Instagram. IG. The ‘Gram. This social media platform has long been a go-to for business owners seeking an approachable marketing technique. And when it comes to IG stories, they’re one of the most dynamic ways to connect with your audience.

Here’s what a lot of brands miss about IG stories – they’re the perfect opportunity to show up with branding consistency so that your ideal audience recognizes you, trusts you, and wants to work with you.

If your Stories look scattered, off-brand, or just sort of blend in with everyone else’s, it can quietly erode trust and recognition.

A consistent brand identity isn’t just about your logos or colours – it’s how your brand feels across every slide, sticker, and caption. And even if you don’t yet have a full branding suite, there are ways to show up intentionally while you build it.

Here’s how great brands approach brand consistency on Instagram Stories from both sides of the spectrum — whether you already have a branding system in place or you’re working toward one.

Skip the blog, I want you to tackle my brand identity

If You Don’t Have Branding Yet: DIY Tips for Consistent Brand Identity on IG Stories

Let’s start this off with a little permission slip: you don’t need a fully built brand identity to start showing up. Even without a full brand ecosystem, you can post, connect, and build a following while figuring out your brand identity. The beautiful thing about a brand ecosystem from a pro is that it absolutely makes marketing on IG (and everywhere) so much easier.

The challenge? Without clear brand guidelines, your Stories can start to feel random, inconsistent, or mismatched.

Here’s how to DIY a consistent look now while keeping your long-term brand goals in mind.

Choose a Simple, Intentional Colour Palette & Stick With It

Even if you don’t have a brand colour palette yet, you can define 3-4 core colours for your brand and focus on them as your brand’s go-to colour suite.

Trust me when I tell you there’s a ton of color theory, science, and strategy that goes into creating a brand’s colour palette, but if you’re DIYing for a while, try to focus on:

A light neutral for backgrounds
A dark neutral for text
One or two accent colours that reflect your personality

Once you’ve got those colors figured out, make sure you know their technical information – HEX codes, RGB, and HSL. Write them down and create a little digital color palette you can refer to and use:

When you’re posting on IG stories, use a screenshot of your colour swatch so you can design each story within your specific brand palette.

Remember, consistency is key. Using the same colours repeatedly helps your audience recognize your content – even without a formal branding suite.

Make Your Brand Photos Easy to Grab

Whether you have professional brand photos done or not, you should be sampling from a specific collection of images for your brand’s visuals – even if several of them are stock images.

Think about it like this – visuals are the backbone of brand recognition. Even without professional photography, you can:

Save a folder of photos that feel “on-brand”
Include behind-the-scenes shots, textures, workspace images, or screenshots
Use these images consistently to represent your energy and aesthetic

This makes creating Stories faster and ensures every slide visually aligns with your emerging brand identity. Be consistent with these, so your audience gets familiar with your “vibe.”

Pick Fonts That Represent You

If you haven’t yet picked your brand’s fonts and you’re feeling overwhelmed (which, I get – there are endless options out there), this is one area where you can rest easy. Instagram only allows you to use the fonts they have on their story options – so the pickins are a bit slimmer, making your choice easier.

Still, you need to be consistent with your choices.

Instagram Stories have several different font options, but jumping from one to another is a fast track to inconsistent branding.

DIY rule: choose one IG font for headlines and one IG font for body text. Make sure they feel like the vibe you want your brand to give off. Ask yourself:

Does this match the energy I want to communicate?
Is it bold, soft, playful, or polished?

Using these consistently builds recognition, even if your brand identity isn’t fully formalized yet.

Align Your Voice With Your Content

Brand consistency isn’t just visual. Your tone, captions, and on-camera voice all need to reflect your personality and values.

Ask yourself:

How do I want to sound to my audience?
Calm, bold, warm, or playful?
Teacher, guide, peer?

Keeping your messaging consistent makes your Stories feel intentional – even without a full branding suite.

Create a Few Go-To Story Formats

Instead of reinventing the wheel each day, define 3–5 repeatable Story formats:

Text slides for tips or insights
Behind-the-scenes moments
Polls or interactive questions
Mini tutorials or how-tos

Repetition builds familiarity and reinforces your consistent brand identity, even as you refine your visual system.

Does this mean these are the only types of stories you post? No way! But it can be helpful to have a template you’ve created when the inspo just isn’t hitting.

Always Stay Consistent – Even When It Feels Boring

Consistency is the backbone of a strong brand. Using the same colours, fonts, and visual styles across Stories creates a necessary recognition!

Even if you’re testing and learning and plan to have a full brand guideline done in the future, repetition is more powerful than random creativity. Over time, this forms the foundation for a professional, cohesive brand identity.

When DIY Isn’t Enough: Invest in a Professional Brand Identity

There’s a point for everyone where DIYing your branding starts to feel limiting. And that’s because it is limiting. You might notice:

You’re second-guessing every Story
Fonts and colours change from week to week
Instagram doesn’t reflect your work quality

That’s when a brand guideline makes everything easier. With a professional system, you get a full suite that’s based on vibes, vision, and strategy! Often, this includes elements like:

A defined colour palette and fonts
Brand photos that are ready to use
Predefined layouts and formats for Stories
Clear voice and tone direction

Instead of guessing, you post confidently every single time. That’s the power of a consistent brand identity, built to work across platforms.

Want a look at some of my brand identity work? Click around my work below to see the branding ecosystems I developed for these unique clients!

If You Have Branding: Tips for Consistent Brand Identity on IG Stories

What’s that? You already have a full brand identity suite? That’s fantastic – you’re even closer to the ease and simplicity of IG story consistency. Logos, colours, fonts, and brand photos are all ready to go.

But here’s the thing: even with a full brand identity, Instagram Stories can easily feel disjointed if you’re not intentional.

Here are some tips to keep your branding consistent.

Use Your Colour Palette Strategically

Your brand colours aren’t just decoration. On your Stories, they should:

Highlight key messaging
Signal content type
Keep visual continuity across multiple days

The result? Your audience instantly recognizes your content without even reading your handle.

And of course, create a screenshot of your brand’s colour palette so that you can use it with ease! Here’s my quick trick for this.

Create a folder on your phone for all your brand assets
When you’re designing a story, click stickers → photos and add the screenshot of your colour palette
Use it to design your story by using the colour dropper on the screenshot, then remember to delete the screenshot from your story before you post

Make Brand Photos Accessible

A cohesive Story flow requires easy access to your photography. Organize your brand photos into categories or folders with a certain system, like…

Highlight-worthy shots
BTS moments
Product or service images

Having them ready keeps your Stories consistent with your brand identity without slowing you down.

Stick to Your Fonts and Typography Rules

Even with a set of brand fonts, Instagram Stories tempt you to explore every option. Resist.

Use your defined headline and body fonts
Try to complement (if possible) the fonts you’re using in your brand’s identity (Pro tip: ask your designer which fonts they’d recommend for which uses)
Don’t overdo it! 2-3 fonts total is a good rule of thumb for headers and body copy.

This maintains clarity and ensures your Stories feel like a polished extension of your brand identity.

Keep Your Voice Aligned

Your visuals are just one piece. Story captions, stickers, and video audio should reflect your brand voice. Remember what’s written in your brand identity guideline and use the same tone as your website and social posts.

A pro tip? Avoid random slang or voice shifts that confuse your audience. Consistency in voice reinforces trust and recognition.

Create Reusable Templates

Even with branding in place, templates save time and preserve consistency.

Include your colours, fonts, and logos in repeatable layouts
Add placeholders for photos and text
Keep interactive elements predictable and on-brand

Templates make it effortless to post, ensuring your Stories always feel part of a consistent brand identity.

Measure, Adjust, and Repeat

Consistency doesn’t automatically mean rigidity. Monitor what resonates with your audience and refine your Story formats while staying within your brand framework.

Consistent Brand Identity Is More Than Just Looking Good

Whether you’re DIYing or fully branded, the goal is the same: make your Instagram Stories feel like you.

A consistent brand identity can do a few major things for you:

Builds trust and recognition
Supports long-term growth
Speed up your content creation process (a huge win in my book!)
Make stories act as memorable touchpoints

For brands without branding yet, these DIY tips will help you start strong – but ultimately, investing in a professional brand identity ensures everything you post is aligned, accessible, and instantly recognizable.

I help brands craft brand identity systems that make Stories, posts, and campaigns effortless, visually cohesive, and aligned with your business goals.

(Heavy on the effortless part, too! A brand identity guideline can help make content creation and strategy SO much easier).

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start showing up with confidence, let’s talk.

Let;s talk brand identity

Tips to Stay Brand Consistent in Your Instagram Stories