How to put stickers on instagram posts


How to Add Stickers to Instagram Story and Post?

Shanoon Cox

Aug 30, 2022• Proven solutions

Instagram is among the most visual social media networks. Each post on Instagram is either a video or an image. But when Instagram Stories launched in 2016, it opened up a gateway for users and brands to be creative and more authentic on this platform.

Instagram Stories is technically a fleeting platform with a 24-hours life span, and yet it has become one of the significant sources of fun on this app. To lighten things up, they released Instagram Stickers. Using a suitable sticker at the right time can brighten up the most mundane and tedious posts. In this article, we have compiled several techniques for adding stickers on Instagram and their types. Here’s how to add stickers to Instagram!


Part 1: What Are Instagram Stickers?

Instagram Stickers are basically the graphic designs that you can add to your images and videos. These stickers are an instance of Augmented Reality, which means you are trying to improve the pictures and videos by adding your designs to them.

Instagram Stickers have become an essential part of Instagram Stories, and they help you portray your emotions in the form of designs. These Stickers can be everything from fireworks to lightning bolts or a bunch of flowers. Moreover, you can also create polls and ask questions through Instagram Stickers.

In addition to the Official Instagram Stickers, you can create your own or buy packs from the Influencers. Many Brands are now creating their stickers for their marketing strategies. So, find a perfect sticker for your post and enjoy!


Part 2: How to Add Stickers to Instagram Posts and Story?

As you know, Instagram Stickers are pretty fun to use. These Stickers can also help you to engage with your followers. Different types of stickers can assist you in getting closer to your followers in different ways. Instagram Stickers are useful in grabbing the attention of your followers in a way that is not noticeable. Proper use of stickers in Instagram Stories can also help in showcasing your creativity. And by this, your stories can become more engaging, which means you will attract more followers.

However, if you are not aware of adding stickers to Instagram stories and posts, you have come to the right place. In this part, we have covered a step-wise method to use built-in stickers in your Instagram Stories and Posts. Here’s how to add stickers on Instagram:

Step 1: Launch Instagram App and Create a New Story

First things first, Launch the Instagram app. Click on Your Story at the top left corner of your Instagram feed. Now, you need to take a photo by clicking on the Big White circle or upload one by clicking on the Square in the bottom left of the screen.

Note: You can also add stickers to Boomerang by clicking on the Boomerang option.

 Step 2: Click on Stickers and Add Sticker to Story

After you are done with the picture uploading, click on the Stickers option at the top right of the screen. A Pop-up menu will appear. Now, you need to select the sticker you want to use on your post or story.

 Step 3: Add to Your Story

Now, add the picture to your story by clicking on the Your Story option or Download it to upload as a post.

Note: You can also move the sticker by Holding and dragging it on the screen.

Part 3: How to Create and Add Your Own GIF Stickers on Instagram Stories?

Using the Official Instagram Stickers can be fun, but you can make this sticker function more interesting. Instagram allows you to make your own stickers and GIFs. This feature helps you in customizing stickers at your will. You can use pictures as well as videos to create stickers.

You don’t need to depend on the built-in Instagram Stickers; you can create your own. There are different methods to create your own stickers using third-party apps and websites. But by using third-party apps, your data can be vulnerable. So, the most secure and reliable one is using the built-in method by creating stickers through the camera roll.

Moreover, the majority of the people are not aware of how to add stickers in Instagram of their own, but no need to worry about that anymore. Just follow the steps below to create your stickers:

Step 1: Create a Story

Launch the Instagram app, and start a story by clicking on the Your Story option. Then either take a photo or upload one from your Phone’s Gallery.

Step 2: Tap on Sticker Option and Add Picture

After you are done with the picture uploading, tap on the Stickers option at the top right of the screen. Several stickers will appear. You need to tap on the ‘’add picture’’ option, as shown in the picture below.

Step 3: Choose the picture as sticker

You’ll be redirected to your phone’s gallery. Choose the picture you want to add as a sticker on the story, and the sticker will be added.

Note: You can also move it on the screen by holding and dragging it.

Part 4: Most Popular Types of Instagram Stickers

Instagram Stickers comes in a wide variety, and since it’s a social media network, it keeps getting updated very frequently. Hence, it is hard to determine the exact number and type of stickers available. But, we have listed the main types of stickers that are currently featured on the app. Pick the one you like and start engaging with your audience.

1. Quiz Sticker

Quiz Sticker allows you to ask multiple-choice questions from your followers. It allows you to customize answers as well. You can also find a random question by clicking on dice at the bottom.

2. Question Sticker

Your followers can ask questions from you with the help of this sticker. You can ask your followers to recommend you some songs and movies by using this sticker. This sticker is a great way to interact with your followers and let them ask whatever they want from you.

3. Donation Sticker

A donation sticker allows a person to donate to non-profits. You can choose a non-profit of your own choice and raise fund for it by selecting this sticker. People who see this sticker can donate to your cause.

4. Countdown Sticker

This sticker enables you to start a countdown for an important event or moment. You can customize the time, date, name, and color to make it look better. For example, you can start a countdown for your friend’s birthday.

5. Poll Sticker

Poll Sticker helps you in starting a poll or asks a question to know your follower’s opinion. You can customize the answers as well as you can put emojis instead of answers.

6. Hashtag Sticker

This type of sticker helps start a clickable hashtag. You can add a hashtag for your brand or raise an important issue to your story.

7. Music Sticker

Music sticker allows you to add songs and lyrics to your Instagram Story. You can also select the font in which lyrics will be displayed and the exact lyrics you want to add to your story. This sticker is a perfect way to know about your friend’s music taste.

Want to add music to Instagram?Check this article to learn more about how to add music on Instagram with or without music sticker.

8. Selfie Sticker

You can share your selfies in a rounded form on your Instagram Story. This rounded shape sticker was launched in late 2020, and since then, it has changed the concept of sharing selfies in Instagram Stories. The Instagram stories are now more engaging and fun due to this selfie sticker.

9. Location Sticker

Now, you can share your location on Instagram Story by using a location sticker. For example, if you are dining at a nice restaurant, you can share your location on the story with the help of this sticker. It is pretty helpful for those brands who want to promote the business.

10. Weather/Time Sticker

There is an option to share weather and time to your Instagram Story by using a sticker. This sticker makes your stories look more relevant and personal to the followers.

Conclusion

People use Instagram Story to share their personal as well as social life nowadays. Instagram launched its stickers to provide an opportunity for people to show their emotions in stickers. These Instagram Stickers are more than just a fun feature. It attracts followers and makes your Instagram Story looks more engaging.

But many people do not know how to add stickers to Instagram or create one of their own. To solve this problem, we have covered step-wise techniques to add and create stickers for Instagram Story. So, learn the perfect use of stickers and have fun using them!

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

3 Easy Ways to Add Your Own GIF Stickers on Instagram Stories

Want to add your GIF Stickers on Instagram Stories? In this post I share 3 easy (but lesser-known) ways to create your own GIF Stickers and share them on your posts.  

You might be surprised by the potential of GIFs and GIF Stickers for your brand! 

Woman with Lollipop Hearts by Rohappy (Shutterstock)

BY DONNA MORITZ | 1 FEBRUARY, 2019

Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through a link. 

If you've been using Instagram for a while now you would have met GIF Stickers. They're the fun GIF images, videos or illustrations that you can use as overlays to place over your Instagram Stories – made possible by their transparent background.

They let you add personality and interest to your posts, making them more engaging!

Types of GIF Stickers on Instagram

The main way you find GIF Stickers on Instagram is to search for them via the Sticker menu on Instagram Stories. To find them you choose the Sticker icon:

Here's a list of GIF Stickers that you can access on Instagram. Some of them are Instagram's in that they are features of Instagram that they make available in the sticker section. Some are available through Giphy Search where you can access 1000's of GIF Stickers via Instagram's GIF search function:

  1. Location Sticker
  2. Mention Sticker (to tag someone)
  3. Hashtag Sticker
  4. GIF Sticker (accesses the entire Giphy Sticker library for search).
  5. Clock Sticker
  6. Poll Sticker
  7. Question Sticker
  8. Countdown Sticker
  9. Emoji Sticker

And here is an overview of the Sticker selection including the stickers listed above:

Why would you add your own GIF Stickers?

Most people don't even realize that you can add your own GIF Stickers to Instagram. But you can!

Now, of course, you can go the easy route and use GIF Stickers made by other brands – and by Instagram themselves – and that's a totally valid option, especially if you don't have much time.

Here's a post I wrote all about using Poll Stickers for instance. It walks you through how to use them for engagement.

So, there's loads that you can do with the Stickers available to you in Instagram already.

But there actually is a way… 3 ways in fact.. that you can add your own custom stickers to Instagram Stories.

I've shared them all below.

When you add your own GIF Stickers you can be a little more strategic about your branding and content.

And you can make your stickers your own.

And add value to your community who can potentially use them too.

One example of a brand that does this well is Target. They're always adding new, engaging Stickers that their fans and customers love to use to express their fandom on Instagram Stories:

So let's jump in and take a look at how you can create and share your own GIF Stickers on Instagram.

3 Ways to Create and Add Your Own GIF Stickers on Instagram Stories

I'm going to start with the simplest method that involves the least amount of  “work” to add your own Stickers on Instagram Stories right down to the option that involves a little more work but also gives you the most options.

You're not limited to just one option. You can use all 3 in your marketing!

Note: all of these methods involve adding Stickers with transparent backgrounds or PNG format images or animations. So make sure when you create your Stickers that you have them in this format. There should be some transparent “white space” around your actual image or GIF in transparent format.

Here are the 3 methods:

1. Add Stickers from Your Camera Roll

This one is a simple trick that I hadn't discovered until recently.  Here's how it works on my iOS smartphone:

Please note: Some people are saying that this is not currently working. And I am not aware of a workaround for Android as yet. If this is the case for you, then skip to No 2 (below) as you can share a GIF sticker from a Giphy account, so the alternative is to host it there and share from Giphy. Ahhh Social Media… the only thing we can rely on is change!

1. Open up your Instagram Story in Instagram and prepare to add a Sticker.

2.  Save your completed GIF Sticker (image or GIF Sticker with transparent background) to your Camera Roll. You can do this from Dropbox, Google Docs or via Email. In this case I'm copying this flip-flops GIF over from email. It's a simple GIF that shows the flip-flops moving from side to side.

3. I then choose the Download icon in the top right corner:

4. A screen will pop up with options for you to save and share the GIF Sticker. Click “Copy”.

5. Then open up Instagram again and your Instagram Story will still be there ready to go. An option to add the Sticker you just copied will pop up! Tap the “Add Sticker” Icon.

6. Voila! Your Sticker will be added to your Instagram Story, just as if you had added it from Instagram's selection of Stickers. Cool, hey?

7. Finish off your Story as you normally would. That's it! A few simple steps and you've added your own custom sticker from outside of Instagram Stories into your Story.

While you get excited about the creative potential of that little trick, let's take a look at another way you can share your own custom GIF Stickers into Instagram Stories.

2.  Add Stickers from your Own Giphy Channel

This takes a couple of extra steps but I'm building you up to #3 where you can really do some cool stuff with GIF Stickers for your brand.

In this second option, you're going to set up a Giphy Channel to store and share your GIFs and GIF Stickers.

Honestly, I think this is a great move, and I highly recommend you do it, even if you are not ready for Step 3 (applying for a Branded Giphy Channel) yet.

Why? Because it allows you to:

Then, when you're ready, you can apply for a Branded GIF Channel, but for now let's get you started with a regular GIF Channel.

Set up a Giphy Channel

Setting up a Giphy Channel is easy. You just simply sign up for a Giphy Account here.

I won't go into the how-to's of creating and uploading GIFs in this post, but suffice to say Giphy has some cool tools to enable you to create GIFs from images or videos and to edit and upload them.

If you're looking for other articles about creating GIFs, head to the end of this post, where I'll share some.  

You can create GIFs from images or video using Giphy's GIFMaker

Once your channel is set up, all you have to do is start creating and uploading GIFs. Then you can share any of your channel GIFs to Instagram using the following method:

Adding your GIF Sticker to Instagram Stories

This is super simple, and takes just a few clicks, just like #1 above.

1 Firstly, open up your Intsagram Story ready to add your Sticker.

2. Then go to your Giphy account and find the GIF you want to share. In this case I am going to find the “Marketing Besties” sticker from my Socially Sorted account. You'll need to open up Giphy on your phone and open your account. You'll see a selection of GIFs and GIF Stickers that you have uploaded.

Note that even though I have a branded Giphy Channel, this works for regular Giphy Channels too.  

3. Tap to choose the sticker you want to use, ready to copy. The following screen will open up, with the single sticker you choose:

4. Tap and hold as directed to copy the GIF to your camera roll. Then open up your Instagram Story again in Instagram – just like the example above. The GIF Sticker you just copied will appear in the corner of your story ready to tap:

5. Now you're ready to roll, with your GIF Sticker added and pumping. In this case, the heart is literally pumping as the sticker animates. You can check it out here.

I've kept the background simple to show you how it works, but obviously I would add this to a photo of me and my speaker friends or marketing team – however you want to use it. Scroll down to see a fun example below.

And feel free to use this one if you work in Marketing .. you can find it on Instagram by searching the hashtag #sociallysorted to see my stickers.

What about regular GIFs (that aren't Stickers?).

You can also do this with GIFs that are regular GIFs (without the transparent background that makes them “Stickers”) or even regular PNG static images.

Here's a regular GIF without any transparency that I can share to an Instagram Story by copying and pasting in the same way:

Basically this will work for any GIF, image or transparent image that you want to share into an Instagram Story. All you have to do is copy the image and then add it as a “Sticker”.

Note: the above examples are all from an iOS phone. I am not sure if it works on an Android but if you know a process for making this work, please share in the comments and I'll add it to the post. Note that Intsagram has been playing wiht a Sticker feature that allows you to instantly add a sticker from your camera roll, but so far it is only available to a small number of users. I'm not sure if it will be rolled out to everyone but fingers crossed that it will be!

Now it's time to look at the Holy Grail for adding Stickers to your Instagram Account: A branded Giphy Channel.

3. Add Stickers via Search from a Branded Giphy Channel

I have had a Branded Giphy account for a while now and it has many added benefits:

  1. Acknowledgement by Giphy that you are a Company, Recording Artist, Brand or Public Figure.
  2. The ability to add searchable GIFs to your Giphy account. This means that you – or anyone – can search on your GIFs via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Which is very cool.
  3. Tracking of “views” of your GIFs. You get to see basic stats on how your GIFs are being viewed.

I'll get into how you can apply below, but first, here's my channel:

You can check out my Branded Giphy Channel here or click the image below.

At the time of writing this post, I have 12.3 million views of my stickers. Partly because they are viewed a lot on Instagram Stories.

My account got off to a great start when the Ellen show used one of my early GIF Stickers on their Instagram Story. That one Sticker alone now has over 3 million views. #TrueStory.

Ellen's team used my Sticker to get Y'all to Swipe Up ;o)

So far I am using my channel to experiment with reach and to experiment with the potential of GIFs for myself and also so that I can advise the brands I speak for and consult with.

I'll be adding more GIFs over time, and in the meantime you can access them by searching on #sociallysorted via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter search. You'll also see regular GIFs too that you can use in social media engagement.

Adding GIFs from a Giphy Branded Channel

Anyone can simply open up Instagram Stories and search (via the GIF Sticker) for the GIF Sticker that they want. For example, I could search “Excited” and a whole bunch of GIFs open up for selection.

Here's a few ways this works really well:

1.   It means that your audience or anyone random can find your stickers via search (Hello, Team Ellen).  It's Instagram + Giphy, so the potential numbers are mind-boggling.

Let's take a look at the image above for example. Ellen's team usually have their own Sticker overlay for “Swipe Up” but I am presuming that they wanted to post something quickly so searched and selected by Sticker under the search for #SwipeUp.

2. You can also search for your own GIF Stickers and use them in branding. So I can open up Instagram Stories and search for my own GIF Stickers by using the hashtag #SociallySorted – as I have added that hashtag to all of my stickers for search in Giphy.

I can alternatively search on keywords that I know will bring them up, like “Swipe Up” or “Queensland” for my pair of Flip Flops. Yes, they rank for high search terms, because… well… not many people are doing this as yet!

Now I can add my stickers easily to my Instagram Story, in this case a post about getting excited to speak at Social Media Marketing World… and one of my favourite photos of fellow speakers and attendees from previous events!

Shout out to some of my marketing besties, Azure Collier (TripleSeat), Viveka Von Rosen (Vengresso), Elena Verlee (Tech Marketing Strategist), Steve Dotto (DottoTech) and Ian Anderson Gray (iag. me). Shenanigans. 

3. You can also give your audience the search hashtags or particular search terms for them to find your GIF Content in Giphy Search.

For example, if you are “Target” you might tell your Instagram audience to go crazy with their #Target #Valentines Day Stickers. Oh, and look… they show up on search!

Target has perfectly optimized their GIF Selection for Valentine's Day, knowing their fans will love to share the Target love on Instagram.

The Target GIFs are branded, yes, but they are also super fun and some of them will suit any generic post (aka GIF Stickers for “relationship goals”).

It may not always be super branded, but it is super target with an ROI in mind but it is entertaining to their audience. They are giving their Instagram-loving, Target-loving audience another reason to love them. Check out their Brand Channel here.

I could go on about the potential of this, but let's jump in to how you can apply for a branded Giphy Channel:

Applying for a Giphy Branded Channel

Applying for a Giphy Branded Channel takes 3 simple steps:

  1. Set up a regular Giphy Channel as I outlined above.
  2. Add some GIFs to your channel. I recommend you include a few GIF Stickers too (ie GIFs with transparent backgrounds).
  3. Apply to become a Giphy Branded Channel.
    1. You can apply to be a Brand Channel with this form.
    2. You can apply to be an “Artist” Channel with this form.

If you are lucky to be accepted you'll get a welcome message, something like this:

Giphy recommends that to be successful with your application you need to:

My application was accepted quickly but others have taken longer or even two attempts. Some people have not had any luck at all. How it all works is not entirely clear, so it's hard for me to dive difinitive advice.

However, Giphy are providing more and more tips for getting accepted so I would I would follow their recommendations and add a mix of branded and non-branded GIFs that your audience would love to use and share .. and cross your fingers! 

I believe it's worth applying if you already have a Giphy Channel set up. It takes just a few minutes to do the form and apply. Unfortunately it's getting harder to get accepted as more and more people apply, but it's worth a shot! 

Want more GIF Posts?

You can read more about GIFs in these posts:

How to Create Animated GIFs that Stand Out

How to use Cool GIFs in Marketing to WOW Your Audience (Infographic)

Our calendar posts for each month of the year – find them here. 

How to bring Still Images to Life – Social Media Examiner Podcast

Tools for Creating GIFs

If you want some tools for creating GIFs, I use:

Easil (for creating my graphics)

EzGif (for editing my GIFs)

Giphy (for hosting and sharing my GIFs)

Wrapping it Up

While not always connected to direct returns or sales, GIFs and GIF Stickers can be great branding tools for replying and engaging on social media channels.

They can also be fantastic for creating content for your audience to use –  that taps into your brand and helps them to tell your brand story. That's the potential I am excited about.

Are you excited about the creative potential of GIFs and GIF Stickers?

Are you creating or sharing GIF Stickers? Let me know in the comments below.

Woman with Lollipop Hearts by Rohappy (Shutterstock)

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Donna is a Visual Content Strategist and founder of Socially Sorted, listed by Forbes as a "Top 5 Social Media Blog You Need to Know About". Donna helps brands leverage the power of visual storytelling and content strategy in their business. Her content has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Inc. & Entrepreneur and she is a speaker and trainer on visual content for the marketing and tourism industries internationally.

How to put a sticker on Instagram ▷ ➡️ Creative Stop ▷ ➡️

Would you like to add personality to Stories that are published in Instagram by inserting sticker custom into them, perhaps a cartoon version of you? Well, I think it's a very good idea; The thing is absolutely doable: all you have to do is stick a sticker through the applications designed for this purpose and paste the end result into stories about the famous photo on the social network.

¿Perdon? ¿Le gustaría una demostración práctica de cómo hacerlo? Me conformare con eso. En los próximos párrafos de esta guía, de hecho, les explicaré cómo poner sticker en Instagram rápida y fácilmente. Contrariamente a lo que se podria pensar, completar esta operación está lejos de ser complicado.

As soon as possible?

So let's put the conversation aside and get to the point. If you haven't already, sit back and take the time to read this article so you know exactly how to move. I don't have to do anything but wish you a good read and a good time!

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