How to add a countdown to your Instagram story and announce events
- You can add a countdown to your Instagram story after capturing a new photo or video, or selecting one from your photo library and setting it as your background.
- To add a countdown to your Instagram story, tap the square smiley face button — used to add gifs, stickers, and more — at the top of the screen, or swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the same menu.
- Any countdown you add to a published Instagram story will be saved and available to reuse in the future.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories
Whether it's a birthday celebration, a friend's wedding, or an upcoming family vacation, you may want to make a countdown to tell your Instagram followers about your next big calendar event.
Unfortunately, you can only add countdowns to Instagram stories. However, you can customize them along with the rest of the post by changing the countdown color and giving your ticker a title. Once you create a countdown, Instagram will save it, making it available for reuse later on.
Here's how to do it.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Apple)
Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $859.99 at Walmart)
How to add a countdown on Instagram
1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Swipe to the right to add a photo or video to your story.
3. Use the capture button to take a photo or video.
4. Once your background for the countdown is set, tap the square smiley face icon in the top menu bar.
5. Scroll and tap the "Countdown" option.
6. Tap "Countdown name" and enter the title of your Countdown.
7. If you've previously created countdowns, they will appear in a pop-up box. Select which one you want to use.
8. Toggle the "All Day" button to set a general date or exact date and time.
9. Tap the circular color palette at the top of your story screen to change the color of the countdown.
10. Tap "Done" in the upper right-hand corner.
11. Once back on the story draft, use two fingers to resize the countdown and reposition it on your story.
12. Tap "Your Story" or "Close Friends" to post the Instagram story featuring your countdown.
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
How to go live on Instagram, to broadcast video in real time to your followers
How to share a post to your Instagram story from your feed or a profile
How to search for filters for your Instagram story and save them to your camera
How to add a location on your Instagram story to share it with your followers
How to add Spotify music to your Instagram story in 5 simple steps