Instagram adds music-powered templates for Stories

Instagram's making Stories even more interactive with a fresh batch of new stickers announced by the company today. With a focus on music, hidden content, and custom creation, there's a little something in here to appeal to everyone.

Let's start with music lovers. The "Add Yours Music" sticker mashes up the popular Add Yours story chain feature with the classic music sticker. Now, you can share a tune that matches your mood and invite your friends and followers to join in by adding their favorites to the thread – it's like a collaborative public playlist within your story.

If you're feeling nostalgic, you can also try the "Frames" sticker. It lets you turn any photo into something resembling a retro instant print. Your followers then have to shake their phones or tap a button to reveal the picture within. Think of it as a way to highlight those fun throwbacks you have buried in your camera roll.

If what you're seeking is a little mystery,  Instagram's new "Reveal" sticker lets you hide a story and drop hints for your followers. If someone wants to see what's lurking beneath the digital blur, they'll need to slide into your DMs with a request. Don't worry, though – Instagram assures us you won't need to give everyone individual approval before the big reveal.

Finally, get ready to embrace your creativity with the "Cutouts" sticker. This one lets you transform any photo or video into a custom sticker ready to liven up your Stories or Reels. Instagram will even try to auto-generate your cutout, and if that doesn't work you can manually fine-tune the sticker to your liking. Plus, you can share your creations with others, letting them reuse your cutouts in their content.

It seems like with each update, Instagram finds new ways to make Stories more engaging. The company clearly intends its short-form content feature to be a place where you don't just share those polished moments, but also have fun, experiment, and connect with your audience.