Instagram Stories can be planned and published in advance, but scheduling is not available directly in the Instagram app. Instead, users can use a third-party service such as Buffer or Meta Business Suite to prepare posts and choose when they should go live.
Scheduling can help creators, businesses and social media managers post consistently without having to create content at the last minute. It also makes it easier to organize images and videos in advance and plan Stories around promotions, polls or other interactions with followers.
With Buffer, users can schedule Stories from a computer or mobile device. On desktop, they can select an Instagram account in the Publishing section, create a Story, upload and arrange photos or videos, and choose to add it to a queue or set a specific date and time. Buffer also offers basic image edits, including cropping, rotating and adjusting brightness.
The publishing process depends on the Instagram account type: Buffer automatically posts scheduled Stories for business accounts. For creator accounts, the app sends a mobile reminder when it is time to publish, and the user must tap to share.
Meta Business Suite offers another option, but Stories can currently only be scheduled from a desktop computer. Users can open Content or Planner, choose to create a Story, select their Facebook and Instagram accounts, upload media and set a publication time.
Buffer says its free plan includes Instagram Story scheduling for up to three channels. Its tools also allow users to upload as many as 10 photos or videos for a Story at once and rearrange them before scheduling.
For best results, the source recommends designing Stories in a vertical 9:16 format, at 1080 by 1920 pixels, to fit the phone screen. Scheduled Stories can also be edited, retimed or deleted in Buffer before they are published by opening the item in the Instagram channel’s Queue or Drafts section.
Sources: Buffer Blog.