Whether you want to develop a personal brand as a content creator or influencer, or you want to boost your small business and create brand awareness, social media is a powerful and accessible marketing tool. With 143.35 million active monthly users in the US alone, Instagram is among the biggest and most influential social media platforms in the world today.
Standing out from the crowd can be tough in such a busy space. Making good content will only get you so far, because there is plenty of good content on the site. So, how can you make waves?
A 2023 poll shows that funny content is the most likely to engage Instagram users. Recent trends also show that using GIFs in Instagram stories is a great way to entertain your followers and promote engagement.
There are times when a standard GIF just won’t do. Can you make your very own?
What are GIFs?
Short for Graphics Interchange Format, the term GIF refers to an animated image. While many people think that GIFS are short video clips, this is not actually true.
GIFs are made not with video files, but instead by combining multiple, low-resolution images that are paired to create the impression of movement. GIFs were first created in 1987 to allow animators to share their work within the confines of the abilities of the internet at that time.
Despite the growth of the internet since then to encompass more options, GIFs have grown in popularity too. Instead of competing with video clips, they’re used to give quick snapshots of a clip, honed down to a specific reaction or moment. When overlaid with captions, they’re a highly favored way to express yourself quickly, definitively, and with almost no file size weight.
Why Make Your Own GIFs for Instagram?
Diversifying the content you upload as Instagram posts, reels, or stories is always a good idea (as long as it fits within your niche and remains in step with your other content). However, some content is more likely to get engagement than others.
Humorous content is the best magnet for engagement – which is important, because GIFs fit incredibly well into the humorous niche. What’s more, GIFs are small and very easy to load, which makes them accessible to those using mobile devices. This makes them highly effective in adverts and marketing campaigns.
Of course, there are millions of GIFs out there already – but you may still find yourself unable to locate the exact GIF that suits your audience, profile, and the image you are trying to convey. Making your own GIFs will help you to get your point across precisely.
There’s also a good chance of other users deciding to adopt it for themselves. This creates the opportunity for your GIF to be shared widely or become the new favored reaction.
How to Make GIFs for Instagram
To make a GIF for Instagram, your initial step is figuring out what you hope to say and what kind of GIFs you feel suits your profile. Once you have a few ideas, you can start making your very own GIF to share.
This step-by-step guide will outline how to make your own GIFs and upload them to your Instagram stories.
Choose a GIF Maker
There are many tools available for making GIFs. As the name implies, Giphy is one of the largest and best known GIF repositories on the internet today. In order to create through their site, however, you must apply to be a verified brand.
This involves a little more effort and time than using sites like Clideo. However, they do have more features and tools than other options, and the results are higher quality. The chance of your GIF being easily shareable by other people is also greater. After all, the Giphy collection is often featured in social media or other communication platforms to be used by people to quickly pick and share GIFs.
There are pros and cons to every GIF-making site, so be sure to shop around before making your decision.
Create Your GIF
Assuming you decide on an accessible site like Clideo, follow these steps to create your GIFs:
- Create or download a video to turn into a GIF. Remember that short videos are most suitable for GIFs; between 3-6 seconds is ideal.
- Upload a file from your computer or import it from your Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Follow on-screen instructions to finalize your GIF.
- Check the final result.
When making a GIF, try to ensure that the loop is as seamless as possible. This is the sign of a high quality GIF.
Save and Upload Your GIF
Once you have a GIF that you’re happy with, download it to your device. You can then upload it to Instagram as a post or a reel, but uploading it as a story is probably the best way to make use of your GIF.
To upload your GIF as a story, follow these steps:
- Open Instagram and press the plus (+) icon
- Choose Story from the options at the bottom of the screen
- Select your GIF and add any text, stickers, music, or links you want to include
- Confirm your story and upload it
This is the quickest and easiest way to make custom GIFs for your Instagram profile. As you gain experience in GIF-making, you will find new ways to make them interesting, engaging, and high quality using edits.
FAQs
Is it better to post stories or reels on Instagram?
When choosing how to post your GIFs, keep in mind that stories and reels can both be good options, depending on your goals. Reels are more likely to reach people who don’t follow you, and they have a greater chance of being picked up and promoted by the Instagram algorithm. However, stories are far more likely to be seen and engaged with by your existing followers, and the resulting engagement metrics can be beneficial.
How many Instagram stories should I post in a week?
When sharing many different GIFs as stories, how often you post is really up to you, but consistency is best. Ideally, you should post on Instagram 2-3 times per week and utilize multiple different posting formats. However, your stories don’t really fall into this, as they do not sit within your feed. Try to also update your stories 2-3 times per week if you can.
Is it legal to make GIFs from movies for Instagram?
There is currently no firm legal case stating whether or not a GIF made from a movie, game, or other copyrighted material constitutes copyright infringement. At the moment, the doctrine of ‘fair use’ is the current legal standard.
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