On August 2nd, Instagram released a new update introducing what they’ve coined “Instagram stories.” If you’ve ever used Snapchat before, then this new addition may have looked and felt pretty familiar to you. However, if you’re not an avid “snapper,” this new Instagram feature allows you to create a photo story (image or video) that disappears after 24 hours. The best part is that you can see exactly who views each part of your story! While there are still many differences between the Snapchat platform and Instagram Stories, time will only tell which will prevail in keeping users’ attention. Today we’re breaking down the similarities and differences, as well as sharing which platform we think is best for business!
If you’ve been bending over backwards & struggling to make Snapchat work for your brand, Instagram stories might be for you – especially if you already have a large Instagram following. Instagram has been around longer, and therefore has more overall users (300 million) and that’s definitely something you can use to your advantage. It’s easier to locate users on Instagram rather than Snapchat via search, mentions, or hashtags (reference chart above). Fans of your brand will be able to see your stories without having to dig around for your Snapcode. We’ve also got the insider’s scoop that Instagram will be adding more features to make your story stand out even more with emojis, geofilters and artwork, similar to what makes Snapchat so fun and trendy. Instagram stories are very user friendly and already part of an app that most people use every single day!
Snapchat, in our opinion, is still the best platform for personal use. You might not want the world to see you donning the infamous Snapchat licking dog filter! Snapchat has always given off an intimate vibe, and Instagram has always been more of a public forum. While celebrities and the younger generation have been drawn to Snapchat, it will be interesting to see if they continue to predominantly use that platform with the new addition to Instagram. We can’t wait to see how this “story” plays out!
This infographic is super helpful! I haven’t played around with the instagram stories much but I’ll start doing it more often!