Give the GIF of Personalization: How to Create GIFS for your Instagram Stories
When it comes to standing out as a brand and as a business, creating a personalized experience for your target audience goes a long way, especially when it comes to your online presence. Something as simple as having your own GIF (or GIFs) can impact your intended audience positively. It showcases your brand’s personality and adds another dimension to your story telling while boosting your engagement.
GIF images files, commonly used to display graphics and logos, are a popular format for memes and social media accounts. Creating your own GIFS to be used on Instagram is a fun way to promote and raise awareness of your brand or business. Who doesn’t like a great GIF?
Ready to take the plunge? Here is a guide to help you get started.
Before you make a GIF for Instagram, there are three important things you’ll need:
- A company website
- A company email address (johndoe@company.com) Please note–personal emails will not be accepted (i.e. @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @msn.com) and may prolong the process.
- An avatar with 250×250 pixels. It can be a GIF or a static photo.
STEP ONE: Sign up for a GIPHY account.
Go to giphy.com. On the top right-hand corner, click on Log In. Once it takes you to the next page, click on Sign Up. Fill out the information requested.
*Make sure that the name on the email address, website, and site owner’s name all match!
STEP TWO: Verify Your Account
Once you sign up, Giphy will send you a verification code via email. Check your email and enter the verification code on the space provided. Once verified, it will take you back to the log in screen. Log in with your credentials.
STEP THREE: Upload GIFs
You must upload FIVE (5) GIFs. It can be the same GIF uploaded five times. (NOTE: To get your GIFs to show up on Instagram, upload them as “Stickers”. These are GIFs with transparent backgrounds.)
Tag your uploaded GIFs with the search terms you want people to use—like your company name or your company line. This is how people will be able to find your GIFs and stickers on Instagram!
STEP FOUR: Upgrade Your Account!
Once you have uploaded your GIFs, go to giphy.com/apply. Select the Brand option. Make sure your application contact information matches the information on your initial profile. Click Apply once done.
Giphy will confirm your application was received. Approval times can range anywhere from 24 hours to one week. If there are any issues, Giphy will contact you via email.
STEP FIVE: …and DONE!
Once your brand account is approved, you will be able to find your GIFs on Instagram Stories by searching the tags you used when they were uploaded to Giphy. If you don’t see your gifs immediately, please wait 24 hours after approval and make sure you are using the correct tags on your search.
Should you encounter any issues, reach out to support@giphy.com. They reply within 48 hour and will help you troubleshoot.
