Due to popular demand from my tutorial on how to make Instagram Highlight Covers, I'm sharing another Instagram tutorial today! And that is to make your own Instagram Story Templates! Woot!

Since you're reading this post, I assume you're already familiar with what Instagram stories are and are an avid user. But, for those of you who haven't been taking advantage of this feature, I encourage you to get started now because you're missing out! Instagram stories are a fun way to increase your engagement and build your brand. Photos and videos posted on Instagram Story will vanish after 24 hours. You could add stickers, hashtags, geolocation and animated gifs to make your story look more interesting.

What are Instagram Story Templates?

These are pre-made layout where you could make your stories look more cohesive with your brand. Some big influencers like to share fun facts about themselves to their followers using these templates. And for this tutorial, I'll show you how you can make these templates to share about yourself and for your followers to do the same.

Without further ado, let's get started!

How to Make Your Own Instagram Template

By the end of the tutorial, you'll be able to create your own Instagram Story templates like these:

1. Sign up or Log in to Canva

Sign up a free account at Canva.com. I love using Canva for blog and social media graphics. It's just super easy to use (I save my Adobe CC for more advanced, complicated stuff).

2. Create a Design 

In the search bar at the top, type in Instagram Story. A suggested template with the size of 1080 x 1920 px will show up.

3. Choose a Background

On the left panel, click on background. Select one that matches your brand's look and feel. I like to use a textured background to add some visual interest. To do that, click on uploads and upload a textured background of your choice or use the available backgrounds in Canva.

Once the background is uploaded, drag it to the canvas. It will automatically be locked into position on the canvas.

4. Add a Title

To add a title, select text on the left panel. Click on add a heading and position it to the top of the canvas. Choose a font that you like from the top toolbar. For this tutorial, we'll use Brusher. Type in "Get to Know Me" and make font size to 58.5 or adjust the font size to make your own title fit onto one line. 

5. Add Graphic Elements

Select elements on the left panel and scroll down until you find an orange banner that looks like this. Edit the text to say "Q&A" in 12 font size. Make the banner grey or a colour that matches what you've used for the title.

6. Add Input Lines

You'll need to create some input lines for yourself or other people to type in their answers. In the same elements panel, choose lines from one of the 9 icons at the top. Select the dotted line for this tutorial or a line that you prefer. Change the colour to match the title to make it look more cohesive. You'll want to make sure the line is thick and the colour is bold enough so people can see on their mobile screen. Repeat this step until you have 5 lines on the page. Align all of them to the middle of the page and make sure they're distributed evenly.

7. Add Input Headings

Similar to adding a title, select text on the left panel. You can choose a font that you like but for this tutorial, I went with Glegoo in size 14. I personally like the contrast between the thin strokes and the bold thick title. It adds visual interest to the template. Add and edit text for each of the following:

• Name
• Where were you born
• Where are you living now
• What's your greatest fear
• What makes you happy

Align each of these text underneath the input lines and in the middle of the page. Tip: when you drag elements to the canvas, there will be a blueprint line that tells you where the middle point is. 

Check out other tutorials for Instagram!

How to Make Your Instagram Highlight Covers Like a Pro