Instagram Story Font Hacks and Tips

Instagram comes with the classic, modern, neon, typewriter and strong font options, but did you know there are so many ways for you to customize the font on your Instagram Stories?

In this article, you’ll learn some creative font hacks and tips to make your Instagram Stories stand out from the rest of the crowd. We’ll start from the basics and work our way to more advanced font hacks.

Let’s do this!

1. Shadows

Type your text into your Instagram Story and then create the same word and drag it slightly over the word or sentence.

How to get this font effect:

• Select the text icon (“Aa”)
• Type in the word or sentence using one of the fonts
• Choose a color, tap done, expand the text size to your liking
• Move the text to where you want to place it on your image
• Write the same word or sentence in the same font in a different color
• Place it on top of the first word or sentence and offset it to the side

Pro Tip: Choosing a darker color for the top text really makes the word pop!

2. Solid Background

Create a solid background to make your text, GIFs or image pop complement one another.

How to get this font effect:

• Start by taking a picture or selecting a picture from your photo library
• Tap on the drawing/marker icon
• Choose a color
• Place your finger on the image and hold it down, doing this will change the screen to a solid color
• Write your text, scribble a doodle or add in a GIF

Pro Tip: You can also change the background color of a post that you’re sharing as an Instagram Story. After you tap “add post to your story” simply tap the drawing/marker icon and choose a background color.

3. Erasure Tool

Make your image pop or reveal parts of your photo using the eraser tool.

How to get this font effect:

• Start by taking a picture or selecting a picture from your photo library
• Tap on the drawing/marker icon and choose a color
• Place your finger on the image and hold it down to make it one solid background
• Tap the eraser tool
• Create a doodle or reveal parts of your image

4. Choose your own color

Instagram gives you 27 preset colors to choose from, but did you know that you can select own color?

How to get this font effect:

• Select the text icon (“Aa”)
• Type in your word or sentence
• Touch and hold any color down and a palette will appear
• Move your finger up or down or side to side until you find a color that you like.

5. Choose a color from your image

You can have the font complement the colors on your image to allow for a more cohesive look and feel. The fonts labeled classic, typewriter and strong will allow you to create a color background for your text.

How to get this font effect:

• Tap on the text icon (“Aa”) in the top right corner
• Type one letter at a time
• Click on the (“A”) icon on the top left corner
• Tap on the color drop icon on the bottom left corner and drag it to a color of your liking and tap done
• Move the letter around the photo to where you’d like it to be placed.
• Type in your second letter and repeat this sequence until you have your word or sentence complete

6. Highlight your text

You can highlight the color of your text. The fonts labeled typewriter, strong and classic will allow you to create a color background for your words.

How to get this font effect:

• Type in your word or sentence
• Choose a color in the color palette
• Tap the (“A”) icon on the top left corner and it highlights your text in that color

Pro Tip: The classic font lets you make the color highlight transparent if you tap the (“A”) icon on the top left corner.

7. Change the color of highlighted text

You can modify the color of the text that’s highlighted. You can change the white or black text that gets highlighted and make it your own. The fonts labeled typewriter, strong or classic will allow you to create a color background for your text.

How to get this font effect:

• Type in your word or sentence
• Choose a color in the color palette
• Tap the (“A”) letter on the top left corner and it highlights your text in that color.
• Tap the word and hold and “select all” when it appears
• Choose a different color in the toggle wheel

8. Transparent or gradient overlay

Add a transparent layer on your image to make it more aligned with your brand or to make your text pop.

How to get this font effect:

• Take a photo or choose a photo from your camera roll
• Tap on the drawing/marker icon
• Select the highlighter icon
• Choose a color (either from the preset colors or from your image)
• Press and hold down on your image
• You’ll now have a transparent overlay on your image
• Type your text, add a doodle or GIFs and tap done

9. Rainbow Effect

This effect makes you look like a pro with colors.

How to get this font effect:

• Type in your word or sentence
• Tap on the word and hold and “select all” when it appears
• Hold one thumb on a color in the palette
• Hold the other thumb on the text cursor
• Slide both fingers simultaneously to the left and the letters will change colors

10. Ombre Effect

If you love a certain color, create an ombre effect with this text hack for your Instagram Story. For example, you can go from dark blue to light blue, or dark green to light green.

How to get this font effect:

• Type in your word or sentence
• Tap on the word and hold and “select all” when it appears
• Hold one thumb on a color in the palette
• Hold the other thumb on the text cursor
• Drag your thumb up in the palette until you reach the lightest shade of that color
• Slide both fingers simultaneously to the left and the letters will change colors

11. Hide Hashtags

Hashtags can help increase the reach of your Instagram Story. Once you identify the hashtags you want to use, hide them within your photo to make it look more clean and pleasant.

How to get this font effect:

• Tap on the text icon (“Aa”) in the top right corner
• Type in your hashtag
• Tap on the color drop icon on the bottom left corner and drag it to a color of your liking and tap done
• Move the hashtag around the photo to where you’d like it to be placed
• You can repeat this sequence until you have the hashtags you want on your Insta Story

12. GIF Text

Bring your Insta Stories to life with GIFs with words or phrases.

How to get this font effect:

• Tap on the squared smiley face
• Tap on the GIF icon
• Search for a word, phrase or keyword (i.e. cute, new post, travel, workout)
• Select your GIF
• Move the GIF to where you want to place it on your image

13. Copy and Paste Font

Forget the existing fonts within the Instagram app, personalize your Instagram Story with your own font.

How to get this font effect:

• Go to Cool Symbol or your favorite font app like Typorama
• Type in your word or sentence
• Copy and paste it into your image or video on Instagram; if you’re using an app, export the PNG file of the font and copy and paste that into your Instagram story
• Choose a color in the color palette
• Move and drag the text to where you want to place it on your image
• Tap done
• Pro Tip: You can copy and paste images, stickers, PNG files and create a unique collage for your Instagram Story.

14. Fonts from Apps

Use a font from a third-party app and then upload it as your Instagram Story.

How to get this font effect:

• Download apps like Hype Text, Adobe Spark, Word Swag or Typic
• Upload your image or video
• Choose a font of your choice and type a word or phrase
• Some of these apps allow for other special font features such as reveal or swipe-in effects
• Save it as a 9:16 format
• Upload it to your Instagram Stories

15. Incorporate Text Blocks

Create a large text block on your Instagram Story to add in text or GIFs. Take your Instagram Story to the next level by layering on multiple text blocks.

How to get this font effect:

• Load in your image or create a solid background
• Select the text icon (“Aa”)
• Add in a space, period (.) and space again
• Click on the (“A”) icon on the top left corner
• Expand the text box and place it on your image until it creates a solid text block
• Type in your text and break it into small chunks
• Choose a color (either from the preset colors or from your image)

Pro Tip: To create additional text blocks, add in a space, a period and a space again. This time, can choose a different color for the block or tap the  (“A”) icon twice to make it a transparent or gradient overlay.

16. Tap to reveal text

Create a playful reveal of your text on your images by revealing a word or text at a time.

How to get this font effect:

• Select your image
• Select the text icon (“Aa”)
• Type in the word or sentence using one of the fonts
• Choose a color, tap done, expand the text size to your liking
• Move the text to where you want to place it on your image
• Tap the save icon to download your image
• Then load up your image again and repeat the sequence above until you create a reveal of your image

What’s your favorite Instagram story font hack? Share it below in the comments.