Jump in and give it a try! There are lots of resources to help you along your journey with StoryMaps.
I remember when I was a kid (and had not yet taken swimming lessons) my dad tossed me in the deep end of the pool at a campground. It was a literal “sink or swim” moment. At first I was nervous, but like magic, I instinctively cupped my hands and then doggy paddled my way to the side and exited the pool. Safe on dry land! I think it helped knowing my dad would save me if I needed him, and that he trusted I’d figure it out. I was so proud of myself! I did something that I didn’t know I could do, and I couldn’t wait to try it again.
We know from speaking to so many of you that, like my first swimming experience, you’ll probably start out with StoryMaps by throwing yourself in and trying to figure it out for yourself during the free trial. Go for it! You have great instincts, and our team designed StoryMaps to be intuitive to help you, too. Fortunately, you’re not thrown into the deep end with a trial for StoryMaps. There are many resources to help you learn how to use it so you can make amazing content. I’ll guide you to some helpful tools in this blog.
A Quick Intro to the StoryMaps Trial
Here is the basic info about how the StoryMaps free trial works:
30 Days. That’s how long the trial period lasts.
Premium. All trials provide Premium access to StoryMaps. To clarify, if you want a Basic StoryMaps plan, you’ll still start with free Premium access for 30 days.
Unlimited access. During the trial, you’ll have full access to all of the Premium features StoryMaps has to offer while you make stories, collections, and themes. The only limitation I can think of is that you can only make 10 stories and 5 collections during the trial.
No credit card. That’s right; all you need to create an account is an email address. Sign up and start right away. That way, you don’t have to worry about any automatic charges.
I expect you have questions! Please scroll down for FAQs.
Step One: Sign up for StoryMaps
To get started, you just have to make an account. You can use your personal email address, Apple ID, Google ID or Facebook ID to make your account. Don’t forget to activate it from your inbox. Then sign in and you’ll start your 30-day free trial.
Step Two: Get to Know StoryMaps
You can check out this orientation and/or watch the video below to get the basics about where things are in StoryMaps and how to start building your content.
Step Three: Try it out!
Jump into the builder and start typing. You can write about anything that comes to mind. A recent trip, a family event, maybe your pets. The important part here is you get to see what’s available. Then start adding blocks. Yes, you can add an image gallery, but why not try out Map Tour? It’s fun to put your favorite coffee shops on a map! You can even put a caption over your video with a sidecar. You’re not going to break anything. If you don’t like it, just click the Undo arrow at the top or delete what you made.
You can learn more about what you can make with StoryMaps here.
Key Resources for Getting Started
Just like I knew my dad would help me when I went swimming for the first time, you’re not alone on this trial experience. There are a lot of resources to help you.
- Get the basics and check out cool features in our YouTube Videos
- Explore how-tos in the Knowledge Base
- Follow us on Instagram to keep up to date
StoryMaps Free Trial FAQs
Quite honestly, I want you to test StoryMaps out, and I really hope you’ll be proud of what you make. As I understand free trials can be defined differently from product to product, here are some answers to the most common questions we receive about our free trial.
Hopefully this helps clarify the StoryMaps trial period a bit. Why not sign up and try it yourself? Then, if you have other questions, you can always contact our team right in StoryMaps.