Instagram stories are a powerful channel to build your brand and engage customers. You can use Buffer to prepare and schedule your Instagram stories on web or mobile, and you’ll get a push notification to your phone with everything you need to complete your story on Instagram.
📝 Due to API limitations, direct scheduling is not available for Instagram Stories. Therefore, you will need to have the Buffer app installed on your mobile device and notifications enabled within the app to schedule Instagram Stories in Buffer.
⭐️ Instagram stories scheduling is available on the Essentials, Team, and Agency plans. Learn more about our plans and pricing here.
This article contains the following sections:
Video walkthrough
In the video below, Katie, from our Customer Advocacy team, will walk you through how to schedule Instagram posts and stories using Buffer.
Planning and scheduling your story
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To get started, select your Instagram account on the left hand side of your dashboard and head to the Stories tab.
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Open the composer at the top of your stories queue, or click Add to Story under your chosen day.
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In the stories composer, click Add Media to choose the images and videos you'd like to include in your story. You can upload up to 10 media files within one story.
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Drag and drop your images and videos into the order you want. You’ll be able to adjust the cropping and positioning of each image and video when you finish the story in Instagram.
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Hover over an image or video and click Add Note. This is where you can prepare your caption, or remind yourself to add stickers, polls, music, or hashtags to that part of your story. When it's time for your story to be published, you'll be able to copy the notes you added here and paste them into your story.
📖 If you prefer to create images in advance with the text already on the image itself, why not check out the Buffer Stories Creator tool, where you can create thumb-stopping content in a quick and lightweight way!
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Use the Preview button to visualize how your story will appear.
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Finally, click Schedule Story. Choose the desired date and time to receive the reminder and we'll send a push notification to your mobile device at that time.
Publishing your story
When it's time for your story to be published, you'll receive a push notification to your phone. For guidance on publishing your story, please check out this guide.