How Long Can Instagram Stories Be

Why post a 60-second Instagram Story

Instagram Stories provide brands and creators with a more laid - back and less refined space to interact with their audiences. Although the reach of individual Stories is typically lower than that of regular Instagram posts, on average, brands usually post to Instagram Stories at least twice a week. This is because creating Stories generally demands less time compared to highly polished content intended for Reels or the main Feed.

Stories also promote user engagement in several unique ways that Reels and regular posts cannot. These include the use of interactive stickers, direct message replies, and community - driven trends such as the “Add Yours” template.

Currently, with the extended time limit for Instagram Stories, you have the option to reuse short videos from platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels in your IG Stories. Additionally, you can produce longer original content, which can help you attract more attention and boost engagement.

Let’s explore the new maximum length of Instagram Stories and learn how to start creating Stories that take advantage of this extended time limit.

How long are Instagram Stories

Instagram Story videos can have a maximum duration of 60 seconds and will remain visible for 24 hours following publication. This new 60 - second cap on Instagram Stories is applicable to both videos uploaded from your device and those filmed directly within the app. To utilize the 60 - second time limit, simply film or record your IG Story video as you normally would and then click the send button.

Previously, the Instagram Story time limit was 15 seconds, and it's important to remember that certain Stories are still restricted to this shorter duration. While videos uploaded or recorded within the Instagram app can be as long as 60 seconds, videos shared to your Story from your Feed or another application will be limited to a 15 - second preview.

Another type of Instagram Story video with a 15 - second limit is any Instagram video ad you want to run with a Story placement. These 15 - second video ads will appear with a "Sponsored" label among regular Story videos in your audience's feed.

The maximum display time for Instagram Story images is approximately 7 seconds. When adding text overlays to your IG Story photos, keep in mind that your audience will have less than ten seconds to read the text, unless they press and hold the screen to pause. If you're unsure, limit the text to a maximum of one or two sentences, or divide what you want to say between two Story frames.

Can you add a 60-second Instagram Story to your Story Highlights

All Stories have the potential to be included in a Story Highlight. This encompasses the new, extended - length IG Stories that adhere to the 60 - second video duration limit. You can incorporate them either from your currently active Stories or from your Stories Archive.

Can you share a whole Reel as an Instagram Story

Regrettably, the answer is no. At present, Instagram continues to truncate Reels previews at 15 seconds. This limitation applies to Reels you've posted, Reels you wish to share from another user's profile, and even TikTok videos shared via the Instagram integration feature within the TikTok app.

Even when a Reel has a duration of less than 60 seconds, only a 15 - second preview will be displayed in your Story. However, your audience can access the full Reel by tapping on the preview, which will direct them to view the entire video in the Feed.

As these three examples illustrate, these creators have incorporated Instagram feed videos into their Story videos, and all of them display a prompt at the top of the screen saying "Watch full reel." Although two of these videos are shorter than one minute, only one of them is less than 15 seconds long. This means that only this single video can be watched in its entirety within a single Instagram Story video without the need to click through to the original post.

It is our hope that Instagram will soon extend the Reel preview duration in Stories to the full 60 seconds. Such a change would reduce user experience friction and increase the watch time for numerous creators.

If you wish to share a full 60 - second video as a Story, you must first download the complete video and then upload it to Stories from your device's camera roll.

How to post a 60-second Instagram Story

Sharing an extended - length Instagram Story is straightforward, regardless of whether you're uploading it from your camera roll or recording it on the spot. Below is a brief guide on how to create Instagram Stories with the new 60 - second time limit and maximize their engagement.

Step 1: Upload or Record Your 60 - Second Story

The updated 60 - second time limit for Instagram Stories is applicable to both videos imported from your device and those captured directly within the app. To start a new Story, tap the plus icon located at the top of your Stories on the home screen. Alternatively, you can swipe right to open the post - creation interface and then choose "Story" from the options presented at the bottom of the screen.

In contrast to creating Instagram Reels, there's no need to pre - determine the video length. Just tap the record button to begin filming or the photo icon to upload a video from your camera roll. The camera will automatically halt recording once the 60 - second mark is reached, and any uploaded videos exceeding one minute will be cropped.

Step 2: Edit Your 60 - Second Story

After your video is ready for posting, you can edit your Instagram Story to enhance its appeal and engagement. Instagram Stories offer an excellent platform to keep your followers informed, share exclusive behind - the - scenes content, promote upcoming events or Instagram Live sessions, and direct traffic to your Instagram profile, the latest blog post, YouTube videos, or any other content you wish to showcase.

When brainstorming ideas for your longer Instagram Story videos, remember that the main objective of your Story content is to entice users to watch the subsequent Story. The extended length provides you with more creative space to capture and maintain your audience's attention.

Here are some features that we suggest incorporating into your Story videos:

Add Text or Captions

Captions are a crucial element of social media videos, and this holds true for Instagram Stories as well. When your Story video contains spoken audio, including captions ensures that the content can be accessed by all viewers. This includes individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those who have their phone's sound turned off or down.

To insert automatic captions into your Instagram Story videos, tap the Stickers icon located at the top of the screen and select the “Captions” sticker.

This action will trigger an automatic transcription of your video, a process that usually takes just a few seconds. In the event that any captions are inaccurate, you can correct them by pressing and holding the captions on the screen, which will open a word - by - word editing interface. Additionally, you have the option to choose from four different animation and font styles, along with a wide range of font colors, allowing you to customize the appearance of your subtitles on the screen.

If you desire more precise control over the appearance of your subtitles, as well as greater accuracy in spelling and grammar, we suggest adding captions prior to uploading the video. Tools such as Kapwing's automatic subtitler can be extremely helpful for this purpose.

Regardless of whether your video contains spoken words, you can also add on - screen text to provide additional context. To begin, simply tap on the text icon at the top of the screen, which is represented by an "Aa" symbol.

You add as much or little text to your Instagram Story video as you want, but we recommend keeping it minimal so that your viewers can still enjoy the video without having to read a wall of text. Choose from multiple fonts, colors, and styles to get the effect you want.

Tag Users

Expand your reach by tapping into the audiences of others (OPA) through tagging other users in your Instagram Stories. It's important to refrain from tagging individuals who have no connection to the video content, as this constitutes spamming. However, when you're collaborating with another brand or creator, make sure to tag them. This way, they can also share the video on their own Stories, maximizing the visibility and impact of your content.

Tap the Stickers icon and then select the “@Mention” sticker. Enter the username of the account you wish to tag and then choose how the tag will look.

Pro tip: Use a pinch gesture on the screen to shrink the sticker down to its smallest size, and then drag it off the visible screen area. The tagged user will still receive a direct message notification indicating they’ve been tagged in the video, but the tag itself will no longer be visible on the screen.

Since the early days of TikTok, our understanding of short - form video has significantly expanded. Currently, you can publish videos with a maximum length of up to 60 seconds on various social media platforms, Instagram Stories included. This gives your audience one more avenue to discover your Instagram video content, and in our view, that’s a definite advantage.