Whether you use Instagram to make money — and you can make a lot of money — or to interact with your inner circle, the end goals are the same: You want to post images that will spark conversation, delight your followers, and, just maybe, incite a tiny bit of envy.
Instagram Stories are becoming an increasingly important place to post. While your feed post might get lost at the mercy of the non-chronological algorithm, your Stories are just a tap away for someone clicking through their tray. Still, standing out isn't easy: Everyone is using the tools Instagram has provided, from Gif stickers and emoji polls to new fonts and Boomerangs, to the point where everything you see can start to seem a bit one-note.
Fortunately, a number of third party apps offer more variety with animated text, additional typefaces, and augmented reality effects. Create your Story post in one of those, then instantly share it from the app to Stories. One caveat is that while many of these apps are free, you'll need to pay a minimal fee to remove watermarks and access premium designs and effects.
Ahead, a look at six of our favourite apps for taking Stories up a notch on the creativity scale.
The Adobe Spark Post app offers a large variety of templates that you can customise to fit your Insta style. Select your template, tap "remix", and change up everything from the photos (you can use the stock options they provide or upload shots from your camera roll) to the colour palette, layout, and animated effects. When you're happy with your design, tap "share" and select Instagram from the list of options.
Adobe Spark Post, free, available on the App Store.
Ripl is primarily intended for small businesses and brands, but anyone can use the app. Tap the plus icon at the bottom of the screen and tap the middle, vertically oriented option where you see "select post size". Type any text and select the image you want to use. From there, you can edit the font, change the colour, and customise the animation. You can even add music if you're feeling so inspired. When you're ready, share to Instagram.
Ripl, free, available on the App Store and Google Play.
Hype Type is literally intended to "hype your story." The app opens to a camera, much like Snapchat does. Swipe up from the bottom to access your camera roll and pick the image you want to use. Then pick your typeface — each comes with a different, preset animation so it's worth trying out a few to see which you like best. When you've found the one, tap the arrow and share to the 'gram.
Hype Type, free, available on the App Store.
Over has a variety of pre-designed quotes and inspirational sayings that you can place over photos, creating a more stylised Story post. You can choose to begin with a photo, template, graphic, font design, or blank canvas. There's also a "quick start" option with settings including "quote" and "announcement." When you've picked where to begin, go through the image, text, graphic, and shape tabs to customise the post. Tap the share icon in the upper right-hand corner when you're ready to post.
Over Edit & Add Text to Photos, free, available on the App Store.
Lumyer uses augmented reality filters to add a firework animation or floating hearts to your photos. The one downside to the app is there is no option to select a vertically oriented frame — this means that the final, animated image you post to Instagram won't fill the full Story screen. However, when you are ready to post, simply pinch your fingers together on the screen and the full image will appear centred with a coloured background to match behind it.
Lumyer, free, available on the App Store and Google Play.
The best part of Typorama is the app's professional-looking typographic designs. When you open the app, you can immediately choose the "Instagram Story" preset for the correct size. Then, choose your typeface and pick from one of the app's pretty stock images or your own. There is no animation option available, but the higher quality font designs make up for it. Tap "ok, share!" when you're ready and choose Instagram.
Typorama, free, available on the App Store.
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