Youth Graphics Should Start With the Story
Students see the story first. Make that size on purpose, with the what and the when in the middle, then the screen and the feed from the same look.
It's Wednesday afternoon. Youth night is in a few hours. Someone takes the slide that's going on the screen tonight, crops it into a story, and posts it.
The title gets cut in half. The date lands right under the "Send message" bar. Students tap past it in less than a second.
Students spend a lot of their day in stories, next to graphics from every brand and creator they follow. A cropped stage slide looks like an afterthought, because it is one.
The fix: make the story first. Then make the other sizes from it.
Why the story comes first for youth
For the main service, the screen in the room is the big one. For youth, the room on Wednesday night isn't where the invite happens. It happens on a phone on Tuesday, or Saturday night, or between classes.
If you start with the screen slide and crop down, the story always loses. If you start with the story and lay out the screen slide from the same look, both work.
Keep the words in the middle
A story is tall, but you don't get all of it. Instagram puts your name and the progress bars across the top, and the reply bar across the bottom.
Meta's ad guide for stories says to keep roughly the top 14% and the bottom 35% clear of text and logos, plus a little room on each side. On a standard 1080 by 1920 story, that's about the top 270 pixels and the bottom 670. A regular story has less in the way at the bottom than an ad does, but if you follow the ad guide, nothing gets covered.
In plain terms: put everything that matters in the middle of the screen.
Say one thing
A youth story has about a second to land. Give it one job.
- What: Youth Night, the fall retreat, the lock-in
- When: Wednesday at 7, or Fri–Sat, Nov 6–7
- Where: only if it isn't the usual spot
That's it. Leave the paragraph about what to bring and how to pay for the sign-up page. The story gets them to tap.
If you want them to do something, use Instagram's own stickers instead of typing it on the graphic. A countdown sticker for the retreat or a link sticker for sign-ups is something students can actually tap. Just leave a clear spot in the middle for it.
Make it look like something they'd follow
This doesn't mean chasing whatever is trending this month. It means the youth graphic gets the same care as the main series:
- A real look, not leftover clip art
- Type that's big and bold enough to read on a phone at arm's length
- The ministry's name and colors, so students know it's from you without reading the fine print
If the youth graphic looks like it was made in five minutes after the adult one, students notice. They see good design all day.
Then get the other sizes
Once the story looks right, make the rest from the same look: the screen slide for the room, the feed post, maybe a printed flyer for the parents' table.
One more thing for the feed post. Since early 2025, Instagram shows posts on your profile as taller 3:4 tiles. A 1080 by 1350 post loses only a sliver on each side in that grid, so it's a safe shape. Keep words a little in from the left and right edges.
In Church Graphics, you can pick the story, feed, and screen sizes in one project. Each size is laid out for its own shape, with your logo and colors on all of them, so you're not cropping the slide into a story at 5pm on a Wednesday.
Do this this week
- For your next youth night or event, open the story size first.
- Put the what and the when in the middle. Nothing near the top or bottom.
- Leave a spot for a countdown or link sticker.
- Make the screen and feed sizes from the same look.
- Post the story the day before and again the day of.
The story is the invite for students. Make it like you mean it.
Keep reading: Kids and Youth Should Not Match the Adult Series · One Title. Every Size. · Church Social Media Image Sizes