How to Balance Instagram and Snapchat Stories
It wasn't that long ago that you and all your friends had the same social media routine.
You'd wake up, scroll through Instagram, perhaps post a photo. Then, you'd open up Snapchat, catch up on everyone's videos and start getting ready for the day. In between classes and over lunch, you'd scroll through Insta, but post video updates on Snap with your friends, sporting the app's latest filter. You had it down pat—scroll Instagram for glossy photos and browse Snap for the down-to-earth realness from your friends, fave celebs and influencers.
And then, just like that, everything changed. Instagram launched Instagram Stories. At first, like most, you were hesitant. Could anything really replace your beloved Snapchat? Could Instagram Stories really make you look as cute as you do on Snap as a flying pig with a crown? Slowly, you started noticing more and more people slip off of Snap and onto Instagram stories—so how do you keep up with both?
With social media at the center of our world these days, keeping up with your different platforms can feel more like a chore than fun. After all, some people literally do social media for a job (me included!), so it's not surprising that keeping your feeds up-to-date literally feels like you should be getting paid. And hey, maybe one day you will.
So the million dollar question: How do you keep up with Snapchat and Instagram stories? This was tough for me because I like to consider myself a pretty authentic person. When you watch me on social media, I act, sound, and yes, look exactly like I do IRL. So when IG stories launched, oscillating between the two and recounting the same stories for both didn't feel authentic to me. So, I've put together my tips on how to master both platforms.
1. Don't Tell Everything to Both
Trying to keep both IG stories and Snapchat exactly the same is the biggest mistake. This will result in inauthentic storytelling and your friends and followers will see right through it.
2. Don't Forget the Save Story Option
This has been a major saver for me. If I'm really busy and only have time to do one, but want both audiences to see the really cool thing I'm doing that day, I stick to one platform (usually IG stories) and then individually download the videos and upload them to Snap when I have more time. That way, my Snap family isn't missing out on a cool story, and I don't have to go back and forth between them. This is especially helpful when I'm covering an event for work or at a photoshoot.
3. Put Your Best Face Forward
Not feeling myself? Then I know it's going to be a Snapchat sort of day. Snapchat has way better filters, obviously, so if I'm not feeling pretty or look really tired after a long day, I always opt for Snap. Then, I follow point No. 2 and upload to IG.
4. Show Different Perspectives
If you really think about it, you are telling a story. And everyone knows that a story has multiple perspectives. Now I'm not saying to lie, but we do so many different things each and every day that you can highlight different parts of your day on each and have wildly different stories.
Perhaps on IG stories you share your OOTD, some fun videos of your friends goofing off at lunch, and your sibling doing something funny while they're not paying attention, taking a more personal approach. Then on Snap, perhaps you show what you decided to get for lunch (are you trying to eat clean this week?) some snaps before gym or sports practice, and maybe you even have your coach catch some footage of you nailing a cheerleading stunt or goal. You've now created two captivating, but totally different, versions of the same day. It's all about perspective.
5. Cater Your Content To Each Platform
This is an extension of my last point. I tend to cater my content by platform. My audience on Snapchat loves to see me get ready for the day, so I tend to do makeup tutorials over there. I also tend to do more rants on Snapchat, and recount funny stories of people or things that happen around me throughout my day.
On IG stories, people are always asking for links to beauty products and fashion items that I'm wearing in my posts, so I link to those so people can shop. IG stories also tends to be more candid for me–I post more regularly here and share things that otherwise might feel random on Snapchat, like my workouts, smoothies and a lot of my pets.
6. Measure What Works
The beauty of social media is we can see exactly what people are responding to. Experiment with your platforms and look at your numbers to see what hits, and then do more of that.
Ultimately, don't drive yourself crazy trying to keep up. If you find yourself getting too consumed with social, take a few detox days where you leave the phone at home. Social media is supposed to be fun, not stressful.
If you're totally sick of social and need a retro throw back, THIS old school style bluetooth speaker is just what you need!