Breaking News Videos for Instagram Stories

Story-native 9:16 — the LIVE badge is pulsing before the viewer's thumb decides anything.

Stories are a hostile environment for text: viewers hold the screen, tap forward on reflex, and give anything static half a second. A breaking-news bulletin is one of the few text formats engineered for exactly those conditions. The LIVE badge is pulsing from the first frame — a motion cue in the corner that reads as 'happening now' before a single word lands — and then the headline starts typing, which is the one text animation people reliably wait out. At 8 seconds, the whole bulletin fits inside a story slide with no awkward cut.

Breaking News Maker's 9:16 export is composed for the vertical frame, not cropped from television: the banner, headline strip and ticker are sized so the type stays readable at arm's length on a phone — broadcast graphics are built for distant living-room screens, which is precisely why they hold up at story size. Keep headlines short and front-loaded, let the ticker carry the fine print, and leave the top and bottom of the frame breathing room for Instagram's own UI. Works the same for WhatsApp statuses and any other story surface.

What you get

A hook in frame one

The pulsing LIVE badge and sliding banner are moving before the story's first second ends — the pattern-interrupt that stops the tap-forward reflex.

Type sized for thumbs

The 9:16 layout composes the banner, headline and ticker for a phone held at arm's length — broadcast-scale type, not shrunken widescreen.

Fits the slide

8 seconds sits comfortably inside a story segment — the bulletin plays out completely without being cut mid-typewriter.

Sound on, sound off

The sting is in the MP4 for sound-on viewers; the typewriter and ticker carry the content visually for everyone watching muted.

Same bulletin, other placements

The project also exports 1:1 for the grid and 16:9 for everywhere else — one scene, three frames.

How it works

1
Write short and front-loaded
Story viewers grant you fewer words than a feed does — put the payoff in the first five, and push detail to the ticker.
2
Compose for the frame
Pick 9:16, a station style, and a backdrop photo that works vertically — faces and portrait shots beat wide landscapes here.
3
Export and post
Download the MP4 and add it to your story — it's already the right shape and length.

Frequently asked questions

What's the right export for stories?

9:16 — it's a native vertical composition, not a crop. Upload the MP4 directly; no trimming needed since the bulletin is 8 seconds.

Will the text be readable at story size?

Yes — that's the quiet advantage of the broadcast format. News graphics are designed to be read from across a room, so at phone scale they're oversized in the best way. Keep your headline concise and it stays effortless to read.

Does it work without sound?

Fully — most story viewing is muted, and the format's content is visual: typing headline, scrolling ticker, pulsing badge. The sting is a bonus for the sound-on minority.

Is it free?

Free to start with a Google sign-in; free exports carry a small watermark. Current plans are on the pricing page.

Related tools

Try it now — free to start

Open the editor, type your first headline and watch the bulletin animate instantly — then sign in to export.

Open the editor