lends itself nicely for Facebook, as well!

• Make each slide quick and concise.
  • An image on an Instagram story only lasts ten seconds. Make sure all the information you want to broadcast can be easily read and digested within this time frame.

Melanie du Mont is an Account Executive at Bond Moroch.

e: mdumont@bondmoroch.com

p: 504-323-8134