Elevate Your Brand's Storytelling: How to Add Handwriting & Illustrations to IG Stories and Reels
Building your personal brand’s presence on social media is no longer about increasing your follower count, but instead about cultivating a community around what you do, create, and share. Storytelling is a great way to connect with your audience and grow a community that is genuinely passionate about your work. On social media, storytelling revolves around the visual elements that distinguish you and your brand from the rest. In this guide, I will show you how to add your own handwriting from Procreate to create titles and text that will elevate your Instagram Stories and Reels.
Understanding the Power of Personalised Visuals
Branding is SO much more than just a logo and a cute colour palette; it represents who you are or what your brand embodies. As the saying goes, your vibe attracts your tribe; to engage with like-minded individuals, using visuals to express your personality can cultivate a more intimate connection with that tribe.
Handwriting and small hand-drawn elements are straightforward yet influential tools to elevate your storytelling. They resonate personally, standout compared to fonts or downloaded graphics and they foster an innate sense of connection with your audience. You don’t need to be an artist to add hand-illustrated or hand-lettered elements into your Instagram content. All you need is the Procreate App, an iPad, and a few simple editing tricks.
How to Add Handwritten Text to IG Stories
1. Launch the Procreate App and create a new canvas sized correctly for Instagram stories: 1080px by 1920px.
2. If you're new to Procreate or digital design, turn on the canvas drawing guides to support you creating handwriting that is straight and consistent in size.
3. On a new or blank layer, write out the text or title you wish to add into your stories.
4. Open the layers menu, then double-tap on the layer of the text you wish to use first; from the drop-down menu, select 'copy'.
5. Switch to the Instagram app and follow the standard steps for creating a new story. Tap to add text to your story, then double tap to bring up the text options and choose 'paste’. Your handwritten title will appear as a transparent sticker on your story. Resize your handwriting and position it as desired.
Top tip: You can apply the same technique to add Procreate illustrations as stickers in your IG stories.
How to Add Handwritten Text to IG Reels
1. Launch the Procreate App and create a new canvas with dimensions appropriate for Instagram reels: 1080px by 1920px (for compatibility with higher-resolution Reel videos, consider a canvas size of 2160px by 3840px).
2. On a new or blank layer, write out the text or title you want to add to your Reel. If you're including multiple text pieces or headings, create each on a separate layer.
3. Open the layers menu, then double-tap on the layer containing the text you want to use first; choose 'copy' from the dropdown menu.
4. Switch to the Instagram app and follow the standard steps for creating a new Reel. Once your video is added, tap to insert text, then select 'paste' to add your handwritten title. Resize and position your handwriting to your liking, and adjust its timing using IG Reels editing tools.
Top tip: You can use the same approach to add Procreate illustrations as stickers in your IG Reels.
Procreate provides a creative canvas to infuse your branding with your personality. By creatively applying these steps, you can add your creative personality to your Instagram content and elevating how you engage with your online community.
For a comprehensive introduction to Procreate, take a look at my Tips for Beginners Tutorial video below.
