25 great Instagram tips and tricks you should try (Part 1)

Instagram has become the world’s largest photo-sharing social media service, and the reason it’s so successful is because it’s so easy to use.

In order to stay ahead of the competition, Instagram has to constantly add new features that make the service more complicated. This means that many of Instagram’s awesome powers are hidden and most users don’t know how to access them.

Here are 25 cool Instagram tips and tricks that everyone should know in 2020.

1. Post Instagram photos directly to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and more

If you often post the same photo on multiple social networks like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Instead of posting it manually on each social network, you can set up Instagram so that whenever you post a photo on Instagram, it will automatically be posted on all your other social media accounts.

To do that, just go to Profile > Preferences > Linked Accounts and link all your social media accounts. 

Then, whenever you post a photo to Instagram, you can choose which linked social networks you want to share that photo with.

2. Turn off active status for direct messages

Instagram has added a new active status feature that allows users to see in Instagram Direct Messages or DMs when they were last online.

This feature is quite similar to WhatsApp’s last seen feature and allows users to see when you were last online.

If you don’t want others to see your active status and turn this option off, you won’t be able to see other people’s active status either.

3. Add Unique Fonts to Your Instagram Bio

Maintaining a well-updated Instagram bio is key to making your profile stand out. You can always add emojis, links to work samples, etc. to let people know more about you.

But did you know that you can use some unique and interesting fonts to make your profile look better?

Here’s how to do it, open your smartphone’s web browser and go to a website called LingoJam. Once you open the web, you will see a text box where you can type in the text you want.

Same text in different font appears in different text box, now you can just copy the text and paste it in Bio section of your profile making your profile unique.

4. Schedule Posts

This special feature is only available for business profiles, but you can easily change your personal profile to a business profile in just a few steps.

To do so, go to the Instagram preferences page and tap on the Convert to Business Account option. Here you will be asked to connect your Facebook page, after which you will successfully change to a business account and get features like analytics, advertising, and more.

Once you’ve converted to a business account, you can use an Instagram scheduling tool like Hootsuite to schedule posts. Hootsuite is the most popular social media platform out there, and it makes managing your Instagram business profile simple.

The options are pretty straightforward with a tool like Hootsuite, with the free plan allowing you to add up to 3 social media accounts and schedule up to 30 posts at a time.

The Hootsuite plan starts at $1,260/month for a professional account, and you can splurge up to $45,000/month for a business account where you can manage 20 social profiles, unlimited scheduling, and more.

5. Story Highlights and Story Archives

In 2017, Instagram introduced the ability to automatically archive all of your Stories after they expire. To access all your archived Stories, simply tap the Profile button and then tap the Archive button at the top of the page (as shown below). Here you can access all your expired stories and you can reshare them as a new story if you want.

With Story Archives, Instagram is also introducing a new Story Highlights feature that lets users share their most important stories on their profile page.

To create a Story Highlight, go to Profile, then tap the new story bookmark button. Keep in mind that Story Highlights don’t delete after 24 hours and you’ll have to delete them manually.

6. Create a collection of your favorite posts

Instagram already allows you to save or bookmark your favorite posts and here is how to create a collection of those posts.

First open your Profile and tap the menu icon in the top right corner to see an option called Saved.

Then you press the + button to create a new collection where you can add photos from the ones you have saved.

Now, you can go back to your saved photos by following the same steps at any time and add them to your library with just a tap of a button. Easy right?

7. Hide Stories from Users

A handy feature that Instagram Stories has is the ability to hide them from certain users. If there is a user who follows you but you don’t want them to see your Story. Just open their profile, tap the three-dot menu, and select Hide Your Story.

8. Enable Two-Factor Authentication on Instagram

To stay safe online, you should enable two-factor authentication on Instagram and other social networks. It requires users to perform a second authentication method while logging into their Instagram account, via a one-time verification code, an authenticator app, or a backup code.

In case of a data breach, two-factor authentication will act as a shield for your account.

To enable it, go to Profile > Settings in the menu, then tap Security and select two-factor authentication.

Next, tap Get Started Online and select the security method you want.

9. Save Stories on Instagram

If you have been using Instagram for a while, you will know that the service does not allow saving Stories, even taking screenshots without notifying the user.

However, there is a workaround that can be used to save Stories from Instagram easily. To do this on Android, first download Story Saver for Instagram, then log in with your account.

Now, the app will display all the Stories in your profile and you can tap on any one to download.

A handy tip for changing Facebook fonts for you

For iOS devices, the process is a little different, you need to download the Story Reposter app on iTunes. The app lets you search by their Instagram username and then download any active stories on their profile.

10. Share Links on Instagram Stories

Instagram allows users to share links within their Stories which is useful if you are promoting any products or services.

This feature is only available to verified business users. If you are an individual, you can add links by tapping the link button after recording your Story.

Above are 10 great Instagram tips and tricks that Meiisapphire has introduced. Stay tuned for the next part to learn more tips and tricks.